A Northern Light in Provence
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Gilli Messer
About this listen
A woman leaves her coastal Greenland village to translate the works of a renowned Provençal poet and finds her life irrevocably changed, in this tender and romantic novel set in a French village.
“Big-hearted, whimsical, and enchanting.”—Christina Baker Kline, New York Times bestselling author of The Exiles
Ilse Erlund is a translator who lives in a house on stilts along the west coast of Greenland. Isolated and restless in her world by the sea, she convinces her publisher to pay for a trip to the country she has never visited but whose language she speaks fluently: France. Her mission is to translate the verses of Geoffrey “Po” Labaye, a charismatic poet known as “the last living troubadour of Provence.”
Upon arrival in the medieval hilltop village of Belle Rivière, Ilse falls under the spell of the Provençal way of life, captivated by the air, the sun, the vibrant spring colors, and the dulcet sounds of the dialect. Soon enough, Ilse is captivated by the poet, too, and she and Po develop a daily rhythm and warm camaraderie—which is disrupted by the arrival of the poet’s son, Frey. Though he has a fiancée back in Paris, Frey turns his attentions to Ilse, and suddenly she is forced to learn another language, one her translation skills have not prepared her to decode. Where—and with whom—does her future lie?
With an eye and ear attuned to the sensibilities of French life, Elizabeth Birkelund has created a love story about a woman forced to choose between the security of her quiet northern home and the possibility of the life of her dreams.
©2024 Elizabeth Birkelund (P)2024 Random House AudioCritic reviews
“A gorgeous ice-and-fire romance that will plunge you into both the infinite tundra of Greenland and the color-soaked mountains of Provence . . . an immersive, sensual read that demands a hammock, bare feet, and a well-iced bottle of rosé.”—Helen Simonson, author of The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club
“A charming and beautifully written novel about self-discovery, the power of language and yes, love! All of which left me yearning for my own Provençal adventure. Elizabeth Birkelund reminds us that sometimes we must step out of our comfort zones to pursue our dreams.”—Sara Gruen, author of Water for Elephants and At the Water’s Edge
“Birkelund’s lyrical language transported me to sunny Provence, where I imagined myself sitting amidst a vineyard, wine glass in hand, and to the icy waters of Greenland, where I found myself reaching for a warm wool blanket. The developing bond between the troubadour poet and his French translator moved me deeply.”—Alka Joshi, author of The Jaipur Trilogy
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The Glassmaker
- A Novel
- By: Tracy Chevalier
- Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan
- Length: 13 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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It is 1486 and Venice is a wealthy, opulent center for trade. Orsola Rosso is the eldest daughter in a family of glassblowers on Murano, the island revered for the craft. As a woman, she is not meant to work with glass—but she has the hands for it, the heart, and a vision. When her father dies, she teaches herself to make glass beads in secret, and her work supports the Rosso family fortunes.
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I’m still thinking about this book.
- By riadp on 12-17-24
By: Tracy Chevalier
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The Rose Arbor
- A Novel
- By: Rhys Bowen
- Narrated by: Nicola Barber
- Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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London: 1968. Liz Houghton is languishing as an obituary writer at a London newspaper when a young girl’s disappearance captivates the city. If Liz can break the story, it’s her way into the newsroom. She already has a scoop: Her best friend Marisa is a police officer who is assigned to the case. Liz follows Marisa to Dorset, where they make another disturbing discovery. Over two decades earlier, three girls disappeared while evacuating from London. One was found murdered in the woods near a train line. The other two were never seen again.
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Skip it.
- By 4Boxers!!!! on 12-14-24
By: Rhys Bowen
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The Safekeep
- By: Yael van der Wouden
- Narrated by: Stina Nielsen, Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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An exhilarating, twisted tale of desire, suspicion, and obsession between two women staying in the same house in the Dutch countryside during the summer of 1961—a powerful exploration of the legacy of WWII and the darker parts of our collective past.
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Couldn’t stick with - just too annoying
- By elizabeth on 11-22-24
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Real Americans
- A Novel
- By: Rachel Khong
- Narrated by: Louisa Zhu, Eric Yang, Eunice Wong
- Length: 14 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Real Americans begins on the precipice of Y2K in New York City, when twenty-two-year-old Lily Chen, an unpaid intern at a slick media company, meets Matthew. Matthew is everything Lily is not: easygoing and effortlessly attractive, a native East Coaster and, most notably, heir to a vast pharmaceutical empire. Lily couldn't be more different: flat-broke, raised in Tampa, the only child of scientists who fled Mao’s Cultural Revolution. Despite all this, Lily and Matthew fall in love.
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STELLAR STORYTELLING
- By Brenda C. on 05-02-24
By: Rachel Khong
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Shelterwood
- A Novel
- By: Lisa Wingate
- Narrated by: Christine Lakin, Dan Bittner, Jenna Lamia
- Length: 14 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Oklahoma, 1909. Eleven-year-old Olive Augusta Radley knows that her stepfather doesn’t have good intentions toward the two Choctaw girls boarded in their home as wards. When the older girl disappears, Ollie flees to the woods, taking six-year-old Nessa with her. Together they begin a perilous journey to the remote Winding Stair Mountains, the notorious territory of outlaws, treasure hunters, and desperate men. Along the way, Ollie and Nessa form an unlikely band with others like themselves, struggling to stay one step ahead of those who seek to exploit them . . . or worse.
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Hidden stories are the best
- By Mort on 11-09-24
By: Lisa Wingate
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The Lion Women of Tehran
- By: Marjan Kamali
- Narrated by: Mozhan Navabi, Nikki Massoud
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1950s Tehran, seven-year-old Ellie lives in grand comfort until the untimely death of her father, forcing Ellie and her mother to move to a tiny home downtown. Lonely and bearing the brunt of her mother’s endless grievances, Ellie dreams of a friend to alleviate her isolation. Luckily, on the first day of school, she meets Homa, a kind, passionate girl with a brave and irrepressible spirit. Together, the two girls play games, learn to cook in the stone kitchen of Homa’s warm home, wander through the colorful stalls of the Grand Bazaar, and share their ambitions for becoming “lion women.”
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Beautifully Told Story
- By Mrs. Linda on 10-08-24
By: Marjan Kamali
What listeners say about A Northern Light in Provence
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- MolllyT
- 05-25-24
What a wonderful read and listen!
coming-of-age, cultural-assimilation, cultural-differences, cultural-diversity, cultural-exploration, France, Greenland, Icelanders, Inuit, languages, read, romance, translators, travel, women's fiction*****
Before I try to tell what a very good book this is, I'd like to say that (because of vision issues and the TTS just doesn't cut it) I dropped my free temporary EARC and bought the audio to finish reading.
The publisher's blurb is very good as far as it goes, but it can't convey the way the story roped me in and made me want to keep reading for the characters' sake as well as to enjoy more of the countryside and the people.
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
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- Nicole Berlin
- 08-01-24
The wonderful descriptions of the locations
Lovely story! Well written and a joy to read. It was lovely to escape to Provence and experience the growth of the characters.
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- Veronique C.
- 07-14-24
Banal story
Banal story badly written where the writer spends considerable time into giving unimportant never ending details.
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- Helene M. Quinn
- 09-06-24
Very dull narrator & story.
I seldom leave a dull review but I must here. Sadly, the narrator sounds more like she’s reading & less alive, as most of my audible stories do. She tries to give emphasis, or change her tone, but it’s very bland. Because of this, I found it hard to stay engaged to the story-line. I even started it over again for a fresh start. But by the 3rd chapter I still feel uninspired & not interested. I also think the French sayings should have enticed my interests but it took away from me trying to enjoy the plot.
I’m returning the audio.
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