A Flickering Light (Portraits of the Heart, Book 1) [Paperback]

Jane Kirkpatrick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 14, 2009

Returning to her Midwest roots, award-winning author Jane Kirkpatrick draws a page from her grandmother's photo album to capture the interplay between shadow and light, temptation and faith that marks a woman's pursuit of her dreams.

She took exquisite photographs,
but her heart was the true image exposed.

Fifteen-year-old Jessie Ann Gaebele loves nothing more than capturing a gorgeous Minnesota landscape when the sunlight casts its most mesmerizing shadows. So when F.J. Bauer hires her in 1907 to assist in his studio and darkroom, her dreams for a career in photography appear to find root in reality.

With the infamous hazards of the explosive powder used for lighting and the toxic darkroom chemicals, photography is considered a man' s profession. Yet Jessie shows remarkable talent in both the artistry and business of running a studio. She proves less skillful, however, at managing her growing attraction to the very married Mr. Bauer.

This luminous coming-of-age tale deftly exposes the intricate shadows that play across every dream worth pursuing–and the irresistible light that beckons the dreamer on.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Historical novelist Kirkpatrick (A Tendering in the Storm) is exceptionally authentic in her use of early 20th-century history. Virtually all the characters are real figures; protagonist Jessie Ann Gaebele is inspired in this biographical fiction by the writer's own grandmother. Jessie Ann loves photography, and when she is hired as an assistant to photographer F.J. Bauer, she learns about the field of her dreams and also about herself, as she finds herself attracted to her married boss, who battles his own feelings in return. Kirkpatrick renders the war among desire, duty and restraint with exquisite nuance. There are no unsympathetic characters in this tangle of relationships. Bauer's wife—also named Jessie—may be difficult to live with, but she has her reasons. The period detail—dangerous chemicals used in photography, debilitating and frequent illnesses, the routine constraints on women's choices—offers a compelling portrait of the time. Kirkpatrick deserves a wide audience for this coming-of-age tale that is aching and hopeful. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Set in 1907 Minnesota, the latest from Kirkpatrick ("Change and Cherish" and "Tender Ties" series) is a coming-of-age tale about a 15-year-old girl working as a photographer's assistant. Jessie Ann Gaebele is talented and shows great promise; however, she begins to dream of more than photographs when she falls for her married boss. Inspired by the life of the author's grandmother, this is a beautifully told story of temptation and God's redeeming grace. Highly recommended for CF and historical fiction collections.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: WaterBrook Press; Original edition (April 14, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157856980X
• ISBN-13: 978-1578569809
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 1 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #826,749 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

If you'd like more information about me, please come visit my website at www.jkbooks.com and click on my blog. My dog also has a blog and you can find out what it's like to be Bodacious Bo, too. A monthly newsletter called Story Sparks is my way of sharing books about authors I enjoy as well as commenting on life and love. You'll find out more about me than you probably ever wanted to know! You
One item not listed on my lists of books is my selection included in an anthology called "Crazy Woman Creek: Women Rewrite the American West" published by Houghton Mifflin I also have a piece in Storytellers II, a book published a few years ago by Multnomah Press and a few short selections in Daily Guideposts of a few years back. My first novella, "The Courting Quilt" is part of a collection that made the New York Times bestsellers this past September in a collection called Log Cabin Christmas. The rest of my writing, as they say, is history. Or it was until my first contemporary came out this fall. Called Barcelona Calling, it's the story of a writer who loses her way as she seeks fulfillment thinking she'll find it with fame. It's a laugh out loud book according to reviewers. I hope you'll enjoy it.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Light, Fictional "History" of Photography and Women's Liberation, April 22, 2009

By 

Connie Y. Mishali - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Flickering Light (Portraits of the Heart, Book 1) (Paperback)

A Flickering Light is a novel by Jane Kirkpatrick regarding a young woman's desire to follow her passion to have a career in photography at the turn of the 20th century when (1) young women didn't have careers and (2) photography was dangerous for a man with its use of chemicals and flashpowder and all but forbidden for a woman. The story's protagonist, Jessie, also has to battle the attraction she feels for her employer, teacher and mentor, an unhappily married man. A Flickering Light is a coming of age story in a historical setting at a time when women were hardly main characters in their own lives! I thought this book was fascinating from the standpoint that we take photography for granted nowadays with 6 year olds publishing digital pictures on the worldwide web. It was interesting to see how the artform, industry and technology evolved and to see it from the point of a young women's libber struggling to be a "good" daughter in early 1900s was fascinating.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW, WOW, WOW!!, May 28, 2009

By 

singing-in-the-rain24.blogspot.com "Kathryn" (Georgia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: A Flickering Light (Portraits of the Heart, Book 1) (Paperback)

Jane Kirkpatrick's first book in the series, Potraits of the Heart, was absolutely enthralling! When I was given this book, I thought it was going to be something I would not be able to get into, but I was so wrong! A Flickering Light is based on the life of Jane Kirkpatrick's grandmother, and knowing that made the story even more intriguing!

Jane Kirkpatrick takes her readers on a journey in the life of Jessie, a teenage girl who loves taking pictures. Jessie is a young woman who takes a job in the studio of Mr. Bauer, who has promised to help her learn much about taking pictures and developing them. There at the studio with her friend Voe, Jessie learns all that she can under Mr. Bauer's tutorledge, and also comes to know Mr. Bauer and his family quite well. When Mr. Bauer becomes sick, Jessie helps take over the studio and finds that she does quite well, and wants to spend her life in photography and eventually own her own studio. As the months go by though, Jessie's life is filled with tempatation as she trys to deny her attraction to the very married Mr. Bauer. As Jessie trys to decide what is right she must also decide what is important for her career. Will her growing fondness of Mr. Bauer get in the way?

This book was quite different from anything I have ever read. It drew me in from the beginning, from the storytelling to the diary entries and pictures included. All of those things and also Mrs. Kirkpatrick's abounding research made this story, one I will soon not forget!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Lovely Read, May 3, 2009

By 

Rebecca DeMarino - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Flickering Light (Portraits of the Heart, Book 1) (Paperback)

A Flickering Light is a lovely story of a 15 year old girl growing up in Winona, Minnesota, amidst the turn of the century, in a strict, but loving family. Her love for the art of photography draws her to answer a want ad for a Photographer's assistance. Jessie is hired by F.J. Bauer and her career begins. Mr. Bauer shares with her all that he knows about photography and his business, but the surprise is how much he learns from her, not only about the art but about life. Jane Kirkpatrick weaves an intricately beautiful tale about a young girls heart and a gentleman's desire. She pulls you into the story and leaves you with that warm, cozy feeling that you have made a new friend. I look forward to the next book in the series!