"A fresh and imaginative retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin fairytale from the bestselling author of Uprooted, called "a very enjoyable fantasy with the air of a modern classic" by The New York Times Book Review. Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father is not a very good one. Free to lend and reluctant to collect, he has left his family on the edge of poverty--until Miryem intercedes. Hardening her heart, she sets out to retrieve what is owed, and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold. But when an ill-advised boast brings her to the attention of the cold creatures who haunt the wood, nothing will be the same again. For words have power, and the fate of a kingdom will be forever altered by the challenge she is issued. Channeling the heart of the classic fairy tale, Novik deftly interweaves six …
"A fresh and imaginative retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin fairytale from the bestselling author of Uprooted, called "a very enjoyable fantasy with the air of a modern classic" by The New York Times Book Review. Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father is not a very good one. Free to lend and reluctant to collect, he has left his family on the edge of poverty--until Miryem intercedes. Hardening her heart, she sets out to retrieve what is owed, and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold. But when an ill-advised boast brings her to the attention of the cold creatures who haunt the wood, nothing will be the same again. For words have power, and the fate of a kingdom will be forever altered by the challenge she is issued. Channeling the heart of the classic fairy tale, Novik deftly interweaves six distinct narrative voices--each learning valuable lessons about sacrifice, power and love--into a rich, multilayered fantasy that readers will want to return to again and again"--
A Jewish money-lender's daughter takes on her father's debtors, nearly triggering disaster. Winter kings, Demon possessed Tsars, mathematics as magic...so many wonderful things here. I loved this book. I thought it was just as evocative as "Uprooted", but it hung together much better. Naomi Novik has a knack for weaving in fairy tale elements in fresh and surprising ways. And the way she mixed in real historical details, like the way the Jewish characters are treated by their neighbours, make the story feel all the more real and grounded. The three heroines are all believable - strong and brave in different ways. This is a book that I could definitely re-read many times.
I don't know if you've noticed, but I like fairy tales. Good ones, with "hard" fairies.
It doesn't hurt that the "reiz, sen senos laikos"The typical beginning for a fairy tale in Latvian; once, a long, long time ago. is convincing. It also helped to distance me from the domestic abuse that was in the book, letting me hope that things might not be as bad nowadays.
I found it a bit weird listening to names pronounced in English that I would pronounce differently, but nice to have a fairy tale set somewhere more unusual.
It had also been a while since I last heard a book with several points of view as the mode of telling the story, and I love getting into peoples heads like that.
It completely passed me by that Naomi Novik's Uprooted was based on Beauty and the Beast, but Spinning Silver is clearly inspired by Rumpelstiltskin, yet also so much more. Miryem is the moneylender's daughter, her father being far too nice for the profession. When she takes matters into her own hands, the business prospers and rumour spreads of the girl who can change silver into gold.
In the cold of winter, the glow of the Staryk Road can be seen close to their village. The Staryk lust for gold and are known to kill anyone who takes what is theirs; the white animals in the forest, the colourless trees. The rumours of Miryem's skill reach the Staryk kingdom, and they come to see if what is said is true.
As with the original fairytale, things are done in threes and the power of names is important to the Staryk. However …
It completely passed me by that Naomi Novik's Uprooted was based on Beauty and the Beast, but Spinning Silver is clearly inspired by Rumpelstiltskin, yet also so much more. Miryem is the moneylender's daughter, her father being far too nice for the profession. When she takes matters into her own hands, the business prospers and rumour spreads of the girl who can change silver into gold.
In the cold of winter, the glow of the Staryk Road can be seen close to their village. The Staryk lust for gold and are known to kill anyone who takes what is theirs; the white animals in the forest, the colourless trees. The rumours of Miryem's skill reach the Staryk kingdom, and they come to see if what is said is true.
As with the original fairytale, things are done in threes and the power of names is important to the Staryk. However there's no imp making deals to help Miryem, she must save herself.
The story is told from multiple perspectives, and it's useful to notice the little graphic at the top of each change of viewpoint. The coins are for Miryem, the basket for Wanda, the goat for Stepon, the crown for Irina and the spindle for Magreta.
Wanda lives with her abusive, alcoholic father and her two brothers Sergey and Stepon. They barely survive on meager rations until the day Miryem comes to collect her father's debts. Of course, he has nothing, but Miryem demands Wanda come to work of the debt. Wanda would rather work for the moneylender than be married off in exchange for a pig or goat. I loved her story of how she pulls her family out of poverty, even if she doesn't seem to like them much at the start. It also reflects how fair an employer Miryem turns out to be.
Irina is a duke's daughter, destined to be married off, but no one expects a high position for her. Miryem's solution to her Staryk problem, sets Irina on a new path, a union no one expected, especially not the tsar. As the story progresses, the three girl's paths cross again and again, as do their paths with the Staryk, a cold race of people who live amongst the winter.
It's set in a world where young women are married off, used as bargaining chips. But these characters prove they are so much more than that. In the background hostility to Jews is hinted at, that Miryem's family is better off where they are than in some other places, where Jews are rounded up, echoing Poland's history.
I loved the icy setting, the harsh winter which threatens to overwhelm the kingdom. The Kingdom of the Staryk, where ice is life, versus the heat of summer which they must push back. Maybe it's a tale of good versus evil, but it's not as straightforward as that for all the presented villains.
As with Uprooted there is a definite fairytale feeling and the pages are filled with a magic of ice and fire, and the allure of Staryk silver.
