I would like to thank Net Galley and Random House, especially Megan Whalen for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. This book is a story of Ilse, a translator who lives in Greenland and translates books from many languages. She does not travel, although she longs to see France.She lives in her small village, where her parents and friends live. She is single, although she makes references to a broken relationship in the past. She gets an opportunity to translate the poems of a man who lives in Provence , France. She negotiates to visit the writer and translate with the writer. The poems are meant to be published at the end of August, when the poets son will marry the American editors daughter. Ilse, goes to France, meets the poet and loves the town. She then meets the poets son. A romance of sorts develops. There are turns and twists as Ilse works out what she really needs and wants. I gave it a 2.5 ( rounded up). The writing that described the places Ilse lives and visits is beautiful. It is descriptive and evocative. The story and characterizations are neither of those. They are slow moving, ponderous and flat. There were few likeable characters. There were a lot of character names thrown out, and either never referred to again, or given only a passing nod with little explanation or connection to the story line.If you want to read a travelogue, this may be for you. I realize the bulk of the other reviews glow, but I am writing the dissenting opinion here.

I would like to first thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group — Ballantine Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. I greatly appreciate it!

This book came to me precisely when I needed it the most. I saw so much of myself in llse Erlund. Women are expected to marry and have children at an early age, and if not, there’s a sense of disappointment from the community or family or both. This book, however, reminded me that there’s more to a legacy, to a life—more to being a woman—than just having children. "A Northern Light in Provence" is simply a beautiful book, one that literally made me laugh and cry (for minutes!). It reminds one of where “home” truly is (in spite of the hardships from outside forces) and the kind of love that is true and genuine. There’s so many other points that I’d love to share, but it would ultimately spoil the magic of this book. Buy it upon release! You won’t be sorry!

“A Northern Light in Provence” by Elizabeth Birkelund
Translating Life into the language of Words.
This story is so much more than a romance story and so much more than a women’s fiction story. It grabbed my emotions and swept them up and into this story where I lived and grew to love Ilse Erlund. This was not an easy read. I had to take breaks to digest and absorb what I had read and give my emotions time for a bit of recovery. Logically I know she was a fictional character. But I cannot keep from feeling she is real, and, I so very want all that will make the rest of her life a happily ever after. Happy Reading ! !
Note: This review expresses my honest opinion.

Every so often, you open a book and it causes you to forget to breathe. Some alchemy of the author's devotion to craft and beauty and the sheer love of a particular place transforms words into a real, concrete experience. And within a page or two, your heart is compressed so tight, it’s sending signals to your brain that are one half “What just happened?” and one half “You must go experience this for yourself.”

That’s what happened to me in the opening pages of Elizabeth Berkelund’s A Northern Light in Provence. I don’t believe I have ever once considered Greenland as a place I might want to visit, but there I was, gasping for breath and thinking, “And this book is supposed to be about a person going to France. Oh, I can’t *wait* to see how the rest of this book unfolds.”

Ilse’s story begins at the edge of the sea, in a house on stilts, where she is cold and absorbed in her work as a translator of literature. When she gets the chance to translate poetry by the Last Living Troubador of Provence, she decides to go for broke and ask for a trip to Provence to meet with him and absorb the atmosphere.

She leaves one cast of colorful characters behind and falls headlong into another group, distinct and charming in a whole different way, living in another place of exquisite beauty. This is a book that defies genre conventions; it’s a testament to the author’s vision that I wasn’t really sure where she’d end up or who she’d be with by the end. I don't want to spoil anything, so let's just say that not one word in this book goes to waste; everything you see, you will see again, and in a way you didn't expect. Ilse's was a journey I loved from beginning to end. I was sorry to see it end.

I could not put this book down it was SO good! I decided to dedicate my Saturday to it (instead of all the things I needed to do) just to enjoy and be in all the places that she takes us. I loved the juxtaposition of the Arctic and Provence, Ilse's different dreams and the people around her. Though fiction, I felt at home reading about how she navigated all of these and came home with all of those different dreams and people intact. The imagery will stay with me and even makes me think I might want to visit the Arctic (which I never would have considered before!)

A Northern Light in Province by Elizabeth Birkelund ⭐⭐⭐⭐

After her brother dies Ilse isolates herself from everyone in her little cabin in Greenland. Till one day when the opportunity presents her from stepping outside her comfort zone and move to France, and the best part is its paid for by her publisher to translate for a poet. She soon finds herself living again and enjoying life, even opens her heart to Frey who happens to have a fiancee.
Pre-order your copy today and follow along on her journey and she must decide to return to her security or follow her heart and dreams.

A New author for me and I really enjoyed her writing and looking forward to discovering me. Im very thankful to NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to discover new genres and authors by reading and reviewing books.

This a beautifully written book about so many things: self-discovery, the beauty of travel, the love of language and more. The author's descriptive writing about the differences in color and light between Greenland and Provence was exquisite. I found this a powerful and lovely story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
What a lovely heartwarming story. I loved the beautiful picture the author drew here of the main characters life and struggles and how her experience in France changes her.

Isle Eklund lives in the cold and frozen, isolated Greenland. She translates books from French and Danish to English. She lives in an isolated cabin where she locks herself away with only daily visits to local cafe. It has been her refuge since her brother died. Isle’s one desire is to visit France, to the country of the language she loves.
Given the opportunity to translate a Provence troubadour poet’s work, Isle bravely requests two weeks there to learn the nuances of his words.
In Provence amid vibrant colors and a more vibrant language, she comes alive, warmed by the sun and the poet.
This is the story of a lonely isolated woman seeing life from a truly colorful perspective. The words on the page will draw you into another world as seen through Isle’s eyes.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

If you've never been anywhere and feel like you're stuck - you might understand a little of what it feels like to be our heroine Ilse feels. Having always lived in her home on the windswept coasts of Greenland, adventure feels far away. Jumping at an opportunity to expand her life professionally and personally, she convinces her boss to sponsor her trip to France to translate the work of a French poet.

Upon arrival, as anyone who remembers their first real travel experience (and I'm not talking about a cruise or somewhere you popped in for the weekend.. ) the true romance of this story to me was about falling in love with life's potential. Ilse gets her first taste of what it feels like to be free from expectations, and free to explore, make mistakes and try new things.

THOUGHTS:
- One of the other aspects I loved is being forced to examine what love really looks like after it's built under idyllic settings. With Frey having a fiance back in Paris.. the deepening of their relationship is scary but also freeing in a way.

**Thank you to Ballantine Books & NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤

The story of Ilse traveling, for the first time in her life, from her home in Greenland to Provence was enchanting. Coming from a cold and colorless place, Ilse finds herself suddenly in a whole new world. As she sets out to translate the poetry of Geoffrey Labaye, she quickly becomes entwined with his life and that of his family and friends. Soon she is extending her stay in France longer and longer. And you just want to stay there with her.

“A Northern Light in Provence” is by Elizabeth Birkelund. It’s difficult for me to categorize this book. My summary of this story would be there’s a woman living in Greenland who feels alone and knows it and is okay with it, then there’s her discovering on a work trip to Provence, France that life doesn’t need to be as lonely as she thinks it might be, who then returns to Greenland and realizes, like Dorothy from “The Wizard of Oz” that maybe “home” isn’t as bad as she first thought it was initially. Yes, there’s more to the story than that, but I’d recommend reading the book (or looking at others’ reviews) for the full detailed story. What I liked about this book were the descriptions of Greenland and of Provence - the difference in light, in people, in the landscape - they were lovingly described in rich prose. I also liked that Ms. Birkelund didn’t take the easy way out regarding the romance (I saw it going in a number of different directions). On that note, though, I must admit that I did not like Frey’s storyline or, actually, him. At times the pacing of this book seemed slow to build-up, but I’m not quite sure what I’d cut (maybe some of the repeated information regarding both villages?). I’d recommend this book to those who like travel, self-discovery, language, and prose writing.

This was different than what I expected and I wasn’t sure if this book was for me after the first few chapters. But then it transformed when Ilse arrived in Provence, just like she transformed. This is a book about needing to experience outside of the life you’re told to lead, and finding happiness within. This may not be the book for everyone but it’s a pleasant surprise if given the chance.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Not as light as I thought this read would be, but lovely never-the-less. Kind of a deep story but loved it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

After many years of dreaming about spending time in France, Ilse dreams comes true. Ilse is a translator of books and she gets the opportunity to go to Provence France to meet the poet who's work she is translating and that exchange changes her perceptions.
I found myself very involved in the story from the beginning, I like the characters in the story and how they cared and treated each other well. I loved experiencing how Ilse became excited about leaving Greenland and going to Provence France. How feeling the weather, enjoying the food and meeting the people had Ilse blossom and feeling elated. I love how Po and Ilse help each other with the lost of loved ones and how Po taught Ilse all about France and what was important in life. I loved all of the dogs and wonder what happen to Tang. I loved the village experience and how the village included Ilse in their way of life and made her one of them.
The one part of the story that threw me was when Ilse had decided to go to France to be with Frey, Po's son, but then changed her mind and stay in Greenland because she realized that Frey wasn't for her and that what she really wanted was already in Greenland, that was nice.
This is book is very easy to read and is very enjoyable and I wish it was longer.
I want to thank Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this wonderful journey from Greenland to France and back.

Ilse was so relatable. Feeling stuck and wanting more is something I think we can all identify with.This is definitely a character driven book, and I think that could be a problem for some.

For me, I enjoy it. I love getting deep with our characters and deep into our setting too. This book was beautiful and descriptive in the best way.

Ilse is a translator who lives a very insular life in Greenland. When she gets the opportunity to visit France for the first time, her world broadens in many ways.

Some of the story felt haphazard or rushed. I'm not sure what the ultimate message was, because the shift at the end confused me.

Isle Erlund is a Greenlandic translator who gets a translating job in Provence, France.

I was initially drawn in by the book description. I haven’t read many (any?) books set in Greenland. However, the execution was choppy and flat for me. I wanted the setting and characters of Under the Tuscan Sun meets A Year in Provence and I just didn’t get that. I also hated Frey as a character and plot point. Are we supposed to?

Thank you to Random House Publishing and Ballantine Books for this digital copy to review.

I love character driven books, and this one was a great one.
In this novel we follow Ilse Lund a Greenlander woman who is a translator in English French and Danish, and who is asked to translate a book of poems by “Geoffrey Labaye, an elderly poet known as “the last living troubadour of Provence.”
Ilse has always wanted to go to France as this is a language that she admires the most. But she feels she need to go to Provence to really get the feelings of the poems, and the man that has written them, as they are written for the most part, in a Provencal dialect.
She convinces her publisher to pay for a trip to work with the poet, as this job has a tight deadline.
Once there Ilse falls in love with the area, and she and the poet become very close and work well together.
I love how she worked so hard at getting to know him as a person, so that she would be able to not only translate the words of the poems, but also the feelings he felt when writing them.
A beautifully written book, with many things that will want you to keep reading.
There are a whole group of characters from France to Greenland, that add to the back and future of the story.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for a copy of this book.

I throughly enjoyed this story. It took me a little bit to get into the writing style, but by chapter 3, I was hooked! I laughed, I cried, and I learned a little French. This story is very language heavy, but that fits with the story so well.