Jennifer Donnelly
Encyclopedia
Jennifer Donnelly is a historical fiction
author best-known for her novel A Northern Light
(published in the UK as A Gathering Light). She has also written The Tea Rose
, The Winter Rose, and Revolution, as well as Humble Pie, a picture book for children. Her most recent novel, The Wild Rose, was published August 2, 2011.
to the Adirondack region of New York, and her grandmother worked at a hotel on Big Moose Lake
-- later the setting of Donnelly's A Northern Light. Donnelly's own childhood was spent both in Rye
(in Westchester County
, downstate
) and Port Leyden
(in Lewis County
, upstate
).
, majoring in English Literature and European History and graduating cum laude with distinction in English Literature. She later attended Birkbeck College at the University of London
in England
.
, with ties to the story of Jack the Ripper
. The second book, The Winter Rose, continues the tale, following the Finnegan family and related characters from London to Africa to the coast of Northern California. The third novel in the series, The Wild Rose, which follows Willa and Seamie's story, follows the characters from London on the verge of World War I to Arabia in 1918.
A Northern Light was her second published novel, and biggest success to date. The young adult
novel is based around the infamous murder of Grace Brown
by Chester Gillette
in the Adirondack Mountains
in 1906. This case was earlier the basis for Theodore Dreiser
's epic An American Tragedy
as well as the film A Place in the Sun.
In 2004, A Northern Light won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the Carnegie Medal
in the UK (where the novel was published as A Gathering Light.), as well as the 2004 Michael L. Printz Award
as an honor book.
Her second young adult novel, Revolution
, is a tale of two teenage girls—one in present-day Brooklyn and one in Paris during the French Revolution
—whose stories interweave as they struggle to make sense of the tragedies they encounter. The book was published in October, 2010 by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House, with a first run of 250,000 copies. It was named a Best Book of 2010 by Amazon.com, Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal, and the audiobook version of Revolution received a 2011 American Library Association Odyssey Honor.
with her husband, daughter, and one rescued greyhound
.
Historical fiction
Historical fiction tells a story that is set in the past. That setting is usually real and drawn from history, and often contains actual historical persons, but the principal characters tend to be fictional...
author best-known for her novel A Northern Light
A Northern Light
A Northern Light is an American historical novel by Jennifer Donnelly. In the United Kingdom it was published under the alternative title A Gathering Light...
(published in the UK as A Gathering Light). She has also written The Tea Rose
The Tea Rose
The Tea Rose is a historical fiction novel by Jennifer Donnelly. It is the first book of a trilogy about London's East End at the turn of the 19th century. It was published in March 2, 2004.- Summary :...
, The Winter Rose, and Revolution, as well as Humble Pie, a picture book for children. Her most recent novel, The Wild Rose, was published August 2, 2011.
Early life
Donnelly's grandparents fled from Dublin, IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
to the Adirondack region of New York, and her grandmother worked at a hotel on Big Moose Lake
Big Moose Lake
-Neighboring towns:*Big Moose, New York*Eagle Bay, New York*Inlet, New York*Old Forge, New York*Thendara, New York-External links:*People v. Gillette...
-- later the setting of Donnelly's A Northern Light. Donnelly's own childhood was spent both in Rye
Rye (city), New York
Rye is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is separate from the town of Rye, which is larger than the city. Rye city, formerly the village of Rye, was part of the town until 1942, when it received its charter as a city, the most recent to be issued in New York...
(in Westchester County
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
, downstate
Downstate New York
Downstate New York is a term denoting the southeastern portion of New York State, United States, in contrast to Upstate New York. The term "Downstate New York" has significantly less currency than its counterpart term "Upstate New York", and the Downstate region is often not regarded as one...
) and Port Leyden
Port Leyden, New York
Port Leyden is a village in Lewis County, New York, United States. The population was 665 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from the village's early history as a port on the Black River Canal....
(in Lewis County
Lewis County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 26,944 people, 10,040 households, and 7,309 families residing in the county. The population density was 21 people per square mile . There were 15,134 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...
, upstate
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is the region of the U.S. state of New York that is located north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.-Definition:There is no clear or official boundary between Upstate New York and Downstate New York...
).
Education
Donnelly attended the University of RochesterUniversity of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
, majoring in English Literature and European History and graduating cum laude with distinction in English Literature. She later attended Birkbeck College at the University of London
Birkbeck, University of London
Birkbeck, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It offers many Master's and Bachelor's degree programmes that can be studied either part-time or full-time, though nearly all teaching is...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Career
Donnelly moved back to New York, to Brooklyn, at the age of 25. After ten years of work, Donnelly published her first novel, The Tea Rose. The Tea Rose is the first book of a trilogy based in the 19th Century in London's East EndEast End of London
The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...
, with ties to the story of Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper
"Jack the Ripper" is the best-known name given to an unidentified serial killer who was active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The name originated in a letter, written by someone claiming to be the murderer, that was disseminated in the...
. The second book, The Winter Rose, continues the tale, following the Finnegan family and related characters from London to Africa to the coast of Northern California. The third novel in the series, The Wild Rose, which follows Willa and Seamie's story, follows the characters from London on the verge of World War I to Arabia in 1918.
A Northern Light was her second published novel, and biggest success to date. The young adult
Young adult literature
Young-adult fiction or young adult literature , also juvenile fiction, is fiction written for, published for, or marketed to adolescents and young adults, roughly ages 14 to 21. The Young Adult Library Services of the American Library Association defines a young adult as "someone between the...
novel is based around the infamous murder of Grace Brown
Grace Brown
Grace Mae Brown was an American skirt factory worker whose murder caused a nationwide sensation, and whose life inspired the fictional character Roberta Alden in the Theodore Dreiser novel, An American Tragedy, as well as the Jennifer Donnelly novel, A Northern Light...
by Chester Gillette
Chester Gillette
Chester Ellsworth Gillette , an American convicted murderer, became the basis for the fictional character Clyde Griffiths in the Theodore Dreiser novel, An American Tragedy, which in turn was the basis of the 1951 Academy Award-winning film A Place in the Sun.- Background :Gillette was born in...
in the Adirondack Mountains
Adirondack Mountains
The Adirondack Mountains are a mountain range located in the northeastern part of New York, that runs through Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Saint Lawrence, Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties....
in 1906. This case was earlier the basis for Theodore Dreiser
Theodore Dreiser
Theodore Herman Albert Dreiser was an American novelist and journalist of the naturalist school. His novels often featured main characters who succeeded at their objectives despite a lack of a firm moral code, and literary situations that more closely resemble studies of nature than tales of...
's epic An American Tragedy
An American Tragedy
-Plot summary:The ambitious but immature Clyde Griffiths, raised by poor and devoutly religious parents who force him to participate in their street missionary work, is anxious to achieve better things. His troubles begin when he takes a job as a bellboy at a local hotel. The boys he meets are...
as well as the film A Place in the Sun.
In 2004, A Northern Light won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the Carnegie Medal
Carnegie Medal
The Carnegie Medal is a literary award established in 1936 in honour of Scottish philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and given annually to an outstanding book for children and young adults. It is awarded by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals...
in the UK (where the novel was published as A Gathering Light.), as well as the 2004 Michael L. Printz Award
Michael L. Printz Award
The Michael L. Printz Award is an annual award in the United States for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. It is named for a school librarian from Topeka, Kansas, who was a long-time active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association...
as an honor book.
Her second young adult novel, Revolution
Revolution (novel)
Revolution is a young adult historical fiction novel by Jennifer Donnelly about a girl name Andi Alpers who is struggling with drugs, thoughts of suicide, and the way her family has fallen apart after the death of her ten-year-old brother...
, is a tale of two teenage girls—one in present-day Brooklyn and one in Paris during the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
—whose stories interweave as they struggle to make sense of the tragedies they encounter. The book was published in October, 2010 by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House, with a first run of 250,000 copies. It was named a Best Book of 2010 by Amazon.com, Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal, and the audiobook version of Revolution received a 2011 American Library Association Odyssey Honor.
Personal
Donnelly currently lives in New York's Hudson ValleyHudson Valley
The Hudson Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in New York State, United States, from northern Westchester County northward to the cities of Albany and Troy.-History:...
with her husband, daughter, and one rescued greyhound
Greyhound
The Greyhound is a breed of sighthound that has been primarily bred for coursing game and racing, and the breed has also recently seen a resurgence in its popularity as a pedigree show dog and family pet. It is a gentle and intelligent breed...
.