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Andrew Eddy

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Revontuli Paperback – November 1, 2013

by Andrew Eddy (Author)

4.0 85 ratings

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In a land marked by the rhythm of migrating reindeer and the rituals of an ancient religion, a way of life is drawing to a close. War is coming to the Finnmark, and brings with it unsuspected inhumanity. Revontuli tells the coming of age of a Sami girl during World War II, a time of trial that leaves Marit and the village of Karasjok forever changed. Already torn between the heritage of her Norwegian father and her mother's indigenous Sami culture, Marit discovers a bigger world through Hans, the German officer billeted in their home. Their forbidden love will challenge Marit's beliefs and allegiances. Set in the forests above the Arctic Circle, where Norway meets Finland, Revontuli is inspired by true stories.

Print length

244 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Booktrope
Publication date

November 1, 2013
Dimensions

5 x 0.5 x 8.25 inches
ISBN-10

1620151898
ISBN-13

978-1620151891
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Eddy's vivid, detailed descriptions of war, and of life in a reindeer-farming community, give depth and flavor to the story ... Heartbreaking WWII Romance. " - Kirkus Reviews

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Booktrope (November 1, 2013)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 244 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1620151898
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1620151891
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.5 x 8.25 inches

Customer Reviews:
4.0 85 ratings

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About the author

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Andrew Eddy

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Andrew was born in Vancouver, Canada. He grew up in Western Quebec and in the Gulf Islands, where he developed an appreciation for nature and became hooked on a rural lifestyle. He has also lived in Paris, Burgundy, Montreal, Knowlton, and Leiden. In 2010 he found a home with his family in Domaine de la Frouste, a sixteenth century farm in the hills of Provence, where he grows and sells an ancient grain called einkorn. When not writing, he continually hones masonry and carpentry skills, indulges his passion for history, and prepares his next travels. He is married and has five children.

Andrew studied economics and law before embarking on a space career in both the public and private sectors. He was Senior Vice-President of MirCorp, the first company to fly commercial manned space missions and a pioneer of space tourism. He founded Athena Global, an international space consultancy, and works on global disaster management using satellites.

Read more about Andrew at www.andreweddyauthor.com and on his blog, Serendipity.

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4 out of 5

85 global ratings

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Aili Kurtis

Insightful book!

Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2014

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I have just returned from a visit to the remote village of Karasjok, Norway, where the story in this exceptional book takes place. This visit was very special so that I could see what had become of the village and the people because the story had made a lasting impression on me. The book introduced me to Arctic Europe...to the Sami and their close-knit family ties, to their capacity for great love, and to their will to survive despite insurmountable odds. Sami, the only indigenous people of Europe, lived for thousands of years as nomads following reindeer migrations; they survived Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish attempts to wipe out their language and culture...and then, during WWII, they were faced with the enemy in the form of the German occupation of Finnmark. The Nazi "scorched earth" policy resulted in the destruction of all existing houses and any visible trace of Sami culture. And yet, upon a historical background of war and dislocation, Andrew Eddy paints a believable and sensitive love story about the coming together of people who were basically enemies and who came from very different lives and backgrounds.This story renews our belief in the value of love and the importance of hope. Karasjok, I am happy to say, has now been rebuilt and the Sami have once again returned to herd their reindeer and practice their culture in their homeland.

Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2014

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I didn't look at the author's name and didn't realize it was a man until reading the acknowledgements at the end. The POV was really well done and I'm amazed that the author is not actually from the culture represented here. I usually read action/adventure and scifi books. Took a chance on this one and am really glad I did. I don't know what genre to assign this to. It had some action, some suspense, some romance. Nothing really dominated but it still drew me in and held my interest throughout. The author is able to use few words to say a lot and easily leads the reader to become engaged with the characters and their lives, no matter how minor their part may be. It's a community thing, with a few main actors. Well done.

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MountainReader

Couldn't Get Through It

Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2014

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I liked learning about the native culture, and what life was like there during WWII. I was interested in the book for quite sometime as I read. Then I started noticing that nothing was happening. I felt there was too much of a wait for the characters to come together. I got to the point where I was not excited to get into bed and read this story at night. It just didn't click for me.

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CD

A book of sorrow and forgiveness

Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2014

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This book is beautifully written. The theme, World War II and its atrocities, is not a new one, but the placement in Finmark, land of the Sami, is new to me. So little is written about the impact the war had on Norway and the people who lived their village life, their migrant reindeer-following life, and their innocence never to return. I was intrigued by the descriptions and the historical detail. The book has a nuanced approach to the war, and an understanding that nothing is easy, and survival is almost a whimsical afterthought.

The love story is not necessarily compelling, but the circumstances and consequences certainly are. Reminiscent of Five Quarters of the Orange, the book takes an old woman back to the land of her youth, when her life and her village are turned upside down, and ultimately destroyed, by the German occupation. It is heartrending and at the same time healing, a book of sorrow and forgiveness for choices made when there were none.

Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2014

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This is a cross between an historical novel with a romance and a local color story, the local color being a Sami village in the far north of Norway during World War Two. It moves along well and the characters are worth caring about, although they stay pretty much within types. With the exception of the ending, there is not a lot of surprise in the plot; the events are events we associate with war and with Nazis. The most interesting part of the story is the Sami culture that is woven into the events. The rest of us have not learned much about these semi-nomadic people of northern Scandinavia, and especially not about the way they were impacted by the World Wars and the encroachment of modernity in the 20th century. A fun start on correcting that ignorance.

Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2014

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I got this book as a freebie from Amazon and really enjoyed it. I love historical fiction, so this was right up my alley. I am also of Scandinavian background so the setting was also a draw. The writing is lovely and detailed enough to draw the reader into the time (World War II) and the place (northeastern Norway where it meets Sweden, Finland and Russia). The characters were well-developed and the author gave interesting insights to the Sami culture. It's also a love story in wartime, complete with all the conflicts and heartaches. It's clear the author spent a great deal of time and research about this place and time. But he is also a skilled storyteller. I look forward to reading more by Mr. Eddy.

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Lorene

Mostly a waste of time

Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2014

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I had wanted to learn more about the effects of Nazi occupation of Norway during WWII. While there was some information from this book, in general this is a love story of a Sami 16 year old girl and a German soldier. The story was mostly well told but I found several points where the author (or editor) either skipped to present day or started a new chapter that was so out of sync with the prior chapter that I thought I had lost my place! I cannot recommend that you waste your time on this book as I did.

Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2014

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I found the story interesting, even though the characters weren't fleshed out and the plot was predictable. My Finnish grandmother, who I never knew, had Sami roots, so learning a little about the culture was a bonus.

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Swalows

A good book

Reviewed in France on January 5, 2024

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I am reading this book and i find the beginning very poetic and sensitive. This time travel is very mysterious, the wait and the love.

Barbara Scott

A+

Reviewed in Canada on December 8, 2013

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Revontuli is a first for me. It is the first book I have read on my iPad, the first Canadian novel about northern Norway and the Sami I have encountered, and the first piece of Andrew's writing I have looked at since he left my high school English classroom.

It is easy to stop reading a Kindle book and easier still never to pick it up again. That whole invisibility thing, I believe. If it doesn't have weight and substance; if it can be erased or sent into the iCloud, is it really a book? This did not happen with Revontuli. I wanted to continue, not only because I wanted to find out what happens next, but also because I wanted to savour the language itself. This novel is a joy to read. The one problem I had with reading the Kindle version was that I like to underline and write notes in the margins, especially if a novel is more than just a fast moving plot, and that is much more difficult for someone more comfortable using a pen or pencil than she is pulling down menus and annotating electronically.

I lived in that part of Norway for enough time to consider making it my second home, but not long enough to speak Norsk. My own heritage is German Canadian. It was wonderful to read about a place I had been, a place whose history has always interested me. It was fun to read a few Norsk and German words here and there and not be written down to. Andrew does not insert foreign words gratuitously; he uses the language to enhance our understanding of the place and the characters, and he allows the meanings of those foreign words to reveal themselves to an intelligent reader. I hate having someone use a word and immediately translate it into English. Thank you for not doing that, Andrew.

The story is an important one. Few of us living today remember that Norway was occupied by the Germans during World War II. This novel casts a light on what that experience was like for Norwegians generally and for their indigenous people specifically. We are also given a far more human look at the young German men stationed in Norway. They were like young men anywhere. They felt strong feelings. Some of them grew to like the people they lived with, and took chances for their new families. And they fell in love. Not always wisely. Some acted badly and others made us realize they were honourable men, no matter what side they fought on.

The novel moves between the two time periods, and Andrew has made it easier to keep things straight by dating the different chapters. By the time I closed my iPad I felt satisfied. All the strands had been woven into the fabric-- no loose ends.

If Andrew were still my student I would give him top marks for background research, writing style, organization, characterization, setting description, and, most importantly, holding my interest right to the end. A+.

Pat's Reviews

Revontuli - What a wonderful read

Reviewed in Canada on March 27, 2014

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I so enjoyed this book and could not put it down. Andrew Eddy has a way with words that brings you into the world he writing about. I was totally taken in by this book. I hope he write more books!

bean john

histoire et amour

Reviewed in France on December 29, 2013

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C'est une livre excellent qui combine une histoire d'amour pendant la guerre mondiale. L'histoire de la guerre en Finland etait tres interessant aussi.

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