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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
slow-paced
going to review these books separately as im reading a version with the whole trilogy inside.
it has really been some time since I have read this. And its weird because on reading I remembered all of the emotions I had reading it as a child, and wow this book kind of sucks! ok harsh, its just a bit "meh." Yet constantly, I cite this as being one of my favourite childhood series that I've read MULTIPLE TIMES. I don't really feel disappointed about my feelings reading this - rereading childhood favourites is always scary in case you discover the passion is gone, but im pretty sure that my feelings on this one is the same.
Making sense? no? well, the edition I used to read is the one I bought now, the 3in1 edition with all of the books inside. I never saw this book as a separate book. I was a fast reader as a kid, and I could read the entire thing in days. its simply written, this book comes to 120 pages. at no point did I ever consider the book as three separate things. now I see it as a single entity, the snow spider is a little bit... all over the place? things are really quick. a lot happens. you could say the events in this one book could in itself make three! But the magic in this series really comes in the books to come, so clearly this is just vital set up. however, like I said, I think I already knew this. I had memories of me trying to sludge through this first book to get to the good parts that I had completely forgotten because the other sections are SO GOOD.
the only thing I might add is I did cringe a little bit at gwyn and the other kids, like it just felt a bit make-believey for me at times and not actually real. and I LOVE EIRLYS SO MUCH, part of me cannot remember why BUT I DO, but oh my god WERE HER PARENTS REALLY TOO DUMB TO RECOGNISE THEIR OWN KID? REALLY. (also I think the characterisation for the dad went a bit too far, I don't think a parent would resent their kid so much for what happened like it was a bit weird)
Can I say I loved the welsh-ness of it however. Its rooted in tradition, and I love how gwyn is so tied to his landscape and nature around him through his powers (maybe its the wiccan in me idk). but its really nice, and I think probably (im not welsh) a very staple of welsh literature for kids in a world that is slowly losing large parts of its language, landscape and tradition. The grandmother being the only character who is consistently tied down to the language, landscape, and local lore is so telling and true: gwyn doesn't understand welsh until she gives him his powers and he is more tied to the nature around him. Its just really sweet and telling the themes about the key to keeping these traditions being through the connection of generations. Gwyn is disconnected from his dad, his dad disconnected from the grandmother: each of these disconnections down the generations results in a further distance from the culture of their surroundings which is only saved by reconnection. kind of sad really.
OK THERE ARE A FEW PROBLEMS AS STATED. but I cant wait to remember what the fuck this is about and why I loved it so much. loving the nostalgia of it all, rereads for the win.
it has really been some time since I have read this. And its weird because on reading I remembered all of the emotions I had reading it as a child, and wow this book kind of sucks! ok harsh, its just a bit "meh." Yet constantly, I cite this as being one of my favourite childhood series that I've read MULTIPLE TIMES. I don't really feel disappointed about my feelings reading this - rereading childhood favourites is always scary in case you discover the passion is gone, but im pretty sure that my feelings on this one is the same.
Making sense? no? well, the edition I used to read is the one I bought now, the 3in1 edition with all of the books inside. I never saw this book as a separate book. I was a fast reader as a kid, and I could read the entire thing in days. its simply written, this book comes to 120 pages. at no point did I ever consider the book as three separate things. now I see it as a single entity, the snow spider is a little bit... all over the place? things are really quick. a lot happens. you could say the events in this one book could in itself make three! But the magic in this series really comes in the books to come, so clearly this is just vital set up. however, like I said, I think I already knew this. I had memories of me trying to sludge through this first book to get to the good parts that I had completely forgotten because the other sections are SO GOOD.
the only thing I might add is I did cringe a little bit at gwyn and the other kids, like it just felt a bit make-believey for me at times and not actually real. and I LOVE EIRLYS SO MUCH, part of me cannot remember why BUT I DO, but oh my god WERE HER PARENTS REALLY TOO DUMB TO RECOGNISE THEIR OWN KID? REALLY. (also I think the characterisation for the dad went a bit too far, I don't think a parent would resent their kid so much for what happened like it was a bit weird)
Can I say I loved the welsh-ness of it however. Its rooted in tradition, and I love how gwyn is so tied to his landscape and nature around him through his powers (maybe its the wiccan in me idk). but its really nice, and I think probably (im not welsh) a very staple of welsh literature for kids in a world that is slowly losing large parts of its language, landscape and tradition. The grandmother being the only character who is consistently tied down to the language, landscape, and local lore is so telling and true: gwyn doesn't understand welsh until she gives him his powers and he is more tied to the nature around him. Its just really sweet and telling the themes about the key to keeping these traditions being through the connection of generations. Gwyn is disconnected from his dad, his dad disconnected from the grandmother: each of these disconnections down the generations results in a further distance from the culture of their surroundings which is only saved by reconnection. kind of sad really.
OK THERE ARE A FEW PROBLEMS AS STATED. but I cant wait to remember what the fuck this is about and why I loved it so much. loving the nostalgia of it all, rereads for the win.
A delightful middle grade book. I read this for the 2020 polarthon with prompt “a book you can read in 1 day”
This was a very neat story. I can't wait to read the next one.
Read my other book reviews at booksibled.wordpress.com
I’ll admit, November has not been kind to me and I’m not so sorry to see it come to an end but it has given a few things to help me muddle along and one of them is The Snow Spider. It’s another children’s book but that doesn’t surprise me. Something promising I have taken from this challenge over the past year has been how much better children’s literature seems now as opposed to when I was young. I remember shelves full of brightly colours rubbish. I’ve always hated Jacqueline Wilson books and yet, when I was young, that was all anyone would talk about. Instead I threw myself into older books like the jungle book and Swallows and Amazons and that’s why I’m rather surprised that I’d never even heard of this fantastic book.
The Snow Spider is the first in a trilogy set in rural Wales in the 80’s. The story revolves around a little boy called Gwyn whose grandmother brings him five gifts for his 9th birthday: a brooch, a piece of dried seaweed, a tin whistle, a scarf, and a broken toy horse. The gifts are supposed to help him to discover his talent as a great magician which have been passed down to him by his ancestors, famous magicians in the Mabinogion (the book of Welsh myths and legends). Gwyn uses the gifts to try and find his lost sister and accidentally brings a dark power to his little town.Firstly it’s so lovely to have a book set in rural Wales. Any Wales is nice but I spent some really happy years in a little welsh town surrounded by countryside and sheep…lots of sheep. So it’s nice to have a little reminder of a place I try to remember fondly. Another marvelous thing about the Welshness of this book is the use of the Mabinogion. In the grand scheme of things people tend to pass over much of British myth for Romans, Greeks, Native American and some Asian offerings and while these are all excellent, there is so much more to the legendary history of the British Isles than just King Arthur and Robin Hood. In particular, the Welsh legends are rich and enthralling and even more overlooked (as much of Britain that isn’t England is) by the rest of the world. I highly recommend the Mabinogion but that is not the book I’m meant to be talking about so I’d best get on with it.
I’m really pleased that this book had a male protagonist. There are many books and shows that see magic as a more feminine past-time unless it’s used violently, for criminal gain or on stage. Magic is superstition and fancy and to do with nature and that makes it a feminine thing, well not in this book. True Gwyn is introduced to his powers by a female family member but he learns to use them alone, he cares for the snow spider that he conjures and even when he is confronted by hardship and evil he only uses violence once and instantly regrets it. Gwyn was a really engaging character and I loved the depth he brought to the story.The underlying issue of the disappearance of Bethan, Gwyn’s older sister, the year before added a sense of threat to Gwyn’s story. His parents are trying to make the best of things but are obviously struggling. Once again, it was nice to see that it was the father who was struggling the most with the loss of his daughter, defying expectations. The experience of loss, and the difficulties that arise from not knowing if your loved one is alive or dead, was beautifully handled and I got a real sense of calm from reading this book. I can’t wait to read the others in the series.
P.S. This book is a beautiful children’s tale of myth and magic that focuses on the loss and gains of a little Welsh boy as he discovers secrets about his past and helps to pick up the pieces of his grieving family.
I’ll admit, November has not been kind to me and I’m not so sorry to see it come to an end but it has given a few things to help me muddle along and one of them is The Snow Spider. It’s another children’s book but that doesn’t surprise me. Something promising I have taken from this challenge over the past year has been how much better children’s literature seems now as opposed to when I was young. I remember shelves full of brightly colours rubbish. I’ve always hated Jacqueline Wilson books and yet, when I was young, that was all anyone would talk about. Instead I threw myself into older books like the jungle book and Swallows and Amazons and that’s why I’m rather surprised that I’d never even heard of this fantastic book.
The Snow Spider is the first in a trilogy set in rural Wales in the 80’s. The story revolves around a little boy called Gwyn whose grandmother brings him five gifts for his 9th birthday: a brooch, a piece of dried seaweed, a tin whistle, a scarf, and a broken toy horse. The gifts are supposed to help him to discover his talent as a great magician which have been passed down to him by his ancestors, famous magicians in the Mabinogion (the book of Welsh myths and legends). Gwyn uses the gifts to try and find his lost sister and accidentally brings a dark power to his little town.Firstly it’s so lovely to have a book set in rural Wales. Any Wales is nice but I spent some really happy years in a little welsh town surrounded by countryside and sheep…lots of sheep. So it’s nice to have a little reminder of a place I try to remember fondly. Another marvelous thing about the Welshness of this book is the use of the Mabinogion. In the grand scheme of things people tend to pass over much of British myth for Romans, Greeks, Native American and some Asian offerings and while these are all excellent, there is so much more to the legendary history of the British Isles than just King Arthur and Robin Hood. In particular, the Welsh legends are rich and enthralling and even more overlooked (as much of Britain that isn’t England is) by the rest of the world. I highly recommend the Mabinogion but that is not the book I’m meant to be talking about so I’d best get on with it.
I’m really pleased that this book had a male protagonist. There are many books and shows that see magic as a more feminine past-time unless it’s used violently, for criminal gain or on stage. Magic is superstition and fancy and to do with nature and that makes it a feminine thing, well not in this book. True Gwyn is introduced to his powers by a female family member but he learns to use them alone, he cares for the snow spider that he conjures and even when he is confronted by hardship and evil he only uses violence once and instantly regrets it. Gwyn was a really engaging character and I loved the depth he brought to the story.The underlying issue of the disappearance of Bethan, Gwyn’s older sister, the year before added a sense of threat to Gwyn’s story. His parents are trying to make the best of things but are obviously struggling. Once again, it was nice to see that it was the father who was struggling the most with the loss of his daughter, defying expectations. The experience of loss, and the difficulties that arise from not knowing if your loved one is alive or dead, was beautifully handled and I got a real sense of calm from reading this book. I can’t wait to read the others in the series.
P.S. This book is a beautiful children’s tale of myth and magic that focuses on the loss and gains of a little Welsh boy as he discovers secrets about his past and helps to pick up the pieces of his grieving family.
His sister disappeared and his family has never been the same. Now it’s Gwyn’s birthday and his grandmother has given him five odd gifts. He must learn first if he has inherited the family secret; is he a magician? And then one night a snow spider appears and begins to weave a magical web. Can Gwyn be a magician? And can he find a way to return his sister to the world?
I thoroughly enjoyable adventure which has at its heart, is a story of how a folktale or myth embedded within its landscape can bring a rather beautiful sense of peace and acceptance to an unexplainable loss. To go further would be to spoil the story but Gwyn's story here, of how he inherits the magical powers of his ancestors and uses them to try and bring back his sister who went missing on the mountains year before is well done. Although I felt it rushed a little at the end, there is enough nodding here to the structure of fairy and folk tales which is to be admired. I found the relationship between Gwyn and his parents, who both grieve for the loss of their daughter in very different ways, powerful and ripe for discussion. I thought of the book as much like Susan Cooper's Dark is Rising books but for slightly younger readers. This would make for an excellent read aloud.
On his ninth birthday Gwyn is given a brooch, a scarf, a piece of seaweed, a tin whistle and a small broken horse by his grandmother and told to give them to the wind. The first thing he gives to the wind is the brooch which comes back as the snow spider and suddenly magic is in his life, real and with consequences and responsibilities. The trilogy covers from his ninth to his thirteenth birthday and a variety of adventures all of whom require him to employ his wits and to embrace the magician within.
I liked it, originally published in the 80's it reminded me of my teenage years, and the possibility of there being magic around the next corner. There were pieces that stood out in capturing a moment and made the characters more rounded. Gwyn has issues and problems dealing with the magic and this comes across too.
I liked it, originally published in the 80's it reminded me of my teenage years, and the possibility of there being magic around the next corner. There were pieces that stood out in capturing a moment and made the characters more rounded. Gwyn has issues and problems dealing with the magic and this comes across too.