ottiedot's review against another edition
4.0
I think when it comes to fairy-tale retellings, I'm never put off by the length or concerned with anything critical going into it. It's almost the same feeling as listening to my grandmother recount the Mahabharata or something. She embellished it and added more details, whether she knew them to be true or not, just because I wanted the epic journey and the delight of the story itself to last longer and longer. She would stretch it out as thin as paper because that was the only way I would be distracted enough to finish all the rice and vegetables she was feeding me. But yeah anyway, I didn't go into this book expecting it to be a literary classic or anything. I was a little worried, however that in an effort to have a fresh take on the classic fairytale, it would veer too far into the dark, gritty and cynical side of things (which in and of itself isn't a bad thing of course, it's just that it comes at the expense of nuance a lot of the times).
I think more than being a straight up retelling of Rumplestiltskin that fills in the gaps like so, Spinning Silver is more of a loose interpretation of the themes and motifs from that fairytale- the idea of debt, exchange, to owe, to boast, to gift, misfortune and of course the imagery of weaving and turning things to gold. But it expands and reconstructs around these things in ways I did not even imagine.
First off, I adored the atmosphere and setting so much. I could feel the crisp Eastern European winter, the tangibility of the clothes that the poor wore, the deliciousness of plain bread etc. with visceral vividness. The Staryk felt so menacing with their unnerving starkness and coldness and whiteness.
Secondly, I thought it was interesting to look at a story based around debt through a thoroughly Jewish lens. I felt so warm reading about Miryem's family and their customs that were just ingrained into the characters and setting itself without having to be explicitly spelt out. It heavily dealt with antisemitism too. I think this is also one of the most unobtrusively feminist fantasy books I have ever read-it deals with three young women from three different walks of life who use their agency and their talents and their wit as tickets out of a drab future that the world is determined to doom them to.
Miryem was probably my favourite. I admired her self sufficient nature, her drive, her independence etc. but also her vulnerabilities, her fears and her shortcomings. Wanda was the one the sympathised with the most, her and her siblings who had their lives be a living hell with their abusive father who kept gambling away all their possessions. I was so charmed when Miryem taught her how to keep accounts and make profits and Wanda refers to it as Miryem's magic even when she does it herself. Irina was definitely the one I related to the least but I very much enjoyed how politically savvy she was and how ruthless she was in negotiation with the demon.
My heart is not made of ice. I melted at the unconditional kindness that was shown to Wanda and her siblings by Miryem's parents. Stefon's perspective also gave some much needed innocence and levity to the whole situation I think. And always, despite realism and all, unconditional parental love hits different.
I have two main criticisms for the whole book, however. One is that it did end up becoming a little dense and the POV breaks were many, within each chapter itself, so it felt like that interrupted the flow a little. It was a unique way to experience the story though. And I appreciated that even though the POV changes were never stated it was extremely obvious with context clues and voice who was speaking at a given time.
Another criticism of course is the romance between Miryem and the Staryk. This could've so easily worked and I would've bought it too, if they had started softening up to each other and admiring each other a little earlier in the story. I don't recall exactly but they spent three quarters of the book despising each other and the situation so much that I thought that that was how the relationship was going to remain. And then so very suddenly both of them have a 180. The Staryk suddenly states that she impressed him and she suddenly states that she did not want to kill him after all and it all just left me feeling bowled over and being like... why. I do appreciate how delightfully unlikeable they make the Staryk though, without making the reader hate him completely. I also found it refreshing to be spared verbose descriptions of his ethereal and otherworldly beauty.
Would recommend picking this up if you have very specific tastes (like me)or if you like retellings in the nature of Circe/ Song of Achilles .
PS: Also, man I feel it's so freeing to pick up and read books on a whim instead of worrying about managing my tbr or whatever.
I think more than being a straight up retelling of Rumplestiltskin that fills in the gaps like so, Spinning Silver is more of a loose interpretation of the themes and motifs from that fairytale- the idea of debt, exchange, to owe, to boast, to gift, misfortune and of course the imagery of weaving and turning things to gold. But it expands and reconstructs around these things in ways I did not even imagine.
First off, I adored the atmosphere and setting so much. I could feel the crisp Eastern European winter, the tangibility of the clothes that the poor wore, the deliciousness of plain bread etc. with visceral vividness. The Staryk felt so menacing with their unnerving starkness and coldness and whiteness.
Secondly, I thought it was interesting to look at a story based around debt through a thoroughly Jewish lens. I felt so warm reading about Miryem's family and their customs that were just ingrained into the characters and setting itself without having to be explicitly spelt out. It heavily dealt with antisemitism too. I think this is also one of the most unobtrusively feminist fantasy books I have ever read-it deals with three young women from three different walks of life who use their agency and their talents and their wit as tickets out of a drab future that the world is determined to doom them to.
Miryem was probably my favourite. I admired her self sufficient nature, her drive, her independence etc. but also her vulnerabilities, her fears and her shortcomings. Wanda was the one the sympathised with the most, her and her siblings who had their lives be a living hell with their abusive father who kept gambling away all their possessions. I was so charmed when Miryem taught her how to keep accounts and make profits and Wanda refers to it as Miryem's magic even when she does it herself. Irina was definitely the one I related to the least but I very much enjoyed how politically savvy she was and how ruthless she was in negotiation with the demon.
My heart is not made of ice. I melted at the unconditional kindness that was shown to Wanda and her siblings by Miryem's parents. Stefon's perspective also gave some much needed innocence and levity to the whole situation I think. And always, despite realism and all, unconditional parental love hits different.
I have two main criticisms for the whole book, however. One is that it did end up becoming a little dense and the POV breaks were many, within each chapter itself, so it felt like that interrupted the flow a little. It was a unique way to experience the story though. And I appreciated that even though the POV changes were never stated it was extremely obvious with context clues and voice who was speaking at a given time.
Another criticism of course is the romance between Miryem and the Staryk. This could've so easily worked and I would've bought it too, if they had started softening up to each other and admiring each other a little earlier in the story. I don't recall exactly but they spent three quarters of the book despising each other and the situation so much that I thought that that was how the relationship was going to remain. And then so very suddenly both of them have a 180. The Staryk suddenly states that she impressed him and she suddenly states that she did not want to kill him after all and it all just left me feeling bowled over and being like... why. I do appreciate how delightfully unlikeable they make the Staryk though, without making the reader hate him completely. I also found it refreshing to be spared verbose descriptions of his ethereal and otherworldly beauty.
Would recommend picking this up if you have very specific tastes (like me)or if you like retellings in the nature of Circe/ Song of Achilles .
PS: Also, man I feel it's so freeing to pick up and read books on a whim instead of worrying about managing my tbr or whatever.
pingin505's review against another edition
5.0
Ugh I loved this book! I loved the writing. It was beautiful and woven like a tapestry. It wasn’t very character-emotion driven like so much you g adult fantasy, but much more about the wider workings of their world, and how they are all caught together, which was done really beautifully I think. And I left feeling like both kings and queens loved each other and their people deeply, but without ever seeing them kiss or have long conversations about their emotions (again, fairly typical of young adult). I also liked the focus on the importance of family and having a community. And how we all impact one another. It managed to be both profound, fantastical, and entertaining. Not to mention I loved all three heroines and loved how they actually saved the day with their wit and cunning and intelligence, but that they weren’t especially special otherwise. They were just smart and cared. And tried their best.
settingshadow's review against another edition
5.0
As the pandemic hit, exhausted and strung out on adrenaline, I completely lost my ability to concentrate on books. And yet, Spinning Silver reached me with its deeply evocative setting, weaving together multiple American and Russian faerie tales with a modern sensibility to how to write strong female characters. This is also possibly the first high fantasy novel I've ever read to include Jewish characters.
I loved Miryem, Irina and Wanda, each strong in their own way, each determined to make her own way to bettering her life and that of her family. I liked the Staryk, with their icy alienness, yet truly a sympathetic villain. I liked the foil between the fire demon and the Staryk. Overall, it hit the sweet spot of combining a haunting setting, strong characters and a compelling plot.
I loved Miryem, Irina and Wanda, each strong in their own way, each determined to make her own way to bettering her life and that of her family. I liked the Staryk, with their icy alienness, yet truly a sympathetic villain. I liked the foil between the fire demon and the Staryk. Overall, it hit the sweet spot of combining a haunting setting, strong characters and a compelling plot.
crtney's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
spellboundreader's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-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? It's complicated
4.0
Go ahead and add this to any “Cozy Reads” reading lists & TBR’s!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse and Antisemitism
Moderate: Sexism
Women being bartered or sold into marriage. Physical abuse from a parent.