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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
Winter is absolutely the time to read this book I’d say and I love the Russian inspired folklore! It felt very whimsical and magical and I was excited by the mystery, but the pacing????? Girl there are 100 pages in the middle of this book the same thing was being done and said what felt like 900 times. It was hard to get through but the beginning and ending were good. I’ve read the sequels in the trilogy are a bit better so I will be continuing.
I came across The Bear and the Nightingale while browsing through the winners of Goodreads Readers Choice Polls last year. As much as I rely on Goodreads, I am a cynic when it comes to judging a book purely on its Goodreads numbers. It is also an unusual choice because I don't pick up books from the genres of Magical Realism and Fantasy that readily. However, I read 2 more books after I finished this one: the sequel to this book, [b:The Girl in the Tower|34050917|The Girl in the Tower (Winternight Trilogy, #2)|Katherine Arden|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1501159995s/34050917.jpg|55059498] and [b:The Toymakers|34846987|The Toymakers|Robert Dinsdale|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1505465708s/34846987.jpg|56081677] by Robert Dinsdale. Maybe it is the craziness in the world around me in the past couple of months, or maybe, something inside me has tweaked but I find myself enjoying the feel of Magic and Fables with a hint of dark thrown in. It is those darker, sombre tones of the book that distinguish it from Children's Stories, making them appealing to mature readers.
Enough about me, let us talk about the book. The Bear and the Nightingale draws inspiration from several Russian folklores to put together a beautiful tale of young Vasilisa 'Vasya' Petrovna, daughter of Pytor Vladimirovich, a boyar in medieval Russia. Set in a small village on the edge of the northern woods of Russia, the harsh setting of cold and desolation itself supplies half of the magical touch to the tale. After her mother dies does not survive her birth, she grows up listening to the tales her nurse Dunya narrates to all the children of the household gathered around the kitchen fire each night. Her favourite story is that of the blue-eyed winter demon, named Frost and her choice in stories is a portent of the dark turn of events in future. What makes me love Vasya more is the fact that she isn't your typical fairy princess/ an ethereal beauty/ damsel in distress. Her sister used to call her a frog and thought nothing of it. She is described to skinny as a reed-stem with large, clumsy hands and feet. In the land she lives, people honour various usually invisible spirits that inhibit each house, stable and forest, leaving them small offerings from time to time in exchange for service and protection.
After the arrival of her city-bred stepmother, Anna, who does not believe in the spirits, and "sees" and battles ghosts of her own, Vasya's life takes a worse turn. The arrival of a priest called Konstantin does bode well either. Konstantin channels his efforts in turning the village folk from these pagan practices and towards proper Christian practices. This scares already troubled Anna transforming her fear into zealous piety. The ruin spreads over the land rapidly along, crops fail, animals die en masse, along with the rumour that Vasya is a witch who must be brought into submission by any means. Since Vasya is ready to accept neither of the options, she must find a way to protect her people and stop the calamity in its tracks.
The Bear and the Nightingale broods on the theme of love, loss and the fear of being not in compliance with what everyone's definition of normal. The details of stark, arid landscape of Russia and the daily lives of people of who live on the edge of the wilderness enrich the reading experience. The dinners of rye bread and the stew cabbage soups, where the household congregates around the kitchen embers, the snow and the wild landscape brings up evocative images which appeal to all five of the reader's senses. It tugs at the part of you which relates to the scary tales of demons from childhood just as strongly as it feeds an adult's need for adventure and thrill. And the best, one has a strong, non-conformist female protagonist in Vasya. While it might outwardly appear that the only battles that she wages are against villains of the tale, what she really has to fight is the human weaknesses of fear of the Unknown. The fear of the Unknown is a stronger motivator than we think it to be. It is even more lethal when it is targeted at a congregation, than when the target is only a single individual. The story clearly outlines its potency to spread mass hysteria and panic and is such a wonderful insight into the crowd psychology that for a while, I even forgot that it was a fairy tale.
The book is a great pick for you if you are open to the idea of folklore and magic and midwives' tales. You don't have to believe in them to enjoy the book, but you do need the approach the tale with a certain preparedness, the readiness to not approach it like a thriller. It didn't grow on me from page one because it had been a long time since I read something from the genre. As cliched as it sounds, you need to give magic a chance. It is not a great choice for a pragmatic reader. It is also not a serious read. You must not expect deep, soul-stirring takeaways from it. It is fantasy and has to be treated like one to enjoy it.
Enough about me, let us talk about the book. The Bear and the Nightingale draws inspiration from several Russian folklores to put together a beautiful tale of young Vasilisa 'Vasya' Petrovna, daughter of Pytor Vladimirovich, a boyar in medieval Russia. Set in a small village on the edge of the northern woods of Russia, the harsh setting of cold and desolation itself supplies half of the magical touch to the tale. After her mother dies does not survive her birth, she grows up listening to the tales her nurse Dunya narrates to all the children of the household gathered around the kitchen fire each night. Her favourite story is that of the blue-eyed winter demon, named Frost and her choice in stories is a portent of the dark turn of events in future. What makes me love Vasya more is the fact that she isn't your typical fairy princess/ an ethereal beauty/ damsel in distress. Her sister used to call her a frog and thought nothing of it. She is described to skinny as a reed-stem with large, clumsy hands and feet. In the land she lives, people honour various usually invisible spirits that inhibit each house, stable and forest, leaving them small offerings from time to time in exchange for service and protection.
After the arrival of her city-bred stepmother, Anna, who does not believe in the spirits, and "sees" and battles ghosts of her own, Vasya's life takes a worse turn. The arrival of a priest called Konstantin does bode well either. Konstantin channels his efforts in turning the village folk from these pagan practices and towards proper Christian practices. This scares already troubled Anna transforming her fear into zealous piety. The ruin spreads over the land rapidly along, crops fail, animals die en masse, along with the rumour that Vasya is a witch who must be brought into submission by any means. Since Vasya is ready to accept neither of the options, she must find a way to protect her people and stop the calamity in its tracks.
The Bear and the Nightingale broods on the theme of love, loss and the fear of being not in compliance with what everyone's definition of normal. The details of stark, arid landscape of Russia and the daily lives of people of who live on the edge of the wilderness enrich the reading experience. The dinners of rye bread and the stew cabbage soups, where the household congregates around the kitchen embers, the snow and the wild landscape brings up evocative images which appeal to all five of the reader's senses. It tugs at the part of you which relates to the scary tales of demons from childhood just as strongly as it feeds an adult's need for adventure and thrill. And the best, one has a strong, non-conformist female protagonist in Vasya. While it might outwardly appear that the only battles that she wages are against villains of the tale, what she really has to fight is the human weaknesses of fear of the Unknown. The fear of the Unknown is a stronger motivator than we think it to be. It is even more lethal when it is targeted at a congregation, than when the target is only a single individual. The story clearly outlines its potency to spread mass hysteria and panic and is such a wonderful insight into the crowd psychology that for a while, I even forgot that it was a fairy tale.
The book is a great pick for you if you are open to the idea of folklore and magic and midwives' tales. You don't have to believe in them to enjoy the book, but you do need the approach the tale with a certain preparedness, the readiness to not approach it like a thriller. It didn't grow on me from page one because it had been a long time since I read something from the genre. As cliched as it sounds, you need to give magic a chance. It is not a great choice for a pragmatic reader. It is also not a serious read. You must not expect deep, soul-stirring takeaways from it. It is fantasy and has to be treated like one to enjoy it.
slow-paced
I wish I could say that I liked this book more. It had a ton of potential, but fell flat for me. I recently read Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik, which had a similar folklore feel and which I LOVED, but TBATN didn't hold up to that standard for me.
I do love reading about day-to-day life in rural, historical societies (Sleeping above the oven! Ice bricks for windows! Thin cabbage soup in late winter!). I also loved the house and forest spirits.
I do love reading about day-to-day life in rural, historical societies (Sleeping above the oven! Ice bricks for windows! Thin cabbage soup in late winter!). I also loved the house and forest spirits.
idk why I just don't feel like continuing, every time I think of picking this book back up I go "ew". maybe its just not the right time for me to read this one
It took me a while to get into the writing style, but once I did (like halfway through the book, I think?) I was completely sucked in. The ending came a little quickly for my taste, but the story was beautifully written and so interesting, especially with the elements of Russian folklore. Perfect for a snowy day.
18 year old + immortal mystical man is already a GAP that I wish authors would retire..
But 15 year old + immortal mystical man???
But 15 year old + immortal mystical man???
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Great winter read, and I'll definitely pick up the second. I enjoyed the tie-in to Russian Folklore, and the setting felt grounded in real history. I think the pace dragged at times, which is why I've given it a four rather than a five, but it was still an enjoyable read overall!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Blood, Religious bigotry
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Sexism, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, War
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No