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jeanninedc 's review for:
Brightly Shining
by Ingvild H. Rishøi
A short Christmas story somewhat based on the Little Match Girl. 10-year-old Ronja and her 16-year-old sister Melissa live in the Norwegian town of Toyen with their father, a loving man who unfortunately bounces back and forth between responsibility and inebriation. Friends find a job for him selling Christmas trees, and he does well for a while, but soon returns to drink, and Melissa decides the only way for them to make ends meet is if she takes his job. Ronja even manages to join in, using her age and cuteness appeal to sell extras for the business. But the owner discovers her participation and bans her from the premises, and things go from bad to worse. The situation is resolved in a seeming magical and/or tragic ending.
The writing is lovely. The characters are well-developed and engaging. Melissa is quite the teenager taking the whole world on her shoulders. Secondary characters are sometimes brief but vivid. The plot starts out well, but works too hard at manipulating events and simply falls apart by the end. Some seem quite happy with the ending, but I found it inadequate and thought it squandered all the potential of the story and characters. Disappointing.
The writing is lovely. The characters are well-developed and engaging. Melissa is quite the teenager taking the whole world on her shoulders. Secondary characters are sometimes brief but vivid. The plot starts out well, but works too hard at manipulating events and simply falls apart by the end. Some seem quite happy with the ending, but I found it inadequate and thought it squandered all the potential of the story and characters. Disappointing.