Sunday, August 18, 2019

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

Narrated by Lisa Flanagan
Synopsis (via Goodreads): Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders... but her father isn't a very good one. Free to lend and reluctant to collect, he has loaned out most of his wife's dowry and left the family on the edge of poverty--until Miryem steps in. Hardening her heart against her fellow villagers' pleas, she sets out to collect what is owed--and finds herself more than up to the task. When her grandfather loans her a pouch of silver pennies, she brings it back full of gold.

But having the reputation of being able to change silver to gold can be more trouble than it's worth--especially when her fate becomes tangled with the cold creatures that haunt the wood, and whose king has learned of her reputation and wants to exploit it for reasons Miryem cannot understand.


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I borrowed the audiobook for Spinning Silver from my library multiple times before I finally finished it. It wasn't that the story itself was bad, but the pacing was painfully slow. It was liking wading through a river with rocks in your pockets -- not impossible, but not pleasant either. I felt like it took the author a very long time to get from point A to point B, which resulted in a lack of interest on my part.

Additionally, the perspective changes periodically and without warning. The author doesn't specify who is speaking at the start of each chapter, so you're left trying to figure it out on your own. I will say that I didn't have too much trouble telling the characters apart, both because of the narrator and the drastic differences in the characters themselves, but it was always touch and go at the beginning. Sometimes I would start listening to a chapter thinking it was one person, only to rewind and start over once I realized it was someone else.

I really enjoyed the girl power in this book, and how the three women refused to accept or bend to the expectations of others. The father of one didn't want to harass people for the money they owed him, and his daughter was tired of seeing her family suffer because of it. She took over his business and made it profitable, simply by holding other people accountable. She didn't back down when they laughed at her, and she didn't accept their excuses. Another daughter was mistreated, both physically and verbally, yet she still managed to work towards a better future for herself and her siblings. She didn't let his words or his fists control her life or break her spirit. The third daughter is cloistered away because her father feels like she's unimportant. He doesn't think she has anything to offer the world, and only sees his dead wife whenever she's around. He wants to use her station as a means to improve his standing, and she manages is to twist it in her favor. These girls knew they were more than their circumstances, and they fought against the men that wanted to use and control them for their own personal gain. I thought their individual stories were compelling, and loved when their lives started overlapping and there were more interactions between them.

Naomi Novik is a very skilled writer, and the details in Spinning Silver were clever and vast. Everything is connected. A tree, a name, a forgotten house... all of the induvial threads were woven together until there was a big, beautiful tapestry at the end. I have no idea how the author managed to keep everything organized, because there was so much happening simultaneously. I would often disregarded details as inconsequential (just more padding for the story), only to later realize they were actually crucial to the continuation of the story. It was brilliant!

If you don't mind books with a slower pace, I would highly recommend this. The story itself is fantastic and I wish I had more patience for stories like this one. The characters were strong, intelligent, determined, and not afraid to fight for themselves. The setting was both lovely and eerie, and I enjoyed experiencing the world from multiple perspectives.

25 comments:

  1. Oh, I've seen this one around and like the sound of it! I'm an odd one when it comes to pacing. Sometimes, I don't mind nice and slow and other times it drives me nuts! I guess I'll just have to read it at some point and find out. :)

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    1. Haha! Well, the story itself is really great. The characters are worth reading about, and the magical aspect was believable. If you have a chance to read it, let me know what you think! It's usually hard for me to fully invest in a book with a slower pace, but it's happened before. ;)

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  2. I hadn't heard of this one but I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it.

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    1. Thanks! It was an interesting concept that I enjoyed -- just a tad too slow.

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  3. I've seen this one around a lot but have never read any reviews I don't think. Because I read fantasy so rarely, I think I count on a fast moving plot to keep me invested. The slower pace probably wouldn't work for me. But I do like the strong females standing up for themselves!

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    1. If you don't like fantasy or slow plots, avoid this one! ;) The characters themselves were interesting, but it's really hard to invest in people when the story feel like it's never-ending.

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  4. I loved her first, but I just could not connect here, and also, was this Russia or is this alt his Russia. I focus on the strangest things ;)

    But I do hope she writes more like this

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    1. I actually own a physical copy of the first book (gifted to me by a bookish Secret Santa one year), but haven't had a chance to read it. This one was on audio, which is why I started with it. I'm happy to hear the first book was enjoyable! I have no idea where the setting was supposed to be... like an alternative Russia, if I had to guess.

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    2. I know what you mean about not being able to connect! It's hard to stay focused when there are so many character changes and the pacing is slow.

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  5. A slower pace can make it hard to get into a book at first. Glad you ended up enjoying the story as it went along. :)

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    1. I really enjoyed the story! I thought it was incredibly unique and interesting, but I wish things had happened a little more quickly. :)

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  6. I also found difficulty with the perspective changes in this book! I'm not sure why the author didn't put character names at the beginning of each chapter. :/ I'm glad you were able to enjoy this despite the slow pace. Great review!

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    1. I think I would have liked this one more had there been character names at the start of the chapters. It made a slow book feel even slower when I had to rewind the audiobook because I was picturing the story from the wrong perspective.

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  7. I do not have patience so I'm not sure how I'll do with this one but I have wanted to read it.

    Karen @ For What It's Worth

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    1. Maybe read a library copy first? The audio was good, just super slow. Even the narrator seemed to read with a lot of sighs and pauses that only made me want to increase the speed of the narration (which also makes me crazy because it sounds weird). Let me know what you think!

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  8. I'm listening to this one now and struggling a little with the changes in perspective. I agree that it's a really good story though. I love all three main characters.

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    1. Yes! The characters themselves were really interesting, and I enjoyed their individual stories. However, the lack of notice with the perspective changes was incredibly frustrating.

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  9. Oh no! I loved Uprooted but haven't had the chance to read this one yet. I am sorry that it was so slow. I hope that I have better luck with it.

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    1. I actually own Uprooted but haven't had a chance to read it yet! Everyone says it's fantastic, so I cannot wait to start it myself. Spinning Silver is really good, if you have the patience for the pacing. :)

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  10. I’ve heard such great things about Uprooted - I need to try either that or this!

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    1. I still need to read Uprooted! I likely will soon since I have a copy, but Spinner Silver was enjoyable. I know some people don't mind a slower pace, so it's really a personal preference. :)

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  11. I find pacing less important if I've been hooked well with the characters. However if they are characters that you're expected to like and genuine sympathy isn't there then I tend to really flail! I find Novak's writing a little too slow for my taste. Even with her dragon books I find myself finding something else to read. I'd say its totally the writing style. Great review Lindsi! I totally got your POV. ❤️

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    1. If I am hopelessly in love with the characters, the pacing doesn't matter as much. However, that usually means I'm juggling a few books simultaneously. I just cannot make myself sit through something that takes forrreeevver to get from A to B. Maybe it is the writing style? I honestly don't know. I enjoyed the story! :)

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  12. Good to know that the pacing is slow for this one. I'll have to make sure to I listen to this one instead of reading it---I'm much better at handling slower pacing via audiobook.

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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    1. I think I do better with physical copies when the pacing is slow! When it's an audiobook, I feel impatient waiting for the narrator to speak, and physical copies allow me to skim. ;)

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― Marissa Meyer, Heartless