NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “One of the year’s strongest fantasy novels” (NPR), an imaginative retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale from the bestselling author of Uprooted.NEBULA AND HUGO AWARD FINALIST • NAMED ONE OF PASTE’S BEST FANTASY BOOKS OF THE DECADE • NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY AND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York … LIBRARY AND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review • NPR • Time • Tordotcom • Popsugar • Vox • Vulture • Paste • Bustle • Library Journal
With the Nebula Award–winning Uprooted, Naomi Novik opened a brilliant new chapter in an already acclaimed career, delving into the magic of fairy tales to craft a love story that was both timeless and utterly of the now. Spinning Silver draws readers deeper into this glittering realm of fantasy, where the boundary between wonder and terror is thinner than a breath, and safety can be stolen as quickly as a kiss.
Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father’s inability to collect his debts has left his family on the edge of poverty—until Miryem takes matters into her own hands. Hardening her heart, the young woman sets out to claim what is owed and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold. When an ill-advised boast draws the attention of the king of the Staryk—grim fey creatures who seem more ice than flesh—Miryem’s fate, and that of two kingdoms, will be forever altered. She will face an impossible challenge and, along with two unlikely allies, uncover a secret that threatens to consume the lands of humans and Staryk alike.
Praise for Spinning Silver
“A perfect tale . . . A big and meaty novel, rich in both ideas and people, with the vastness of Tolkien and the empathy and joy in daily life of Le Guin.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Gorgeous, complex, and magical . . . This is the kind of book that one might wish to inhabit forever.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Cool and clever and . . . dire and wonderful.”—Laini Taylor, author of Strange the Dreamer
“The Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale has never been as captivating. . . . Spinning Silver further cements [Novik’s] place as one of the genre greats.”—Paste
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https://mistyaquavenatus.com/2018/07/12/why-you-need-to-read-spinning-silver/
Cause I thought it would be a good book to read
3.75/5
This one was good…with some issues.
First for my cons. I found the plot slow until halfway in and repetitive in parts. I also felt it was too drawn out (too much filler in spots). The cold and despair were almost TOO relentless. And for me personally, the men/monsters were not satisfactorily redeemed for their heroines with an ending that seemed rushed in comparison to the rest of the book.
HOWEVER, I loved the strong voices/actions of the heroines who stepped up and took matters into their own hands. And while at times the world-building was a bit confusing, it was very imaginative and well-painted.
I enjoyed the author’s previous book Uprooted more. In the end, this one was just an OK for me.
I love fairy tales, especially fractured ones retold by sophisticated authors. Naomi Novik’s worlds come alive and are so engaging and engrossing. Highly recommended.
I really enjoy this author’s work. The heroine in Spinning Silver is just freakin’ awesome, a character who would normally have no power and who just…figures out a way to get it. Also, there’s some unexpected fairy prince stuff, I dunno, I just loved the protagonist. She could have had zero romance in here and I’d read anything this protagonist was doing. The romance is pretty cool, too, though!
While I think some could consider this a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, Novik has built so much of a world around the story and developed so much more that I hesitate to even mention it.
I’m always in favor of Fantasy that isn’t built around giant battles, I think they can be a distraction from characters, and Novik’s work is so character focused that I felt I knew each character incredibly well by the end. Her depiction of the fey folk was incredible, and the way she laid out the world made it so incredibly real.
Great Book.
I’ve read Uprooted a few months ago … Didn’t get the time to post a review then. I’ll post both the reviews today. The reason I like Naomi’s books is because of her writing style. If you spend time in your critique group, you realize half the time you don’t understand books because of the author’s narration style. Half the bad reviews I read on Goodreads say: ‘I don’t have a clue what’s going on after page n …’ And I understood why it happens after reading both Uprooted and Spinning Silver. I realized it’s not happening with these two books even when I’m reading at lightning speed.
Most importantly, I recognized the first-20-page art reading Spinning Silver.
In my earlier reviews of an adult fantasy book, I mentioned that was the best Adult Fantasy I’ve ever read, but even that book couldn’t grab me in its first 50-pages. Spinning Silver did. Both Uprooted and Spinning Silver taught me a lot about the secrets of the first pages. In my writing classes and articles and blogs, I frequently refer to some specific pages of the novels for some specific topics. This book will always be in the section: ‘Mastering the first 5 pages.’
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Ms. Novik’s version of the Rumplestiltskin tale is a delightful weave of history and fantasy. With strong characters and unique worldbuilding, Ms. Novik spins this story about a money-lender’s daughter into pure gold.
Kind of Rumplestiltskin but with the twist of fae and demon gods and Eastern European Jews and nobles and peasants in the late Middle Ages or early Renaissance. Your word kept has a magic of its own. All the threatening powers are connected and it takes a while to see what’s really going on, but when you see it’s huge. It seems that everyone is working at cross purposes and someone needs to lose, but somehow these fiercely-determined mortal women pull a victory from certain defeat. Very satisfying conclusion.
This one was a bit of a challenge for me. I think it was because I was listening to the audio and it was hard to tell when the POV changed. I think that colored my enjoyment of the whole book. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had been reading it physically or if there was a full cast narration. I felt disconnected from the characters because it was hard for me to differentiate. Other than the narration, I think I wanted a bit more connection to the characters. I wanted the book to be longer so we could get to know everyone a bit more. It all seemed to happen so fast. I look forward to reading more in my foray into Naomi Novik’s books.
It’s a joy to read quality writing. Plot, characters, clever dialog all outstanding.
A great revision of a classic tale!
And so Naomi Novik finds her standalone stride. Her first fantasy standalone, Uprooted, wasn’t all I had hoped for, so I went into Spinning Silver with lower expectations, only to have those expectations blown out of the water. Spinning Silver is a gorgeous masterclass in multiple points of view, gorgeous writing, characterization, and critiques of oppression. This book was so startlingly different from Uprooted that the only things they have in common are the lyrical and fairy-tale style of the writing, but beyond that they read like two different authors wrote them. It really looks like Novik took the great writing from her previous work and fixed the winding and unnecessary bits, resulting in a phenomenal novel that succeeds in everything it sets out to do.
Miryem is the daughter of a Jewish moneylender, one with too kind a heart. When people from her village and nearby towns take his money and never pay it back, they’re able to live in relative comfort while her own family starves, forever scoffing and spitting at the greedy Jews who dare ask for their money back. Tired of her miserable life and worrying for her mother’s health, Miryem takes up her father’s business and manages to get their money back, even increasing it dramatically. Her heart is not all ice, however; she hires a young woman from an abusive family, Wanda, to assist her mother and to get her out of the house. But when Miryem’s talent for growing her family’s wealth reaches the ears of the Staryk king, ruler of the odd, frozen people from a world beyond their own, the Staryk king demands she turn all his silver into gold and aims to marry her, regardless of her own wishes. Her initial task to turn some of his magical Staryk silver to gold involves her fashioning jewelry out of it and selling it to a local lord for a high price, and while these tasks earn her the Staryk’s cold respect, the magical jewelry in question attracts the attention of the tsar. Particularly, Irina, the wearer of the jewelry, draws his eye as the daughter of that local lord. But neither the tsar nor the Staryk king are what they seem, and soon the trio of girls become embroiled in a political plot that spans worlds, kingdoms, and the fate of every person in their respective kingdoms.
The book is divided up between the viewpoints of the three girls, Irina, Wanda, and mostly Miryem, but part of the reason I loved it so was that we occasionally get glimpses into the minds of other characters. The girls are acutely aware that their actions impact those around them, but these brief glimpses into the heads of their loved ones give the story a three-dimensional quality. Their actions go further than their arms’ lengths. It also gives the story the chance to be far more interconnected; the three girls are not the only important characters in the story. Important characters can be an old nanny, a young boy, a tsar… I loved how interwoven all the stories were, how the smallest action by the smallest character could have such an impact on the plot. The trio of girls were the standout characters, don’t get me wrong, but seeing Novik handle such a sprawling cast with such deftness was amazing.
All three of the women were beautifully written, but my heart lies with Miryem. It’s so unlike novels to portray female characters with traditionally unlikable careers like moneylenders as heroes, even less likely for Miryem’s seemingly unlikable traits to be what saves her. Moneylenders, particularly Jewish moneylenders, are a stereotype of evil. They come bearing money to save you in your hour of need, then return too quickly for their pound of flesh. Spinning Silver twists this stereotype on its head; the moneylenders lend too much money, they love their neighbors too much and cannot bear to see them suffer, even at the expense of their own health and happiness. And when they come asking for just a few pennies to feed their own family, those beloved neighbors spit on them. Miryem was so dear to me for this reason specifically; the novel begins with Miryem deciding that no, she was no longer going to be kind. She was going to be cruel for the sake of her own life and her own family. Also appreciated was that the novel didn’t punish her for this choice. At no point did Miryem standing up for her family, herself, or her religion was ever portrayed as something negative, and neither was pity offered to those who did her wrong. The Staryk king comes for her when her business grows too fast and too well, but even then, her narrative with the Staryk silver is far more about growing into your own abilities and power than it is a warning about being too greedy. Wanda’s journey against her abusive father and Irina’s growing dedication to her people were meaningful and lovely to read, but Miryem’s personal journey was by far the most moving.
Novik’s writing just gets better and better. One of my biggest issues with Uprooted was that even though the writing was beautiful, it wasn’t necessary, and often the flowery type of writing got in the way of my actual understanding of the plot. Spinning Silver keeps that gorgeous style without any of the obfuscation. This novel is also undoubtedly more complicated, juggling the three main point of views and separate plotlines as well as other POVs and more thoughtful critiques of society, yet the writing here is far clearer. It’s obvious to me that Novik has really developed as a writer from her last novel and found the perfect balance between lovely prose and just getting to the point.
My reading experience of Spinning Silver was nothing but lovely. The split POVs were handled with such deftness I found myself rooting for characters I only spent a few pages with, the themes of justice and womanhood were woven through skillfully without beating us over the head with them, and Novik has found her balance between a clear and understandable plot and her gorgeous prose. This is one of the more elegant fantasies I’ve read in a while, perfect for reading on a crisp, chilly day.
review blog
Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over: https://margaretmcgaffeyfisk.com/category/reviews/
My son recommended this book to me, and since I enjoyed the first in Naomi Novik’s sideways fairy tale retellings, I requested it from the library. Little did I know how well this novel fits into my long-term fascination with pre-Christian history in what is now Russia. The narrative tone, regardless of point of view (POV), reminded me of The Bear and the Nightingale, though this story has little in common with it beyond historical period and source material. It has more to do with the storytelling voice that builds the world as well as the character.
Like many older Russian novels, the cast is huge, with many gaining narrative control when appropriate, so I’ll introduce you to just a few for a taste.
Miryem, the moneylender’s daughter, suffers from how the villagers take advantage of her father’s kind nature. It’s from her we get the story’s title. She recounts the true meaning behind the fairy tale where the miller’s daughter, far from breaking class barriers to marry a prince, instead is left behind with a huge debt. She solves her problem by accusing the Jewish moneylender of devilry, and he’s chased out of town. Miryem’s father avoids this outcome by lending money to everyone, even when he has none for his own family, and never receiving payment.
When her mother’s life hangs in the balance, Miryem takes over her father’s business, hardening her heart against the villagers’ excuses. She claims the labor of a farmer’s daughter in repayment at one house, where there is nothing else. This choice brings Wanda and her two brothers into the story. Rather than suffering, Wanda is happy for an excuse to leave her home, even temporarily. She’s grateful for the chance to better the lives of her brothers as her drunk, abusive father would never do.
The third, but by no means last, POV is that of Irina, the neglected daughter of the local duke. He’d fallen in love with a woman of little standing, drawn by her Staryk (fey) blood. Then his daughter took after him with no beauty of her own, denying him the chance to make alliances through her hand. She’s learned to be clever and keep out of the way, but it’s not until Miryem makes a foolish boast in the Staryk woods that Irina’s nature comes to life and changes things forever.
Each narrator, whether a servant, a brother, or even the tsar, brings a new layer to an already complex story. The storytelling craft demonstrated in scenes beginning with tension that dissipate, or those that built tension with every moment, is impressive. Firmly grounded in Russian fairy tales, the story brings conflicting elements together with an unpredictable human element. The human characters choose answers that make sense, whether they’re right or wrong, and decisions built on those choices may not be as beneficial as expected.
The story’s depth is powerful. Story seeds planted take time to grow, and rarely in the way I first thought. We watch their world unfold through various perspectives, and the perspectives allow us to learn more than would be said aloud. This is true whether or not the narrator recognizes the significance of what they see. Assumptions made are often proved false, and it takes everyone working together to repair what has been broken.
This evocative story brings us into the heart of a world at crisis. From the humble start in a moneylender’s home to the tsar’s palace and beyond, the decisions of three young women, no matter how small, determine the fate of everyone they hold dear. They form bonds with those they could never have imagined they would meet, much less care about, introducing us to a complicated cast from all levels of society.
I enjoyed the first book in this series a lot, but Spinning Silver brings more than I imagined to such a familiar fairy tale. No one is exactly who they appear to be, whether a reluctant debt payment to the ice-cold king of the fey. I fell into this novel and didn’t want to climb back out, though the ending is more satisfying than I could have hoped for. The novel is well worth the time spent, and I look forward to what Naomi Novik tackles next.
Incredibly original. Narration from different viewpoints was brilliant.
Ending provided everything you wanted and more.
Great female leads.
What else can I say? I loved it
I am a huge fan of Naomi Novik. I adored her Temeraire series and absolutely loved Uprooted. The writing in this book is excellent, the settings so evocative and compelling, the tip of my nose got cold while reading. The concept of a loose retelling of Rumplestiltskin had me ambivalent at first. As a child, I found the story uncomfortable. Why wasn’t the poor girl valued more for her skills? What was the power of the name? Although the origin of the tale does not appear to be anti-Semitic, its more recent interpretations certainly have been. Novik is brave to examine it and turn it on its head, especially in this climate. She does it with skill and intelligence and writes a beautiful book at the same time.
A quick read set in a cool world with charming characters
Absolutely among the top ten books I’ve ever read, and in the audible the narration was perfect. I loved it even more the second time. A masterwork.
This was a hell of a ride. Spinning Silver is a fantasy novel telling the story of Miryem, a young moneylender’s daughter who enters the family business and is so good at it she quickly gains a reputation for being to turn silver into gold. However, when the Staryk, a magical race of ice creatures with a lust for gold, overhears these rumours, they set Miryem an impossible task. Caught between certain death if she fails and an undesirable future as queen of the Staryk if she succeeds, Miryem calls upon the help of friends old and new as well as the power of her family and faith to overcome her tasks, unleash her power and forge her own path. This was epic and so immersive you can nearly feel the snow falling around you as you read it. Read now and thank me later
This book follows a set of characters through a series of events where things are not always as they seem. Complexity reigns in this story. The viewpoint switches mainly between three of the main women characters, but gradually other characters are introduced. The women are strong and far more compassionate than would be expected given their circumstances. There are many twists and turns during the course of the story, but the ending is worth the wait. I will definitely be following this author!