I finished A Northern Light and my love for the book persisted all the through to the end. As I mentioned in my previous post, this book really resonated with me because of the realistic descriptions of the setting and the life they live. As I read on, even more resonated. As with De La Pena's We Were Here, there were a few times i had to put the book aside and in awe of what I was reading, because of shock or at the beauty of the words. Mattie's conflict throughout: should she stay and work the farm, staying true to her promise to her mother, or should she go to NYC and attend Barnard and pursue her dream of being a writer, is one that interested me because it is something I myself often think about. (No, I don't work on a farm nor do I have a full scholarship to a school in NYC). I think we talked about this with Deadline? The idea of following our dreams even though it will/may cause pain to those we love. I really connected with Mattie on this. At first I was not too fond of Mattie, and cannot really articulate why, I just felt like she did not understand what was good for her...if that makes sense I guess I was upset that she wouldn't read the letters at first, that irritated me. I was very upset that she was giving up her opportunity...but I understood completely why she felt she had to... Then I thought, if I was characterful in a book...would I like myself? probably not...too stubborn and argumentative...:)
I miss what is good for me because I am too stuck on trying to prove others wrong and proving something to myself.
One of my favorite parts is on page 202 I put a post it in at that part with tons of exclamation points and the words "EXACTLY" This is when Mattie is sitting in her teacher's library and is going on about how books are not "real" enough. She say's "why do writers make things sugary when life isn't that way?...Why don't they tell the truth?" That is how i feel about the difference between Deadline and We Were Here, yes, Deadline did deal with some heavy issues, but it did so in a way that made everything seem as if it had a sugary coating...We Were Here did not sugar coat anything, it was gritty and raw, it held truth. When I read page 202 I loved Mattie. I really liked the way it ended and was pleased with her choice. I can't believe that the couple at the Glenmore was real and I really want to read into it..very interesting and this is definitely a favorite book of mine now!
I completely agree with your reflection of the book! I also saw it as such a powerful moment when Mattie confessed to Ms Wilcox her frustration for books not being truthful. As I read this part, my eyes swelled with tears. I think that Mattie saw her goals and dreams disappearing right in front of her, and that as soon as things began to look up for her, everything suddenly crashed down upon her. I think that although it is nice to read stories with happy endings, it is even more powerful when you find one that tells life like it is. This may be why Mattie was always reading such stories, because they allowed her to travel into a world without the worries and stress that she had to deal with in her life. Yet, I think that she realized that life isn't as cheerful as books make it out to be. Because of this, She felt let down.
ReplyDelete