Spinning Silver: A Novel

Beautifully written, with an intricately woven storyline and filled with strong characters, Spinning Silver is, in my eyes, Naomi Novik's best novel amongst her many other masterpieces. With her command of the written word this writer is a master storyteller; she is able to spin together lovely sentences and create an exquisite narrative. Her richly developed characters are flawed, fallible, and the reader cannot help but fall in love with them. Her motifs are multilayered and allusive. With this being said, her books are always a fabulous treat.Spinning Silver is a story about value and love and family, and how much we are willing to trade, or sacrifice, for what we need, or who we love. An embroidered apron may earn a kopek in the market or it can be traded for a loaf of bread and a bottle of cooking oil. An unwed virgin daughter, a priceless commodity, can be traded away in marriage by her farmer father for a pig. A duke's daughter is worthy of trade for a chest of gold, or a political alliance. But, saving your people, your family, you and yours, is equal to the price of your soul.Although there are six narratives in this story, the 3 strongest are the moneylender Miryem; Wanda, the farmer's daughter; and Irina, the daughter of the duke. When a fourth was added about one-third of the way through the book it was a little jarring, but this turned out to be an important voice. The last two voices expose parts of the story for the readers what the others cannot. Thankfully the writer has an icon representing each voice at the beginning of their narrative otherwise it would be confusing.Miryem wants to provide and protect her family and so becomes what her father could not: a moneylender that collects. She is clever and resourceful and with tenacity and a strength that developed after years of second citizen treatment because her family is Jewish, Miryem tells the villagers she expects them to pay their debts. Some begrudgingly pay a few pennies at a time or with food or household goods; the farmer gives Miryem his daughter, Wanda, to work as an indentured servant until his drinking and gambling debt is paid off. This deal creates a strong relationship and in turn is the basis of the one of the most touching storylines in the book.Proud of her ability to provide for her family, Miryem makes a prideful boast that is overheard by the Staryk, magical wintry creatures that control the forest lands, raid the villages and coat the land with snow every season. To protect her family, she unwillingly makes a deal with the Staryk king and agrees to an impossible task.To Irina's father, the duke, she has little value; she is not beautiful enough to catch a wealthy husband nor is she a son who can carry on his name. A fortuitous meeting between the duke and Miryem changes all that. Irina becomes her father's pawn to win the tsar. But it also brings out an ancient and deadly power. To fight this, another bargain is struck, a formidable bargain.Throughout the book there is the beauty of the Staryk's frozen kingdom, a glass mountain, a Jewish wedding under the forest sky, a family that finds a love they never knew, reindeer with fangs, a tree that listens, mirrors that bring sanctuary, a crown that gives its wearer beauty and power, silver that becomes gold, three questions, hidden names, and a magic house; each brings its own value, its own cost, its own sacrifice.And that ending.This is an incredible book with a gorgeous cover that I highly recommend. Like Novik's other masterpiece, Uprooted, it is a standalone and you do not need to read her other works. But, you would be missing out if you didn't.

SPINNING SILVER: A NOVEL is not my usual type of read. I read mostly hard SF, horror and some fantasy (Neil Gaiman, for instance). I had never heard of Naomi Novik, the author before, but the description that I read in a recent review in Locus (a Science Fiction/Fantasy periodical) made me cough up the $13 bucks and give it a try. Boy am I glad I did.SPINNING SILVER is absolutely outstanding in every way. Totally original (no, it's not a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, regardless of what you might see elsewhere), extremely well-written, fascinating and worth every penny that I paid. It is written in such a way that it is suitable for everyone from children to YA to adults. No sex, no profanity (I can't remember the last time I read a G-rated novel) but gripping and thrilling nonetheless.The story is set in a fictional word meant to evoke images of Russia and is told from the viewpoints of several different main characters. Miryem, the daughter of a Jewish moneylender whose family is relatively poor because her father is too nice to collect debts owed him, Wanda, the daughter of a loathsome drunk who beats her who goes to work for Miryem's family to pay off her father's drinking debt and her younger brothers, Sergey and Stepon, Irina, daughter of a minor noble who hopes to marry Irina off to the Tsar, and Magreta, Irina's lifelong nurse. All live in a land locked in a brutal winter that is somehow maintained by the mysterious Staryk.Each segment of each chapter alternates as a first person description of events among those 5 main characters. It was a bit disconcerting at first when the reader is not expecting the narrator to change constantly and before we get to know the different personalities. But Novik is a clever writer that gives everyone a distinct and and different voice so before very long, the constant point of view alternation becomes second nature.Unlike my usual reviews, I am not going to even attempt to summarize plot more than the description of the principals above. It's too complex (but easy to follow because of Novik's great writing chops) and I wouldn't want to spoil any of the many twists and turns. Suffice it to say that it is a tale of love and magic an one just has to read it to understand.Very Highly Recommended.JM Tepper

I’ve heard this one described as a retelling of the old fairytale ‘Rumplestiltskin’, but it isn’t that straightforward. Novik has taken elements of that story – just a few – and woven them into another, more detailed backdrop. The setting is a version of 19th century Russia, complete with isolated villages surrounded by hundreds of miles of thick woodland, nobility who have the power of life and death over their subjects and a simmering resentment against the Jewish community. They are the ones who lend money to those who need it, the ones who often also make music, jewellery and can read and write within their close-knit communities, so make a convenient target when those in power don’t want to pay back their debts. Add in the danger of the ferocious cold of a Russian winter, when the dreaded Staryk are more easily able to cross into the human world. These icy fae have mercilessly predated upon the humans who wander too far into their forests, killing and stealing from them – and when their actions further impact upon the protagonists in the story, these shadowy, terrifying beings end up at the heart of this story.It’s a complicated tale with three main protagonists, Miryem, the moneylender’s daughter, Wanda, who becomes her servant and is desperate to escape her drunken abusive father and Irena, the Duke’s eldest daughter by his first wife, whose bookish nature and plain looks have been a constant disappointment – until the Tsar comes to visit…The story bounces between these three young women as their fates increasingly become intertwined. There is a fair amount of explanation – with pages when Novik is telling the story rather than having her characters speak, which I normally dislike. But I’m going to give her a pass on this one – firstly because it didn’t jar with me. This is, after all, a fairy story, which is always told from the outside in. Secondly, because though there is a fair amount of exposition, it was necessary in this complex plot and it didn’t stop Novik from immersing us in the thoughts and fears of her main protagonists. Thirdly, it was a delightfully long book with an unusually dense story, which I loved.I’m aware this is a Marmite book – those aspects I’ve listed above as pluses have also exasperated some readers, preventing them from bonding with this book. Normally, I love a story to unfold from the inside out, but I simply think this time around it wouldn’t have worked so effectively. All I would say is – give it a go and discover for yourself if this one is for you. If you enjoy it, you’ll thank me. This is one that has had me continuing to ponder it since I’ve read it – always a sign that a book has properly got under my skin and it’s recommended for fantasy fans who like detailed worlds with plenty of unexpected twists.

Spinning Silver is a beautiful, magical tale, full of richly drawn, flawed and limited characters doing their very best in desperate situations and achieving more than they could have imagined. The events of the story may have been inspired by the story of Rumplestiltskin, but though names are important, and stuff is turned to gold, and kings and queens and children feature heavily, knowing the tale gives very few clues to how the plot will go. Delightfully, all the strongest, cleverest characters, good and bad alike, are female; which is not to say the males are incidental or even weak, just that the females are spectacular.On another level, this story is an engaging mediation on the nature of indebtedness, and gifts; of honour and honesty. Love wins in the end, but it is long in making its appearance. Until then the tale is ruled by cold justice and fair return, or hot injustice.As always, Novik's writing is fluent, engaging, and often poetic. It conveys the flavour of it's setting in its very cadences. I highly recommend this!

Never one to turn down a good fairy tale/folktale inspired piece of work, the great acclaim that Spinning Silver seemed to be getting completely piqued my interest. Initially I was a bit concerned that the plot would be slow going, especially given the size of the book, but within a few chapters I found myself absolutely hooked. The sort of hooked that sees you staying up far too late, and putting off all the various things that need to be done, just to keep reading it that little bit longer. Novick did a superb job in wrapping it up, with the right amount of closure as a standalone novel, but also the right amount of mystery about the future - just enough to keep the reader guessing but not completely uncertain. I really didn't want it to end, quite frankly, and I feel like I could just go on and on reading about this world and its characters.Each character is beautifully fleshed out, with flaws and redeeming factors in equal measure. Nobody was too perfect, or too evil, and as such the world and its plot seemed absolutely plausible - despite being set in a world with magic and other goings on.I wholeheartedly recommend this book for those who love an enthralling story, set in a world that both resembles and does not resemble our own, that is well written with just the right amount of mystery throughout.

Advertised as a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, this takes quite some imagination to get the reader to that particular fairy tale. I’m assuming that the Staryk King is along the lines of the Rumpelstiltskin character, except he isn’t some wizened dwarf. In fact, more than one of the characters carries some of Rumpelstiltskin’s traits.Miryem, the Jewish Moneylenders daughter (who is actually far better at it than her father), has a reputation for turning silver in to gold, and this reaches the ears of the Staryk King, who demands that she change his silver in to gold. Which she does three times; the consequences of which aren’t quite what she expects.Novik writes good female characters, without any doubt. Miryem, whotakes over her father’s moneylending business and saves her family; Irena, the daughter of a Duke, who marries the demon possessed Tsar; and Wanda, the daughter of a destitute, drunk farmer, who by luck comes to pay off her father’s debts by working for Miryem.These women’s lives converge to create a bewitching story of real human concerns: poverty, helplessness, strength found when needed, and how important it is to pay your debts!I do hope Novik writes more books like this. I’ll buy them all!!

DNF towards the end of chapter 10.I don't think I'm in the right headspace for this book.I'm listening to the audio and the narrator does not change the tone of her voice for any of the main female characters, and because it head hops without telling you which character it's after jumping to it gets extremely confusing.I don't like having to figure out which view point I'm supposed to be in. I wasn't able to get lost or enjoy anything that was happening.Some of the scenes are extremely confusing. At one point two characters have a full conversation and I was sitting there thinking, 'what just happened?' the whole scene made my head hurt and after that my interest plummeted.

The real story isn’t half as pretty as the one you’ve heard.The real story is, the miller’s daughter with her long golden hair wants to catch a lord, a prince, a rich man’s son, so she goes to the moneylender and borrows for a ring and a necklace and decks herself out for the festival. And she’s beautiful enough, so the lord, the prince, the rich man’s son notices her, and dances with her, and tumbles her in a quiet hayloft when the dancing is over, and afterwards he goes home and marries the rich woman his family has picked out for him.Then the miller’s despoiled daughter tells everyone that the moneylender’s in league with the devil, and the village runs him out or maybe even stones him, so at least she gets to keep the jewels for a dowry, and the blacksmith marries her before that firstborn child comes along a little early.Because that’s what the story’s really about: getting out of paying your debts. That’s not how they tell it, but I knew. My father was a moneylender, you see.He wasn’t very good at it.First impressions: I wanted to read this straightaway because I loved Uprooted. I am a massive fan of reimagined or ‘fractured’ fairytales so I have been very fond of the fashion for retellings over the last few years.I liked how Uprooted drew on folklore and fairytales. Recently, I have also been reading some Russian fairytales and some books based around them (The Bear and the Nightingale, The House with Chicken Legs etc) so I was excited to see that Spinning Silver drew on these, as well as the fact that it sounded like it was using Rumplestiltskin, not one of the more commonly recycled fairytales.Also, look at the beautiful cover!I still regret not getting a hardback of Uprooted as I was out of the country when it came out so I have just bought a copy of Spinning Silver in hardback to make sure I don’t miss out on it too!I loved following Miryem on her journey, from being the granddaughter of a very good moneylender and the daughter of a very poor one, to taking matters into her own hands and turning difficulty into prosperity. The introduction of the Staryk raised the stakes even further, with a careless boast leading to all sorts of problems for her. Just like in the old fairytales, which are often darker than the Disney-ified version that is most popular, the supernatural forces that she tangles with are capricious and could be deadly.We are then introduced to Wanda, an ordinary girl who suffers at the hands of a drunken father and wants to protect her brothers. When she catches wind of her father selling her off as a bride, she takes her fate into her won hands and it becomes entangled with Miryem’s. Finally we meet the third of our female protagonists, Irina, the rather-plan daughter of a lord who is able to catch the eye of the tsar himself thanks to the power of enchanted silver jewellery. Yet, the tsar is home to something far more powerful and malevolent than she could ever have imagined…The threads of the narrative wind tighter and tighter, finally bringing these three women together in a scenario where each of their strength and determination helps them to decide their own path. These are powerful women, without wielding a weapon, flawed, real and gripping.I loved all the little snippets of folklore and fairytales in each of the three narratives, the little nods towards a shared narrative history, yet with elements from history and a distinctly modern outlook.If you liked Uprooted, you will love this. And, if you haven’t read either yet, what are you waiting for?Spinning Silver will enthrall you from the first sentence, drawing you tighter into the story with every twist. Even if you’re reading it on a hot summer day, be prepared to feel the shiver of an icy wind…Enthralling, atmospheric and with plenty of girlpower, this is a re-imagined fairytale like no other!My mother’s face was full of misery. We didn’t speak.Would you rather we were sill poor and hungry?”I burst out to her finally, the silence between us heavy in the midst of the dark woods, and she put her arms around me and kissed me and said, “My darling, my darling, I’m sorry,” weeping a little.“Sorry?” I said. “To be warm instead of cold? To be rich and comfortable? To have a daughter who can turn silver into gold?”I pushed away from her.“To see you harden yourself to ice, to make it so,” she said.The horses trotted on more swiftly, but the Staryk road kept pace with us all the way home, shining between the trees. I could feel it on my side, a shimmer of colder wind trying to press against me and pierce through to my skin, but I didn’t care.I was colder inside than out.What I liked: I liked how the story was based on Russian folklore, the way several stories are melded together, the real-life aspects of anti-semitism which added an extra depth, the character development, particularly as the ‘baddies’ generally turn out to be more nuanced. I loved the central figures of each story being female, as well as the fact that they all changed their destinies through brains and hard work – you don’t have to have a sword to be kick-ass!Even better if: Can I have Naomi Novik’s next book already?How you could use it in your classroom: This would be a great book for older secondary pupils or at college/ university when looking at comparative literature and how all of the original threads from folklore, fairytale and history have been woven together to create a multi-faceted, rich story. I would also love to look at how he familiarity of fairytales affects our experience with this story e.g. the tree who contains the spirit of Wanda’s mother and the nut (like Cinderella) and the ‘witch’s house’ where certain tasks must be completed in return for hospitality, etc.

A book with so much potential but it fell flat for me. There were too many characters, many introduced late and with little in the way of character development or background stories. I found I just didn’t really care what happened to them one way or another.In places the narrative was rambling and I found myself skimming just to get to some action.The romantic relationships between the main 4 characters made little sense and seemed forced at the end. This made the female characters appear weak and shallow given all that had gone on before.I sadly found most of this book horribly predictable. There really weren’t any surprises and some questions were left unanswered (like why was the mother trapped in a tree and what happened to her?).I wouldn’t recommend this book and almost gave up on It.

'Spinning Silver' is another fairy tale style novel with a north-eastern European setting from Naomi Novik, following on from the success of 'Uprooted' (but this is a stand alone book, not a sequel or related in any way). Miryem is a young woman who takes over her father's moneylending business in order to save her family from ruin. She is surprisingly successful, but her metaphorical ability to 'turn silver into gold' attracts attention from the king of the winter demons. Meanwhile, a young noblewoman finds herself engaged to the handsome but very sinister king of their country. The fates of these two characters become entwined in unexpected ways as they try to save their country from eternal winter and also preserve their own lives and freedom.The story is gripping and clever, with plenty of twists and it developed in ways I didn't expect. There is good character development and the characters are likeable and interesting. It is told from a multitude of viewpoints, which I think is its main weakness. It makes it harder to get to know the characters and it can feel a bit disjointed at times, when compared to the exceptionally good 'Uprooted' which focussed on fewer characters.I've seen it compared to 'Rapunzel' which I find puzzling as apart from a character having very long hair I didn't see any commonality. There are a couple of elements of 'Rapunzel' in here, but really it's an original story, and much more complex than a simple fairy tale. To try to badge it as a 'retelling' of a classic is inaccurate and does a disservice to the rich fantasy novel that Novik has created.Overall, this book will be enjoyed by readers who like fantasy books and the 'modern fairy tale' genre. I hope Novik writes some more stories in this vein, as they are really enjoyable and different.

Novik is a wonderful writer and a master storyteller. Big issues - poverty, addiction, domestic abuse and neglect, discrimination, marginalisation, money and value - are handled with such a light touch you barely realise they're there, so closely and irresistibly are they woven into the tale. The book is full of memorable characters, most of them interestingly flawed rather than being 'goodies' or 'baddies'. Many of the female characters were strong and creative, more likely to rescue a situation than to wait around to get rescued themselves. Which is not to say that the male characters were weak and helpless, but that there is good gender parity. And some really interesting magic. I loved this book; for me it was a compelling read, and I look forward to Novik's next work.

This has to be my favourite book I’ve read in 2018. I laid down to read it on my day off and didn’t stop until I reached the end, almost 500 pages later. Imagine my surprise when I looked at the clock and had no idea it was 2AM!Definitely strong allusions to various fairy tales, while remaining unique enough to not be yet another thinly veiled retelling. The language is fresh and straightforward, the multiple points of view are executed brilliantly, and the world is believable. I genuinely cared about the characters and laughed aloud several times, which is unusual for me when reading. I appreciated the strong ties to Judaism and the frank portrayal of antisemitism as well; very good stuff to have portrayed so honestly in a fantasy novel. You don’t want to miss this one!

Disclaimer: I DNF’d this book at 55%. I have retried reading this books but unfortunately DNF’d at a similar point.Cover: I have the UK edition of Spinning Silver so my opinion of the Cover will be based on the UK edition.I think the colours are beautiful on this cover. I love the use of blues and whites to pain a gorgeous winter effect.The rest I’m less in love with. It’s just not my style. All the elements are important to the book and usually this kind of simplistic style would be totally my aesthetic but for some reason it just didn’t hit the mark here.Main Character: Miryem was actually an interesting character. She had agency and was a determined, independent, woman who take the lead and does what she needs to. I felt she got slightly more boring when her storyline fully linked with the Staryk King. I just didn’t care about her. It was hard for me to relate to her and I just didn’t connect to the character.Side Characters: Irena didn’t really becoming anything by the time I DNF’d. She might become an interesting character, her story was becoming something more but it wasn’t enough to keep me reading.Wanda was another character who had a lot of page time. I actually really didn’t care that much about her. I felt in comparison to the other two characters she was the least interesting and really didn’t add much to the story.Other characters had moments of interest but didn’t really do much.Plot: I’ll be real. The plot was just getting started when I DNF’d. I’d just hit the pivotal moment where two characters meet and make their plan. And I just didn’t have enough steam to keep going.The ideas were very interning. The Staryk King was a cool character and I was interested in Miryem and Irena’s developing powers. They were key figures and their developing relationship was the the only thing I was interested in reading about.Strength: Naomi’s writing is just as beautiful as everyone says. She has such a splendid grasp of words, and how to make them work, and become something magical.Weakness: I truly felt no connection to any of the characters. They all seemed bland and underdeveloped and boring. The way it chopped and changed between POV was slightly confusing though didn’t bother me as much as it has bothered others.My Opinion: I so wanted to love this book. It’s one of my best friends favourite books. It has so much that I should have loved! Demons, Evil Princes, Wicked Ice Kings, multiple strong, independent women, like, what more could you ask for?Well, apparently you can’t have everything. It was slow and felt almost like trudging through snow to get to any kind of plot points. I didn’t understand why things happened, I didn’t understand why characters made the choices they did, it was just so disappointing. I wanted it to be as good as I thought it was going to be and it wasn’t.I will try Naomi Novak again but Spinning Silver is unfortunately a huge disappointment to me.Star Rating: 1🌟

Naomi Novik's writing is a delight, her characters are tough uncompromising and wonderfully consistent and her plots are fantastically detailed and satisfying. Add to that all the rich lushness of a wealth of fairytale and folk myth background, turned into real life and history and then back into fairytale again against a backdrop of the Eastern European forests and Winters and Springs and you have a magical result. And the way she makes her characters see their world brings it to life along with themselves.Absolutely delicious.

I really enjoyed the author’s previous fantasy novel, Uprooted. This is entirely unrelated, but has a similar vibe, with an Eastern European-tinged fantasy world, strong female leads and complicated men, and a nice blend emotional tension and political drama. There’s also something common to the two books that’s harder to define – a rich use of language and imagery and an evocative style that makes them a great read for curling up with on a winter’s day.

I should start by saying that I am judging this by the exceptionally high standard of Uprooted, which is the best book I have read for years. This is good, but not quite as good as that.The narrative is told from the point of view of several different people, though in the ‘third person’. In a few cases I found that this drags a little.However, there are large chunks that are utterly riveting, and beautifully written. Once again, I was transported to a world that is at once both very normal and utterly magical at the same time.

An intriguing and compelling plot, but I couldn't really believe in many of the characters - eventually I realised that this was because there is so little variety to the tone of voice. Despite the alternating first person chapters, I was frequently having to read further and further into each new section before I could figure out who it was that was 'speaking'. This made what would otherwise have been an engaging story into a bit of a chore by the halfway mark, but I did persevere to the end. Sadly I read this on the back of having hugely enjoyed Katharine Arden's Winternight Trilogy, which is so very beautifully written, this one just didn't match up I'm afraid.