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Spinning Silver



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Ravenclaw




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Mar 22 2019, 4:28 pm
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik won as the book for April!
Am so excited, it looks good.
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Cheshire cat




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Mar 22 2019, 4:31 pm
Thanks! Will check it out!
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youngishbear




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Mar 22 2019, 5:36 pm
It's waiting for me on the holds shelf at the library.

(You knew I was going to read it soon, whether or not it was picked for book of the month, right?)
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Rubber Ducky




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Mar 22 2019, 6:01 pm
It's in my Amazon cart.
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Ravenclaw




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Mar 22 2019, 6:19 pm
Just purchased the ebook

I assumed the library doesn’t have it because my library almost never has the books I want lol
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youngishbear




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Apr 07 2019, 1:59 pm
I don't know why I didn't see this thread when I came to post my review last night, so here goes, reposting.

The book was off to a slow start when I began reading it, so I took a boredom break and came back to it after a week. The timing couldn't have been more perfect.

SPOILER ALERT














At an important stage in the plot, a character recites the bracha on fruit trees that we say from Rosh Chodesh Nissan, which was this shabbos! I thought that was cool.

The Jewish theme in general was interesting, though improbable, taking the historical context into consideration. But hey, it's fantasy, right?

Miryem's decision in the end broke the fun of the fantasy, though, reminding me why a nice Jewish girl doesn't belong in a fairy tale in the first place. At least not one with happy endings that involve nonJewish princes and kings. Still, it was very cool to have familiar touches sprinkled throughout a fantasy fairy tale.

I love that the important characters are strong women, even the one who delivers the final blow, and they're not motivated by the finding of a Prince Charming. Even those that start out resigned to their fate, find a voice and carve out an alternative purpose for themselves, earning the respect of others. The ending is what I would expect from a fairy tale... A bit too much so.

I appreciate that the characters' motivations all become clear, if not sooner then later.

And now... Does anyone have a good Scourgify spell lying around?
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Rubber Ducky




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Apr 13 2019, 10:37 pm
I just finished Spinning Silver. How fascinating to read a fantasy/fairy tale with a Jewish protagonist and no Golems! I really enjoyed it, and I also got a kick out the bracha on the fruit trees — my Asian pear tree is blooming outside as I write this.

More Spoilers... Youngish Bear, the Staryk king converts — that's not an intermarriage, and Miryem clearly is someone with a strong Jewish identity.

Is the author, Naomi Novik, Jewish?
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youngishbear




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Apr 13 2019, 10:39 pm
Rubber Ducky wrote:
I just finished Spinning Silver. How fascinating to read a fantasy/fairy tale with a Jewish protagonist and no Golems! I really enjoyed it, and I also got a kick out the bracha on the fruit trees — my Asian pear tree is blooming outside as I write this.

More Spoilers... Youngish Bear, the Staryk king converts — that's not an intermarriage, and Miryem clearly is someone with a strong Jewish identity.

Is the author, Naomi Novik, Jewish?


Where did it say that the king converts? How did I miss that detail?
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Rubber Ducky




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Apr 13 2019, 10:49 pm
Read page 465 closely, this is a negotiation:

"If you really wanted to court me," I said, "you'd have to do it by my family's laws and you'd have to marry me the same way. Save your time!"

He paused and looked at me and his eyes kindled with light suddenly; he took a step toward me, and held out his hand, and said urgently, "And if so? Whatever they are, I will venture them, if you will give me hope."

And read the next 2 paragraphs closely too.
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Ravenclaw




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Apr 14 2019, 12:01 am
I have an ebook version which isn’t the best idea for erev pesach Wink hope will finish it before pesach.
So far I like it though. It reads like the shtetl stories by Issac Bashevis Singer when I was a kid.
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tigerwife




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Apr 17 2019, 11:23 am
Wow.
Ok, I’ll admit I disliked the beginning of the book (so dreary and bitter and the characters seemed all dreary and bitter) but I’m so glad I pushed through it for the sake of the book club. Lol.

Once I got midway, I couldn’t put it down. I love how the heroines ended up saving their “charming” princes and basically every loose end was tied neatly (I am a big fan of happily ever after).

Novik did a grey job in adding depth to her characters, especially the “bad guys”. When the tzar pulled out his sketchbook, it was like, huh? But then we even entered his POV and saw beneath the literal monster. That was a cool transformation.

It was really interesting how she got us to slowly root for and actually kind of like the Staryk King (can I call him Rumplestilskins??). It was like exhibit A: how extreme honesty and pride (and culture) can shape a person. I was glad he had real feelings in the end. Miryem ended up in a place where she was truly respected. I imagine she would never have made it even among her people in Vysnia- she was too ambitious.

Wanda was an interesting character. I disliked how simple she was made out to be at the beginning, but then she transformed. First she went from simple peasant to survivor. She protected her family. And then she became a hero, proactive instead of just surviving. I loved how she ended up teaching herself to knit the intricate pattern.

Irina was also interesting. I’m still not sure where her bravery came from. I felt like she was the least developed from the three, but then again, maybe it was just her Staryk blood that made her so cold in the face of danger.

The two “romantic” twists were definitely unusual, but don’t we all know the best couples start off hating each other Wink. Still it was nice how two women forced into marriage managed to earn their own respect and eventually love.

Ok, that’s my coffee review of the day.
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youngishbear




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Apr 17 2019, 11:33 am
Tigerwife, I agree on all points, especially that Irina's character was the least developed of all. And oh boy that first part was dreary.
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tigerwife




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Apr 17 2019, 11:55 am
youngishbear wrote:
Tigerwife, I agree on all points, especially that Irina's character was the least developed of all. And oh boy that first part was dreary.


Yes, it was also very unmagical. I thought the book would end up being a magic-free more realistic version of the fairy tale. It wasn’t clear that the Staryk were an otherworldly people rather than cruel overlords who owned the lands.

Also, it did make me cringe a little how they emphasized that both Miryem and Irina were not beautiful at all. I guess regarding Irina it fit with the plot, but did she have to emphasize Miryem’s large bumped nose, looking so “stereotypically” Jewish? Come on. Rather just don’t mention opinion at all, and stick with “dark hair”.

I can see this story as a movie. The Staryk King looks like the Night King but with white Legolas hair (and a better looking face), Chernobog is whatsisname from Star Wars with the horned head and red face...
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Ravenclaw




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Apr 29 2019, 10:44 pm
Ok so I still have 100 pages to go TMI
But I decided that I don’t have to wait until I finish to share a few thoughts along the way.
I agree with you tigerwife about Wanda being too simple in the beginning. I didn’t like that stereotype.

The main thing that is drawing my attention while reading is the fascinating portrayal of the fey. Many writers simply write the fey as human with wings/pointy ears/lyrical language. But they are so much more than that. Accurately portraying a character with the morality of fairies and the culture is very difficult to do well, and I believe Novak is doing a spectacular job.

Oh, and I hadn’t made the connection of their secrecy around names and Rumpilstilskin until reading the above post lol.
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Rubber Ducky




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Apr 29 2019, 10:59 pm
tigerwife wrote:
...
I imagine she would never have made it even among her people in Vysnia- she was too ambitious...

Not sure about that. There were some enterprising women in der alter heim. My paternal grandmother was a businesswoman, first in Poland and then in America. She was tough and ambitious, and her husband adored her.

Edited to correct a typo


Last edited by Rubber Ducky on Tue, Apr 30 2019, 2:34 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Rubber Ducky




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Apr 29 2019, 11:19 pm
The beginning was a bit confusing, trying to understand what the Staryk and the Staryk road were, as well as getting the hang of the multiple narrators. But as the characters developed, it became a great read, a real page-turner.

I agree about Wanda, although it was a pleasure to watch her grow as the story progressed.

I also don't see what the point was about Miryem being not conventionally attractive.

Ravenclaw, why would you buy this as an ebook!!??? Shabbos and YomTov are the best times for reading! Loved this book — I lent my copy to wonderful DDIL over Pesach and am looking forward to rereading it slowly over the next few Shabbosim.
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