THE BEAR is a beautifully written modern fable. The story is very simple — a girl must survive on her own in a vast wilderness — but it reads like an elegiac meditation on humanity and loss. It feels both timeless and very much of our time, as it plays on anxieties about climate change and the end of human civilization.

The Bear is an enjoyable, intriguing read. Its descriptions, themes and events are very simple stated. However it works to create a interesting tale that left me better than before reading it. The story flows gently, taking us through a world in which there is both happiness and pain. It reads somewhat like a fairy tale as it describes a father and daughter, the last two humans on earth. It’s a very good book! I love the characters and enjoyed the story. I highly recommend it and will definitely read more by this author. I would like to thank Netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of this book.
#ReadTheBear #NetGalley

Girl and Father are the last known humans alive. An unfortunate incident leaves Girl alone to battle the forces of nature herself. "The Bear" immerses the reader in nature and explores man's relationship with the surrounding life.

This was a very thoughtful book. Very much a fable, it's the story of the last two people in existence, a man and his young daughter. It traces their life story year by year (which is actually fairly brief and very poetic in its writing,) and takes the reader to a time when only one of them remains. This story has elements of both post-apocolyptic stories (without the usual violence,) mythology, Native American folklore, and Grimm's Fairy Tales, and I breezed through it in a day since I couldn't put it down and wanted to know what would happen.

My biggest complaint is that this book wasn't longer and that there wasn't more to the rest of the story about the survivor. I was invested and just wanted more. Even so, I highly recommend this for the story that was there. I will be looking for more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC of this book. It has not influenced my review.

I really enjoyed this book. It reminded me in many ways of The Dog Stars by Peter Heller. It was a bit of a slow burn, but about one-third into the story I had a hard time putting it down. It’s an allegory of The Man, and The Girl living in a secluded environment. This book is difficult to describe without spoilers so I need to be vague. Through a series of events, even though the girl was alone I didn’t feel she was truly alone. It’s beautifully written and I need to re-read this one to try and pick up on the subtleties I’m sure I missed. There aren’t many books, which I want to re-read; however, this is one of them. By the end of the book I juts wanted to be out in the wilderness and go fishing.

I received a digital copy for free in exchange for my honest opinion.

This fable-like novel about the last two humans on earth is poignant and moving. While the premise is bleak, the actual story is actually quite beautiful. Quiet and enchanting with exquisite descriptions of nature, we get a glimpse into what their lives are like in a post-apocalyptic world. With elements of magic realism to reinforce the lesson that we are all one, I was left with hope and a steadfast reverence for Mother Nature.

Written in sparse, elegant prose, The Bear is the story of a girl surviving in the wild as one of the last inhabitants of Earth. Despite the depressing setting, the book is actually quite the opposite of bleak.

But as lovely as some of the scenes were, particularly those that showcased the relationship between father and daughter, as well as the wonderful ending, I found myself struggling to maintain interest at many points. Much of the book reads like a wilderness survival guide, with a tedious level of detail going into the girl hunting and fishing and foraging through the woods. Halfway through the book, I wound up skimming these scenes, and honestly nothing was lost in terms of the narrative.

Luckily, this is a short book, and had its highlights that made it worth ploughing through. I imagine this will be quite the divisive book, with one side declaring this a work of art and the other giving up halfway due to boredom.

”The bear looked into the fire then and said, The wood you burn to cook your food and keep you warm? The smoke that rises was once a memory. The ashes all that is left of the story it belonged to.”

I thought this story was beautiful. It’s a story about a father and daughter and nature. I loved the relationship between the father and daughter, especially that he was teaching her survival skills. I love how they live off the land and respect it. It reminded me of the first half of “Where the Crawdads Sing” which I enjoyed very much.

Part story, part fable and part fiction it was a riveting read and I enjoyed it very much!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bellevue Literary Press for an advance copy of this book.

I enjoyed this quite a bit. I was initially attracted by the cover and am happy I looked further into it. Might not be for everyone.

This is the type of book that some readers will be engrossed in and others will not be able to finish. I found the pacing of the book to be good and the author's writing style easy to read. The theme of the book has it's roots in native american beliefs which I always find interesting. My major disappointment was that the author wrapped up the book quickly making me wonder what happenned to the main character in the intervening years.

I recommend getting it from your local library once it is published to determine first if it is a book that is your cup of tea.

I have also posted my review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook page.

This book was haunting, it was beautiful, it was poetic. Exploring grief, and loss in an enchanting way. This book totally captivated me. I really love end of the world novels in general, but I especially love ones that really explore poignant topics as deeply as this one did. I am so glad I picked this one up.

This was an interesting read for sure, but I don't think that it was for me. It's unique, and thought-provoking, and possibly I just wasn't in the mood for it. It's a quiet read, for lack of a better word. Perfect for if you're able to curl up and absorb it, but I wasn't able to.

4.25/5 stars

I first want to start by saying thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So far this is one of my favorite ARC’s I’ve read. It’s hard to actually explain why because mainly the novel doesn’t have a lot going on through it, mainly it’s about the main character (the girl) forging and hunting, and fishing. She has her difficulties, around halfway in a tragic scene takes place, which I felt in my soul when reading that scene, made me feel for the girl.

But if you’re looking for a novel that gives you the meaning of life, along with how spirts never die than pick up The Bear when it comes out and give it a read.


#ReadTheBear #NetGalley

While I think this book is attempting to be a meditation on death, and the challenges of isolation, it misses the mark. The Bear is a look at a post apocalyptic future, where the two remaining people are a man and his daughter. And a talking bear and an eagle. I think the challenge is that this book feels like it is trying to be too many things, yet fails to be anything cohesive. There are elements of magical realism and times when the book shines with lyricism and poetry. There are also moments when the book demonstrates ability of nature to bounce back regardless of the impact of humanity.

This 224 page book took me 4 month to read. It just didn't hold my interest and there was nothing that made me want to return to the book, with the exception of not liking to have unfinished arcs. I don't normally like to give one star and I know there are redeeming qualities to most books- there are people whose reviews you can see that loved this book, but I think I am in the minority.

In a post-apocalyptic world, the Earth has been stripped of civilization, with the few remaining humans returning to a basic life in the wilderness. Krivak's fable tells the story of a girl and her father as they live alone in the woods. When her father dies during a trip to the ocean, the girl must journey back to her home alone, with the help of a bear.


The best describing words I can think of for this fable are simple and emotionless. Krivak's narration lays everything down as facts without any real feeling. You aren't drawn into teh story, just noting the sequence of events. I know the story is supposed to be about loneliness and coping with death, but in reality the lack of emotional connection made it feel like a story about how to live off the land. Plus, the animals begin to talk to the girl, who is never given a name, and that just was the last straw for me. Definitely one to skip.

I have gotten around to the 40% mark and I just cannot get into this story. It is very slow and uneventful, and honestly I'm bored with it. Guess it's just not my taste in novels.

The book had an interesting premise and the characters made me want to learn more but I felt like it was very slow moving overall. It definitely wasn't like any other books I have read lately.

post apocalyptic books are not my favorite read, and this one is confusing about what exactly is going on in the story. It's a bit of a cross between Revenant and The Yearling, and although the description of the natural surroundings are good -- the characters are very flat and one dimensional.

This is a beautifully written book, nicely placed. But I kept waiting for something "more".
I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

A simple and yet richly deep story about life, love, loss, and kinship.

All that is left of humanity is a father and a daughter. Their rustic home sits halfway up the range of “the mountain that stands alone.” Roughly a day’s hike above their house, at the top of the mountain, is where the woman the father loved and the mother the daughter never really knew has been laid to rest. The summit of this lone mountain is shaped like the head of a bear.

Initially venturing little beyond this stretch of territory, lessons of survival, remembrances of the past, and insights into nature are shared between this parent and a child. Eventually, a longer journey is called for beyond the comforts of what is familiar and into the great unknown. In that journey is the discovery of the sacred communion and companionship even in the midst of the perceived isolation of a broken world and the seemingly indifferent forces of nature.

While calling to mind both Cormac McCarthy’s The Road and Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist, this narrative boldly and beautifully goes its own way. It refreshingly imagines a post-apocalyptic planet not as some dark, desolate, and fearful place but rather as being gradually reclaimed and renewed by nature. The writing of this tale is subtle and poignant. Filled with poetical imagery and yet tight prose, this is a story that is basic in its plot but thought-provoking and powerful in its message.

The bonds we forge in life are what keep us going — keep us alive. And those bonds are formed by listening carefully and closely — not just to another person but to the world around us — nature itself.

Mesmerizing. Poignant and haunting. Quietly gorgeous.
I strongly recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bellevue Literary Press for providing me with an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.