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amkleio's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
4.5
Spinning Silver is enchanting, magical, and hopeful. It’s something I can’t put into words. The fairytale energy it has is one of the reasons why I’d go back to this book over and over again.
It is a tale of debts unpaid and compensated; of friendships and families powerful enough to conquer trials and misfortunes; of women who are forces to be reckoned with and aren’t just women—they contradict men’s beliefs that a woman’s purpose is only to marry and bring life and they’re much more than how the society sees them. This is about strong women who aren’t afraid of facing challenges on their own.
Miryem has grown tired of their poor life, and also of her father’s inability to collect debts from the people whom they lent their money with. She started doing things on her own by taking over her father’s job and collecting debts. But gossips scatter so easily that the Staryk king awaits her on their doorsteps.
The book is said to be a Rumpelstiltskin retelling, but honestly, it felt very subtle. It wasn’t a lot like the original fairytale—which I, indeed, quite expected—as it was almost entirely different. The only similar elements were one character has the ability to turn things (silver) into gold, a plot where there is a greedy king who tests a young maiden’s abilities and then marries her after, and the huge importance of names. Yet those were enough. I loved that Novik didn’t stick a lot with the original tale, and she created a unique story with great representations and exquisite storytelling.
There are six POVs, which were confusing (if you don’t pay much attention), but I quickly identified them, as each character has their own voice. For example, when it’s Wanda or Stepon’s POV, it usually has the word “Da” in it (a term they use for their father).
Spinning Silver has three main protagonists: Miryem, Wanda, and Irina. Miryem is smart. I loved her ways of getting a good bargain and being merciless to bring back a comfortable life for her family. Irina is tough. Her determination to protect Magreta is admirable. Wanda is strong. To be honest, she’s the character who touched me the most. Dealing with an abusive father and taking care of her other siblings made me think, “I wish I'm as strong as her.” I love these characters. No matter how hard and terrible their life can be, they always find ways to get out of any unfortunate events. And if it’s anything, I find the novel “female-empowering”, which is a great aspect since the female characters here share the same challenging life.
This was such an escapism! It was as if I felt the winter season through this book. I was easily swept along the extraordinary world together with the charm of the characters, magical mirrors, and the never-ending winter world. Novik, you have my heart.
It is a tale of debts unpaid and compensated; of friendships and families powerful enough to conquer trials and misfortunes; of women who are forces to be reckoned with and aren’t just women—they contradict men’s beliefs that a woman’s purpose is only to marry and bring life and they’re much more than how the society sees them. This is about strong women who aren’t afraid of facing challenges on their own.
Miryem has grown tired of their poor life, and also of her father’s inability to collect debts from the people whom they lent their money with. She started doing things on her own by taking over her father’s job and collecting debts. But gossips scatter so easily that the Staryk king awaits her on their doorsteps.
The book is said to be a Rumpelstiltskin retelling, but honestly, it felt very subtle. It wasn’t a lot like the original fairytale—which I, indeed, quite expected—as it was almost entirely different. The only similar elements were one character has the ability to turn things (silver) into gold, a plot where there is a greedy king who tests a young maiden’s abilities and then marries her after, and the huge importance of names. Yet those were enough. I loved that Novik didn’t stick a lot with the original tale, and she created a unique story with great representations and exquisite storytelling.
There are six POVs, which were confusing (if you don’t pay much attention), but I quickly identified them, as each character has their own voice. For example, when it’s Wanda or Stepon’s POV, it usually has the word “Da” in it (a term they use for their father).
Spinning Silver has three main protagonists: Miryem, Wanda, and Irina. Miryem is smart. I loved her ways of getting a good bargain and being merciless to bring back a comfortable life for her family. Irina is tough. Her determination to protect Magreta is admirable. Wanda is strong. To be honest, she’s the character who touched me the most. Dealing with an abusive father and taking care of her other siblings made me think, “I wish I'm as strong as her.” I love these characters. No matter how hard and terrible their life can be, they always find ways to get out of any unfortunate events. And if it’s anything, I find the novel “female-empowering”, which is a great aspect since the female characters here share the same challenging life.
This was such an escapism! It was as if I felt the winter season through this book. I was easily swept along the extraordinary world together with the charm of the characters, magical mirrors, and the never-ending winter world. Novik, you have my heart.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, and Death of parent
Minor: Rape and Sexual harassment
soundlysmitten's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Spinning Silver has the feel of a wintry folktale. It’s largely set in a magic-adjacent world inspired by medieval Lithuania and it follows the lives of three young women suffering at the hands of the patriarchy. Each woman has a unique storyline, but their paths slowly weave in and out of intersection as mayhem and sorcery ensue, and the three endeavor to alter not only their own fates, but the fate of the world as they know it.
Something I admired about this novel is the variety of myths it draws from while still maintaining a distinct narrative. To name a few: Miryem’s trials with the Staryk King channel the tales of Rumpelstiltskin and Hades & Persephone, Irina’s predicament with Mirnatius incorporates aspects of Bluebeard and One Thousand and One Nights, and Wanda’s story seems to involve elements of Hansel and Gretel as well as The Juniper Tree.
However, if you enjoy an abundance of action, this might not be the book for you. The content is complex but the pace is more leisurely and the quaint language and spellbinding imagery are best appreciated unhurried. With a myriad of POVs to boast, the story does meander quite a bit, but I personally enjoyed the way it goes. Some people mention disliking how the author chose to use the symbol of a spinning wheel to signify a change in perspective rather than label each section by name. But again, I found the spinning wheel charming and thought there was always enough context to properly glean who was speaking.
As the most popular narrative still seems to imply a heroine must be of ‘unparalleled beauty’ or whatever, I appreciated that the women in Spinning Silver are not prized for their appearance, but for their agency, loyalty, and resoluteness. They each have some questionable moments, but it seems natural for a person’s flaws to flare dramatically in survival mode. And by the end, Irina learns to wield a balance of cunning and compassion, Wanda pairs her newfound independence with fierce devotion, and Miryem is both empowered and humbled at once. Even though there’s a bit of romance in the conclusion of the story, I was glad to see each character’s personal journey played out independently first. And I loved that the story emphasizes family more than romance. Let sisterhood and found families abound 😽But the way Wanda and her brothers come together, first with each other, and then with Miryem’s parents in wake of Miryem’s absence… that especially pulled on my heart strings.
Most notably, I’d like to acknowledge the portrayal of Jewish heritage in Spinning Silver. To me, one of the most beautiful parts of the book involves the gifting of a Jewish name. Of course, there’s also mentions of hatefulness which point to the history of antisemitism. But in retrospect, I see how Miryem playing Rumpelstiltskin, specifically, may further serve to challenge antisemitic stereotypes. This connection was lost on me initially because I was ignorant till just now of the roots of the fairytale I grew up hearing. And turns out this is not the only tale by the Brothers Grimm inspired by antisemitism… Is this common knowledge?
Something I admired about this novel is the variety of myths it draws from while still maintaining a distinct narrative. To name a few: Miryem’s trials with the Staryk King channel the tales of Rumpelstiltskin and Hades & Persephone, Irina’s predicament with Mirnatius incorporates aspects of Bluebeard and One Thousand and One Nights, and Wanda’s story seems to involve elements of Hansel and Gretel as well as The Juniper Tree.
However, if you enjoy an abundance of action, this might not be the book for you. The content is complex but the pace is more leisurely and the quaint language and spellbinding imagery are best appreciated unhurried. With a myriad of POVs to boast, the story does meander quite a bit, but I personally enjoyed the way it goes. Some people mention disliking how the author chose to use the symbol of a spinning wheel to signify a change in perspective rather than label each section by name. But again, I found the spinning wheel charming and thought there was always enough context to properly glean who was speaking.
As the most popular narrative still seems to imply a heroine must be of ‘unparalleled beauty’ or whatever, I appreciated that the women in Spinning Silver are not prized for their appearance, but for their agency, loyalty, and resoluteness. They each have some questionable moments, but it seems natural for a person’s flaws to flare dramatically in survival mode. And by the end, Irina learns to wield a balance of cunning and compassion, Wanda pairs her newfound independence with fierce devotion, and Miryem is both empowered and humbled at once. Even though there’s a bit of romance in the conclusion of the story, I was glad to see each character’s personal journey played out independently first. And I loved that the story emphasizes family more than romance. Let sisterhood and found families abound 😽
Most notably, I’d like to acknowledge the portrayal of Jewish heritage in Spinning Silver. To me, one of the most beautiful parts of the book involves the gifting of a Jewish name. Of course, there’s also mentions of hatefulness which point to the history of antisemitism. But in retrospect, I see how Miryem playing Rumpelstiltskin, specifically, may further serve to challenge antisemitic stereotypes. This connection was lost on me initially because I was ignorant till just now of the roots of the fairytale I grew up hearing. And turns out this is not the only tale by the Brothers Grimm inspired by antisemitism… Is this common knowledge?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Confinement, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Torture, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
a_new_elisabeth's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I'm docking half a point just because we never find out his name.
No, it's actually because the logic and writing style are not entirely 5 stars, but that name thing is slightly irritating.
That last sentence is still cute though.
No, it's actually because the logic and writing style are not entirely 5 stars, but that name thing is slightly irritating.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Misogyny, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia
Minor: Child death
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