Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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!

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!

A Flickering Light by Jane Kirkpatrick in the first in the historical fiction series A Portrait of a Woman. Kirkpatrick has fictionalized the story of her grandmother Jessie Gaeble who worked as a photographer's assistant in 1907 Winona, Minnesota for F.J. Bauer. Jessie is a feisty, tiny girl of fifteen when she starts working at Bauer's studio with her own ideas about how photographs should be taken. Bauer takes her under his wing and teaches her how to pose photos, develop them, and run a studio, which is necessary when he succumbs to occasional mercury poisoning leaving him unable to run the business for months on end. Bauer has a less than perfect marriage, and the two are drawn together by their common love of their craft. Kirkpatrick has an unusual talent for creating incredibly real characters. It's the rare book that is so great that its characters find their way into my dreams. For me, that's an indicator of a book that is far above the masses of similar books in the genre. I am completely pulled into the story, and when the final page is turned, find myself missing the characters inside. Thank goodness this is a series! Kirkpatrick captures turn of the century life in a small Midwestern town and fills it with characters the reader can't help but take to heart.

Jessie Gaebele loves photography. Her mind frames potential images everywhere she looks in her Minnesota town. Jessie is fortunate enough to find a placement at FJ Bauer's photography studio where she burgeons into a working and professional woman whose hand at portraits and talent for putting "sitting" clients at ease prove her a natural.


I enjoyed this turn- of -the -century tale about a spunky woman who has the rare chance to make something independent of her self: regardless of the social constrictions of her time and circumstance.

Kirkpatrick does a notable job of creating the dark room world of Jessie, her friend Voe and the imitable FJ Bauer. Likewise, the portraits of domesticity: whether at Jessie's home with her stern parents and challenged brother or at the Bauer residence: which, when unveiled, is a formidable look at a crumbling marriage guised by poise and outward appearance.

I often felt I was walking down a street with Jessie, peering above the wrought iron gates to mansard roofs and wafting lace curtains to gaslights and cozy hearths. Kirkpatrick does a remarkable job of painting life as it was. In fact, as is often my highest compliment as an imaginative reader, she made me nostalgiac for a time period I never lived in.

As this is a fictionalized biography of her grandmother, Kirkpatrick has numerous photos Jessie took or posed for and these loan an interesting and unusual physicality to the plot. Your imagination is somewhat stopped by virtue of the fact that you know what Jessie looks like: a plain, proper, probably well-mannered woman of her time.



I very much enjoyed learning about the dissonant opinions treating photography as art and commercialism.


At the heart of this unique romance is the attraction between the young Jessie and her employer, FJ Bauer: who is some twenty-odd years her senior.

This coming of age tale evokes the awkward emotional development of a girl who is confused by the feelings racing through her. I applaud Kirkpatrick on her ability to take the reader through the whirlwind of susceptible Jessie's emotions ---also, through the returned infatuation of her married employer who loves his family but is starved of affection and often the slightest touch.


This was an engaging read and I look forward to reading more of the series

While I enjoyed the historical photography theme, and agree that this book was well-written, I found A Flickering Light to be disturbing and distressing. I almost stopped reading mid-way through the book because I was so distressed by the growing affection of this teenage girl and her married mentor, but I stuck it out to the end. Rather than being relieved at the conclusion, I was extremely agitated for a couple of days after reading this book! Perhaps having a close friend whose ("Christian") husband is having an affair and divorcing her affected my perception of this book. Regardless, I would not recommend it to anyone.

Jane Kirkpatrick bravely explores the progression of an emotional affair in an employer/employee relationship over the course of three years. Both parties feel that they can "handle" their feelings, while in reality each is extremely vulnerable. Although Jessie is warned repeatedly by her own conscience, parents, friends, and siblings, she eventually allows her hedges of protection to come down, and begins a physical affair. Kirkpatrick never takes the affair beyond embraces and kisses physically, making this book an ideal tool for those who wish to discuss this topic in a teen group/church setting. I found it interesting that even after the confrontation and confession scene, Jessie's parents didn't realize how deeply their child's heart had been affected. I look forward to Kirkpatrick's treatment of the heart-struggles that continue for both characters in future books. For those who wish to use this novel as a springboard for discussion about sexual temptation and sin with women, I recommend also reading Intimate Issues by Dillow and Every Woman's Battle.
I found this book to be very similar thematically to Girl with A Pearl Earring by Chevalier, but I appreciated the way that this author gave a godly perspective and conclusion without being didactic.
The other reviews highlight the lush 1900's setting and the careful attention to detail that make this novel a joy to read.

Jane Kirkpatrick has written several short series based on historical characters and events that she brings to life with her delightful style and expert attention to detail. Each one has become my "new favorite," and A FLICKERING LIGHT is no exception. This coming-of-age novel is based on the author's grandmother and her passion for photography at a time when photography was considered a dangerous occupation for a man, and women were seldom considered suitable for the profession. In addition to the enlightening voyage into history, Kirkpatrick introduces us to the mores of the time and to characters who struggle with the boundaries that are imposed upon them by those mores.

Struggling with issues of right and wrong do not play as large a role in modern times as it did in earlier times. There is little mention of sin anymore when considering life decisions. In the Hebrew, to sin means "to miss the mark" or "to take the wrong path." And, for the believer, nothing can restore one to peace but repentance, or turning away from the wrong path and getting on the right one. In light of this, throughout the first part of the story, the reader knows that the attraction brewing between a young Jessie Ann Gaebele and her forlornly married employer/mentor is not going to have a happy ending. And while we want them both to be happy, we are aware that going against one's beliefs and morals is not the way to achieve it.

Jessie's family is much like many we have known and loved. Each member has his or her own unique personality, like little brother Roy with his generous heart and pitiful stutter and older sister Lilly with her judgmental attitude and too keen insights. It may be difficult for some to embrace the deep effect each one's behavior has on the others, but that was the culture and times. It is still true today, but we have somehow managed to weaken the borders and overlook the boundaries. Some would argue that it's been for the best, others would disagree. In either case, the author gives us more to think about than "when will they finally get into bed."

We often compliment a book by calling it a "page-turner," and I thoroughly enjoy my thrillers. But Jane Kirkpatrick writes books that are to be savored and considered, with no rush to the finish. For example, as FJ endures yet another hurtful conversation with his wife, Kirkpatrick writes, "FJ took the words like stones and put them in the bag labeled Disappointing Husband and Poor Father. The bag never filled, just became heavier and heavier." A FLICKERING LIGHT is the first in a new series, and it is guaranteed to make you look forward to learn what happens next.

--- Reviewed by Maggie Harding

In A Flickering Light, Jane Kirkpatrick has once again woven a wealth of fascinating historical research into a compelling novel, this time inspired by the life of her grandmother. As Jane says in her author's notes, "this story is inspired by her because this is a work of biographical fiction, or as a writer friend of mine, Linda Crew, calls such novels, `a true story, imagined.'"

Jane's characters are refreshingly real; flawed human beings whose journey in life is sometimes mundane, sometimes full of adventure. When we first meet fifteen-year-old Jessie Gaebele, she is sneaking out of the house with her treasure, a Kodak camera given to her by her Uncle August, to capture an early morning sunrise on the bluff. Later that day, when she and her friend Voe are hired by F. B. Bauer to be photographer's assistants in his studio, Jessie's dreams seem to be coming true. Even though Mr. Bauer insists on her giving up her camera during her six months of training, Jessie knows that at the end of her training and certification, she will be able to work at any photographic studio in the country. She can travel, see the world, maybe even one day have her own studio. The possibilities seem endless.

Mr. Bauer experiences periodic bouts of bad health due to mercury poisoning, a common hazard to photographers in the early days with all the toxic darkroom chemicals they worked with. Because of this, over the next few years Jessie and Zoe have occasion to run the studio on their own, often for months at a time, with only limited supervision from Mr. Bauer or his wife. As Jessie gains confidence and experience in her work, she also becomes aware of stirring feelings for her employer. And, as Mr. Bauer's wife goes deeper into her manic depressions, pulling away not only from him, but their children as well, he finds his own feelings of respect and admiration for his young protégée turning into a strong affection.

Some readers may take offense at the fact that Jessie and Mr. Bauer, a married man, fight a developing attraction between them. I didn't. I don't think truth is served by covering up the temptations and weaknesses we experience in life. We are all sinners saved by grace. Pretending sinful thoughts and feelings do not exist is a lie in itself, and doesn't reflect the light and truth of the gospel. Even when those feelings are acted on, God is there to forgive when we come to Him in repentance. I found myself empathizing with Jessie as she struggles to stay true to her own dreams while also honoring her faith, her family, and the norms of the time.

Anyone who loves historical fiction and has not read any of Jane Kirkpatrick's novels needs to remedy that immediately. I have yet to pick one up I haven't enjoyed immensely. This book is first in a new series, Portraits of the Heart, with the next book, An Absence So Great, just released. Evidently it's time to make room in my reading schedule for another Jane Kirkpatrick book!

--reviewed by Sheryl Root for TitleTrakk

My overall opinion of Ms. Kirkpatrick's book, A Flickering Light, is good. However, I must be honest and say that I had trouble in the beginning with this book completely capturing. It was a very slow start and I had a hard time keeping focused on reading the book. But, it did pick up after the first 4 or 5 chapters and was able to hold my interest.


I love how Ms. Kirkpatrick used Jessie's photos that she took and incorporated them into the book. The fact that most of these characters through out the book are based on actual historical people, is just fascinating. The style of Ms. Kirkpatrick's writing is wonderful. She has a true talent for capturing the essence of history and bringing it to us in a well written start to a turn-of-century series. I loved her work. The story line of how women weren't to seek work, but the fact that Jessie did, was intriguing. I am a little disappointed, however, with the fact that Ms. Kirkpatrick used a growing attraction between Jessie and FJ Bauer, her employer, simply because FJ was a married man. I think that if Ms. Kirkpatrick wanted to have a budding romance of some sort there should have been a different man to capture Jessie's interests as I think it takes away from the morals and the Godly attributes to the rest of the story.


Overall, I will have to say that this was an interesting fictional book and I think there are others out there who will enjoy it. I give it a 4 star rating, since there were a few things that I didn't agree with, but that I did end up enjoying the story after the first few chapters. I do want to say, that the cover of this book is absolutely amazing! I LOVE it!