Wow what a book. This is a modern day fairytale and not the Disney sort, in fact loosely based on Snow White and Rose Red by Brothers Grimm.

Two sisters, Sam and Elena, are struggling to survive after the pandemic, while they take care of their sick mother, working dead end jobs and struggling with rising costs of living amongst the San Juan islands off the coast of WA (love a novel set in the PNW 😍). Their only solace is the dream to someday leave the island by selling their family home and starting somewhere new.

One day a bear shows up, bringing terror and dread to Sam and hope and enchantment to Elena.

What a timely novel in our cultural zeitgeist as we have the discussion about what is more terrifying bears or men. This of course is not a response to that conversation though it did draw some connections as the Bear poses no danger at least to Elena, while several men in their life do whether it’s physical danger or the danger that could disrupt their family bonds.

This book is about the bonds of sisterhood and how secrets eat away at those bonds. It shows the hopelessness of living through late stage capitalism with no way out slowly struggling to survive and getting further behind. It’s about the power of hope.

The lush writing felt magical and mystical, though aside from the brown bear the sisters lives were devoid of magic.

Both sisters are intensely unlikeable at times. I felt beyond frustrated by them throughout the book yet somehow they are still so relateable that I found myself hoping they would make better choices. Elena is not bear aware and as an avid outdoorswoman myself that made me irritated beyond belief, but also her ability to find solace and wonder in nature is also so relatable, I can’t tell you the amount of times I hoped to see a bear while camping/backpacking (from a safe distance) so I also get the magic in being able to be in and amongst nature.

Sam knows what to do but is also torn between trusting her sister and finding help which comes in the form of Madeline, but Sam worries I think that by believing and trusting Madeline it will supplant what she has with her sister.

#Bear #bearbyjuliaphillips

Julia Phillips’s Bear follows two sisters, Sam and Elena, who return to their remote childhood home to care for their terminally ill mother. The girls are captivated by a bear they find outside their home. The story is descriptive and beautifully written. However, it moved a little slow, but I am glad I finished it.

This is a good story of sisters who live in a peaceful setting with their mother. One night a bear shows up on their doorstep and things all change. One of the sisters becomes obsessed with the bear and this obsession impacts the relationship between the two sisters. This was a good read and well written.

Bear is a powerful and deeply moving memoir that explores the complexities of family, trauma, and resilience. Julia Phillips writes with raw honesty and emotional clarity, making the tough moments feel real without being overwhelming.

The story is heartfelt and unflinching, yet there’s a quiet strength in the way Phillips shares her experience. It’s a book that stays with you, offering insight into healing and the bonds that shape us.

If you’re into memoirs that are honest, gripping, and full of emotional depth, Bear is definitely worth a read.

Whew this was a lot. Pretty dark, need to be in the right headspace to read. I’m not sure if it’s supposed to make you feel as frustrated as I felt reading it, but it made me feel a lot. I’m still not really sure how I feel about it!

“Bear” was an interesting read. I really enjoyed about 2/3 of it and then I didn’t. I didn’t like the ending- although I could guess where the book was going.

Bear by Julia Philips. Pub Date: June 25, 2024. Rating: 2 stars. The premise sounded intriguing, but the execution was anything but. While reading this book, I found myself questioning why I was continuing to read it. At its core, it wants to be about two sisters and a family relationship with a bit of mystery involving a bear. Honestly, it was not and I found the sister named Sam to be a deplorable human who was cringy to read about. Her behaviors were narcissistic and eye rolling. I did not enjoy this book and was curious as to why others would. Thanks to #netgalley and #randomhousepublishinggroup for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

“The bear was here, briefly and beautifully, teaching them what it was to love living, helping them to make it through.”

I do understand the mixed reviews. It’s not an upbeat story. It is full of sorrow and conflict, right from the start.

I really liked it. It is slow and atmospheric, following Sam as she works on the ferry to and island off the coast of Washington state. I was anchored in place, just as Sam and her sister Elena are stuck looking after their dying mother and dreaming of the day when they can escape their contained world.

Each sister has a different opinion of the bear they spot one day outside their home. Experts tell them the bear will move on, that this island is just a pitstop on its way to another destination. But this bear is sticking around for some reason.

I got caught up in the emotion and suspense, and I was invested in the fate of these characters. I’d love to read more by this author.

The setting of San Juan island is what drew me into this book, and the lush green landscape brought to life by Phillips' evocative prose really shines in Bear. Much like her previous work Disappearing Earth, Bear is a complex novel, that can feel difficult to crack open and really connect with. The complicated sister dynamic is well-handled, I struggled to find investment in their story, and I hoped for more from the magical dark fairytale-like atmosphere. All in all, I appreciate how Phillips' work challenges the reader through her expansive world immersion, but this one left me a little wanting.

I think I'm just not the right reader for this one, since it has won many awards and people seem to love it. I couldn;'t get into it.

BEAR is atmospheric and the author paint a rich, complex picture. The prose is gorgeous, and the characters are fully realized. The novel centers on two sisters growing up in San Juan island caring for their ill mother. The story revolves around the themes of grief and loneliness. The writing and the story itself are built upon an almost surreal, fairy tale like mythology with the introduction of the bear. There are some heavy emotions at play, and the plot holds up its end. I think the ending, I feel differently about it at different times. Still not sure how to take it, which is a good thing. It leaves me contemplating. Would definitely recommend

Bear by Julia Phillips presents an intriguing premise but ultimately falls short in execution. The novel's pacing is slow, which dampens its potential impact. I wanted more involvement with the bear and even with the scientist/ranger. While the storyline had promise, it never fully captivates or reaches its intended depth. The characters, unfortunately, aren't particularly likable or relatable, The narrative feels a bit underdeveloped, . Though it offers some interesting ideas, Bear never quite delivers on the expectations it sets, leaving readers with a sense of missed opportunity.

This book explored intriguing themes! However, I had a hard time connecting with the story and that is obviously on me and not the book. I recognize that it has great potential to appeal to other mystery/thriller readers and I encourage others to try it out! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book.

This novel, set in the Puget Sound of Washington state, left me stunned, in a good way. I remembered liking the author's first book a lot (Disappearing Earth) so looked forward to reading this one. I love the writing and the setting - I could feel and smell the sea spray and was transported into the earthy darkness of the woods. I read it on Kindle so could barely see the map of the San Juan Islands at the beginning of the book but still kept going back to it to orient myself. I really love maps at the beginning of books!

I appreciated the circumstances of the two very close sisters taking care of their dying mom and working service jobs that barely allowed them to survive, deep in debt and at the mercy of rich folks, travelers and tourists. Poverty is a hard thing to experience always, but especially when there seems to be no hope of escaping it. The time frame here is also just a couple of years after the pandemic began when things are just barely opening up again and it's a reminder of how many people really struggled during the first two years when people were staying home and jobs were lost.

The perspective overall alternates between wonder at the natural world, fantasies of escape and a kind of hopelessness that drags the main protagonist down. It is also a story of generational trauma engendered by relationship abuse, poverty and lack of opportunities to create an easier life. But the two sisters, it eventually emerges, have very different ways of coping. Even as they comfort and console each other, they keep their secrets, not only from each other, but from the world.

I was mesmerized and terrified and also somewhat confused by the reality and significance of the bear. I understood, finally, how different the two sisters, always so close, since birth, really were, in terms of how they faced reality, their different desires and their senses of self and the world.

The end packed quite an emotional wallop that I am still recovering from (just finished reading late last night.) I feel like I've been through a significant, life-altering event. I love the book overall while at the same time I acknowledge that it was deep, heavy, hard to read at times. I still ache for the protagonist yet feel hopeful for her future.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House, and the author for allowing me to read an eARC of this amazing book.

It is hard to read this book and not think of Werner Herzog's Grizzly Man, which is referenced therein. Phillips creates more of a storybook tale, albeit a tragic one. There were many times in the book in which I didn't think the bear was real. The book is enveloped in a sadness that comes with the struggle of being poor. The relationship between Sam and Elena seemed authentic.

I don't really have much to say about this book. It certainly wasn't what I thought it would be. Most of the characters weren't very likable. The only truly likable character in the book was the neighbor, and main character treated him like dirt most of the time.

The story centers on two sisters, Sam and Elena. Sam is the main character and I found her extremely unlikable. She's abrasive, distrustful, hostile to everyone and has obvious mental issues. And while their attachment to their mother does come across as authentic, it's obvious that the two sisters are not particularly close, and don't seem to want do anything to change that. Sam has an imaginary ideal of her sister, but she never talks to her enough to learn about the real woman. And Elena keeps her personal life locked down, refusing to share anything with even her closest family.

I know that the point of the story is that Sam let's her own self wants destroy her sister's happiness, but to be perfectly honest, the object of Elena's happiness rubbed me the wrong way too. Mainly because I live near a national park and every year bears are put down due to stupid actions of tourists, actions just like what Elena was doing. In my opinion, Sam's biggest mistake in dealing with the bear was not doing something to stop her sister sooner.

Julia Phillips' Bear undoubtedly showcases her talent for vivid, atmospheric writing. The descriptions of both the wilderness and the internal struggles of the characters are evocative and compelling. Phillips has a knack for painting a scene and giving life to the landscape.

However, despite her skill with prose, Bear often feels like it's trying a little too hard. The plot, which revolves around an unusual and darkly symbolic premise, veers into territory that feels more absurd than poignant. The see-saw between the emotional depth of the characters and the increasingly outlandish events they find themselves caught in makes for a jarring and at times frustrating reading experience. The more the book tries to build depth, the more it risks turning into an over-wrought melodrama.

While Phillips' writing can be beautiful at times, the story itself doesn't always match the ambition behind it. The narrator's motivations are at times unclear or exaggerated to the point of ridiculousness, making it difficult to connect with their journey and creating a convoluted plot.

In short, Bear is a book that could have been more if it didn’t stretch so far. I was left feeling that this was one long and drawn-out story in what should have been part of a short story collection. Phillips' talent is evident, but the book's execution ends up feeling overly dramatic and weighty, leaving the reader caught between admiration for the writing and eyerolls at the story as it falls short of its mark.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of Bear by Julia Phillips!

Sisters share a dream, but that will change

Elena and Sam are sisters close in age who live, as they always have done, on an island off the coast of Seattle. Together they care for their mother, whose health is in decline and has been for a while. They work low wage jobs to support themselves and her and dream of the day when they can leave this island which, while a beautiful place of wilderness, is isolated and limited. A catalyst enters their life in the form of a bear; Sam sees the animal swimming alongside the ferry on which she works, and then it appears in the front yard of their home. The two young women have until this point been very close and shared a vision for their future, but that changes with the appearance of the animal. Sam regards the bear as a threat and an unwelcome presence, while Elena is fascinated by the animal and actively seeks it out. They must reckon with their changing relationship and the family dynamics that have controlled their lives as tensions reach a head.
When is a bear not just a bear? When it is a larger-than-life symbol occupying a major role within a novel that explores the bonds of sisterhood and the intricacies of human nature. Author Julia Phillips has drawn two incredibly complex protagonists in Sam and Elena, and the setting in all of its natural beauty and isolation is a character in and of itself. There is wilderness both around and within the sisters, and dangers present themselves from both places of origin.. As the story unfolds, told from Sam's point of view, each will struggle with who they are, how they have lived in a harsh and remote area, and what course they want to pursue in the future, be it together or apart. Beautifully if sparsely written, Bear portrays the emotions buffeting the two sisters as well as the wonders and stark realities of their environment. There is a great deal of introspection, which I found caused the flow of the narrative to slow down in places. Readers who enjoy authors like Louise Erdrich, Anthony Doerr and Elizabeth Strout might find this piece of literary fiction to their liking. Symbolism, ambiguity, nature and human psychology are interwoven to form this tale, and I thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Hogarth for allowing me access to it in return for my honest review.

A bear turns up near Sam and Elenas home which terrifies Sam but mesmerizes Elena. It becomes an obsession and a focus for Elena to get close to the bear. While Sam begins to feel like she is losing her Sister during a particularly difficult time in their lives. Their mother is ill, work is unsteady and the bills keep drowning them. Sam thinks they can both have a future away from this, they promised they would travel but Elena is hanging around the bear and possibly has been hiding all sorts of things from Sam.
An interesting perspective of the trials and tribulations of sisters. It was especially interesting seeing how things were different from a younger sister to older sister perspective.