4 stars

This is an understated novel that will really please readers who appreciate atmosphere and character development.

Ilse lives in Greenland, works as a translator, and has an opportunity to visit Provence to work with a poet who will present a welcome linguistic and cultural challenge. For me, the two locations - Greenland and Provence - were major selling points for picking up this read, and they do not disappoint. Readers get a real sense of Ilse's life in Greenland, especially considering her simultaneous separation from others and inability to escape the same folks over and over again. The weather and scenery also really drive parts of the plot and Ilse's development, and I loved reading about these elements since I have exactly no experience in Greenland and was curious. I do have some experience in Provence, and I enjoyed the portion of the book that is set there for the opposite reason: relatability. There's something very particular about the air, the colors, the romantic quality, and the natural scenery in that region, and Ilse's personal realizations and changes seemed realistically intertwined with the landscape. The settings in this book are as important as the individual characters and, in fact, markedly shape those characters.

Ilse has a lot of growth to accomplish when the novel begins, but she never comes off as foolish or helpless, common and irritating traits in female protagonists of this age group. She's cerebral but reasonable, as well as hopeful and resilient. She's a great character, and while this is not an action-packed book, it proved a welcome change of pace for me and will be a lush, engaging read for many.

I loved this book. Why? The language is beautiful, it compares two disparate cultures—Nordic vs Provence both in story and in rhythm; there are feelings for three men of different backgrounds and ages; the descriptions of the settings are exquisite and made me want to travel, and it explores the inner thought life of a thinking woman as well as subtle differences that culture and related languages make. The writer has captured my imagination about life and post-life, about place and time, about men and women, about weather and about the nature of rescuing and being a savior. It’s a valiant and captivating read. I'd give it more than 5 stars if it was possible.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballentine Books for the Advanced Review copy.

A Northern Light In Provence is a book about love: a love affair, love between father and son, love of poetry, and love of nature. A character-driven novel, we watch Ilse grow as she leaves Greenland for the first time to meet a troubadour poet in Provence, France. She learns the nuances of poetry, the beauty of France, and meets a friend in her poet. This is a book about self-discovery amidst love.

Ilse is a young woman, a translator who lives and works from her isolated home in Greenland where she continues to mourn the loss of her brother five years prior. When she is asked to translate a book of poetry from a troubadour in Provence, she requests a trip to Provence from her publisher that will change her life forever. This beautifully written novel is about all the different kinds of love that are out there if we are only open to receiving it.

I felt myself identifying with Ilse. I shut myself off from the world following the death of my fiancée. I didn't have the amazing opportunity to travel to another country to meet a poet, but, my life isn't a book. It took a bit to get into the writer's style, but the book flowed well after I did. The characters could have used a bit more depth, but otherwise still a very solid read.

A NORTHERN LIGHT IN PROVENCE is about a woman's journey to France to translate poems of a local poet and the people she encounters during her time there. I thought the writing was beautiful (especially describing the scenery of France) and had a nice flow to it. But I found the plot itself rushed enough that it made it feel like there were gaps that I didn't find it necessarily believable at times. But I can see other people enjoying this book and the escapism of it. I did appreciate the message and reminder that a thing that doesn't work out in life was just the bridge to lead you to the real thing that was always meant for you.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. It was a good escapist book!

What a beautiful written story. Ilse lives in a small cottage in Greenland. She lives with an adoring cat while translating books from English to French or French to English. Here women are expected to marry and have children at an early age. If they do not it seems that people think of them differently and there is often a sense of disappointment from the community and even some family members.

Ilse ends up in Provence to translate a book. France is a culture shock as she hasn’t been outside of Greenland very often. The time Ilse spends in Provence, the people she meets, the warmth she feels for the first time in her life enchanted me. But it is when she gets back to Greenland that she realized who her real love is. There is much more to being a woman and this books shows it. It made me cray and laugh. It also showed me that there is genuinely true love out there.


I will do a longer review of this book in a few weeks.

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.