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A review by michellehenriereads
The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner
4.0
An acquaintance recommended The Sisters of the Winter Wood to me, and I'm so glad she did. I was mesmerized from the beginning with the fairytale quality of the world and their problems.
I found three major fairytales that served as the inspiration, The Goblin Market, men who turn into bears (at the moment I can't come up with a name, but it's familiar) and women who turn into swans (think of Odette). These story roots were accompanied by Jewish history, scripture, and Yiddish (with translations). It sounds like a lot to juggle, but the author does a beautiful job of intertwining all these elements.
The format of the story is from a dual POV. Liba's voice is in traditional prose with dialogue. We go on the journey with her, feeling every emotion, knowing what she's thinking and exactly what she's doing. She has always felt less valuable than her sister and needs to come to appreciate her own qualities.
Laya's voice is sparse and poetic - organized on the page with only a few words on a line and repetition of the important idea she's experiencing. In ways, Laya seemed more foreign to me because of the way her portions were written and in part because she's the sister who makes the poorer choices.
The heartbreak of choices is illustrated by the mother and father. She gave up her people to join her husband and converted to become a Jew. In their insular community, she's never been accepted. The heartbreak continues in the community as misunderstandings arise between the Jews and the non-Jews. How can man be so cruel to man? More heartbreak occurs as the sisters find their way - losing each other and working to regain their relationship. Even so, by the end, I felt a sense of hope - a feeling of resiliency inherent to these characters and especially the Jewish community.
This is one of those books that I loved and will read again. The writing is poignant and the characters complex. In a way, the story is one of faith and hope - something we could all use.
To read more reviews go to www.talesuntangled.wordpress.com
I found three major fairytales that served as the inspiration, The Goblin Market, men who turn into bears (at the moment I can't come up with a name, but it's familiar) and women who turn into swans (think of Odette). These story roots were accompanied by Jewish history, scripture, and Yiddish (with translations). It sounds like a lot to juggle, but the author does a beautiful job of intertwining all these elements.
The format of the story is from a dual POV. Liba's voice is in traditional prose with dialogue. We go on the journey with her, feeling every emotion, knowing what she's thinking and exactly what she's doing. She has always felt less valuable than her sister and needs to come to appreciate her own qualities.
Laya's voice is sparse and poetic - organized on the page with only a few words on a line and repetition of the important idea she's experiencing. In ways, Laya seemed more foreign to me because of the way her portions were written and in part because she's the sister who makes the poorer choices.
The heartbreak of choices is illustrated by the mother and father. She gave up her people to join her husband and converted to become a Jew. In their insular community, she's never been accepted. The heartbreak continues in the community as misunderstandings arise between the Jews and the non-Jews. How can man be so cruel to man? More heartbreak occurs as the sisters find their way - losing each other and working to regain their relationship. Even so, by the end, I felt a sense of hope - a feeling of resiliency inherent to these characters and especially the Jewish community.
This is one of those books that I loved and will read again. The writing is poignant and the characters complex. In a way, the story is one of faith and hope - something we could all use.
To read more reviews go to www.talesuntangled.wordpress.com