| Title | : | This Northern Sky |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1408820692 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781408820698 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 230 |
| Publication | : | First published July 4, 2013 |
This Northern Sky Reviews
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Me after finishing This Northern Sky:
.................
..................................
.................................................................... Is that the ending?
.................................................................................Is that the freaking ending?
NO. No, that cannot possibly be the end!!
Seriously, one of the most unsatisfying endings I have ever had the misfortune to read. Hell, it was worse than the ending of Inheritance (by Christopher Paolini). My rating literally went from 5 stars straight down to 4 stars because of that ending. What. The. Hell. Basically, the ending was what I thought should be the end of a chapter. I tried turning the page on my iPad only to realise that the "chapter ending" was the actual ending...
Thinking back on the novel, I must say that nothing big really happens. But it is really enjoyable as a light read. I suppose you can think of it like a snapshot in the life of a very normal girl. No paranormal creatures, no horrific car accidents, no childhood abuse...it was all very normal. The only slightly heavy part of the novel was that her parents were undergoing a possible divorce- but this was honestly a very minor aspect of the plot. There was also an issue with a past trauma, but again, for some reason, this seemed to be a minor aspect of the plot, and to be honest, I can't even remember whether this issue was resolved. The plot was predominantly about Kate making new friendships on the island.
There was some nice character development overall, but I must say that Kate didn't really change throughout the novel. Usually, with this type of contemporary, the main character undergoes some sort of change as a person. However, in This Northern Sky, nothing really happened. I would definitely have liked to see a bit more growth of Kate's character. The love interest, Finn, was quite intriguing. Honestly, he was a bit weird- quirky, I suppose you'd call it. I don't know why, but at times for me, he seemed a bit annoying. Just the way he acted in some situations...
As I said, nothing much happens in the novel- it's all very calm and realistic. However, I would recommend it to anyone who wants a quick contemporary read (and doesn't mind unsatisfying endings.)
Full review
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Kate is on holiday with her parents in the Herbrides, a holiday taken in attempt for them to fix their failing marriage. At first Kate doesn’t like the island because there is no signal and everybody knows everybody, while she doesn’t know anyone. But the atmosphere in the holiday home is unbearable, with her parents’ constant arguments so Kate finds herself exploring the island and quickly changes her tune when she makes some friends and discovers the beauty of the island.
Again what a beautiful cover! I really do love these Julia Green book covers- a shape such as a heart or a butterfly in this case with other little drawings inside such as flowers or shells. However I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the first 1 I read (Breathing Underwater). I found the blurb to be a little misleading as it says, ‘and there she meets the islanders, who are prepared to accept her and listen to her. And possibly fall in love with her…’ There wasn’t nearly as much romance as I thought there’d be with a blurb like that (although the book is not tagged to be romance but still! Come on now we got none). I wasn’t entirely satisfied with the ending either, I expected more and was surprised that the last chapter was in fact the last chapter. No epilogue or anything! The writing is so beautiful though, it described certain scenes so well it felt like I was actually there. It was an ok one time read, nothing amazing but would fit as a book to read during the summer. -
This Northern Sky is yet another brilliantly written book from Julia Green. It's the third I've read by her and is equally as good as Breathing Underwater and Drawing with Light, keeping me hooked all the way through and making it seem like summer is truly here! The whole novel takes place in the Hebredes (islands off the coast of Scotland, I believe), as Kate holidays there with her mum and dad over her summer break from school. The island and weather is described so vividly it's like you're there, and even travel-hating me now quite fancies visiting the islands.
Julia Green really is a fantastic writer, everything flows so smoothly and her prose is lyrical and lovely. That's the only way I can describe it. She is, in my opinion, grossly underrated, and should be more recognised for her teen novels. I've always thought she was like the UK's answer to Sarah Dessen, and I'll happily say that again. She writes very true, keeping her characters and plots realistic and easy to believe; she never strays into the unbelievable, which is another aspect of her writing that I love. It's just straight-up, down to earth teen realism - her characters have flaws and they know it. I wish there was more YA fiction like this, just because it's so relatable and accessible.
Along with Kate's endless exploration of the Hebredes, she's also dealing with her mum and dad's marital problems, a past boyfriend and a group of new friends. Feelings are complicated and present and, for her fifteen years, she's experiencing a lot of hard stuff. Not every family is perfect - far from it - and This Northern Sky does an excellent job of highlighting that. It makes Kate's story that much more grounded, knowing that she's going through something that thousands of families go through. For the record, I really liked her mum and dad, even through all their faults. They're a realistic family unit, which is something I'd like to see more of in contemporary teen fiction.
Another thing I like about Julia Green's novels is that romance and love isn't the be all and end all of her characters. They don't live by it or let it define them; they're their own person and I appreciate that. Romance doesn't have to always take centre stage, sometimes simple friendship can be just as important, especially at a younger age. See, there's that realism creeping in again!
I can't recommend Julia Green's books enough, and I'll be catching up with a few I've missed, starting with Bringing the Summer. I hope she continues to write books like this, and I hope she eventually gets more recognition. She's an unsung YA hero, in my opinion, quietly writing ridiculously good books that seem to be overlooked in the sea of young adult fiction. If you like contemporary fiction, or just fancy reading a good story, pick up one of her books. I think you'll love them as much as I do. -
I've never read anything by Julia Green before this, but after reading This Northern Sky, I will definitely look out for her other books. I loved the really sweet and gentle tone to the story. There can be so much drama and angst in a lot of YA novels that I read so it was very refreshing to read a story like This Northern Sky. I'd love to read more gentle contemporary stories like this one.
Julia Green really writes beautifully of this island in the Hebrides that our main character, Kate and her family, finds themselves over the summer during the school holidays. It's one last attempt for Kate's parents to pull together and find out if their marriage is worth saving. Kate finds the atmophere in their holiday cottage to be unbearable with the fighting and slightly boring so she spends a great deal of her time exploring the island.
I found all of the descriptions of this island in the Hebrides to be endlessly fascinating. I love that it's a setting that I've never come across before and along with Kate, I really found myself becoming emotionally invested in island life and of the islanders that she comes across. I love how Kate gets involved in the controversy that surrounds the island and proposes useful and very helpful possible solutions. I found myself rooting for this island and really wanting the best for it as though the island itself was one of the characters in the book that I'd fallen for along with Kate and everyone else.
I really loved this story. My parents divorced when I was a few years younger than Kate so I could really relate to her feelings about what her family is going through. I thought the fighting and conflict that comes with this family was really realistic and more than a little bit sad. And while I thought from the blurb that I'd previously read of the book that this book would be more of a love story I really love how romance isn't central to the storyline. It's there, but Kate and Kate's relationships with her family and with new friends comes first. That is definitely something I admire and would like more of in YA.
I loved Julia Green's beautiful and unassuming style of writing. She brought these characters and this island to life so wonderfully and effortlessly that I could close my eyes and picture myself there amongst them. This book was so lovely and atmospheric and it really is a book not to be missed. Highly recommended! -
I fell in love with Julia's writing when I read Bringing the Summer last year, it was the first book by Julia that I have read and I have another on my shelf waiting to be read. When I saw This Northern Sky in netgalley I knew I had to request it.
This Northern Sky begins with a brief glimpse into a friendship Kate had with someone called Sam, and the mess he made, we then join Kate and her parents in a train journey as they head towards their holiday in Hebrides, it hints that this holiday is a last attempt for her parents, a make or break type of holiday, which immediately makes the journey less fun and more worrying, not only for Kate but also the reader.
This Northern Sky was a quick but enjoyable read for me I found myself falling quickly into the pages and I don't think I put it down at all. What was meant to be a nice family holiday for Kate ends up beginning badly, overhearing her parents arguments and tension filled evenings. She escapes from this pressure by exploring the island and ends up making friends with some of the islanders, Finn and his family,and their friends. We explore the island, along with Kate and her new friends, learning about the life of the islanders, and learning about each other in the process.
I instantly fell in love with the island Kate is holidaying on, the quaint life of the people that live there, and the acceptance from them. They take on Kate like one of their own, involving her in everything they do and showing her around the island to all the beautiful places. The people Kate meets are easy to like and they make her time more happier as well as making you feel like you are there with them.
This Northern Sky has some issues that can be scary for children and family, but Julia has dealt with them in a tasteful way that doesn't draw from the story at all. After finishing this book I am making it my mission to ensure that my bookshelves have some more of Julia's books on them. -
I was expecting a sweet YA chick lit when I picked this up, and I think the synopsis is very misleading. It says ‘And there she meets the islanders, who are prepared to accept her and listen to her. And possibly fall in love with her.’ Emphasis on the word Possibly, because actually, it’s quite clear 1/3 of the way through, that’s never going to happen. They love her, but nobody falls in love with her, which I was disappointed with. However, this is a YA novel, and the focus wasn’t particularly on Kate’s love life, than making new friends and parents that are growing apart. It was also very nice to read some UKYA!
Other than that, This Northern Sky by Julia Green was rather enjoyable, and quite a small, easy read. It didn’t take me long to finish, but this isn’t an action book or anything, it’s a quick contemporary.
A lot of teenagers could relate to this book because Kate faces her parents rocky relationship, and turns to the solitude of the island to keep her centred. There were many questions asked wondering if Kate was to blame herself or if things were different, could her parents still love each other? I really liked the idea of leaving everything behind and finding new friends, and there was a quote in it that was my favourite, and very true:
‘You have to think about why people move over here,’ Isla says. ‘Quite often they’re running away from something. People who aren’t so good at getting on with others, they don’t understand how a real community works.’ She laughs. ‘They forget that they bring themselves with them, where ever they run.’
This was not the deepest or grittiest of books, for me. However it’s a great book for teenagers with divorced/divorcing parents to relate to, and quite a touching novel in that respect.
The ending was nice, and left me satisfied, but it didn’t leave me with a huge imprint. Overall, I’m going to give it 3 Stars. -
How could I give anything by Julia less than 5stars. Beautiful, atmospheric writing that makes you feel like you are part of the book, one of the characters. There's something incredibly soothing about this book, even though it deals with some quite upsetting issues
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3.5*
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A little flatline for me.
No real ups and downs. Just plods along. -
This Northern Sky is a beautiful book from Julia Green. It's a coming of age story that handles tough times very gently and with great attention to detail.
This story follows main character Kate and the emotional hurdles she faces after a bad breakup and her parents at each others throats. They go to the little island of Hebrides as a last ditch attempt to save their marriage and poor Kate gets trailed along with them.
Kate hates the island at first because there is no technology and everybody knows everybody. But she quickly changes her tune when she meets some great friends and she discovers all the beauty that the island has to offer.
There are plenty of ups and downs for Kate but she finds herself and grows up along the bumpy journey - which was quite beautiful to read.
I really liked Kate, she is a smart teen that always thinks of others. She seems older than her years and I think she is easy to relate to, she also makes a really good friend.
Julia Green's writing is stunning and I loved kicking back and enjoying her rich descriptors of the wonderful island of Hebrides, with it's lush landscape and delicate beauty. Everything is very simple but very relevant and appealing to teens. I really like that she allows her characters get angry, shout and show their vulnerabilities.
Now, the ending...it was...okay! I'm not going to lie, I wasn't entirely satisfied and would of liked a little bit more....
This Northern Sky is a super quick and light summer read that will appeal to a wide audience. It is quite simply a beautiful book, which I have now come to expect with anything by Julia Green!
3.5 / 5 Stars!
http://fictionfascination.blogspot.co... -
Kate is on holiday with her parents in the Hebrides. Her father is having an affair and the holiday is an attempt to repair the failing marriage. While on the island she meets Finn and is drawn into his happy, contented extended family. They provide the perfect antidote to her own family life that is deteriorating around her. Ultimately the message of the book is that it's okay if your parents split up. You will survive. In itself a reassuring message to any teenager suffering in such circumstances. However, for those who aren't suffering in this way, it's less helpful.
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I met Julia Green this summer at VCFA and she was so kind and gentle. That tone is certainly apparent in her novel, THIS NORTHERN SKY. Kate reluctantly visits the Hebrides off the coast of Northern Scotland with her parents and through the course of the trip finds out that they are divorcing. The feelings of the family are spot-on and caused me some tears. The island and its community embrace Kate and she finds herself changed and stronger for it. A great read for advanced elementary readers as well as young teens.
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I found this book very bland and boring, with no real plot. A plain main character and a boring cover. I got about half way and couldn't finish it. maybe it's just me but I thought the book could have been so much more.
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4.5*
Love the setting (Hebrides) and writing style.
Recommended read. -
3.5
