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A review by maddelleine
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A book that definitely needs more adapting for becoming an audiobook.
<b>The Good</b>
It's a great spin of the classic fairytales where helpless girls are saved by knights in shining armours. Here we have 3 ladies who need to figure out life for themselves and save not only themselves, but their dear ones as well. It's supposed to be a retelling of <i>Rumpelstiltskin</i>, but apart from the basic idea of turning something into another thing (here silver to gold), <i>Spinning Silver</i> develops into its own thing, full of new lore, new settings and new magic.
Three separate lifelines become intertwined and a beautiful thing is that there's nothing and no one entirely good or entirely bad. It's refreshing to see a fairytale where characters are not defined by good/bad, but by the constant choices they make, this way anyone having a shot at redemption.
<b>The Bad</b>
Having different POVs adds depth to a story, but it can be confusing if not done right. I'm sure the format wasn't helpful either (I listened to the audiobook), but it was long into a new story before I figured out that the character-storyteller had changed. When the third character was introduced, I was even more confused as the facts didn't seem to fit either of the two girls who had been talking before. For <i>Spinning Silver</i>, it would've been of great help if the chapters had the name of the storyteller as well, to avoid confusions and long periods in which the reader tries to figure out who's talking instead of focusing on the story itself.
<b>The Ugly</b>
Specifically for the audiobook version, the narration was weak. There was barely any change in voices to differentiate between the characters, the girls all had the same voice and sometimes one character's voice seemed to blend into another's. It might be also a reason for which, halfway in, I was already tired and just wanted the story to finish faster.
<b>The Good</b>
It's a great spin of the classic fairytales where helpless girls are saved by knights in shining armours. Here we have 3 ladies who need to figure out life for themselves and save not only themselves, but their dear ones as well. It's supposed to be a retelling of <i>Rumpelstiltskin</i>, but apart from the basic idea of turning something into another thing (here silver to gold), <i>Spinning Silver</i> develops into its own thing, full of new lore, new settings and new magic.
Three separate lifelines become intertwined and a beautiful thing is that there's nothing and no one entirely good or entirely bad. It's refreshing to see a fairytale where characters are not defined by good/bad, but by the constant choices they make, this way anyone having a shot at redemption.
<b>The Bad</b>
Having different POVs adds depth to a story, but it can be confusing if not done right. I'm sure the format wasn't helpful either (I listened to the audiobook), but it was long into a new story before I figured out that the character-storyteller had changed. When the third character was introduced, I was even more confused as the facts didn't seem to fit either of the two girls who had been talking before. For <i>Spinning Silver</i>, it would've been of great help if the chapters had the name of the storyteller as well, to avoid confusions and long periods in which the reader tries to figure out who's talking instead of focusing on the story itself.
<b>The Ugly</b>
Specifically for the audiobook version, the narration was weak. There was barely any change in voices to differentiate between the characters, the girls all had the same voice and sometimes one character's voice seemed to blend into another's. It might be also a reason for which, halfway in, I was already tired and just wanted the story to finish faster.