Spinning Silver

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
Published by Pan Macmillan on July 12, 2018
Genres: Fantasy, Retelling
Format: Audiobook
Length: 17h 56m
ISBN: 9781509899050
Source: Scribd
Goodreads

Will dark magic claim their home? Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father’s too kind-hearted to collect his debts. They face poverty, until Miryem hardens her own heart and takes up his work in their village. Her success creates rumours she can turn silver into gold, which attract the fairy king of winter himself. He sets her an impossible challenge – and if she fails, she’ll die. Yet if she triumphs, it may mean a fate worse than death. And in her desperate efforts to succeed, Miryem unwittingly spins a web which draws in the unhappy daughter of a lord. Irina’s father schemes to wed her to the tsar – he will pay any price to achieve this goal. However, the dashing tsar is not what he seems. And the secret he hides threatens to consume the lands of mortals and winter alike. Torn between deadly choices, Miryem and Irina embark on a quest that will take them to the limits of sacrifice, power and love. As with her standalone novel Uprooted, Naomi Novik has once again been influenced by classic folktales. Taking Rumpelstiltskin as her starting point, she's woven a rich, multilayered new story which is a joy to read.

The real story isn’t half as pretty as the one you’ve heard.

I wholeheartedly adored this book and was hooked right from the beginning. I loved Novik’s Uprooted and had high hopes for Spinning Silver, and oh did she exceed them!

Spinning Silver is the story of three women whose lives intertwine, influence, and empower each other. I’m always on the lookout for stories on women helping themselves and each other, and Spinning Silver gave me that and more. These women continuously used their intelligence and resources to outwit sexist/abusive men and I loved every minute of it. The story is told in multiple perspectives which worked very well for the story. We even get point-of-views from other characters which fleshed them out further for me. I particularly loved the little boy Stepon whose character was so pure and distinct his POV was my favourite.

I also love that the main character, Miryem, is a Jew. I found it so interesting to learn about her practice and get to know her community. There were some powerful scenes in the book that gave me chills and I could only imagine how awesome it would be for Jewish readers who speak Hebrew!

Spinning Silver is more of a loose retelling of Rumplestiltskin and I think it was better that way. The book explored many themes: found families, friendships, family and sibling relationships. Novik’s take on Rumplestiltskin was also quite clever as multiple characters took on different aspects of the imp-like creature. The whole bit about turning ‘silver into gold’ also made sense for the story.

I firmly believe that authors who can get me to emphatize and understand the motivations of “villain” characters are truly masters of their crafts. Spinning Silver not only left me wanting more stories about its “villains” but I also saw them differently by the end of the book.

I don’t know how Novik does it but she weaves a world where the magical meets to ordinary, and still have them flow so well together. Her prose is vivid and atmospheric, making the book an immersive experience. Readers are bound to be enchanted with this retelling because it’s one that shows more than tells — from feeling every bite of the winter chill to the smell of fresh grass on a Spring day, you’ll experience it all.

If there’s one thing that I found challenging with the book, it’s that it was sometimes hard to tell which POV the chapter had switched to. I was able to discern who it was after a few seconds, but I wish it was easier to tell. This didn’t bother me the more I got used to the characters and it doesn’t affect my rating of the story.

Spinning Silver is a must buy for those who love fairytales, brilliant storytelling, and magical places you’d want to visit over and over again.

---

Recommended for: Fans of Madeline Miller’s Circe and Juliet Marillier’s Daughter of the Forest.

Trigger warning: Violence, domestic abuse