This story is narrated by ten year old Ronja, a girl who dreams of having a different, happier life, not just for herself, but for her sixteen year old sister Melissa. Their father is unreliable both in keeping a job and leaving them to themselves as he spends what little money he has on alcohol.

The father manages to get a job at the Christmas tree lot, but it isn’t long before he is no longer working there and Melissa is offered to take his place, but at a lower rate than their father had been receiving. Their father is almost never home, and doesn’t seem to care about what they do, or if they have food or other necesseties.

This is not a happy story, overall, although there are people who seem to look out for them, and care for them. Melissa does strive to protect her younger sister from their reality, and especially from social services.

A heartbreaking story of sisters, family, the good and bad, and the people in their community who offer compassion and kindness, as well as the bonds of sisterhood.


Pub Date: 19 Nov 2024

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Grove Atlantic / Grove Press

Ronja, a 10 year old, tells this Christmas story, a story about how her 16 year old sister does everything she can to keep social services from their door due to their father's alcoholism. Melissa takes over his job selling Christmas trees-and Ronja helps until shel's banned. This is a melancholy sort of read that's uplifted in spots by the kindness of the community who help the sisters. It's about sisterhood, hopes and the impact of addiction. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Good storytelling and a good translation make for a.good read.

The description of a story "beautifully told with humor and tenderness, a Norwegian Christmas tale of sisterhood, financial hardship, and far-off dreams" given on here made me expect something a lot less heavy. There is certainly tenderness and it is a beautiful exploration of sisterhood, but it's also heartbreaking. It had hints of The Little Match Girl, with the same profound sense of sadness. The struggles of having an alcoholic father were very relatable but very triggering for me. I thought from the description the story would bring more hope and a more typical Christmas story of unprivileged children finally experiencing some magic, but that's not where it went at all. It's a heavy, emotional read, with a bit of an open ending that allows for multiple interpretations but that I perceived as equally sad. It's a touching, beautifully written book, but not one I'd recommend to many, especially if for you, like for me, the holidays are already a difficult time and you are trying to add some magic to them to balance the sadness.

The eye-catching cover for this Norwegian novella with a Christmas theme attracted me to the book. Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the opportunity to read this story. I am aware this has been popular in Europe, and many of its early readers have praised it highly. I regret I am in the minority here. I found it disturbing, gloomy, and grim while I was anticipating a joyous Christmas story. I found the writing somewhat clunky, maybe due to translation.

It is a poignant, sad story with great character development and focuses on the tender ties between two sisters. They live in impoverished circumstances with their father. He loves his daughters, but he is consumed by alcohol addiction and spends too much time at the local bar, often staggering home drunk. He has difficulty keeping a job. Melissa, age sixteen, tries to postpone bill collectors and has become a mother figure to Ronja, age ten. Melissa is serious-minded and tries to work out ways to make things better. Ronja is a dreamer with an optimistic attitude who makes up stories about living a better and happier life. An elderly neighbour and the caretaker try to help, but there is little they can do.

When the girls learn of a job opening at a local stand selling Christmas trees, they inform their father. He is happy to be accepted for the work and requests an advance on his wages to buy Christmas food and gifts. He tells the girls that he is going out to buy Christmas supplies, and his daughters are pleased. Instead, he ends up at the tavern and loses his job. Melissa takes his place at the Christmas tree stand at reduced wages, as she must pay back their father's advance. She is exhausted, as she works before and after school. Ronja is lonely without her sister and hangs out at her workplace. The kind manager gives Ronja a job that attracts customers due to her youthful enthusiasm, but she must hint that some of their payment will go to charity. She does a booming business, but the big boss demands she leave the property. Ronja hides on the lot rather than go home.

The story hints at a connection with ' The Little Matchbook Girl.' I couldn't help but feel empathy for the sisters and hope for the best for them, but the story takes a turn toward a magic or tragic ending. The story ends ambiguously so the reader can fill in their desired finale, but I feared the worst had happened. The book will be available on November 19.

I appreciate that this book will test your empathy and compassion, do you have any? A heartbreaking reminder that privilege can mask the fact that the holidays are not exactly ideal for everyone. This is a beautiful gem of a book, with a young narrator. The writing style helps evoke the feelings of the characters within yourself. I read this in 48 hours, which is a testament to how well it reads. I wish I understood Norwegian so that I could have more insight into how the translation to English fares, but the book is outstanding nonetheless. I appreciate that it doesn’t have chapters necessarily but rather changes sort of haphazardly just as I’d think a young narrator would think and speak. I loved that each of the characters whether a large part or small were so incredibly unique and intricate. Bravo!

Little ten-year-old Ronja dreams too much. Mostly she dreams of a better life for herself and her older sister Melissa where her alcoholic father can hold down a job. Things are looking up when he gets a job at a local Christmas tree lot but soon his addiction once again gets the better of his good intentions. Melissa then is given his job at a reduced pay as a 'favor.' Ronja wants to help too and when the boss is away, Melissa and her coworker Tommy allow Ronja to hawk wreaths for 'needy children.' That succeeds a bit too well. 'It's always hope that ruins everything.'

This seems a bit like a modern remake of Hans Christian Anderson's The Little Match Girl. I found it to be quite a sad story with maybe too heavy a dose of reality.

I received an arc of this novella from the publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

I was looking forward to this novella about a Norwegian tale of sisterhood and survival during the Christmas season, and I devoured it in two sittings. I am still unsure how I should feel about sweet Ronja and Melissa. It sheds light, quite literally, on kids who don't have a present parent or more than cereal in the cupboard, let alone a tree on Christmas. Kudos to the girls taking on the job their father couldn't keep. They are tough and spirited!

Since it was so short, I understood it had to be brief, but I wanted more. At times the writing felt rushed and I wonder if the translation impacted that, if it would feel different if I could read the Norweigan version. I was drawn to it after recently learning about 40% of my heritage is traced back to Norway and I'd love to learn more about the traditions and implement them into my family. I fear the end was not happy if I interpreted it correctly, and I don't want to share spoilers, but it was both beautiful and heartbreaking. Thanks for allowing me to read this in exchange for a review.

Absolutely gutting. A sad Christmas story that’s a powerful reminder for how challenging the holidays can be, especially for economically struggling families. Themes of addiction, loss, and trying to hold it together. While originally Norwegian, the story transcends the setting and I easily pictured Ronja, her youthfully innocent Christmas wishes, and all her encounters with the kindness of strangers. The whole story is told in a very stream-of-consciousness way from the perspective of Ronja that’s energetic and fast paced, even during slower moments. The only thing keeping me from loving the story was the confusing ending. The book felt very well translated— I think my confusion about the finish was only because of how abstract and ambiguous it was.
Thanks to Grove Atlantic Publishing and NetGalley for the English translation ARC.

Brightly Shining by Ingvild Rishøi
Translated from Norwegian to English by Caroline Waight
Publication Date: November 19th, 2024

This is a beautiful short novel, and it resembles a little to a character from Hans Christian Andersen's tale but with a hopeful message.

Set in Oslo, Norway, days before the holidays,
this story follows two sisters with a father struggling with alcoholism and it is narrated by Roja, the youngest sister.

Melissa is the oldest, and because of the harships in their lives, she doesn't expect much from their father and has lost faith in everything, but she tries her best to support her 10-year-old sister who still has a bright spark in her life and heart despite their misery.

In this book, there is a light in the darkness and a warming hug to the soul. It is also heartbreaking, but still, the reader can choose thinking like Melissa or like Roja.

If you are looking for a book to read in Christmas, you can't miss Brightly Shining.

Thank you Grove Atlantic and Netgalley for the digital-ARC.

So touching!😢

4.5🌟 stars
Well worth the time, this novella stirs up emotions and reminds that Christmas can be wonderful for many, but there are sad and desperate people barely getting by as well. I very quickly got used to the writing style and once started I could not put it down.

Ronja, the ten year old narrator of this tale, ekes out an existence with her older sister Melissa working at a Christmas tree stand as their father drinks his days and nights away. Ronja's memories of past good times with their dad help her dream of better days to come. I so hoped that the Christmas miracle she had heard of would manifest and bring them comfort and joy.

Poignant doesn't adequately cover how I found Ronja's desperate search for her father at her Saint Lucia school concert, and her discovery of an elderly neighbor among the audience.

If you need an HEA to uplift, you won't find it here. But this story stirred and inspired me to look for opportunities to give a hand up to others in need.

Thanks to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the story; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

If you are looking for a feel-good holiday story, this book is not for you. If you are looking for a book set during the holidays that offers an honest look at life, especially the uglier side of it, then this book may interest you.

Ronja is a child, and the holiday season fills her with wonder, joy, and hope. Isn’t that what the holiday season is about? Melissa is a teen who has seen enough and knows enough not to let the shine and sparkle of the season get to her. Their father has an addiction, one who can’t see what he’s doing to his daughters. There is no mother about it, so it falls on Melissa to be Ronja’s parents.

The story is told through Ronja’s eyes; as such, there is a certain childlike curiosity about things and a certain childlike resilience. Sometimes, her thoughts jump to conclusions that only a child can make, but she is determined to do what needs to be done.

While this book is set during the holidays, it doesn’t have to be read during the holidays. As much as the story revolves around selling Christmas trees, it also revolves around struggling to survive when those around you cannot help you as they should.

In the best tradition of festive stories, this is a well written contemporary reminder that not everyone's Christmas is a happy one and the importance of kindness.
Thank you to netgalley and Grove Atlantic for an advance copy of this book.

3.5★
“Melissa sits at the kitchen table and rings around and says several different things. Sometimes she says, I’m afraid we simply didn’t get the original bill, and sometimes she says, I’m afraid he’s simply been knocked off his feet with this pneumonia, and once she just said, hello, two motherless children and an alcoholic here, can you please give us two more weeks?”

Melissa, at 16, is the eldest of the two motherless children (true), and Ronja is her ten-year-old sister. The “alcoholic here” is their father, who is a loving dad when he’s dry. But he’s out of work again, which means the girls are living on Frosties, sometimes with milk.

Ronja is the one telling the story. She’s old enough to be aware of the problems and how much Melissa is doing, but she’s still starry-eyed enough to believe in her dad. All he needs is a job – that will keep him off the drink.

The caretaker of their building and another old man across the hall are fond of the girls, but there’s not much they can do. Christmas is coming, and the caretaker points out an ad stuck to a lamppost for a job selling Christmas trees, perfect for their dad.

“ ‘And if he does apply for the job, tell him to say he knows Alfred,’ said the caretaker. ‘He’s the one who delivers the Christmas trees for them.’

‘But is that true?’ I said.

‘True enough,’ the caretaker said. ‘I know Alfred, you know me, and your dad knows you. That’s the circle of life.’ ”

Ronja picks up lots of snippets of advice to store in her bright little mind. She loves stories and fairy tales and what-ifs. She’s like the children that want you to read them the same bedtime story every night. When she’s stressed, she relives the happy memories in her mind. I’d say she gets that from her father.

“When I got home, Dad was sitting at the kitchen table. Looking up, he shielded his eyes with his hand.

‘Is that the sun coming up?’ he said. ‘Where are my sunglasses?’

He smiled, I smiled too. Then he stopped smiling.

‘“Come and sit here for a minute,’ he said.He rubbed his forehead. But I didn’t want him to start up.”

She means to start up his whole ‘Sorry this is no way to live but remember that cabin in the winter and the good times we had there…’ She shows him the flyer about the job and gives him the instructions … and then she starts dreaming. Her father’s genes are pretty strong in her.

He’ll get the job and bring a tree to the school and everyone will watch and shout WOW! And they’ll have plenty of money and food and so on and so forth. The circle of life will continue. Later she asks Melissa, if he gets the job and if they get a discount and if they get a tree, would they decorate it right away?

“Melissa looked at me. ‘I don’t want to dream like that,’ she said.

‘Just a little bit?’ I said. ‘Just one teeny tiny dream?’

‘Jesus f**k,’ she said, but she’d given in, I could tell, the way she looked up at the ceiling and her body relaxed. She took my hand under the duvet. ‘Sure,’ she said. ‘If we get a Christmas tree.’ ”

I admit the language surprised me. It’s a reminder that this is not a fairy tale. This is about how real kids are living now, today, with alcoholic parents.

Ronja persists. She wants Melissa to tell her how they will light the candles on the tree, but not in their flat - in her imagination, in the cabin in the woods in the winter.

“ ‘We go into the living room and light the candles on the tree,’ she said. ‘And the way they glow is just . . . incredible.’

‘Yeah,’ I said. ‘Like in "The Little Match Girl". ’

‘Don’t think about that,’ Melissa said. ‘That’s the saddest story ever.’

‘But remember the tree?’ I said. ‘Don’t you remember the tree she’s looking at?’

‘She’s hallucinating,’ Melissa said. ‘Don’t think about that. The girl dies at the end, you know.’

‘She doesn’t die,’ I said. ‘She goes to her grandma.’

Melissa took a breath and shook her head, but then she put her face to mine, her mouth right up close to my ear, and she spoke softly, about Christmas decorations and log fires and smoke that rose towards the sky, deep, deep within the woods.”

Melissa may be 16, but she’d like Ronja to dream a little longer.

She so wants to help that when dad ends up back in the pub after working for a while, she takes over his job, and Ronja tags along in spite of the freezing weather. The fridge is full and the heat is on.

But Ronja isn’t supposed to be at the place with the Christmas trees, and she is worried that ‘someone will take an interest in them’, so to speak, if she can’t be with Melissa.

The author has adapted an old story for today, much as Barbara Kingsolver adapted David Copperfield for Demon Copperhead, about which I felt the same ambivalence. Both are good for new audiences, I think, just less so for me.

Thanks to #NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the copy of #BrightlyShining for review.

This was a sad and wistful Christmas story of how families can struggle even in what are supposed to be the most joyous of seasons. I liked it.

I really enjoyed this book it wasn't the most uplifting holiday read but enjoyable just the same. While this might not be for all readers it will be perfect for those who enjoy literary fiction.

Oh wow, what a reading experience is within these pages! Such a heartfelt , emotional and poignant read.
Melissa and Ronja are sisters, who live with their father in the Norwegian town of Toyen. Father is periodically employed when he isn’t under the influence of alcohol. Most meals consist of spaghetti with tomato sauce. The kindness of neighbours seems to be the only Christmas cheer these girls will experience.
This child neglect is associated with the tale of The Little Match Girl, and the loyalty of the sisters and the way they try to take care of their father is commendable.
The ending of this story mirrors the ending of the Match Girl, but the reader must draw their own conclusions.
The ending reminds me of the Scottish comedy, Still Game. The very last episode shows the two main characters walking away together towards either an uncertain future or certain death, you make your own mind up.
This short novella is a tear jerking and haunting story, with sympathetic characters and true to life in these modern times.
It can be seen as a modern classic in the making, and this is how I will be recommending it to my various book groups and teaching acquaintances.
A five star read.
My thanks to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic the publishers for my ARC, freely given in return for my honest review.
I will post to Goodreads and Amazon UK upon publication.

Shining Brightly is a charming but heart-wrenching Norwegian novella, based loosely on the classic The Little Match Girl.

The writing is different and quite difficult to comment on on. I feel something was lost in the translation. It was chaotic and lacked structure to make it flow well. The characters were undeveloped and something was missing to help me connect to the story.
It w
It has a rambling dialog without chapters and the ending was confusing. What actually happened to the children?

I honestly loved the the premise of this book but the way it was translated left me frustrated and confused.


Thank you to netgally for my copy. This review was voluntary.

This is a quirky little novella that is well written. If you are expecting an uplifting Christmas story this is not the one for you. The narrator, a 10 year old girl, tells the story of her father’s alcoholism and how she copes with her bigger sister and a few supportive adults. I am not sure how I feel about the ending but I will say I will probably re read this from time to time. I was glad I was able to read this thru NetGalley

A holiday fairy tale that reflects our times, with children unblinkingly living with the dual threats of the instability of an alcoholic father and the risk of being turned over to social services. The girls are largely on their own, living in their diverse neighborhood and fending for themselves, with some help from kindly neighbors and threat from one particular bad guy.

A funny, unsentimental—but heartfelt—tale. The ending is ambiguous, which may throw some readers.

A short Christmas story somewhat based on the Little Match Girl. 10-year-old Ronja and her 16-year-old sister Melissa live in the Norwegian town of Toyen with their father, a loving man who unfortunately bounces back and forth between responsibility and inebriation. Friends find a job for him selling Christmas trees, and he does well for a while, but soon returns to drink, and Melissa decides the only way for them to make ends meet is if she takes his job. Ronja even manages to join in, using her age and cuteness appeal to sell extras for the business. But the owner discovers her participation and bans her from the premises, and things go from bad to worse. The situation is resolved in a seeming magical and/or tragic ending.
The writing is lovely. The characters are well-developed and engaging. Melissa is quite the teenager taking the whole world on her shoulders. Secondary characters are sometimes brief but vivid. The plot starts out well, but works too hard at manipulating events and simply falls apart by the end. Some seem quite happy with the ending, but I found it inadequate and thought it squandered all the potential of the story and characters. Disappointing.