Brightly Shining
Ingvild Rishøi · Caroline Waight
Nov 2024 · Simon and Schuster · Narrated by Jesse Vilinsky
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2 hr 58 min
Unabridged
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About this audiobook
Beautifully told with humor and tenderness, a Norwegian Christmas tale of sisterhood, financial hardship, and far-off dreams, acclaimed by reviewers and beloved by readers across Europe, where it has been a major bestseller.
Christmas is just around the corner, and Ronja and Melissa’s dreamer of a father is out of work again. When ten-year-old Ronja hears about a job at a Christmas tree stand near where the family lives in central Oslo, she thinks it might be the stroke of luck they all need. Soon, the fridge fills with food, and their father returns home with money in his pocket and a smile on his face. But one evening he disappears into the night under the pretense of buying Christmas gifts—and the daughters know he has gone to his favorite local pub, Stargate, and they come to terms with the fact that he may lose his wonderful new job.
Melissa decides to take his place at the Christmas tree stand, working before and after school in the December afternoon dark, and brings along Ronja, who quickly charms all the middle-class customers. On rare breaks the sisters dream of a brighter place of kindness and plenty, and find help from some of those around them—but both understand that their family structure is a precarious one, and that they are going to need luck and strength to transcend their circumstances.
Skillfully told, evoking the delight, misunderstandings, and innocence of a child’s voice, Brightly Shining is small in stature but with an outsize impact on the listener, and has all the markings of a magical modern classic.
Christmas is just around the corner, and Ronja and Melissa’s dreamer of a father is out of work again. When ten-year-old Ronja hears about a job at a Christmas tree stand near where the family lives in central Oslo, she thinks it might be the stroke of luck they all need. Soon, the fridge fills with food, and their father returns home with money in his pocket and a smile on his face. But one evening he disappears into the night under the pretense of buying Christmas gifts—and the daughters know he has gone to his favorite local pub, Stargate, and they come to terms with the fact that he may lose his wonderful new job.
Melissa decides to take his place at the Christmas tree stand, working before and after school in the December afternoon dark, and brings along Ronja, who quickly charms all the middle-class customers. On rare breaks the sisters dream of a brighter place of kindness and plenty, and find help from some of those around them—but both understand that their family structure is a precarious one, and that they are going to need luck and strength to transcend their circumstances.
Skillfully told, evoking the delight, misunderstandings, and innocence of a child’s voice, Brightly Shining is small in stature but with an outsize impact on the listener, and has all the markings of a magical modern classic.
Beautifully told with humor and tenderness, a Norwegian Christmas tale of sisterhood, financial hardship, and far-off dreams, acclaimed by reviewers and beloved by readers across Europe, where it has been a major bestseller.
Christmas is just around the corner, and Ronja and Melissa’s dreamer o...
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About the author
Ingvild Rishøi was born and raised in Oslo. She has published several collections of stories in Norway as well as her debut novel, Brightly Shining. Brightly Shining is published or forthcoming in twenty-nine territories and is being adapted for film. Rishøi was awarded the prestigious Dobloug Prize by the Swedish Academy for her contributions to Norwegian literature.
Caroline Waight is a literary translator working from Danish, German, and Norwegian. She has been a finalist for the PEN Translation Prize and the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation. She lives near London.
Caroline Waight is a literary translator working from Danish, German, and Norwegian. She has been a finalist for the PEN Translation Prize and the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation. She lives near London.
Ingvild Rishøi was born and raised in Oslo. She has published several collections of stories in Norway as well as her debut novel, Brightly Shining. Brightly Shining is published or forthcoming in twenty-nine territories and is being adapted for film. Rishøi was awarded the prestigious Dobloug Pr...
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