Member Reviews

While the story is a slow burn and moves a little slowly, it was a great read. A true love letter to books, to the written word.

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What a charming, lovely book. Ilse is a translator living in Greenland, struggling to find who she is and how she fits into the world. She translates English, Dutch, and French and is renowned for her ability. However, when a set of poetry in the Provence dialect comes her way, she’s unsure she is up to the task.

Her editor agrees to let her travel to Provence to meet with the poet so she can fully grasp the nuance of the language. There, she falls in word-love (not real love, the poet is 70+) with him, the village, his friends, and France in general.

This story was just delightful. Ilsa was never boring, given her hopes and dreams, and oh to travel to Provence. The story was full of vivid scents and colors, tastes and ambiance. I adored it.

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Beautiful setting but it took too long for anything to start happening. The romance felt forced which made it hard to fully enjoy the book. This one just wasn’t for me unfortunately.

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While the novel starts strong with its enchanting prose and engaging premise, it falters in the second half. Ilse, a Greenlandic literary translator, travels to Provence to work with Troubadour poet Geoffrey “Po” Labaye on an English translation of his work. The vivid descriptions of Provence and Ilse’s mentor-mentee relationship with Po shine, offering moments of lyrical beauty and personal growth.

However, the story loses momentum with the abrupt introduction of Po’s son, Frey, whose rushed romance with Ilse feels forced and undermines the narrative's focus. (I detest Frey).

Despite its uneven pacing and flawed subplot, the book’s evocative atmosphere and compelling first half make it worth considering, particularly for those who know what it is like to fall in love with your environment.

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A Northern Light in Provence is a good story with beautiful writing. I felt like the book transported me to Provence along with Ilse and I liked how the Birkelund included portions of Provencal language throughout. I'd say this book is more literary fiction with some romance, as opposed to strictly romance, but overall I liked the book.

Thank you Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
3.5/5 stars

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I am not sure I have ever read a book set in Greenland (if only partially), and that was intriguing to me, and who doesn't dream of getting a job assignment in France? A Northern Light in Provence by Elizabeth Birkelund is a book with warm characters and is a meditation on friendship and self-discovery.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

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I adored this unusual story about a woman in Greenland who works as a translator of books. Ilse has always wanted to travel to France to see the settings of the works she translates, she is tired of her life in coastal Greenland, but can not afford the cost.

When an opportunity presents itself to translate a famous old poet in Provence, she embarks upon a life-changing journey of finding her true self (and love) in a marvelous setting, all the more vivid in contrast to her homeland.

I truly enjoyed getting to know more about life in Greenland (cold, cold, cold, a bit bleak) and loved the characters of Ilse's friends and family. I also enjoyed the characters in Provence, and the life lessons of the old poet. The romance wasn't my favorite part but it all played well together, and, like all readers, I am sure, I was in suspense at the end, wondering what path forward Ilse would choose.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an opportunity to read an eARC of this lovely, transformational novel that was published in May of 2024. I hope to read another work by Ms. Birkelund very soon!

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I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine in exchange for an honest review.

The descriptions of Greenland and Provence were both spectacular and really gave me a feeling of the settings Ilse was in and the moments she was experiencing. However, the relationship between Ilse and the Poet was ick and the relationship between Ilse and Frey was infuriating.

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This is a surprisingly charming story set partly in a very small town in Greenland and mostly in provincial France. Isle, the protagonist, lives very remotely on a small island (when the tide is in) off the coast of a small village in Greenland. Although her job as a translator (English, French and Danish) of books furthers her isolation, she manages to walk from her ramshackle house on stilts, which threatens to fall into the sea, across a land bridge when the tide is out to socialize with the village’s unique and eccentric inhabitants. But she dreams of going to France and her wish comes true when her publisher agrees to send her to Provence to translate poetry for an aging man referred to as a “national treasure”. In Province, Isle discovers not only beautiful scenery but also new friendships and even more eccentric and lovable people.
Although this book is listed as being in the romance genre, it is definitely not a rom com and romance is a secondary focus or less. The real story is about friendship, both familiar and well established, and those that can be made with an open mind wherever you find yourself. Isle herself is such a charming character who is already caring but must learn to be brave and open to adventure in unfamiliar surroundings. The author did a terrific job with character development and made all the primary characters so interesting and real. I loved both settings and knew very little about either of these so very different places. The book did move a little slowly at times for me but the real story of friendships and sacrifices made everything come together for a great read!

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I did wonder a few times as I was reading this one if I would finish it. It's very much a love letter to a language I don't understand, so there was a sense of missing out over French phrases or passages.

There are authors I've really enjoyed that have been translated to English, and while a part of me understands the undertaking this must be, I've never stopped to consider what the life of a translator might be like. Ilse's love for a language not her own leads her to want to stay true to the original work, to try and lose as little of the author's intention as possible. A translator friend of hers disagrees - she thinks that the translator must make themselves known, not hide behind the original words.

When Ilse's dream of visiting France comes true, at first she worries if she's too unrefined for the experience. A girl left behind by the death of her brother, who has spent her life amongst the harshest of elements in Greenland, who seems to take up too much space for the delicate landscape.

She wasn't expecting her connection with the Poet, who's work she is translating. Not his way of seeing the world, of poetry, and her.

I found myself drawn in by Ilse's transformation but was eager for her to return home. Her experience in Provence was a beautiful dream, and the life she left behind is demanding. Strong willed people, brutal weather and a harsh landscape, there was beauty in her home as well. I felt she would have forever been missing a part of herself if she stayed in Provence, though the pull to that place was very strong as well.

I often think of myself as a character driven reader. It's rare for me to find a place that provides just as strong a character as the people that live in it.

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3.5 stars
I loved the settings of Greenland and Provence, but the second section of the book when she was in Provence and translating the poetry was my favorite. There was a lot of sadness in the book, but also hope. I loved how Ilse maturely evaluated the things that happened to her and what she wanted, and she took her time to make her final decisions on where to stay. It took me a little while to get into this book, but ultimately I enjoyed it.

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Ballantine eARC
I tried this book a couple times this spring, and it just wasn't working for me, but I didn't want to completely DNF. I am so glad I didn't. I ended up listening to the audio of this, and it hit all the right notes. I loved the setting - both Greenland and France. It is so rare to get a book set in Greenland, and Ilse was such an interesting woman to experience this life and culture because of her love for the French language, even though she's never been. I think what captured me here was how it was a story about an interesting woman's life that left me full of wanting the best for her. It was easy to root for and against some of her decisions. I loved how poetry was explored. The author also examined relationships in interesting and surprising ways. I just fell for this story in ways I didn't expect, and I know it's one that will stick with me.

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Ooh, I love me a travel book! I always get jealous thinking of the research the authors are required to do. Because if you set a book in Greenland, you have to go to Greenland. It makes me want to write a book set in Greenland.

I adored this story. It was sweeping in its locales, yet very easy to connect to through the main character. It was thoughtful, moving, and at times I broke out into a huge smile as I read. This is a balm for the soul without being too trite and predictable.

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This book was very interesting about this woman named l.L s e who lived in greenland. She had.
A very quiet life there.She lived in a fishing village. She spoke French and she always wanted to go to France to visit This person who wrote poems.
Geo FF.R.Y. She translated one of His poems. So she went to province A town called B e l l e on Coast of R I v I e r a She found very beautiful and it was very different from greenland. The poet was very good to her and he really had a good time. Then he got sick and his son came down the f.R y. She stayed an extra 3 weeks because she fell in love with his son.But his son was supposed to marry another woman. It was interesting , how the author compared her life in greenland and Her vacation in france. She returned home but things started to get out of whack when she lost her home to the sea. She was a drift she did not know what to do. The book has a different Ending because his son wanted her to come to france to live with him. There's a lot of answers at this end of this book and you'll find out about them

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Thank you @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of A Northern Light in Provence by Elizabeth Birkelund. Ilse is from a tiny rural town in Greenland, and she has never traveled, despite always wanting to. She is a translator of poetry and other literature, and lives through her authors. When she has the opportunity to go to Provence to work in person with one of her poets, she thinks her life is finally beginning. She bonds with the poet, but realizes quickly that he is in his final stages of life. He teaches her about a life she could never imagine, and she falls in love with the area and the people there. There is romance, but is the beautiful life of Provence really better than the solid life she has in cold Greenland? Provence and Greenland are both characters in this book, the descriptions of both areas are beautiful and lyrical. #anorthernlightinprovence #elizabethbirkelund #netgalley #advancedreadercopy #tbr #bookstagram #lovetoread #readersofinstagram #provence #greenland

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Greenland is a fascinating location and this is the first time I have read a novel set in the harsh conditions. Elizabeth Birkelund uses a unique profession to propel her main character, Ilse Erlund from isolation to community. Erlund has monetized her love for the French language by translating French works into English. When she has a chance to take a break from sad memories at home and travel to Provence to work with an aging poet, she packs up and escapes her "real life." Birkelund spends many words on the setting and sense of place, which although beautiful often slows down the story. I was pleased with the way this book ended.

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From the frozen landscape of northern Greenland to the mountains, fields of lavender and villages of Provence, Elizabeth Birklund’s story captures your attention from the first page and holds you long after the end. I frequently smiled as I read this book, but there were also times that it brought me to tears. Ilse fell in love with the French language when Madame LaRoche arrived in Greenland to teach. Now in her thirties, Ilse is a translator for a publishing company. She has never been to France but dreams of someday traveling there. When her editor asks her to translate a book of poetry with a short deadline she accepts, but only if they will send her to work with the poet on the translation. Geoffrey ‘Po’ Labaye is known as the last living troubadour of Provence. His poetry is filled with the Provençal dialect, which Ilse is not familiar with. From the moment she arrives in the warmth of Provence she falls under its’ spell. Then she meets Po. He is in his seventies but they form an instant connection. Working in the shade of an olive tree and sharing a carafe of coffee or the local drink, they share a love of words. The book is being given as a gift to the guests at the wedding of Po’s son Frey. Po disapproves of Frey’s fiancée, causing tension and arguments when Frey arrives. While Ilse initially finds Frey to be cold, they develop an attraction as she gets to know him, which is encouraged by Po. At the poet’s request Ilse extends her stay until a betrayal and a tragic death has her returning to Greenland.

Ilse’s home in Greenland is built over the water, providing the solitude that she prefers since the death of her brother Jann. It has been fifteen years since his motorcycle accident but her mother still praises Jann while pointing out all of Ilse’s faults. In her small community she is surrounded by friends who care for her, including Troy, who she grew up with and briefly dated. While she left a part of her heart in Provence, her return home forces her to decide where she truly belongs. This is a story of love and loss that was beautifully written. It is a story that you will want to revisit again and again. I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for providing this book.

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I’m giving it a “just OK” rating because I adored the poetry, the bond between the poet and translator, and the love of language and nature. However, I abhorred the romance subplot (involves cheating) and I personally find present tense hard to get into.

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A very lovely book about a woman who leaves her home in Greenland to travel to Provence and falls in love. It did make me laugh at times

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Else is from Greenland and as a translator travels to Greenland. While there, she is translating romantic poems. This time away opens her eyes and changes her life. She grows and changes all in positive ways. I enjoyed her journey and how it reshaped her.
I recommend this book.

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