Why am I feeling this? she asked. Because you're beginning to understand. Understand what? That every thing has its end. And we have a part to play, right up to that end.

Sometimes a story doesn't have to contain flowery language or poetic verse to be incredible. Sometimes a story is beautiful in its subtlety and the pure truth that it offers. The Bear by Andrew Krivak falls in to the latter. This tale of loss, love and survival is simple in its language but powerful in its message.

The Good: The Bear reminds us of our place in nature and our responsibility to it. The story begins and ends in a satisfactory loop that intimates both the continuity and reciprocity of life. We are a part of nature and yet we are also separate from it. Nature requires balance and respect. Krivak manages to convey this without shouting down the reader's throat, a difficult task.

The Bad: The only downside I really have with The Bear is that I found myself procrastinating with reading because there isn't a ton of plot. I was a little bored, but sometimes that can't be helped when the message is more important than the action. I found it a little repetitive in places as well.

TL;DR: The Bear is like a campfire tale told by a loved one that both entertains and passes on an important lesson. The stories we tell and are told by others are what shape us and help define our values. This beautiful fable reminds us that what we learn from those who come before us is important and lives on long after we're gone. I recommend The Bear to parents and children, since all of us are one, the other, or both.

Contains 1 Spoiler

I ended up reading this in one sitting because I enjoyed it so much. I already loved bears, and this book made me love them even more.

I still don't entirely understand who the girl and her father are or where everyone else went, but I don't especially care. That's how good this was: I don't know the history but it was wonderful all the same. I have theories, of course: some weird epidemic caused by nasty diseased animals, but there is only the vaguest shred of proof of that theory.

The writing style was delightful, with lush descriptions of nature, but the descriptions weren't trying to be "unique" like some authors try to do with nature imagery. The words were simple and honest, but the picture they painted was delightful and I wish I could go to where this was set.

The dialogue is written in an unusual way, but not to the point of being annoying. It reminded me of Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss in its lack of quotation marks, but that style fit with this isolated story.

The book did make me cry because SPOILER:: the father dies and it was extremely sad, and it made me miss my dad even though he's not dead. So good job?

Overall, I loved this book and am so grateful to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC.

Novel was not the correct medium to tell this story. It dragged on and, with the lack of names, became very boring. This would have been better as a novella or short story.

I'm not surprised to see such split reviews for this book. It is the very definition of a "quiet book." A girl journeys to the ocean and then back home--that's the extent of the plot. If you're interested in that journey (and the twists and turns that happen along the way) then you'll find this book an intriguing read. If not, you'll likely be bored and feel like you're reading a camping manual.

Interestingly, this girl is perhaps the last human girl alive, although the book spends scant time diving into this fact. In this book, the end of the world has come and gone many, many generations ago. There aren't even the demolished buildings or remnants of our society around as there is in so much post apocalyptic fiction. Instead there is just nature, animals, and the girl.

While the stuff about nature in the book is pretty straight-forward (we learn how she fishes, how she makes a bow and arrows), the stuff about animals is less so because the girl can communicate with animals because she is so very alone and because humans have ceased to exist for so long.

Maybe you'll find the girl chatting with a bear in this dreamy, fable-like world to be a quaint idea. Or, you might find it overly precious and be tempted to write it off as the delusions of a person who is so terribly alone. (Where you fall will likely be a matter of personal preference.) Be warned though, that even with those bear chats, there is still little CHATTING happening in this book period. Again, it's a quiet book, about a quiet person on a quiet quest. (Basically an extrovert's nightmare.) It won't be for everyone although I personally thought it had its charms.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was like reading a fairy tale to my kids when they were little. I love make believe. The writer captures the heart and imagination and takes you on a journey that holds you captive cover to cover. I did not want the story to end so abruptly but alas all good stories must come to an end. I really felt like I was part of the story and there with the girl and the bear. I recommend this book to anyone looking to escape reality if only for a short time and live out this journey.

I really wanted to love this book. The premise of the fable-like tale of a girl's journey home with a bear who teaches her about life? Right up my alley. Unfortunately, I felt the execution needed some work and I found myself pushing through despite wanting to put it down.

The writing felt stilted and overly-simplistic. I found myself yearning for more description. While I appreciated this may have been a stylistic choice due to the setting of the novel (last two people alive), I felt it this didn't mean the characters should have such a basic way of looking at everything.

As for the plot, I wanted more from this story. I was waiting for something to happen almost the entire book and was more than 60% through when it finally picked up. And then I was disappointed by the continued slow pace. The conflict didn't feel urgent enough. The character fell flat during this time when she should have come to life. Again, I feel more descriptive writing could have helped.

Thank you to Bellevue Literary Press for providing me with an ARC of this novel via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This post apocalyptic fairy tale was beautiful.

The man and the girl live in the wilderness as (what is assumed) the last two people al ie after the woman dies. They live off of the land and he teaches her how to survive.

He tells her tales of the bear, the past and her mother. Many of the stories are whimsical and have a very magical feel to them. They weave their way into the main story when a bear shows up to the girl.

This book had very heavy “The Road” feelings, yet the complete lack of people made it feel bigger and emptier.

I loved the centralization around love and grief, gratitude and giving. This simple life lived in a somewhat symbiotic way, was just beautiful.

I loved the anonymity of the nameless characters. It makes them relatable to anyone. I did find the lack of parenthesis for dialogue frustrating but the flow of the story and the language made up for it.

A beautiful book about a young girl learning about the nature that surrounds her and how she fits into the bigger world. This book portrayed the wilderness, the animals, the stars etc. in a way that was almost like music. I loved how the story came full circle, I loved how the story drew me in without gimmicks. I loved how the journey this girl was on was more important to me than wondering what had happened generation prior to the people of the world leaving just her and her father. The book felt peaceful, like I had walked in the woods myself.


'Storms lasted for days and weeks at a time, drifts climbing up against the house and burying paths as deep as some trees grew high.'

Thank you to Bellevue Literary Press for allowing me to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

The summary of this book sounded like something very much up my alley, however, the book failed to capture my attention and I DNF'd it at about 24%.

A sweet story of a girl, maybe the last. She is forced to make a long voyage home and here f in nds what is real and important. We never find out what happened to the people, which I liked. In the end, it is a story of not just survival but becoming.

A very unusual and well-written tale about the last two people on Earth. The story follows a young girl and her father, surviving long after civilization has apparently crumbled. He teaches her all of the necessary survival skills she will need when he passes on. They follow a path to the sea in order to get salt to help cure some meat, and things become much more difficult from that point on. Beautifully written and reminiscent of Native American lore, this book was a quick read but touching nonetheless. A wonderful story that will stay with me for a long time.

This ebook was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Survival is the theme of this book and the way it is written and simplified, it’s as if you are in this survival situation. There is a vagueness throughout the book of any backstory and the curiosities that wouldn’t exist in today’s world as we know it and that vagueness is poetic. There are moments where the book feels like a “how-to” of surviving in the woods alone, and a basic foundation of a life cycle at the same time. This book wasn’t a “couldn’t put it down” book, but more like following along someone’s life journey when time allowed and it was a different way to approach a book. Like an old friend you haven’t spoke to in awhile but then it feels like no time has passed when revisiting. The story line is predictable enough with no real climax and a soft end but it was poetically written. Would recommend.

What a beautifully written story. It’s a quick read, but I was near tears in multiple parts. Lovely, lyrical, and like a fairy tale. Highly recommend.

This was a beautiful little story about a girl, her father and a bear, well also of the connection we all used to have with nature. The book shows what life would be like without all of our conveniences. I wish it had been longer as it was a joy to read and I would loved to have had it continue.

The Bear
a novel by by Andrew Krivak
Bellevue Literary Press
This book really needs a subtitle: Two Characters (and a Bear) in Search of a Plot.. Andrew Krivak's novel is worth reading only to marvel at his beautiful, lyrical prose. Krivak tells the story of a man and his very young daughter who may be the only living people in the world. As the child grows up in the first half (literally) of the novel, he teaches her the skills she will need when he is no longer there. He also tells her some delightful fables of the woods (for me, this was the best part of the book).

In the second half of the book, the young woman (now alone) has adventures with a talking bear, a puma who rescues her from drowning and an eagle who feeds her when she is starving. Within a page turn, she is old and dying. End of story.

The book is a cross between the pseudo-spiritualism of Jonathan Livingston Seagull and the practical realities of Two Little Savages : The Adventures of Two Boys Who Lived as American Indians, a book I eagerly read as a child.

Andrew Krivak is a great writer. For me, this is not a great book, though i'm sure many people will have a differing opinion. I read this book courtesy of Bellevue Literary Press and NetGally in exchange for an honest review.

Set some time in the future after the collapse of civilization as we know it. This is a lovely story about a girl and her father that takes a slightly magical turn part-way through the book. The writing is beautiful and I found something very appealing about all of the little things the characters did to keep going and survive in this new world. Creating tools for hunting and fishing, traveling toward the ocean for salt, etc. While nothing is ever explained about the events that lead to the girl and her father being the last two humans presumably alive, it never felt lacking. Beautiful imagery and story.
I received a free ARC of this book from Netgalley in return for my honest review.

Civilization has collapsed and humankind is extinct save for two survivors, Father and Girl. They live in a house constructed of timber, stones and cement, a house with a glass window, "a precious hand me down". The dwelling is set halfway up the mountain slope along the old eastern range of "the mountain that stands alone".

Once they were a family of three. Girl was born on the day of the summer solstice. Yearly, on this day, Father and Girl climb to the top of "the mountain that stands alone" to visit mother's resting place,"in the shade of the ledge shaped like a bear".

Father teaches Girl about the land, bodies of water, how to "approximate" time, and how "to read" the stars and constellations. She learns to craft implements for hunting game and catching fish. Respect for the natural world comes in the form of fables about how a bear saved a village by keeping a promise and how the great hunter Thorn's respect for the animal world was reciprocated.

A long, challenging journey unfolds. Survival is a daily struggle. Life is a seesaw of emotions; love, hope, frustration, and endings. Acceptance of the companionship and wisdom of a bear buoys spirits and deepens understanding of the co-dependence between man, the landscape and the animal world. "The Bear" by Andrew Krivak, by way of a dystopian literary novel, is a subtle foray into the balance between love and loss, hope and despair, and respect for animals and the environment. I highly recommend Krivak's "cautionary tale".

Thank you Bellevue Literary Press and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "The Bear".

Beautiful fable about a girl and her father living in a post-apocalyptic wilderness. When her father dies while they are far from home, the girl is guided by a bear and learns to hear and understand the natural world as she makes her way home. I loved the writing and the gentle respect for the natural world and its inhabitants.

I’m not going to lie. This book was a mess. I almost abandoned it multiple times, but it was a short enough read that I stuck with it. I mean, the characters didn’t even have names. Just, “the man” and “the girl” which makes it difficult to connect. If you put it in the perspective of “this is exclusively a story that should be told by a campfire,” it’s not terrible. I won’t be recommending this to anyone.

Beautiful lyrical read, every word is to be savored. I really enjoyed the story, the main characters, and the writer's style.