Two brothers -- one a Vietnam veteran -- get lost in the northern Minnesota woods in winter. This is a story of survival and the complex relationship between two brothers. A fine first novel. Three and one-half stars.

I don't know how much I was influenced by having read The Things They Carried, which I consider to be in my top 50 books ever read. Definitely an outstanding 1st novel.

2.5-3 stars. I've read several other novels by O'Brien and this book did not match them. The strongest parts were the descriptive paragraphs, but the dialogue - and there is a lot of it - brings the story down. I am certain it is intended to show the dissatisfaction and ennui of Perry, but it was pushing my own limits. The stream of consciousness is a logical literary trick in many places but the characters are too much. Again, assuming they are created to illustrate Perry's own tolerance of them. And given that he can barely tolerate himself made this a book I almost DNF, but forced through. Also, don't go on a multi day cross country ski adventure during January in northern Minnesota. Especially if Harvey is your guide.

This was O’Brien’s first novel and it certainly reads like that. The plot is aimless, which would be fine by me if the characters had any depth to them at all and went through even the smallest of growth arcs.

I was left bored and disappointed with occasional glimpses of the writer O’Brien would become in his subsequent novels. Goodreads doesn’t do half stars but if they did, this would be more like a 2.5 star read.

Also, the book was maybe 100 pages too long. This would’ve worked better as a novella or short story.

While this novel isn't quite up there with his later fiction (THE THINGS THEY CARRIED and JULY, JULY), Tim O'Brien's careful hand really captures small-town life and the dynamic between two brothers (one who went to war and one who stayed home). I think the blizzard stuff near the end gets a little too overwrought, but this is still good and dependable O'Brien. I love the way he uses sparse atmosphere for long stretches and allows his worlds to breathe. The idealized women in this book -- well, that ain't O'Brien's forte. But then this was 1975.

Interesting perspective in relation to the Vietnam War- one brother goes to war, the other stays home. They deal with the emotions and challenges that surround these circumstances many years later -

The last parts are the best.

Tim O'Brien is invaluable to the genre of Vietnam War-era literature by illuminating the hard truths about war. Most of his books knock it out of the park, but Northern Lights is a bunt to first base. In this, we follow two brothers, one of which is a Vietnam War veteran, as they reconcile with their past and their relationship.

Northern Lights is messy. It's part family drama, part character study, and part adventure story. Disjointedly, O'Brien covers themes of self-discovery, resilience, defying expectation, and the ineffable wounds of veterans.

Overall, this was a head scratcher. The thematic terrain covered is admirable, the symbolism is rich, and O'Brien's language is haunting. However, the story which carried the good elements felt unsalvageable. If you've never read any O'Brien, I'd pass this one over and start somewhere else.

Definitely not as successful as his later books, this is still fairly impressive for a debut. The description of the days long trek through the snow by the two brothers made me shiver, but the rest seemed a bit wooden.

I liked this book. Not something I would typically read. I didn’t mind the repetitive way of speaking. It happens all the time in life as we are trying to be understood, or perhaps trying to talk ourselves into believing something.

I loved The Things They Carried and really thought I would enjoy this, but I just couldn't get into this one. There were moments when the writing style drew me in and then that would go away... I'll still give more of O'brien's work a try, but this one fell short of my expectations.

So it's just a story of people struggling to get by. I liked the writer's style, and can relate to some of the 'muddling along' that is just part of living.