Katherine Arden’s bestselling debut novel spins an irresistible spell as it announces the arrival of a singular talent with a gorgeous voice. “A beautiful deep-winter story, full of magic and monsters and the sharp edges of growing up.”—Naomi Novik, bestselling author of Uprooted
Winter lasts most of the year at the edge of the Russian wilderness, and in the long nights, Vasilisa and her siblings love to gather by the fire to listen to their nurse’s fairy tales. Above all, Vasya loves the story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon. Wise Russians fear him, for he claims unwary souls, and they honor the spirits that protect their homes from evil.
Then Vasya’s widowed father brings home a new wife from Moscow. Fiercely devout, Vasya’s stepmother forbids her family from honoring their household spirits, but Vasya fears what this may bring. And indeed, misfortune begins to stalk the village.
But Vasya’s stepmother only grows harsher, determined to remake the village to her liking and to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for marriage or a convent. As the village’s defenses weaken and evil from the forest creeps nearer, Vasilisa must call upon dangerous gifts she has long concealed—to protect her family from a threat sprung to life from her nurse’s most frightening tales.
Praise for The Bear and the Nightingale
“Arden’s debut novel has the cadence of a beautiful fairy tale but is darker and more lyrical.”—The Washington Post
“Vasya [is] a clever, stalwart girl determined to forge her own path in a time when women had few choices.”—The Christian Science Monitor
“Stunning . . . will enchant readers from the first page. . . . with an irresistible heroine who wants only to be free of the bonds placed on her gender and claim her own fate.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Utterly bewitching . . . a lush narrative . . . an immersive, earthy story of folk magic, faith, and hubris, peopled with vivid, dynamic characters, particularly clever, brave Vasya, who outsmarts men and demons alike to save her family.”—Booklist (starred review)
“An extraordinary retelling of a very old tale . . . The Bear and the Nightingale is a wonderfully layered novel of family and the harsh wonders of deep winter magic.”—Robin Hobb
Further thoughts: In the end, I didn't refer to the ebook. Instead, I listened to the last quarter all over again. I'm glad I did because that was the best part of The Bear and the Nightingale. I think what caused me to miss so many details was that by the time the action unfolded, my mind had switched to passive listening. So while I picked up on the turn of events, I didn't fully grasp just how dark the atmosphere had become.
For what it's worth, I thought The Bear and the Nightingale was a creative retelling of the Russian fairy tale, Father Frost. Katherine Arden wove the fairy tale right into the beginning to ensure even readers unfamiliar with the tale might come to appreciate it. However, it took exceedingly long for The Bear and the Nightingale to get to the heart of the fairy tale.
Three-quarters of the book relied primarily on atmosphere. During that time, the characters didn't develop much beyond their archetypes either. We watched the main character grow up from birth till she was of marriageable age. I wish that part would've been more condensed since the details of her childhood had very little to do with the overarching plot. Some magic happened, family dynamics established, and a long list of characters introduced, which despite the beautiful writing seemed to go on and on. If not for that imbalance, I would've liked The Bear and the Nightingale a great deal more.
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May 2, 2017
Initial thoughts: Three-quarters of the book was premised on fairytales and folklore, and a huge dose of atmosphere. It's only towards the end that the plot unravelled. I think I lost some threads during those last chapter while listening to the audiobook. Will refer to the ebook and re-read those chapters before I come back to rate and review The Bear and the Nightingale.
