First, Royal (the one who kisses Mattie despite his bicep-elicious bod and her plainness – which we know, of course, isn’t really plainness at all) arrives to save Weaver the Black kid. She also loves books and in their small town, the only source of a local library comes in the form of a resident’s ramshackle pickle boat.

Living in the UK, with my bedroom window overlooking a small wood, I remember feeling transported to the New York wilderness and the brutal elements.When I started it, I had avoided reading the summary on the back cover (a bit revealing I later realised), but I was glad I did, so that the last part of the book took me completely by surprise. One of my top 10 reads of 2008, a beautifully written mystery cum-coming of age historical drama set in 1906 around a real life murder case. K., is an American historical novel for young adults, written by Jennifer Donnelly and published by Harcourt in 2003. Published to widespread acclaim this wonderful novel, part murder mystery and part coming-of-age story, is an astounding and accomplished piece of literature. Mattie’s voice is incredibly poetic and even the simplest descriptions can give goose bumps; however, I think it is also very important to note that her voice is not superfluous or affected.

However it is the written words of the drowned girl, her love letters entrusted to Mattie, that prove the great catalyst for Mattie's inner struggle. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature, 2004 Award Winner" Archived June 17, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, YALSA, ALA. At the turn of the century, women were still struggling to find their own voice, to escape from what was conventionally expected of them in society, and I feel the book depicts this very well.Mattie's whole shtick with words was kind of twee and I found myself rolling my eyes at it more often than not. And soon after it arrived, I began reading it, tossing away the resolution to not before exams (see, exams never seem to end in my life).

A final quote from the incredible Jennifer Donnelly, "Voice is not just the sound that comes from your throat, but the feelings that come from your words. Character-wise, I loved the central character, Mattie (Mathilda), from whose perspective we get to witness the events play out. As things are going, Mattie is going to choose sex over literature and blow her university scholarship, whereas the teacher/poet has left her man for her unsorted stacks of books.As a result, Emmie's home situation improves and her children begin to help with the farming, being unable to previously due to Emmie's frequently unstable moods. And that’s when I learned that the best kind of writing is not the Overwrought Kind, but the one that seems utterly effortless. She uses her words to describe the tragedy she sees all around her, although she does her best to not be weighed down by it.

Donnelly's A Northern Light is told cleverly with two timelines neatly converging into one, creating an ending that is both satisfying and powerful. A incredible and wonderful novel of a young woman's coming-of-age set against the backdrop of a real murder. I loved both of them, but I really applaud Jennifer Donnelly for successfully capturing two heroines who are poles apart.Mattie is so deeply affected by this horrific event, that it changes her life's path and her dreams forever. Working at the Glenmore hotel gives her the chance to earn her tuition, but will she be able to leave everyone she loves behind? Sometimes he promises false things while he is drunk, and he travels around the world as a French river man who visits the Gokey family very rarely.