Cover Image: The Bear and the Nightingale

The Bear and the Nightingale

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Member Reviews

I'm in the minority for this one as it continues to be the apple of many reviewers' eyes on here and I just did not really enjoy it. I found the book to be entirely too slow, but that wasn't its greatest downfall for me. The greatest issue was the characterization. I felt as though a little bit of characterization was done and then they simply remained stagnant. Characterization and plot were lost to the over-emphasis of atmosphere and world descriptions. I'm a character-driven reader so this obviously was an issue for me. I don't care how pretty your world or writing is, you have to make me care about the characters and the author did not do that for me in this one.

If you enjoyed [book:Uprooted|22544764], which I did not, you may like this one too.

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I loved the flare of this reimagining of Russian folktales with a modern aesthetic. It had the lyrical beauty of a fairytale and the storytelling and character building of a more gripping and adult genre.Two thumbs way up for this one. I'll be highly recommending it.

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This was a refreshing change of pace from the typical fantasy books I've read. I was pleasantly surprised by the plot and the characters and found it difficult to put down. My emotions were tugged more than once, in a good way, and I felt like a nap afterwards. Or maybe it was just that I stayed up well into the night to keep reading! I felt attached to the characters and cared about their fate, which is a difficult thing for most books to do lately. Well-crafted and well-written.

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In the Bear and the Nightengale, household gods are hiding in the barn, winter is more than just a season, and a woman struggles to find a place for herself and her power in a world that expects her only to marry and bear children. The language of this book is thoughtful, and though it follows a storyline that many fantasy novels do, it also carves out space to be surprising and unique. I enjoyed this book so much I read it in a day and immediately bought the sequel.

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Thank you for the chance to review this book, however, unfortunately, I was unable to download this title before it was archived

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This was a very beautiful book that had some lyrical writing and an evocative setting, but it was pretty slow and introspective. Which is fine, and fit the overall tone of the writing well, but fell apart a bit at the end.

Based on old fairy tales, it follows the life of Vasalisa as she grows up the daughter of a boyar (nobility) in northern Russia. And I mean follows the whole life, starting before she was born and marching us slowly through every stage of her childhood. Along the way we get to know her family members (because there’s only so much you can do with a toddler), and to be fair all of them are interesting characters. To be less fair, that makes it annoying when they grow up and move out of the house/story. Much of the book deals with Vassa’s life after she gains a stepmother and their little village gains a new priest. There’s a lot of themes at play, with the old-vs-new of Christianity and pagan religion and the working in of various fairy tales and mythology, and the step-mother and priest are both fascinating and tragic characters, so despite the somewhat plodding pace I was still interested. It wasn’t a plot so much as a study, and coupled with the vivid language and imagery, it was a good one. I liked Vassa, too, although at points she seemed more of a McGuffin than anything else. She was something that other characters reacted to and changed around/over, rather than Vassa herself learning or growing.

But as much as I enjoyed the slow tour through Russian folklore and history and landscape, the end of the book…tried to suddenly have an action plot? It was totally out of step with the tone and pacing of 90% of what I’d been reading, and as a result felt a bit unsatisfying. It’s going to be a trilogy, and we’ll get to see more of the characters who moved out midway through the book, so I’ll probably continue on.

Overall, a beautiful story, but I hope the pacing improves in later installments.

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The Bear and the Nightingale was a wonderful tale of magical realism, with a blend of old Russian fairy tales and Christianity in the everyday lives of a family in the Russian wilderness. The story has a slow build in a lush landscape, with plenty of character development. I can't wait to read the next books in this series, I found the tale enchanting.

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It took me a while to understand the Russian words and who all of the characters but it was so worth learning. The story has such a fresh and new feel to it despite being rooted around old lore and I can't wait to find out what happens next!

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It is rare gift that some writers have that can so pull the reader into the world the writer creates, that you have to grudgingly shake yourself back into reality when exiting the story and begin coping with withdrawal. Who knew medieval Russian history, culture, and fairy tales could be combined into so intoxicating a spell. Add to that an exceptional facility with prose that never shocks you from your suspension of belief, and you have Katherine Arden's Winternight Trilogy. The Bear and the Nightingale started the journey hooking me completely. The Girl in the Tower continues the tale and is even more brilliant. I have already set a "reminder to self" to look for the next installment due August 14th 2018. Bravo, Katherine, and thank you for a really great read!

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I felt completely immersed in a fairy tale world while reading the Bear and the Nightengale, albeit a very convincing fairy tale. I loved the characters and cried when Pyotr came to rescue his children. Loved it!

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Shauna the book store babe is absolutely right: this book would be great for fans of Uprooted by Naomi Novik. 

 

It's a laboriously slow fantasy. If you're not interested in the family or the tales being slowly weaved around them, it'll feel as unending as the Russian winter. 

 

Age Gap Romance: It's not the extreme hate to love as Uprooted, but it's an older non-mortal guy who doesn't start out as a romance interest at all. He starts off as creepy as The Dragon, but more mysterious than malevolent. 

 

It's core is about a young witch, born unto the old ways and follows her gut/heart on getting shit done and how to do them. She wants to fight and climb and explore but is held back by sexism and this new religion. 

 

She reminds me a bit of Tiffany Aching by Terry Pratchett, but Pratchett is in his own realm, with far more biting humor and a completely different tone. 

 

But it’s a good time for young witches. See also: The Bone Witch and The Labyrinth Lost. 

 

Sadly, I’d recommend all the books mentioned more than Bear & Nightingale. I didn’t realize it was a series until I saw the promos for the next book on Bookish First. I wasn’t excited or really cared, until I read the preview. Now, I’m curious. Now I’d like to read the next one. It’s not the highest priority, but it’s on there. 

 

Not amazing, but not bad.

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I am always going to pick up a book that involves folklore, so when I heard about The Bear and the Nightingale, I knew it would make for a great audio book. Based on several different Russian folktales, the story follows Vasya, or Vasilisa, who is a favorite folk heroine of mine. What I thought the book did very well was to highlight how little power Vasya had over her own life. Where she lived, what she learned and who she married were all decided for her. The local priest, in particular, seemed to relish giving orders to the women in the village while struggling with his own inner turmoil. His religious beliefs were a weapon gleefully wielded not only by him but by her stepmother, as well. What sets Vasya apart is her unwillingness to go along with what society expects and while people blame her supernatural heritage, I thought she made a wonderful and stubborn heroine, magic or not. I loved all of the research that obviously went into writing this book because it seemed to draw from so many traditions and stories. All of the magical creatures that lived in their home, their land, and in the forest were Vasya’s friends, or at least her responsibility. Because she is somewhat set apart from everyone else, may do become her only friends, but they don’t always make life easy for her. Unfortunately, somewhere in the middle, the story started to lose direction. It seemed to lack focus and meander a bit, which made it difficult to push through, at times. By the end, however, it was back on track and was ultimately an enjoyable book.

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Opening line:
"It was late winter in northern Rus', the air sullen with wet that was neither rain nor snow."

I really loved being immersed in the folklore of Russia in this book. Vasya is a fantastic protagonist! She's witty, stubborn, adventurous, and finds herself getting into a lot of trouble. But she's okay with that because moves to her own beat. She sees "creatures" around the house and woods and becomes a friend and protector to them. She was raised to leave food and other treats for them to pay them for protecting the town.
But two things happen that cause problems and heartache for the town: Vasya's father remarries and a priest moves in. The stepmother sees the creatures too but she has a negative view of them which is ironically opposite of her stepdaughter. She comes across as mentally unstable and the villagers stay clear of her.
The priest takes it upon himself to cleanse the village of the heretics and their beliefs. In the process, he turns the villagers against their own beliefs, which leads to the village being vulnerable to more evil and death.
There are a lot of Russian names that I found hard to keep track of until about half way through the book when I understood who was related to who, etc. I enjoyed learning about Russia in this time period through the story.

Thanks to netgalley for the early review!

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Great instant classic that blues the lines of folk tale and fantasy.. I kept hearing about this book from friends and now I see why

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In this gorgeous blend of Russian Folklore and narrative, Vasilisa is perhaps the most unlikely of heroines. Raised by an aging nurse and her older siblings after the passing of her mother, Vasya has always stood apart from others. Quick and sly as a fox, with a wild streak that includes often “borrowing” her brother Alyosha’s clothes and running wild in the forest near her father’s home. For years, few can reign the seemingly “mad” daughter of Pyotr Vladimirovich in for long, not even her father. After much deep thought, Pyotr packs up his tribute and his eldest sons Sasha and Kolya to travel to Moscow to find a new wife for himself and a husband for his daughter Olga.

This was possibly one of the most important moments in the early parts of the novel. During this trip, Pyotr is held as a guest of the Grand Prince of Moscow who happens to be his brother-in-law from his first wife. Though he truly doesn’t wish to get married again, he understands that his youngest needs a mother and thus begins the parallels to many of the stories that Dunya entertained the family with during the winter nights. Anna Ivanovna is the daughter of the Grand Prince from a previous marriage and considered “mad” by many to the point that her stepmother wishes to be rid of her. Though Anna longed to go to a convent, the Grand Prince is persuaded to marry her to Pyotr with the agreement that Olga will marry one of the cousins of his young son. It’s an unsteady marriage, with Anna’s unwillingness to believe in the household spirits and declaring that the rest of the village must stop paying tribute to them as well.

Seven years after Anna arrives, the village receives a new priest in the form of Father Constantine. Sent to the lands of Pyotr for fear he might sway the crowds of Moscow against the newly appointed Grand Prince, Constantine takes a dark interest in Vasya. Determining her to be in need of saving when she fails to show fear to his preachings on damnation and her insolence of being outspoken and refusing to act like a proper lady; Constantine beings to sway the village into a sense of panic and fear. Following his arrival many finally do away with any sort of offering towards their household spirits and the ones in Vasya’s home are only sustained by Vasya herself offering tribute.

The story progresses fairly quickly after Constantine’s arrival, with Vasya becoming more and more of a Witch in the villagers’ eyes. Her rudeness to the priest, her outspoken attitude and her newfound skills of riding horses bareback without saddle or bridle cause fear. Meanwhile, a promise her father made during his trip to Moscow seven years prior begins to reassert itself. Having met with Morozko, the Winter King or Death, Pyotr promises to gift Vasilisa a pendant in exchange for his son Kolya’s life. Now, Dunya who has held onto the talisman for seven years is fearful to give it to Vasya, knowing that it will potentially sell her to the Winter King. During this, Anna is trying desperately to rid herself of Vasya as well since she’s realized that Constantine is far more interested in her step-daughter instead of her. Forces of old and new evil conspire to rid the lands of Vasya so the Old Bear can awaken and break his chains to feast upon the souls of men. Only a miracle and some magic can help Vasya and her unlikely band of misfit spirits can help rebind the threat and keep him from destroying everything.

Originally I received an ARC version of this book from NetGalley, however time conspired against me and I ended up falling behind on actually reading the book at the time. Since my return to getting books from Audible, I decided that I’d grab the audio version of this tale since it had been on my read list for a while. I must say I wasn’t disappointed with my choice, the story is well written with the sprinkling of history and fantasy blending together in a harmonious marriage. Arden introduces readers to a wider spectrum of fairy tales and creatures that they might not know outside of Eastern Europe and Russia itself. The book is read by Kathleen Gati, who does a wonderful job bringing the story to life. I’ll admit I enjoyed more than I might have reading it to myself as Gati’s pronunciations of the names and varying tones for characters truly brought the production to life.

I am looking forward to the second book in this series, The Girl in the Tower. I do have an ARC of this from NetGalley and hopefully will find the time to read it before it’s release in December.

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I am sorry, I could not find my way into this book. I am sure that someone else liked it though.

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The Bear and the Nightingale will definitely take you for a ride. The world that Ms. Arden creates is pure magic. I don't read a lot of fantasy but I was intrigued by this book. I'm glad I decided to read it! Can't wait to read the rest of the series

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"The Bear and the Nightingale (The Winternight Trilogy #1)" by Katherine Arden

This beautiful story takes place in fourteenth century medieval Russia. Katherine Arden's debut novel is a mystical, magical intricately woven tapestry of wood sprites and demons, worship of pagan gods against deity Christianity beliefs and good versus evil. Vasilisa Petronova, known as Vasya, is born shortly before her mother, Marina, dies. Her nursemaid, Dunya, takes care of the family until her father eventually remarries. Dunya is a wise, worldly old woman who tells the children tales of household sprites, pagan gods and demons by the fireplace at night. The villagers befriend the magical creatures by leaving offerings of bread crusts and a little milk on the hearth. The spirits, in turn, protect the land, the village and the forests from evil.

Her father, Pyotr, travels to Moscow and marries Anna, the essential fairy-tale wicked stepmother. She forbids the family from performing the evening offering ritual. Anna sends to Moscow for a village priest. Konstantin Nikonvitch tells the villagers they have been cursed by God because of their offerings and pagan beliefs. The people stop leaving the offerings and as a result, they are no longer protected from famine, fire, death, crop failure and misfortune stalks the village.

Vashy has inherited the gift of second sight from her mother and grandmother. She can see and talk to the mythical spirits and understands they are hungry and suffering. Vashy tries to help, but she is only a seven year old child child against a creepy, lustful priest, her stepmother and the rest of the village. The brave, but wild girl grows into a young noblewoman but she feels more at home in the forest or seeking comfort in the barn with the animals. Her stepmother determines the rebellious stepdaughter should be prepared for marriage or failing that, a convent.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this wonderful fairytale-like story, I felt as if I had stepped back in time. I am looking forward to reading the sequel, "The Girl in the Tower".

ARC received from the publisher thru NetGalley.

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/33210595-peggy-geiger">View all my reviews</a>

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In the depths of rural Russia, winter comes early and stays late. Vasilisa is the daughter of the local landowner and her mother is royalty. She dies in childbirth having Vasilisa so she is raised by the nurse/housekeeper. From her, she learns all the old tales of folklore and about all the benevolent creatures that guard those who feed and accommodate them.

Vasilisa's father goes to the capital to find another wife. On his journey home, he encounters a man who saves him from danger and gives him a necklace for his beautiful daughter. The father is unsure if this is something he wants to do but feels trapped. On his return with his new wife, life becomes different and unhappy for Vasilisa. Her new stepmother is very religious and brings in a stern priest who declares that everyone is doomed unless they give up their old superstitions. She also tries to tame Vasilisa who is a tomboy, roaming the forests and riding horses like a man.

The priest is determined to break Vasilisa as she is the source of strength for those who oppose him. Much of his determination is his intense attraction to her, which he turns into a belief that she has trapped him with magic. He declares her evil but when the evil figures of the past come to take the entire village, only Visilisa may have the strength and knowledge to save her family and friends.

This is a debut novel that introduces a stunning new talent. Arden's book weaves an enchanting tale full of Russian folklore, good and evil, lust and love. The villains are bloodcurdling and life is hard. Visilisa is a strong woman who refuses to be tamed but who is willing to do anything for the family she loves. This book is recommended for fantasy and literary fiction readers.

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