A Northern Light in Provence is a beautifully written novel by Elizabeth Birkelund. Ilse Erlund lives north of the Arctic Circle in the west coast village of Oqaatsut, Greenland. She physically endures long dark freezing winters and extra rainy springs and summers but mentally she is living elsewhere depending upon the literary work she is translating. Ilse is fluent in English, Danish, French, and Kalaallsut, the western Greenlandic language. Her work is translating French works into English or Danish, sometimes both.

Living in literature has been a solace for Ilse as she has grieved the tragic loss of her brother, Jann. Although preferring solitude for the most part, Ilse does have some good friends in her small village, including Val Barker, who owns Tipsy’s where the locals congregate, and Troy “Beluga” Belke who she has known most of her life. Living in an old sea captain’s cabin high on stilts at the edge of the sea brings a type of Arctic awareness she savors as she watches calving icebergs, whales, seals, and the dancing northern lights.

Going through the motions, Ilse has dreamed of the warm countryside of Provence. When her publisher assigns the translation of the poem collection of the last troubadour of Provence, Geoffrey Labaye, with a short deadline, Ilse negotiates a raise as well as a trip to Provence to work with the Poet himself. It is with this trip and the resulting relationships developed that Ilse is able to recover her soul.

This is one of the most beautiful stories I have read. The rich descriptions and imagery have made an impact I won’t soon forget. The restoration of a woman to the one she was born to be is a tale spun of pure gold. I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!

I mostly enjoyed this book. To be honest Ilse was a bit too much of a doormat type for my tastes. She couldn’t seem to make up her own mind or stand up for herself at 36 years old but she wanted everyone to give her everything she seemingly needed. This included Po and all of the Provence locals. A very strange mentality. The relationship between Ilse and Po worked well but it felt rushed and odd at times. Isle’s overwhelming jealousy of others, most notably Val, was uncomfortable.

Ilse Ecklund works as a translator from a cottage on the coast of Greenland. When she gets the opportunity to translate the poetry of a famous French poet, she accepts with the stipulation that she is sent to France to meet him and translate his work in person.

Ilse had never been anywhere but Greenland, so the beautiful colors along the coast of France were a big part of her awakening to a wider world. Along with that and meeting the poet, Geoffrey, and later his son Frey, the ice in Isle begins to thaw and she becomes open to love in a way she had never realized.

This is no coming of age story, but it is one in which a young woman discovers who she is and what she wants from life. Readers are privy to her relationships with the people in her life, both in Greenland and France, and each location offers her a sense of home.

When she is confronted with making a life altering decision, Ilse considers the places and the people she has grown to love and makes that decision with her heart.

The story had a great sense of place, both in France and Greenland, adding customs from each so readers can feel as if they are actually in Ilse’s shoes.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for allowing me to read an advance copy. I loved the book and am happy to offer my honest review and recommend this to readers.

I enjoyed reading A Northern Light in Provence by Elizabeth Birkelund. . You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

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!

This is a great book for someone who wants lovely prose, beautiful settings, and emoootions. I didn’t love the third person narration (“Ilse this” and “Ilse that”) but that might be a product of reading this in translation. I found this predictable at times, but also I was very confused by the ending, it seemed very rushed and not explained. If you’re looking for a comfort read that’s not super plot-driven, you’ll enjoy this.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine for the opportunity to read A Northern Light in Provence by Elizabeth Birkelund. The author's writing is beautiful. Her ability to choose the perfect word for every descriptive phrase caused me to slowly savor this lovely book.

Author of The Dressmaker and The Runaway Wife, Elizabeth Birkelund draws on her Danish ancestry and experience living in Provence, France to give us her latest novel, A Northern Light in Provence. Opening in a remote part of the Danish self-governing territory of Greenland, Birkelund paints a vivid picture of village life, residents, traditions and superstitions, and local climate while focusing on 35-year-old Ilse Erland. Introduced to French in high school by Madame LaRoche, Ilse was captivated by the new language and culture, and through continued education, turned her infatuation into a career translating French literature into Danish and English. Single and choosing to live in an isolated house on the coast, Ilse considers words her children and extended family. Little does Émile Moreau, her French publisher, know that his star translator has never set foot in France. Always moving up Ilse’s translation deadlines, Émile offers her the opportunity of a lifetime if only she can complete her latest job early.

As it turns out, that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity--translating the poetry of “the last living troubadour of Provence”--also comes with a quick deadline for reasons I won’t disclose. When Ilse unexpectedly finds herself in Beau Rivière, a warm, colorful Provence village, her environment and her life change dramatically as she lives in a French home and establishes a working relationship with the charming elderly poet, Geoffrey Labaye. Then one day Geoffrey Labaye’s son appears, and life changes again.

Interestingly, Birkelund includes two formative characters who died before the novel opens: Ilse’s brother Jann and Madame LaRoche, the French teacher. As a frequent reader of translated literature, I was also captivated by the translation aspects of the novel. Indeed, translation challenges as well as languages and its influences on people all play major roles.

In the end, this is Ilse’s story, and Ilse is not only a translator but also a person. In part, the author’s website describes her newest novel: “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 possibility of the life of her dreams.” Readers will need to complete this three-part book to learn Ilse's choice.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine/Random House for an advance reader egalley.

“It’s what Po taught me, that there’s always enough love, that it’s infinite, even beyond death.”


Goodness this book swept me away! Such a beautifully written story that was so unique I quite didn’t expect it. The MC, Ilse, is living in Greenland and makes her living translating books to French. She actually is gifted with languages and even though French is a favorite- she has never been to France. Ilse does get her chance and what unfolds is magical- such a beautiful story! It’s so atmospheric I felt like I had traveled with Ilse from the frigid and vast tundras of Greenland to the Mediterranean climate of France. It’s a book to just jump into and get lost in. I got emotional several times reading this and the ending leaves you so content!

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Romance, Women's Fiction, Travel Fiction, Books About Books
Spice Level: Some sex on the page
Language: A little bit of swearing

The contrast between Greenland and France was intense. Ilse has a natural talent for languages (one I envy) and translates French books into English. She's finally bold enough to ask for a raise and a trip to France to better understand the poet's dialect and meaning.

This trip changes her life.

I saw A NORTHERN LIGHT IN PROVENCE as three distinct acts like a play. It opens in Greenland. The middle is in France. And the final act is when Ilse returns to Greenland, but as I was reading, I didn't know if she would stay there or not—and I'm not going to tell you her final decision.

As Ilse grew as a person, I was interested to see where she would go. At one point, I felt so tense about her decisions, and at other times really questioned if she knew what she was doing.

The rhythm of her life in France as she worked with the poet, discussing language and love, reminded me of A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW. It's languorous. Smooth. Cerebral.

Everything centers around Ilse: both her internal and external journey.

I found the ending satisfying.

Happy reading!

A Northern Light in Provence by Elizabeth Birkelund was a beautifully written story!
This is a wonderful story and a heartwarming romance.
The setting is charming, the characters are amazing and the writing is captivating!

Thank You NetGalley and Publisher for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

A Northern Light in Provence was an absolutely delightful surprise. I was lost in and enchanted by the Provence of this book. I found so many aspects of this book interesting: a glimpse into the life of a translator; what it might be like to live in Greenland (definitely not for me); traveling to Provence and falling in love with life; a taste of the Provençal language; the journey of self-discovery; a book about books. Po, the poet whose book Ilse is translating, is both a character and a setting and is larger than life. He speaks so beautifully and so poetically that it makes me want to read his fictional book of poetry! This book has been added to my favorites list and I imagine it will be one that I return to.

It’s rare that I say I love every word of a book, but I truly love every word of this novel. It actually begins in Greenland rather than France. But it's beautiful. You’ll learn a lot about Greenland culture and customs as you get to know the main character, Ilse. Ilse is a translator who translates French into English or Danish. She is in love with France though she has never visited.

She translates in her lonely cottage outside of a very small village outside of a very small town. But now, her opportunity to fly has come. She has been inspired by the last work she translated to ask for a raise and to ask for a trip to Provence to meet a poet whose work she is being asked to translate. She gets both.

Provence is a revelation to Ilse and she begins to bloom in the sunshine and beauty. Birkelund is a lovely writer. She is poetic herself in describing the transformed Ilse as she gets to know “The Poet” she has been sent to work with. She is poetic in describing Provence.

When Ilse must return to Greenland, you will hold your breath to find out what will happen next. Where will Ilse finally land? Will she stay in Greenland or go back to France? And why. Why is important. I do hope Birkelund keeps writing.

I’m very disappointed because I wanted to like this so much. The synopsis sounded great and I was very excited to read a book partly set in Greenland because that’s very unique. But I read about 30% of this book and it just … isn’t doing it for me. The writing is lovely, but it hasn’t grabbed me yet so I had to DNF. Maybe not forever but at least for now

Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review

From the first time I met Ilse Erlund in her wobbly Greenland cottage, I loved her and her unlikely and marvelous journey to France, the land she fell in love with upon first hearing its language spoken by a French teacher. Earning a living straddling different languages, Ilse seizes the opportunity to visit Provence, fleeing dour, gray Greenland for a land rich in flowers, poetry, sensuality, and love. Ilse charmed me and the story held me spellbound throughout. I particularly enjoyed her frank assessments of lush beauty from a cold, hard perspective of her past and the country she has always known. Captivating, enjoyable story! I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

A Northern Light in Provence ✍🏽📖🏞️

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Author: Elizabeth Birkelund

“He turns toward her suddenly and hugs her, and rather than feeling awkward, it’s as if he’s brought her into a safe resting place where no harm can reach her. ‘You see,’ he says, still in the hug, ‘we didn’t meet by coincidence.’”

Isle, a translator and lover of languages, lives in isolation on the coast of Greenland. When accepting the job of translating the poetry of a famous poet, she travels to Provence, France to immerse herself in the culture. After arriving, she becomes captivated by the charming poet and his words. She falls in love with the colors, sounds, and smells in Provence. When the poet falls ill, she extends her to stay to help care for him. After weeks in France, she must make a decision that will affect her entire future. Will she stay in the beautiful country of France or return to the isolation and comfort of her home in Greenland?

The writing in this book is absolutely beautiful. The description of the people and places is unlike anything I’ve read in a long time. The author makes you feel as though you are actually in the gorgeous settings of both France and Greenland.

This book started out a little slow but picked up a quarter of the way through. I wanted there to be more consistency in the length of the chapters. Some were pretty short, and some were much longer. I also thought the ending was a little rushed, and I would have loved to hear more about her final decision.

Overall, this book was well written. It had a different plot than anything I’ve read recently. There was also great character development, especially with the main character, Ilse. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves romance, found family, self discovery, poetry, beautiful settings, and languages.

I had a really hard time vibing with this book. I only read 50% of it. Which isn't anything to do with the writing or story, I just don't think it was for me.

I loved this book…wonderful sense of place (Greenland and France), complex and lovely characters, and an interesting and engaging storyline.

This centers around Ilse, a translator who lives in Greenland but is overjoyed to be sent to France to meet a famous poet, Po, and translate his poems. She falls for France and the charming aging Po as well. But will she also fall for his charismatic son or is the pull of her home, friends and family stronger?

Lots of lyrical writing that was a pleasure to read, and Ilse was such a joy to follow. I could easily feel and share in her love for both her homeland and her first experience of France.

Highly recommended.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing the free early arc of A Northern Light in Provence for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

This was lovely. I'd never really contemplated what it would be like to live in Greenland but I am after reading this book and, of course, this will make you long to travel to Provence. The characters were rich, textured and I didn't know quite what would happen. I really enjoyed this book! Definitely add to your TBR!!

A Northern Light in Provence comes out next week on May 21, 2024, and you can purchase HERE!

The Anglo-Saxon language is many things, but a romance language it is not. For a richer verbal transmigration, English would have to languish topless on the pebbled beaches on the Mediterranean coast, or step among sunflowers in the dusty fields of Provence, or at the very least, bite into a tranche of crusty French bread. And that would be only the beginning.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Isle Lund has lived in the frozen tundra of Greenland for all of her life. She is fluent in many languages but she has never been outside of Greenland. So when the opportunity to finally visit France and use her French fluency presents itself, she takes it. She travels to Provence to translate the work of a famous poet and finds herself on the precipice of a lifetime decision.

The writing is lyrical and beautiful. The descriptions of both Provence and Greenland are exquisite. The love story is equally well done. Recommend!!!