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Book Review: A Gathering Light, Jennifer Donnelly

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Title: A Gathering Light
Author: Jennifer Donnelly
Published: 2004, Bloomsbury
Pages: 383
Source: Bought
Format: Paperback
Rating: 2.5/5
When Mattie is given letters by a guest at the hotel where she has a summer job, she thinks the guest is simply upset. But when the woman is found drowned next day, Mattie must decide whether she will read them, or burn them as requested. A touching funny surprising novel set in 1906 and based on a true story.

A Gathering Light was a nice read. It's one I'd have definitely loved as a teen, but not quite as much now (but that's on me, rather than the book). A Gathering Light is a historical coming-of-age story that includes a touch of mystery.  Once I got into the story I couldn't help but fly through it.

The story is set in the Adirondack Mountains, New York in 1906 and is based on a true story from the area. I believe Jennifer Donnelly is actually from the area too and I think this helped the realness of the story as she was able to describe the area in a way that made me feel like I was there.

In terms of the characters, I didn't really have any strong feelings for them. I didn't dislike them, but I didn't love them. I was sort of neutral. Although, Mattie's fiance did annoy me quite a lot. I did like Mattie's personality quirks such as her word of the day. And Mattie really did highlight key issues such as the disadvantages of being a female in the early 1900s and their lack of choice. Her relationship with her best friend Weaver was also so sweet and I loved the way they supported each other in their dreams and stood up for what they believed in. Weaver's story also hits at the racial injustices of the time too. 

The story is told via a series of flash-forwards and flashbacks which I thought made the story that bit more interesting. I didn't think the story was as predictable as I expected either. True it's about a murder, but the murder didn't feature in the way I expected. The story went in a direction I didn't expect and the murder was almost a backstory. I don't think the story had the most dramatic ending either. It ended and I was just left thinking "that's it". 

That being said, I'd definitely recommend A Gathering Light to teens with an interest in historical fiction. And I'd definitely read more Jennifer Donnelly if I was to come across her, but I won't actively seek her books out. I'm glad I finally read this book though as it was a nice read and has been sitting on my bookshelf for around a decade!




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Comments

  1. I think I read this one but under the title A Northern Light. Doesn't it play off of Dreiser's book An American Tragedy? I thought it was a good read; I just wish I remembered it better. :)

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    Replies
    1. Yes, I think the American title is A Northern Light and seems to be a similar story to An American Tragedy. I had to look that one up, but looks like I actually have that one on the TBR too so maybe I should give that a read too.

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