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helen_t_reads 's review for:
Brightly Shining
by Ingvild H. Rishøi
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Christmas is just around the corner, and Ronja and Melissa’s father is out of work. When ten-year-old Ronja hears about a job selling Christmas trees, she thinks it might be the stroke of luck they all need. Soon, the fridge fills with food and their father comes home smiling, covered in spruce needles. But the local pub has an irresistible pull and he quickly abandons his responsibilities.
Melissa decides to take his place at the Christmas tree stand, working before and after school, and bringing Ronja with her. On rare breaks in the dark of a Norwegian December they dream of a brighter place of kindness and plenty – and find there are some people in the world who might help them.
A Christmas novella that makes a big emotional impact on the reader. This is a modern day story, almost a fable - a 21st century Little Match Girl if you will - and a sobering reminder that the festive season is not a happy time for some.
Dealing with the emotional, material and physical neglect of two sisters, and the alcohol dependency of their father, it makes you feel huge sadness, and even anger, for the plight of the girls - made all the more poignant by the younger one's eternal hope and optimism - and gratitude for the occasional kindnesses of strangers shown to them by neighbours, friends, colleagues and school employees.
Translated from the original Norwegian by Caroline Waight, it's a beautifully written, but a very sad Christmas read rather than a festively fluffy story, and, whilst avoiding spoilers, the ambiguous ending will test your inherent nature, determining whether you're an optimist or a pessimist, in the conclusions you draw.
Melissa decides to take his place at the Christmas tree stand, working before and after school, and bringing Ronja with her. On rare breaks in the dark of a Norwegian December they dream of a brighter place of kindness and plenty – and find there are some people in the world who might help them.
A Christmas novella that makes a big emotional impact on the reader. This is a modern day story, almost a fable - a 21st century Little Match Girl if you will - and a sobering reminder that the festive season is not a happy time for some.
Dealing with the emotional, material and physical neglect of two sisters, and the alcohol dependency of their father, it makes you feel huge sadness, and even anger, for the plight of the girls - made all the more poignant by the younger one's eternal hope and optimism - and gratitude for the occasional kindnesses of strangers shown to them by neighbours, friends, colleagues and school employees.
Translated from the original Norwegian by Caroline Waight, it's a beautifully written, but a very sad Christmas read rather than a festively fluffy story, and, whilst avoiding spoilers, the ambiguous ending will test your inherent nature, determining whether you're an optimist or a pessimist, in the conclusions you draw.