Spinning Silver: A Novel

by Naomi Novik

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “One of the year’s strongest fantasy novels” (NPR), an imaginative retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale from the bestselling author of Uprooted.

NEBULA AND HUGO AWARD FINALIST • NAMED ONE OF PASTE’S BEST FANTASY BOOKS OF THE DECADE • ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Public Library

With the Nebula Award–winning Uprooted, Naomi Novik opened a brilliant new chapter in an already acclaimed career, delving into the magic of fairy tales to craft a love story that was both timeless and utterly of the now. Spinning Silver draws readers deeper into this glittering realm of fantasy, where the boundary between wonder and terror is thinner than a breath, and safety can be stolen as quickly as a kiss.

Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father’s inability to collect his debts has left his family on the edge of poverty—until Miryem takes matters into her own hands. Hardening her heart, the young woman sets out to claim what is owed and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold. When an ill-advised boast draws the attention of the king of the Staryk—grim fey creatures who seem more ice than flesh—Miryem’s fate, and that of two kingdoms, will be forever altered. She will face an impossible challenge and, along with two unlikely allies, uncover a secret that threatens to consume the lands of humans and Staryk alike.

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, NPR, Time, Tordotcom, Popsugar, Vox, Vulture, Paste, Bustle, Library Journal

“A perfect tale . . . A big and meaty novel, rich in both ideas and people, with the vastness of Tolkien and the empathy and joy in daily life of Le Guin.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Gorgeous, complex, and magical . . . This is the kind of book that one might wish to inhabit forever.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Cool and clever and . . . dire and wonderful.”—Laini Taylor, author of Strange the Dreamer

“The Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale has never been as captivating. . . . Spinning Silver further cements [Novik’s] place as one of the genre greats.”—Paste

• ISBN10: 0399180990
• ISBN13: 9780399180996
• Publish Date: 7 May 2019 (first published 10 July 2018)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Del Rey Books
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 480
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780399180996

Reviews

[mitabird]

3.25 stars

[smartflutist661]

"He would only shrug and look at me expectantly again, waiting for high magic: magic that came only when you made some larger version of yourself with words and promises, and then stepped inside and somehow grew to fill it."

I really enjoyed Temeraire, but Spinning Silver feels like it's on a completely different level. This line in particular has stuck in my brain, because it has the ring of a deeper Truth, but the quotes page has many gems. With echoes of Rumpelstiltskin, the Fae of many legends, The Firebird, and the story of Hades and Persephone, it weaves together many stories and many lives, possibly as closely as any book I have ever read, in a literal sense (at one point two plotlines coexist in exactly the same space and the same time without ever intersecting), to show that even the most grievous wrongs done in ignorance can be righted, that only in unity can we stand against powerful opposition, and that the unbroken will is perhaps the most powerful force we can harness (reminiscent of Nietzsche's Will to Power). Read it.

[leahrosereads]

This was an absolutely stunning story as a whole, but once I started looking at individual components, I liked it a bit less.

I had the most issue with the pacing and wordiness of it all. This book genuinely felt 100 pages too long. If it had been edited down, it would have been more enjoyable.

I also wasn't a fan of all the POVs, especially since several of them felt unnecessary.

That said, this story was beautifully well written and took a well known fairytale and created something completely new out of it. And I find that to be a great accomplishment! I'll definitely continue picking up books by this author in the future.

I really liked this, I didn't like it as much as the first book but it was still really well written and drew me in. I read it within a week because I just wanted to know what happened. Naomi Novik has a way with story telling and building such well rounded characters.

I highly recommend reading this!

[jesstheaudiobookworm]

4.5★⎮I adored Spinning Silver. Fairytale retellings are always sort of hit or miss with me. Most of them stick to closely to the source material and become predictable. However, Spinning Silver found the perfect balance. It paired fantasy with alternate reality to create something unique, yet subtly familiar.

It's a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin-- sort of. Perhaps retelling isn't the right word. It's about a young girl who can change pennies into gold, but not with magic. She is simply a good businesswoman capable of investing and turning a profit. I found Miryem extremely likable and I was most invested in her story. I appreciate resourcefulness so I found Miryem relatable and easy to root for.

Honestly, I would have been fine if there was nothing more to Miryem's story than this. I thought it was the ultimate swerve. A story that has been told so many times that it has been imbued with fantastical elements over the centuries to give it flair. It reminded me of the Drew Barrymore film Ever After, which is one of my all-time favorite movies. In Ever After, we learn the true story of Cinderella and that she really existed in 18th century France (sans magic). I thought Naomi Novik was going for a similar twist by making Miryem's family Jewish and incorporating real-world elements into her story and I was eating it up.

For the longest time, this was a five star audiobook for me. By the time the secondary POV character, Wanda, was introduced, I was already committed to this story. I didn't dislike Wanda, but she was no Miryem. As the story went on I did warm to her, but still preferred Miryem's chapters. However, I never got the point of Margareta's character or her POV. Not only did she seem useless to the overall story, I think she actually hurt it. Her inclusion did nothing but confuse me. Margareta is the main reason I can't give this five stars, even though I really want to! At a certain point, I decided to just ignore her all together and focus on Miryem and Wanda.

Then, Bam! Novik threw fantastical elements into the mix à la Once Upon A Time and I was swerved again. Luckily, I was able to hang onto my seat. The fantastical elements definitely complicated the story, but I didn't mind them too much. Novik's writing was so incredible that she could have thrown almost anything at me and I would've gone along with it. That's the mark of an amazing storyteller.

Narration review: I've had Naomi Novik's previous novel Uprooted on my TBR list for a while now, but I can never get into it because the narrator's accent is hard for me to understand. I was worried I might face a similar problem with Spinning Silver. Fortunately, that was not the case. Lisa Flanagan does an amazing Russian accent that is authentic, yet still intelligible. The more I listened, the easier it became to understand.

However, her narration did contribute to my confusion regarding the POV characters. There wasn't a lot of vocal distinction made between Miryem, Wanda, and Margareta. Additionally, there were no indicators given when the POV characters were being switched. The most frustrating thing about listening to Spinning Silver was that I was constantly confused about which POV character I was hearing. I'm torn about recommending this audiobook for that reason. In all other respects, Flanagan gave a wonderful performance and one that I genuinely enjoyed. However, reading the physical book would eliminate much of the POV confusion. ♣︎

[wyvernfriend]

Lost me a few times The story is good and well-executed, except for two things.  The romances and the points of view.  Yes points, there are about six throughout the story and sometimes it jumps from one to another without any warning and this drew me out of the story.  That and I didn't really feel that the romances had any build-up.  It felt like one minute the characters hated each other and next minute they loved each other and there was no real building of relationships, even though the story was told from several of the female character point of view.  Your mileage may vary and I've seen several people quite effusive about this story, so take my opinion with enough salt.
 
The story is that of Rumpelstiltskin, mostly, and a winter king and Chernobog and a few other tales I'm sure (my knowledge of Russian Folk tales is not as good as other genres) and it's from the point of view of some of the women involved and it has twists and turns that give the female heroines more agency.  The characters are well-drawn and interesting and I enjoyed it for the most part, except where I couldn't tell who was narrating because the paragraph break wasn't enough of a clue (I like books where the chapter headings tell me who is talking to me) it broke the stream of the story because I had to back-track to see who I was dealing with.  I'm sure it might work better for others (and I've seen some reviews where the audiobook narrator does quite a good job of dealing with this in their opinion).
 
So overall not a bad read I just would like to have had it formatted better and to have a better romance for the characters.  

[adamfortuna]

There's something nostalgic about Novik's writing. Both "Spinning Silver" and her previous book "Uprooted" feel like German fairy tales written a hundred years ago. They have a sense of danger you wouldn't see in a Disney fairy tale, while incorporating the fear and reality of an old-time tale. Spinning Silver jumps between first-person stories following a money changer and her growth into the role. The story takes a turn when a mystical character asks her, a regular person, to change silver into gold after hearing of her skills out of context. What follows is a tale through distant worlds that still feels familiar.

[alindstadtcorbeax]

4.5 stars!

Somebody help me I can’t see for the tears forming in my eyes! I literally just turned the last page and I’m not even completely sure how I feel.

There are a couple things I am not clear on completely, but I guess we are to make our own assumption which is most definitely hinted at. I do love a more clear ending though, like Miryem’s.

Im just swooning over this book. I do prefer uprooted to this, but no matter, Novik has done it again!

:-)

[emruth13]

My god, this was glorious. First, I LOVE Rumplestiltskin. So a retelling of one of my favorite fairy tales? YES PLEASE. And the retelling being by Naomi Novik? UM YES! ALL THE YES!
I loved all the different POVs and was able to quickly figure out whose eyes I was seeing through. I loved how the three main POVs were connected to each other even if they didn't yet realize it. I just loved this book SO MUCH! And that ending was the best thing ever. So much love.

[Beth C.]

Wow. It's so beautifully written...Yes, it's a loose take on Rumpelstiltskin, but it is also so much more. This is the kind of book that when you finish, you sigh for the memory of having had that first read, knowing you will never have it again. It is just that gorgeous.

Only downside - maybe a nitpick on my part...multiple character viewpoints, with not really anything to distinguish which you are reading at first. They change at any given point, with only a bigger line break in between - no identifying information to be prepared.

However - obviously I kept reading. It's just that good.