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Auf einer Insel im Nordwesten der USA lebt Sam mit ihrer Schwester Elena und der schwerkranken Mutter in ärmlichen Verhältnissen. Sam arbeitet auf der Fähre, die die wohlhabenden Urlauber zu ihren Feriendomizilen bringt, während Elena im Golfclub kellnert. Sie beide träumen von einem besseren Leben, davon, woanders neu anzufangen.
Dann, eines Nachts, erblickt Sam einen Bären, der durch die dunklen Gewässer vor der Küste schwimmt. Noch kann sie nicht ahnen, dass das wilde Tier die Welt der beiden Schwestern aus den Angeln heben und ihren lang gehegten Traum in Gefahr bringen wird.
Dann, eines Nachts, erblickt Sam einen Bären, der durch die dunklen Gewässer vor der Küste schwimmt. Noch kann sie nicht ahnen, dass das wilde Tier die Welt der beiden Schwestern aus den Angeln heben und ihren lang gehegten Traum in Gefahr bringen wird.
273 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 25, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,190 reviews
November 19, 2024
give me all the books about sisters.
except the ones that are really about forming a psychosexual relationship with a bear, i guess.
probably even when i'm 85 years old and, like, baking cookies and reading 24/7 like a nerdy keebler elf, my primary identifier will be eldest sister.
so i was destined to dislike this book.
it's about two sisters: our protagonist, sam, who is obsessed with the idea of selling their house when their mom dies and leaving the island they live on, and her older sister, elena, who is constantly having to care for their mom, work, clean, and cook, and also is obsessed with a bear.
sam is a really aggravating character. she's a 28 year old grown woman and yet she expects her sister to do everything, then throws tantrums and tattles when her sister (WHO IS ONE YEAR OLDER) doesn't just work for sam's own dreams. this is not solved by character development and in fact gets worse over the course of the book.
i imagine a lot of the low ratings on this book are because it's very silly and dumb to be obsessed with a huge scary animal who is mostly described by his reeking of piss, but that's only the start of it.
the best part of this whole book is when elena finally tells sam to f*ck off.
i love books about sisters, but this read more like a soap opera: everything bad that can happen will happen, with no time for character development along the way.
bottom line: maybe it's the eldest sister in me, but this book's smelly monster was more sympathetic than the baby of the family.
(thanks to the publisher for the arc)
except the ones that are really about forming a psychosexual relationship with a bear, i guess.
probably even when i'm 85 years old and, like, baking cookies and reading 24/7 like a nerdy keebler elf, my primary identifier will be eldest sister.
so i was destined to dislike this book.
it's about two sisters: our protagonist, sam, who is obsessed with the idea of selling their house when their mom dies and leaving the island they live on, and her older sister, elena, who is constantly having to care for their mom, work, clean, and cook, and also is obsessed with a bear.
sam is a really aggravating character. she's a 28 year old grown woman and yet she expects her sister to do everything, then throws tantrums and tattles when her sister (WHO IS ONE YEAR OLDER) doesn't just work for sam's own dreams. this is not solved by character development and in fact gets worse over the course of the book.
i imagine a lot of the low ratings on this book are because it's very silly and dumb to be obsessed with a huge scary animal who is mostly described by his reeking of piss, but that's only the start of it.
the best part of this whole book is when elena finally tells sam to f*ck off.
i love books about sisters, but this read more like a soap opera: everything bad that can happen will happen, with no time for character development along the way.
bottom line: maybe it's the eldest sister in me, but this book's smelly monster was more sympathetic than the baby of the family.
(thanks to the publisher for the arc)
August 1, 2024
You know that story about Goldilocks and the three bears? I don't remember it well but it's something about a mama, a papa, and a baby bear visiting a little girl's house.
Baby Bear tries Goldilocks' parents' furniture, the bed and chairs and whatever, and find them too big and too small. When he tries those belonging to Goldilocks, they are just right.
Then Goldilocks comes home, sees Mama Bear, and thinks she's her grandmother. She runs to hug her and gets eaten up.
Or maybe that's Little Red Riding Hood. I don't know, I told you I don't remember the story well.
Anyhow. My point is - if you're looking for a story about bears and people, the story of Goldilocks is much more interesting than this book.
It feels like a young adult novel and the main character, a 28 year old, sounds like a whiny tween instead of a grown ass woman.
We are subjected to about 300 pages of absolutely nothing interesting happening, complete with dumbed down writing.
It's very melodramatic and I guess it's supposed to be some lovey-dovey story about the relationship between two sisters instead of being a cool bear story.
A lot of people enjoy reading about feelings and relationships, Hallmark Channel stories, and will find this novel right up their alley.
Obviously I'm not one of them. I did a lot of skimming and eye rolling.
Fuck this book.
Baby Bear tries Goldilocks' parents' furniture, the bed and chairs and whatever, and find them too big and too small. When he tries those belonging to Goldilocks, they are just right.
Then Goldilocks comes home, sees Mama Bear, and thinks she's her grandmother. She runs to hug her and gets eaten up.
Or maybe that's Little Red Riding Hood. I don't know, I told you I don't remember the story well.
Anyhow. My point is - if you're looking for a story about bears and people, the story of Goldilocks is much more interesting than this book.
It feels like a young adult novel and the main character, a 28 year old, sounds like a whiny tween instead of a grown ass woman.
We are subjected to about 300 pages of absolutely nothing interesting happening, complete with dumbed down writing.
It's very melodramatic and I guess it's supposed to be some lovey-dovey story about the relationship between two sisters instead of being a cool bear story.
A lot of people enjoy reading about feelings and relationships, Hallmark Channel stories, and will find this novel right up their alley.
Obviously I'm not one of them. I did a lot of skimming and eye rolling.
Fuck this book.
January 30, 2024
I really enjoyed this story of two adult sisters living on the beautiful island of San Juan, Washington..
the island is beautiful but their house is rundown and they have so much debt.
Their house is was their grandmothers and the sisters Elena and Sam were raised there as was their mother.
Their mother is terminally ill now and the both sisters care for her and work hard to stay afloat .. bills, both household and medical from the mother’s illness have left them in dire straits.
One evening…a huge brown bear appears … it swam to the island when Sam was watching from her job on the ferry… then it appeared right outside their house.
The rest of the story is for you to read.
It’s a good one! Enjoy!
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC!
the island is beautiful but their house is rundown and they have so much debt.
Their house is was their grandmothers and the sisters Elena and Sam were raised there as was their mother.
Their mother is terminally ill now and the both sisters care for her and work hard to stay afloat .. bills, both household and medical from the mother’s illness have left them in dire straits.
One evening…a huge brown bear appears … it swam to the island when Sam was watching from her job on the ferry… then it appeared right outside their house.
The rest of the story is for you to read.
It’s a good one! Enjoy!
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC!
June 9, 2024
I wish to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of Bear in exchange for an honest review. When I read its description, I thought this book would interest me. The description of the island off the coast of Washington State was vivid and atmospheric. Still, I despised the main character, Sam (Samantha), and thought her constant complaints, rudeness, and condescension were hard to take.
Sam lives on a scenic island with her sister Elena in the Pacific off Washington State. She is a dreamer with imagination and pleasant thoughts for the future. She depends on Elena, who is more practical and organized about their future plans while ignoring their reality. They live with their dying mother, whom they care for, in a dilapidated old house where they grew up. Sam has believed for years that when their mother dies, the house and land can be sold for a large sum of money, enabling them to move away from the island. Both sisters depend on income from low-paying jobs and are desperately in debt. The situation became worse when their employers shut down during the pandemic. Sam is stunned by Elena's admission that the house has a second mortgage, and with their accumulated bills, any plans to move away have become impossible.
Elena works as a bartender at a local golf course, and Sam works in the canteen on a boat that runs between islands. Elena appears to have no interest in men, and much of her spare time involves sensible advice to Sam and time spent with friends. Sam engages in frantic sexual encounters with co-worker Ben in empty rooms on the ferry. Ben wants to date her. However, she does not want to talk to him or see him outside of work. She can be insulting and hurtful to him. She never developed friendships, even earlier with classmates, and resented Elena's popularity. One day, Sam notices a bear swimming toward shore.
Sam is terrified of the bear that shows up around their house. She learns that her normally sensible sister encounters the animal during walks, talks to it, and brings it food. Elena considers the approach from the bear magical and is elated by its presence. When their mother dies, Sam cannot wait to get off the island, and her sister informs her that this is financially impossible. Sam wants the bear gone and contacts Madeline, a wildlife officer. She is told the animal is a harmless brown bear and it will leave if not fed or threatened. She keeps some facts from Elena and Madeline and constantly pesters Madeline to arrange for the bear's removal. The bear has been reported killing livestock.
Elena invites Sam to accompany her on one of her encounters with the bear. Sam's fear increases when she watches it approach Elena from the woods while she talks softly to the animal. She is shocked by its large size and how Elena places herself in danger. Another call to Madeline results in Sam being sent bear spray. She attempts to spray the bear but manages to get the spray in Elena's face and eyes. This angers her sister, who stops speaking to her or returning messages.
Elena has arranged a reception to honour their mother after her death. Sam feels this is unnecessary but reluctantly agrees to attend. She is awaiting an apology from Elena for the bear spray incident and will not accept any blame herself. Many of her mother's friends and neighbours are in attendance. Sam rudely orders Madeline to leave and causes a scene with Elena's closest girlfriend. She is unpleasant with Ben for attending. She attempts to flirt with Daniel, a neighbour, who informs her that he and Elena have been a couple since school days. This further infuriates Sam, as her sister has kept this relationship a secret.
I enjoyed Elena's pleasure from the bear, but I understand why Sam feared her and how her sister ignored all recommendations from the wildlife authorities. Later, it is learned that the bear was a dangerous grizzly, not part of the brown bear species, and had never been seen on the island before.
The ending of the story was terrible!!!
The book is due to be published on June 25. I urge prospective readers to read some of the more favourable reviews and not be deterred by my misgivings.
Sam lives on a scenic island with her sister Elena in the Pacific off Washington State. She is a dreamer with imagination and pleasant thoughts for the future. She depends on Elena, who is more practical and organized about their future plans while ignoring their reality. They live with their dying mother, whom they care for, in a dilapidated old house where they grew up. Sam has believed for years that when their mother dies, the house and land can be sold for a large sum of money, enabling them to move away from the island. Both sisters depend on income from low-paying jobs and are desperately in debt. The situation became worse when their employers shut down during the pandemic. Sam is stunned by Elena's admission that the house has a second mortgage, and with their accumulated bills, any plans to move away have become impossible.
Elena works as a bartender at a local golf course, and Sam works in the canteen on a boat that runs between islands. Elena appears to have no interest in men, and much of her spare time involves sensible advice to Sam and time spent with friends. Sam engages in frantic sexual encounters with co-worker Ben in empty rooms on the ferry. Ben wants to date her. However, she does not want to talk to him or see him outside of work. She can be insulting and hurtful to him. She never developed friendships, even earlier with classmates, and resented Elena's popularity. One day, Sam notices a bear swimming toward shore.
Sam is terrified of the bear that shows up around their house. She learns that her normally sensible sister encounters the animal during walks, talks to it, and brings it food. Elena considers the approach from the bear magical and is elated by its presence. When their mother dies, Sam cannot wait to get off the island, and her sister informs her that this is financially impossible. Sam wants the bear gone and contacts Madeline, a wildlife officer. She is told the animal is a harmless brown bear and it will leave if not fed or threatened. She keeps some facts from Elena and Madeline and constantly pesters Madeline to arrange for the bear's removal. The bear has been reported killing livestock.
Elena invites Sam to accompany her on one of her encounters with the bear. Sam's fear increases when she watches it approach Elena from the woods while she talks softly to the animal. She is shocked by its large size and how Elena places herself in danger. Another call to Madeline results in Sam being sent bear spray. She attempts to spray the bear but manages to get the spray in Elena's face and eyes. This angers her sister, who stops speaking to her or returning messages.
Elena has arranged a reception to honour their mother after her death. Sam feels this is unnecessary but reluctantly agrees to attend. She is awaiting an apology from Elena for the bear spray incident and will not accept any blame herself. Many of her mother's friends and neighbours are in attendance. Sam rudely orders Madeline to leave and causes a scene with Elena's closest girlfriend. She is unpleasant with Ben for attending. She attempts to flirt with Daniel, a neighbour, who informs her that he and Elena have been a couple since school days. This further infuriates Sam, as her sister has kept this relationship a secret.
I enjoyed Elena's pleasure from the bear, but I understand why Sam feared her and how her sister ignored all recommendations from the wildlife authorities. Later, it is learned that the bear was a dangerous grizzly, not part of the brown bear species, and had never been seen on the island before.
The ending of the story was terrible!!!
The book is due to be published on June 25. I urge prospective readers to read some of the more favourable reviews and not be deterred by my misgivings.
January 8, 2024
When I was a child, I wished that one day I’d be gifted a sister. This longing had me searching for a magical solution, and I was always just a sister away from my dreams-come-true. I’m a voracious reader, and BEAR registered high on my wish list, a story of two sisters, a year apart in age, who thirst for a better life. They possess concrete dreams for the future—a way to boost their financially strapped status while continuing to be devoted to each other above anyone else. Julia Phillips delivers a tense and meaningful allegory about family and expectations, an island story based on Grimm’s Snow White and Rose Red. If you haven’t read that fairytale, not to worry---you’ll enjoy this novel for its depth of character, unusual setting, wooded atmosphere, and submerged plot.
Sam and Elena are in their late twenties, financially struggling to survive on San Juan Island, known for its wealthy visitors. The island is part of the archipelago of islands of northwestern Washington, a distinctive, contained non-urban place that attracts year-round tourists and mainlanders with vacation houses there. The sisters cling to each other for support as they lovingly care for their dying mother, who formerly ran a salon. The nail solvents used then eventually destroyed her lungs. The sisters plan to sell the crumbling, decayed house when their mother dies, and start a new chapter of their lives somewhere else. The house sits on land that’s worth a mint, so the young women will inherit a significant amount of cash when they sell.
Elena bartends at a golf club and Sam sells snacks to mainlanders on the Anacortes ferry. Both feel frustrated by insufficient funds, and resentful of the well-heeled guests they cater to and depend on for tips. Their lives are routine and repetitive, restricted by a deficit of money and an ailing mother. Most days are predictable, habitual with boredom and eroded desires. Then, one night, Sam spots a bear from her perch on the ferry. The beast is swimming in the channel, apparently headed for Canada. How does the appearance of a bear change their dedicated plans and their day-to-day lives? Does it presage a magical fairytale fate or is it a harbinger of foreboding doom? Why does it show up on their property, and keep coming back? Safety is upended by the animal’s frequent visits, and Sam’s sense of dread is impugned by Elena’s exulted mood.
BEAR is a parable of untold secrets that could tear the sisters apart, a narrative that haunted me beyond its astonishing finale. Phillips is a daring novelist who writes outside the box, colors beyond the lines, belies definition and invites interpretation. If you’re seeking all the answers, BEAR may not be for you. But for readers fiercely fond of an elliptical tale, this story will stun you with its furious, dark suspense.
Thank you to Hogarth Press for sending me an early copy for review.
Sam and Elena are in their late twenties, financially struggling to survive on San Juan Island, known for its wealthy visitors. The island is part of the archipelago of islands of northwestern Washington, a distinctive, contained non-urban place that attracts year-round tourists and mainlanders with vacation houses there. The sisters cling to each other for support as they lovingly care for their dying mother, who formerly ran a salon. The nail solvents used then eventually destroyed her lungs. The sisters plan to sell the crumbling, decayed house when their mother dies, and start a new chapter of their lives somewhere else. The house sits on land that’s worth a mint, so the young women will inherit a significant amount of cash when they sell.
Elena bartends at a golf club and Sam sells snacks to mainlanders on the Anacortes ferry. Both feel frustrated by insufficient funds, and resentful of the well-heeled guests they cater to and depend on for tips. Their lives are routine and repetitive, restricted by a deficit of money and an ailing mother. Most days are predictable, habitual with boredom and eroded desires. Then, one night, Sam spots a bear from her perch on the ferry. The beast is swimming in the channel, apparently headed for Canada. How does the appearance of a bear change their dedicated plans and their day-to-day lives? Does it presage a magical fairytale fate or is it a harbinger of foreboding doom? Why does it show up on their property, and keep coming back? Safety is upended by the animal’s frequent visits, and Sam’s sense of dread is impugned by Elena’s exulted mood.
BEAR is a parable of untold secrets that could tear the sisters apart, a narrative that haunted me beyond its astonishing finale. Phillips is a daring novelist who writes outside the box, colors beyond the lines, belies definition and invites interpretation. If you’re seeking all the answers, BEAR may not be for you. But for readers fiercely fond of an elliptical tale, this story will stun you with its furious, dark suspense.
Thank you to Hogarth Press for sending me an early copy for review.
June 18, 2024
In 2019, Julia Phillips published a celebrated novel called “Disappearing Earth,” set on a remote Russian peninsula called Kamchatka.
It’s not a place many Western readers were likely to have heard of before. Indeed, a travel story in The Washington Post noted, “You come to Kamchatka for two reasons: bears and volcanoes.”
Now, for her second novel, Phillips has returned to America, but she’s still showing a penchant for far-flung, disconnected places. This time, it’s San Juan Island, off the coast of Washington state. And at least one of those ursine creatures has come lumbering back with her.
A grizzly haunts the pages of “Bear.” It’s hard to identify at first, and so unlikely that everyone’s giddy with excitement, but there it is: a bear swimming in the San Juan Channel, where they’d never seen one. Folks on the ferry take pictures and call out to the animal. Later, the sheriff’s deputy suggests it could have been a deer. Please. It was no deer.
But what those hundreds of pounds of muscle and fur might mean is challenging to see through the dark woods of this intense novel, which begins with an epigraph from the Brothers Grimm. For almost 300 pages, Phillips wends along the vague barrier that separates pasture from forest, reason from madness....
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
It’s not a place many Western readers were likely to have heard of before. Indeed, a travel story in The Washington Post noted, “You come to Kamchatka for two reasons: bears and volcanoes.”
Now, for her second novel, Phillips has returned to America, but she’s still showing a penchant for far-flung, disconnected places. This time, it’s San Juan Island, off the coast of Washington state. And at least one of those ursine creatures has come lumbering back with her.
A grizzly haunts the pages of “Bear.” It’s hard to identify at first, and so unlikely that everyone’s giddy with excitement, but there it is: a bear swimming in the San Juan Channel, where they’d never seen one. Folks on the ferry take pictures and call out to the animal. Later, the sheriff’s deputy suggests it could have been a deer. Please. It was no deer.
But what those hundreds of pounds of muscle and fur might mean is challenging to see through the dark woods of this intense novel, which begins with an epigraph from the Brothers Grimm. For almost 300 pages, Phillips wends along the vague barrier that separates pasture from forest, reason from madness....
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
September 24, 2024
This sister story takes place post Covid pandemic on the San Juan islands near Seattle.
Elena and Sam are in their 20’s and grew up in the same house they are living in now. Their mother is terminally ill and they each work low paying jobs as well as take care of her.
Sam works concession on the ferry system and one day she sees a bear swimming.
The next day - the bear is outside the front door of their house!
Their day in/day out life of going to work, taking care of mom and going to bed disrupts each of the sisters in a different way. The presence of the bear fascinates Elena and she is not afraid. Sam is afraid and wants animal control to get it off the island.
This was a pensive and sort of somber story that was well written but it didn’t seem to click with me.
If there were a theme song for this book I think it would be Fast Car by Tracy Chapman.
Elena and Sam are in their 20’s and grew up in the same house they are living in now. Their mother is terminally ill and they each work low paying jobs as well as take care of her.
Sam works concession on the ferry system and one day she sees a bear swimming.
The next day - the bear is outside the front door of their house!
Their day in/day out life of going to work, taking care of mom and going to bed disrupts each of the sisters in a different way. The presence of the bear fascinates Elena and she is not afraid. Sam is afraid and wants animal control to get it off the island.
This was a pensive and sort of somber story that was well written but it didn’t seem to click with me.
If there were a theme song for this book I think it would be Fast Car by Tracy Chapman.
September 3, 2024
What happens when the classic Brothers Grimm fairy-tale, Snow White and Rose Red, is merged with the gritty reality of working-class people on San Juan Island, off the coast of Washington State?
Magic happens. You get a book that maintains its mythical feel while bringing the reader uncomfortably close to the daily existence of those who struggle to get by.
Sam and Elena, two sisters born just over a year apart, live with their ailing mother, who is slowly dying. Elena, the older sister, bartends in a local golf club. Sam works on the ferry shuttle, serving coffee and finger food to dismissive and entitled wealthy commuters. The sisters love their mother but dream of liberation – a time when they can sell the property and launch off on their own.
Then something happens that upends their life. They encounter a massive bear, who presumably has swum to the island on its way to Canada. Elena is mesmerized by this “dreadful, holy sight.” She talks about the sighting the way a person might if an angel touched down. Sam has the opposite reaction. At first, she is awed, then frightened, then determined to speak to the authorities and to keep herself and her sister safe.
Who is this bear? Is he just a dumb creature from the forest searching for food, or is he an enchanted gift from the animal gods? And how do two sisters, who exist in a world that demands that they defend themselves without ever giving them what they need to try, make sense of him? As the sisters begin to distance themselves from each other, more is revealed about who each of them truly is, and a layer of moral ambiguity is cast over the story.
It's a compelling and propulsive book that keeps me in its sway, even now that I’ve finished the last page. I owe a big thanks to Hogarth Press for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for an honest review.
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January 31, 2024If you’re expecting this novel to be anything like Disappearing Earth, you won’t find it here. You’ll find the cleverness of myth and fairytale intertwined in this novel that borrows, slightly, from Brothers’ Grimm’s Snow White and Rose Red (Thanks, Jill… I would not have known this).
And you’ll find an entirely different writing style from Disappearing, this one feeling almost middle-grade in sentence dynamics and character development compared to her previous literary trademarks of deep interiority and lush description. Maybe that was by design, given the goal of retelling a fairytale?
But for me, it didn’t take. I wanted more of the bear, a deeper emotional connection to the sisters. I was sad that I never hopped into their skin. I can’t help but think this might have been a more effective short story rather than a novel.
I may well end up being an outlier here. But I will definitely read a future Phillips book since I was so taken by her debut. Many thanks to Random House for the advance copy in exchange for my reading feedback.
And you’ll find an entirely different writing style from Disappearing, this one feeling almost middle-grade in sentence dynamics and character development compared to her previous literary trademarks of deep interiority and lush description. Maybe that was by design, given the goal of retelling a fairytale?
But for me, it didn’t take. I wanted more of the bear, a deeper emotional connection to the sisters. I was sad that I never hopped into their skin. I can’t help but think this might have been a more effective short story rather than a novel.
I may well end up being an outlier here. But I will definitely read a future Phillips book since I was so taken by her debut. Many thanks to Random House for the advance copy in exchange for my reading feedback.
July 20, 2025
I just tried to write a review for this book. I was several paragraphs into it and realized I had written little about the actual book. This is attempt number two ...
Bear by Julia Phillips is loosely based on the fairy tale Snow White and Rose Red by the Brothers Grimm. Both stories are about two sisters who live in a small house in the woods with their mother when one day they are visited by a bear. And that's where the stories go their separate ways.
In Bear, sisters Sam and Elena live in a small house with their terminally sick mother on an island off Washington State. The descriptions of the setting are wonderful. I felt like I was in the forest or meadows with Elena, or on the boat with Sam, as Phillips was describing it.
The book is more about family dynamics, specifically sisterhood, than it is about the bear. However, the bear plays a very important role in the book. It serves as a catalyst to test the strength of the sisters' bond. I grew up without a sister, so I'm not sure about what a bond like that should be. I have two daughters, but there's too many years between them to have that bond. I can only imagine what it must feel like. But as the book progressed, I felt the stresses and strains that Sam experienced, only because I've found myself in similar awkward social situation. She's a stubborn one who holds onto childhood dreams and refuses to let go. Yeah, I can feel her pain.
Because there was no clear villain in the story, it felt like it ambled along. I wasn't really surprised by anything that happened throughout the book. It isn't a thriller or horror. There's nothing to figure out, nobody to want to see caught, except maybe the bear. But at the same time, he's just a bear doing bear things. He isn't a villain, either. As a result, I was left seeing the world through Sam's eyes and wishing she would be a little less stubborn about the way she viewed the world around her.
Bear broke my heart several times and Sam's view of events at the end of the book was heartbreakingly beautiful. I wanted to reach into the book and hug her.
You can probably tell by my review, this book isn't for everyone. I feel it's written for patient readers who have a lot of empathy for the characters. As for my personal opinion of the story, I'm struggling to decide between three and four stars. I can understand why several readers have rated it lower, but the fact that it kept me up late into the night causes me to lean more toward four stars. I appreciated the many thoughts and feelings it evoked.
Bear by Julia Phillips is loosely based on the fairy tale Snow White and Rose Red by the Brothers Grimm. Both stories are about two sisters who live in a small house in the woods with their mother when one day they are visited by a bear. And that's where the stories go their separate ways.
In Bear, sisters Sam and Elena live in a small house with their terminally sick mother on an island off Washington State. The descriptions of the setting are wonderful. I felt like I was in the forest or meadows with Elena, or on the boat with Sam, as Phillips was describing it.
The book is more about family dynamics, specifically sisterhood, than it is about the bear. However, the bear plays a very important role in the book. It serves as a catalyst to test the strength of the sisters' bond. I grew up without a sister, so I'm not sure about what a bond like that should be. I have two daughters, but there's too many years between them to have that bond. I can only imagine what it must feel like. But as the book progressed, I felt the stresses and strains that Sam experienced, only because I've found myself in similar awkward social situation. She's a stubborn one who holds onto childhood dreams and refuses to let go. Yeah, I can feel her pain.
Because there was no clear villain in the story, it felt like it ambled along. I wasn't really surprised by anything that happened throughout the book. It isn't a thriller or horror. There's nothing to figure out, nobody to want to see caught, except maybe the bear. But at the same time, he's just a bear doing bear things. He isn't a villain, either. As a result, I was left seeing the world through Sam's eyes and wishing she would be a little less stubborn about the way she viewed the world around her.
Bear broke my heart several times and Sam's view of events at the end of the book was heartbreakingly beautiful. I wanted to reach into the book and hug her.
You can probably tell by my review, this book isn't for everyone. I feel it's written for patient readers who have a lot of empathy for the characters. As for my personal opinion of the story, I'm struggling to decide between three and four stars. I can understand why several readers have rated it lower, but the fact that it kept me up late into the night causes me to lean more toward four stars. I appreciated the many thoughts and feelings it evoked.
January 6, 2024
This is a story of sisters who live in a quietly beautiful setting with their mother, who is slowly fading away, losing her grip on life a little bit more each day. Their daily lives seem to blend into one another as the days, weeks, months pass, but not much changes. That is, until one night when a bear appears on their doorstep, which changes everything.
Sam, the younger sister, is terrified that this bear will continue to return to their home, while the other sister slowly becomes obsessed with the bear, and spends her days seeking him out. It changes everything, including the relationship between the two sisters.
In the meantime, life and work continue to take up most of the time for Sam who works on a ferry, and barely makes enough money to make it worth her while. There are mild flirtations, and perhaps more, but she isn’t looking for a partner with so much going on at home.
Elena’s interest in the bear becomes an obsession, and then beyond that...eventually it brings about changes which are not easily forgotten.
Pub Date: 25 Jun 2024
Many thanks for the ARC provided by Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Hogarth
December 27, 2023
I found this disturbing. Spending all that time in Sams head wasn't enjoyable to me - I really didn't like her. Then the ending made me feel sick. I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
July 16, 2024
Fan f-ing tastic book Julia
This is not a story about a bear.....well, just a little.
It is about the complicated relationship of two sisters who have stayed together near on 30 years in a house their grandmother bought, in a small isolated town way up north. They live their lives day to day, seeming loyal to one another, with similar dreams and dedication to their mother.
BUT of course much more lays underneath the surface, unsaid. The bear of title makes truths come to light and ignites a series of events that ensures that both sisters get their dreams, just not in a way anyone would have ever guessed.
This is not a story about a bear.....well, just a little.
It is about the complicated relationship of two sisters who have stayed together near on 30 years in a house their grandmother bought, in a small isolated town way up north. They live their lives day to day, seeming loyal to one another, with similar dreams and dedication to their mother.
BUT of course much more lays underneath the surface, unsaid. The bear of title makes truths come to light and ignites a series of events that ensures that both sisters get their dreams, just not in a way anyone would have ever guessed.
July 7, 2024
Woof. This book felt like it went on forever and ever…at first. The pacing of the first half is almost unforgivable. The second half is where it suddenly becomes tense and provocative. A deliciously unique story begins to unfold.
Personally, I think it was smart of Phillips to make Sam our main protagonist. Sam is the sister who is mean-spirited, self-destructive, and abrasive. Looking at the story through her eyes provided the novel a feeling of added menace the entire time. Were things happening the way they were being presented or the way Sam wanted us to think they were happening? What’s really up with that bear?
Sure, that first half tested my patience and sure, I’m still not sure it was warranted. But the back half sure made up for the sludge. Especially that tense af ending.
An atmospheric and spellbinding experience that made my jaw drop at the ending because of its WTF-ery. Thanks for the wild ride.
Personally, I think it was smart of Phillips to make Sam our main protagonist. Sam is the sister who is mean-spirited, self-destructive, and abrasive. Looking at the story through her eyes provided the novel a feeling of added menace the entire time. Were things happening the way they were being presented or the way Sam wanted us to think they were happening? What’s really up with that bear?
Sure, that first half tested my patience and sure, I’m still not sure it was warranted. But the back half sure made up for the sludge. Especially that tense af ending.
An atmospheric and spellbinding experience that made my jaw drop at the ending because of its WTF-ery. Thanks for the wild ride.
June 1, 2025
The deeply-conflicted reviews are the hardest to write. Had I not been so enamored of Julia Phillips' debut
Disappearing Earth
and so eagerly anticipated Bear, perhaps I could land more firmly on my conclusions. But even without the anticipation, I believe I would still waffle between awe and frustration.
As she did in Disappearing Earth, Phillips brilliantly establishes mood and theme with a wondrous landscape. Whereas her debut was set on a harsh and unforgiving terrain of a vast Russian peninsula, Bear unfolds on the gently pastoral and boreal paradise of San Juan Island, its splendid isolation broken by regular ferry crossings that convey tourists from the Puget Sound mainland. It's a fairy tale setting, perfect for a novel that opens with lines from the Brothers Grimm story, “Snow-White and Rose-Red.”
But the idyllic setting has become a prison for late twenty-something sisters Sam and Elena. They've resided their entire lives in the small enclave of Friday Harbor with their mother, who is dying of a pulmonary disease. Despite living on property that would fetch at least half a million on the real estate market, the women live in near-poverty. The mother's illness has all but bankrupt the family, which survives on Elena's wages as a server at the golf club's tony restaurant and Sam's meager take-home from working concessions on the ferry. The sisters are trapped by the need to care for their mother, whom they adore but whose illness has lingered years longer than they imagined.
Sam sustains her hope by leaning into the plan the sisters created in the early days of their mother's diagnosis: once she passes, they will sell the house and property and finally be free to live wherever they choose, never having to worry about money again.
Then one day, Sam is on the ferry deck after her shift, gazing out across the Salish Sea, when she sees the inexplicable: a grizzly bear swimming toward the island.
Is the bear a threat or a savior? How the two sisters respond to the bear's presence becomes the story's central conflict. But because our perspective is limited to Sam's point-of-view, it became this reader's central frustration.
Phillip's spare prose captures Sam's stasis and emotional claustrophobia perfectly. Sam's world, despite the beauty in which she lives, is gray and dull. She spends hours every day in a grim cafeteria on a huge boat that treks the same watery path day after day, heating pastries in a microwave and handing out sugary coffee drinks to tourists who look right through her. She's having a summer fling with another ferry employee, but there's no substance to their relationship. Sam seems to be waiting it out with the same resignation she regards every other aspect of her life, including her mother's terminal illness, her sister's exhaustion, the indifference of their small town. Her weariness becomes our own. There is little relief in this moody and grim narrative.
Elena, by contrast, is reanimated by the bear's appearance. The bond between them is transcendent, but we view it only from afar, through Sam's horrified eyes. We're never let in on the secret, just left to guess at the meaning of their electric connection through the opaque but heavy-handed symbology.
Without question, Bear is impossible to put down. The fairy tale motif ribbons dread through the hyper-realism of a tourist Mecca recovering from pandemic depression. You know it won't end well and the novel's final third is riveting, leading to that inevitable ending. But, no spoilers here!
This is a tightly-controlled story with little redemption. I admire Julia Phillips' narrative mastery, even if the story left me cold and defeated.
There are some details that jarred me, calling into question the entire premise on which the novel hinges. Anyone with the mother's level of income would be eligible for AppleCare, Washington State's health insurance program for low income residents. The daughters would not have been responsible for footing the bill for their mother's care. That's simply not how it works. Mom would have qualified for AppleCare and would never have seen a single bill.
I live not far from the novel's setting, in a community that is also dependent on the state ferry system. Washington State Ferries lost many employees during the pandemic, creating a staffing crisis that affects full functioning even today. Anyone who had a Merchant Marine certification would not have been denied a job with the WSF. Ferry concessions, which are contracted out to private businesses, were discontinued due to staff shortages during the pandemic, but the WSF was, and remains, desperate for willing, certified ferry workers. So, no.
As she did in Disappearing Earth, Phillips brilliantly establishes mood and theme with a wondrous landscape. Whereas her debut was set on a harsh and unforgiving terrain of a vast Russian peninsula, Bear unfolds on the gently pastoral and boreal paradise of San Juan Island, its splendid isolation broken by regular ferry crossings that convey tourists from the Puget Sound mainland. It's a fairy tale setting, perfect for a novel that opens with lines from the Brothers Grimm story, “Snow-White and Rose-Red.”
But the idyllic setting has become a prison for late twenty-something sisters Sam and Elena. They've resided their entire lives in the small enclave of Friday Harbor with their mother, who is dying of a pulmonary disease. Despite living on property that would fetch at least half a million on the real estate market, the women live in near-poverty. The mother's illness has all but bankrupt the family, which survives on Elena's wages as a server at the golf club's tony restaurant and Sam's meager take-home from working concessions on the ferry. The sisters are trapped by the need to care for their mother, whom they adore but whose illness has lingered years longer than they imagined.
Sam sustains her hope by leaning into the plan the sisters created in the early days of their mother's diagnosis: once she passes, they will sell the house and property and finally be free to live wherever they choose, never having to worry about money again.
Then one day, Sam is on the ferry deck after her shift, gazing out across the Salish Sea, when she sees the inexplicable: a grizzly bear swimming toward the island.
Is the bear a threat or a savior? How the two sisters respond to the bear's presence becomes the story's central conflict. But because our perspective is limited to Sam's point-of-view, it became this reader's central frustration.
Phillip's spare prose captures Sam's stasis and emotional claustrophobia perfectly. Sam's world, despite the beauty in which she lives, is gray and dull. She spends hours every day in a grim cafeteria on a huge boat that treks the same watery path day after day, heating pastries in a microwave and handing out sugary coffee drinks to tourists who look right through her. She's having a summer fling with another ferry employee, but there's no substance to their relationship. Sam seems to be waiting it out with the same resignation she regards every other aspect of her life, including her mother's terminal illness, her sister's exhaustion, the indifference of their small town. Her weariness becomes our own. There is little relief in this moody and grim narrative.
Elena, by contrast, is reanimated by the bear's appearance. The bond between them is transcendent, but we view it only from afar, through Sam's horrified eyes. We're never let in on the secret, just left to guess at the meaning of their electric connection through the opaque but heavy-handed symbology.
Without question, Bear is impossible to put down. The fairy tale motif ribbons dread through the hyper-realism of a tourist Mecca recovering from pandemic depression. You know it won't end well and the novel's final third is riveting, leading to that inevitable ending. But, no spoilers here!
This is a tightly-controlled story with little redemption. I admire Julia Phillips' narrative mastery, even if the story left me cold and defeated.
There are some details that jarred me, calling into question the entire premise on which the novel hinges. Anyone with the mother's level of income would be eligible for AppleCare, Washington State's health insurance program for low income residents. The daughters would not have been responsible for footing the bill for their mother's care. That's simply not how it works. Mom would have qualified for AppleCare and would never have seen a single bill.
I live not far from the novel's setting, in a community that is also dependent on the state ferry system. Washington State Ferries lost many employees during the pandemic, creating a staffing crisis that affects full functioning even today. Anyone who had a Merchant Marine certification would not have been denied a job with the WSF. Ferry concessions, which are contracted out to private businesses, were discontinued due to staff shortages during the pandemic, but the WSF was, and remains, desperate for willing, certified ferry workers. So, no.
February 3, 2024
I truly despised this book. Sam was incorrigible, selfish, immature, etc. She read like a child even though she was almost 30. Her sister is so desperate not to have to run a household she seeks out the bear. To me, the book went like this:
Sam complains. Sam goes to work, complains, lists every mundane task out for us to see every time she works, which, of course, is constantly because her life is hard. Sam takes a survey on her phone. Sam dreams of leaving.
Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Over and over.
She finally gets the chance to leave and doesn't take it? I guess because she wants to be there for her sister. Although, she has never stepped up and let her sister shoulder it all their entire lives.
I'll end with how disappointed I am that a female writer would include a narrative that physical abuse from your husband/boyfriend is a family trait passed down through generations. 2024, and we're still doing this? Gross.
Sam complains. Sam goes to work, complains, lists every mundane task out for us to see every time she works, which, of course, is constantly because her life is hard. Sam takes a survey on her phone. Sam dreams of leaving.
Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Over and over.
She finally gets the chance to leave and doesn't take it? I guess because she wants to be there for her sister. Although, she has never stepped up and let her sister shoulder it all their entire lives.
I'll end with how disappointed I am that a female writer would include a narrative that physical abuse from your husband/boyfriend is a family trait passed down through generations. 2024, and we're still doing this? Gross.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 18, 2024
"Bear" has the air of fable or parable: elements of unreality, allusions to roses and poisoned apples, to dark and light. An island, San Juan, in the Pacific Northwest. A family: two sisters and their mom. One sister (Sam) works at the snack bar on the ferry going back and forth from the mainland -- a job interrupted (along with its pay) by the pandemic. She is bitter, closed off; her single non-family relationship is with a co-worker with whom she from time to time has emotionless sex in a ferry bathroom when business is slow. The other sister (Elena) tends bar at the club of a golf course. Mom stays at home now, dying from exposure to the chemicals she used everyday working at a nail salon. Their house is aging but the property it sits on is valuable: builders of vacation houses would buy it in a second if the family offered it for sale. The sisters have long planned to sell it when their mom passes away.
Each day follows the next with predictable sameness. Then one day Sam looks out a window on the ferry and sees a bear swimming towards the island. She is surprised, even bemused, but doesn't make more of it than that... until the bear appears one day on the porch of the family house. And reappears again. And again, as if it were visitation of some kind. The sisters react differently, Sam with fear and Elena with fascination.
"The Bear" is the story of how the sisters respond over time: to the bear, their neighbors, authorities, secrets. The bear, after it has appeared, is a constant presence even when it's not in a scene. Does it signify something? Death maybe? Dissolution of dreams?
I was impatient with "The Bear" at first, with what struck me as a rather hollow conceit. But then, to my surprise, I found myself really enjoying the book. Sam's is the mind through which we see almost everything. She has a powerful personality, though not a particularly ingratiating one. It's hard to sympathize with her, or at least I found her so. But Phillips draws Sam with so much depth that I felt compelled to see what would happen next. Sam keeps the world at arm's length but at times something seems on the verge of maybe breaking through. Her dreams are the dreams of an angry child. Phillips creates powerful alchemy in the mixture of Sam's bitterness and resentment-fueled dreams, her darkness and Elena's light, the mysterious appearances and disappearances of the bear, the interplay of the mundane world and the sudden emergence of being that is probably natural but maybe not. I turned the pages wondering what would happen next. Fairy tales typically have happy endings-- in the American psyche, at least -- but the real world plays by different rules. Both are at work in "The Bear." Which will prevail, though, for surely one must?
As her previous book, the widely acclaimed and ambitious "Disappearing Earth," demonstrated, Phillips is a hell of a writer. Vivid passages like this, for example, drew me in: Sam thought about the water off the sides of the ferry. The white pattern of ripples on top, and the bear’s bulk breaking through, pushing past. The tree-covered hills that met them at every return to the island. The swaying masts of the hundreds of sailboats moored. She thought about the girls she and Elena went to school with. The few who had stayed; the many who’d left.
And this, an entirely different kind of clarity that conveys so much: "[She] spent a long time talking about [the bear's] body. The impossibility of its size. The thickness of its arms, the depth of its smell, the force it exuded -- its presence had made Elena's ears keener and her eyes sharper, had shocked her senses into new sensitivity. It had looked right at her. Taken her in. Its eyes were small, close-set, colored a rich orangey yellow and lined with black. Its nose twitched as they stood there together. It inhaled her. Elena talked about her sighting the way a person might if an angel touched down in front of them, or if a burning bush spoke, or if, Sam supposed, a grizzly walked up, met their gaze, and did not do them harm.
If you choose to enter the world of "The Bear," go with a open mind. The story unfolds in a "normal" way but you'll find your balance thrown off by the You'll want to grab characters by the shoulders and try to shake some sense into them, or tell them to... well, I'll leave it there.
My thanks to Hogarth Press and Edelweis+ for providing a digital ARC in return for an honest review.
Each day follows the next with predictable sameness. Then one day Sam looks out a window on the ferry and sees a bear swimming towards the island. She is surprised, even bemused, but doesn't make more of it than that... until the bear appears one day on the porch of the family house. And reappears again. And again, as if it were visitation of some kind. The sisters react differently, Sam with fear and Elena with fascination.
"The Bear" is the story of how the sisters respond over time: to the bear, their neighbors, authorities, secrets. The bear, after it has appeared, is a constant presence even when it's not in a scene. Does it signify something? Death maybe? Dissolution of dreams?
I was impatient with "The Bear" at first, with what struck me as a rather hollow conceit. But then, to my surprise, I found myself really enjoying the book. Sam's is the mind through which we see almost everything. She has a powerful personality, though not a particularly ingratiating one. It's hard to sympathize with her, or at least I found her so. But Phillips draws Sam with so much depth that I felt compelled to see what would happen next. Sam keeps the world at arm's length but at times something seems on the verge of maybe breaking through. Her dreams are the dreams of an angry child. Phillips creates powerful alchemy in the mixture of Sam's bitterness and resentment-fueled dreams, her darkness and Elena's light, the mysterious appearances and disappearances of the bear, the interplay of the mundane world and the sudden emergence of being that is probably natural but maybe not. I turned the pages wondering what would happen next. Fairy tales typically have happy endings-- in the American psyche, at least -- but the real world plays by different rules. Both are at work in "The Bear." Which will prevail, though, for surely one must?
As her previous book, the widely acclaimed and ambitious "Disappearing Earth," demonstrated, Phillips is a hell of a writer. Vivid passages like this, for example, drew me in: Sam thought about the water off the sides of the ferry. The white pattern of ripples on top, and the bear’s bulk breaking through, pushing past. The tree-covered hills that met them at every return to the island. The swaying masts of the hundreds of sailboats moored. She thought about the girls she and Elena went to school with. The few who had stayed; the many who’d left.
And this, an entirely different kind of clarity that conveys so much: "[She] spent a long time talking about [the bear's] body. The impossibility of its size. The thickness of its arms, the depth of its smell, the force it exuded -- its presence had made Elena's ears keener and her eyes sharper, had shocked her senses into new sensitivity. It had looked right at her. Taken her in. Its eyes were small, close-set, colored a rich orangey yellow and lined with black. Its nose twitched as they stood there together. It inhaled her. Elena talked about her sighting the way a person might if an angel touched down in front of them, or if a burning bush spoke, or if, Sam supposed, a grizzly walked up, met their gaze, and did not do them harm.
If you choose to enter the world of "The Bear," go with a open mind. The story unfolds in a "normal" way but you'll find your balance thrown off by the You'll want to grab characters by the shoulders and try to shake some sense into them, or tell them to... well, I'll leave it there.
My thanks to Hogarth Press and Edelweis+ for providing a digital ARC in return for an honest review.
August 1, 2024
There is something disturbing about this story and it isn't just the bear. Though I felt the book was aptly titled. For the Bear is the main character though he is often off stage, between the lines so to speak. I've read horror and science fiction that did not chill me as much but I'm still not sure why.
This is a good simple story about two sisters who live on an island and a bear comes to call. One sister is fascinated and the other is frightened and neither is seeing the situation clearly. It is easy to change sides in this one. At different times I was rooting for one sister over the other and even for the bear. Then there is the sick mother, the bills, the water and the woods. Living on an island, a rather wild place far from the common place of the mainland makes nature closer, protected when surrounded by water. All the elements are here, so this at times bizarre story felt quite down to earth. Also in my nursing education I was taught by a nurse who had once worked for the Park Service and she had some bear stories I'd never been able to forget.
So I was a little mesmerized by the story. But I wasn't quite ready for the heft of it. Don't go into it lightly.
This is a good simple story about two sisters who live on an island and a bear comes to call. One sister is fascinated and the other is frightened and neither is seeing the situation clearly. It is easy to change sides in this one. At different times I was rooting for one sister over the other and even for the bear. Then there is the sick mother, the bills, the water and the woods. Living on an island, a rather wild place far from the common place of the mainland makes nature closer, protected when surrounded by water. All the elements are here, so this at times bizarre story felt quite down to earth. Also in my nursing education I was taught by a nurse who had once worked for the Park Service and she had some bear stories I'd never been able to forget.
So I was a little mesmerized by the story. But I wasn't quite ready for the heft of it. Don't go into it lightly.
July 12, 2024
The wrong sister told this story. Then again, I’m wildly biased when it comes to ursine storytelling.
April 4, 2025
In Bear, Julia Phillips takes us to the San Juan Islands in Washington, where sisters Sam and Elena struggle to pay for their mother's medical bills as she suffers from a terminal lung illness. They both work in service jobs, Sam at a concession on the ferry system and Elena at a golf course. The story, told from Sam’s point of view, takes a mystical turn when a large black bear appears on their front porch. Sam is anxious and scared of the bear, while Elena feels a spiritual connection to it and believes it to be a special presence in their lives. Their difference in perception causes tension between the sisters. As their mother’s condition worsens, they face the reality of her impending death, financial hardships, and the desire to sell their family home and move away from the island. Sam's internal struggles, including her feelings of resentment and the discovery of old secrets, lead her to slowly unravel.
I found Bear to be a captivating story of sisterhood, grief, obsession, and the pressures of caretaking. The narrative delves deeply into Sam’s psychological state, capturing her fear of the bear and resentment towards her life circumstances. Elena’s spiritual bond with the bear was a little hard for me to relate to as she’s written as the more level- headed and wiser of the two. But it does add to the mystical feel to the story, like a modern-day fable. I liked the way the sisters work together to pool their money in order to have a better life. I also liked the slow build of tension. This book is a thought-provoking read that blends the mundane with the mystical in a compelling narrative about family survival. I wasn’t familiar with the Brothers Grimm fairy tale which is presented in the beginning of the book. Perhaps if I had, I may have a deeper understanding of the themes in the riveting conclusion.
Thank you NetGalley and Hogarth/ Random House for this advance copy in exchange for my review.
I found Bear to be a captivating story of sisterhood, grief, obsession, and the pressures of caretaking. The narrative delves deeply into Sam’s psychological state, capturing her fear of the bear and resentment towards her life circumstances. Elena’s spiritual bond with the bear was a little hard for me to relate to as she’s written as the more level- headed and wiser of the two. But it does add to the mystical feel to the story, like a modern-day fable. I liked the way the sisters work together to pool their money in order to have a better life. I also liked the slow build of tension. This book is a thought-provoking read that blends the mundane with the mystical in a compelling narrative about family survival. I wasn’t familiar with the Brothers Grimm fairy tale which is presented in the beginning of the book. Perhaps if I had, I may have a deeper understanding of the themes in the riveting conclusion.
Thank you NetGalley and Hogarth/ Random House for this advance copy in exchange for my review.
June 11, 2024
Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
I expected there to be a hint of paranormal in this unusual book. Seems like there was room for that but the author stuck with the mostly realistic. I found the story bland, depressing and was glad to be finished.
I expected there to be a hint of paranormal in this unusual book. Seems like there was room for that but the author stuck with the mostly realistic. I found the story bland, depressing and was glad to be finished.
April 15, 2024
**Spoilers in this review** In the right hands, this could be a great film. The book was a disappointment. Good points: tone, setting, place. Not so good points: any compassion and empathy I had for Sam in the beginning began to fade at a predictable pace every several pages as her whingeing, self-loathing, emotional immaturity, and unrealistic expectations of her sister were revealed, along with her hot/cold behaviour with her situationship fella at work, who she eventually uses as her escape route (you needed your mom to die and see your sister self-destruct for this to happen? Also: RED FLAG, dude. Run!). While some of the behaviour appeared to make sense in the context, others were baffling. Sam sucks. I kept reading because I was hoping it would go somewhere interesting. The end felt out of place, even though it made sense given the idiotic behaviour of Elena. Two characters I will not miss.
June 2, 2024
Well I can appreciate the fairytale/fable tied up in a poor working class family, the main character Sam, was deplorable, her motivations lacked reason and as someone who is a sister and has grown up with a level of trauma she was incredibly narcissistic and my hatred for her grew and I lost almost all sympathy and empathy by the end.
July 26, 2025
I wanted to give this book 3 stars. The title is "Bear," but there's precious little about the bear in the story. But, upon reconsideration, I can give this book 4 stars as the story engaged me and I was quite interested in Sam's story. It's the story of two sisters, Sam and Elena, who are living with their terminally ill mother on the island of San Juan in Puget Sound ( I believe). Life is a struggle for the two women working in dead-end minimum wage jobs. On top of paying the bills, they have to take care of their mother, whose medical bills are a crushing burden on them.
Sam works long hours on the ferry that takes the rich mainlanders to their island homes. One night on the boat, she spots a bear swimming in the channel to the island where she lives. The bear becomes a mysterious and threatening presence on the island and in the lives of the sisters. For Sam, the animal is terrifying but, for Elena, it's a magical even miraculous presence in her life.
Interested as I was in the story of the sisters and their life on the island, I did want to see more of the bear and learn more about it. But, after all, the bear wasn't really the main focus of the story....
Thanks to Hogarth for this Advance Reader's Edition.
Sam works long hours on the ferry that takes the rich mainlanders to their island homes. One night on the boat, she spots a bear swimming in the channel to the island where she lives. The bear becomes a mysterious and threatening presence on the island and in the lives of the sisters. For Sam, the animal is terrifying but, for Elena, it's a magical even miraculous presence in her life.
Interested as I was in the story of the sisters and their life on the island, I did want to see more of the bear and learn more about it. But, after all, the bear wasn't really the main focus of the story....
Thanks to Hogarth for this Advance Reader's Edition.
June 15, 2024
3,5 Sterne
„Cascadia“ ist eine Geschichte über zwei Schwestern, die altersmäßig ein Jahr auseinander liegen und nach einem besseren Leben dürsten. Sie besitzen konkrete Träume für die Zukunft - eine Möglichkeit, ihren finanziell angespannten Status zu verbessern, während sie sich weiterhin mehr als alles andere, gegenseitig als Schwestern widmen. Julia Phillips liefert mit „Cascadia“ eine spannende und aussagekräftige Allegorie über Familie und Erwartungen, eine Inselgeschichte, die auf Grimms Schneewittchen und Rosenrot basiert. Wenn Ihr dieses Märchen noch nicht gelesen habt, ist das gar nicht schlimm - Ihr werdet diesen Roman für seine Charaktertiefe, seine ungewöhnliche Umgebung, die naturelle Atmosphäre und die tiefgründige Handlung genießen können.
Sam und Elena sind in ihren späten Zwanzigern und kämpfen finanziell um das Überleben auf der Insel San Juan, die für ihre wohlhabenden Besucher bekannt ist. Die Insel ist Teil des Inselarchipels im Nordwesten Washingtons, einem unverwechselbaren, nicht-urbanen Ort, der das ganze Jahr über Touristen und Festlandbewohner mit Ferienhäusern anzieht. Die Schwestern klammern sich aneinander, um sich zu unterstützen, während sie sich liebevoll um ihre sterbende Mutter kümmern, die früher einen Salon unterhielt. Die verwendeten Nagellösungsmittel zerstörten schließlich ihre Lunge. Die Schwestern planen, das bröckelnde, zerfallende Haus zu verkaufen, wenn ihre Mutter stirbt, und ein neues Kapitel ihres Lebens woanders zu beginnen. Das Haus liegt auf einem Land, das was wert ist, so dass die jungen Frauen eine beträchtliche Menge an Bargeld erben werden, wenn sie es verkaufen.
Elena ist Barkeeperin in einem Golfclub und Sam verkauft Snacks an Festlandbewohner auf der Anacortes-Fähre. Beide sind frustriert über unzureichende finanzielle Mittel und verärgert über die wohlhabenden Gäste, um die sie sich kümmern und auf deren Trinkgelder sie angewiesen sind. Ihr Leben verläuft nach immer wiederkehrenden Routinen, eingeschränkt durch ein Gelddefizit und eine kränkliche Mutter. Die meisten Tage sind vorhersehbar, gewohnheitsmäßig mit andauernder Langeweile und leeren Wünschen. Dann, eines Nachts, entdeckt Sam einen Bären von der Fähre aus. Das Tier schwimmt im Kanal, anscheinend auf dem Weg nach Kanada. Wie verändert der Anblick eines Bären ihre engagierten Pläne und ihren Alltag? Verhängt er ein magisches Märchenschicksal oder ist es ein Vorbote eines unheilbringenden Schicksals? Warum taucht er auf ihrem Grundstück auf und kommt immer wieder zurück? Ihre Sicherheit wird durch die häufigen Besuche des Tieres auf den Kopf gestellt, und Sams Gefühl der Angst wird durch Elenas euphorische Stimmung untergraben.
„Cascadia“ ist ein Gleichnis unerzählter Geheimnisse, die die Schwestern auseinanderreißen könnten, eine Erzählung, die mich über ihr erstaunliches Finale hinaus verfolgte. Julia Phillips ist eine wagemutige Romanautorin, die über den Tellerrand hinaus schreibt. Wenn Ihr auf alles Antworten erwartet, ist „Cascadia“ möglicherweise nichts für Euch. Aber Leser, die kryptische Geschichten lieben, wird diese Geschichte mit ihrer wütenden, dunklen Spannung überzeugen.
„Cascadia“ ist eine Geschichte über zwei Schwestern, die altersmäßig ein Jahr auseinander liegen und nach einem besseren Leben dürsten. Sie besitzen konkrete Träume für die Zukunft - eine Möglichkeit, ihren finanziell angespannten Status zu verbessern, während sie sich weiterhin mehr als alles andere, gegenseitig als Schwestern widmen. Julia Phillips liefert mit „Cascadia“ eine spannende und aussagekräftige Allegorie über Familie und Erwartungen, eine Inselgeschichte, die auf Grimms Schneewittchen und Rosenrot basiert. Wenn Ihr dieses Märchen noch nicht gelesen habt, ist das gar nicht schlimm - Ihr werdet diesen Roman für seine Charaktertiefe, seine ungewöhnliche Umgebung, die naturelle Atmosphäre und die tiefgründige Handlung genießen können.
Sam und Elena sind in ihren späten Zwanzigern und kämpfen finanziell um das Überleben auf der Insel San Juan, die für ihre wohlhabenden Besucher bekannt ist. Die Insel ist Teil des Inselarchipels im Nordwesten Washingtons, einem unverwechselbaren, nicht-urbanen Ort, der das ganze Jahr über Touristen und Festlandbewohner mit Ferienhäusern anzieht. Die Schwestern klammern sich aneinander, um sich zu unterstützen, während sie sich liebevoll um ihre sterbende Mutter kümmern, die früher einen Salon unterhielt. Die verwendeten Nagellösungsmittel zerstörten schließlich ihre Lunge. Die Schwestern planen, das bröckelnde, zerfallende Haus zu verkaufen, wenn ihre Mutter stirbt, und ein neues Kapitel ihres Lebens woanders zu beginnen. Das Haus liegt auf einem Land, das was wert ist, so dass die jungen Frauen eine beträchtliche Menge an Bargeld erben werden, wenn sie es verkaufen.
Elena ist Barkeeperin in einem Golfclub und Sam verkauft Snacks an Festlandbewohner auf der Anacortes-Fähre. Beide sind frustriert über unzureichende finanzielle Mittel und verärgert über die wohlhabenden Gäste, um die sie sich kümmern und auf deren Trinkgelder sie angewiesen sind. Ihr Leben verläuft nach immer wiederkehrenden Routinen, eingeschränkt durch ein Gelddefizit und eine kränkliche Mutter. Die meisten Tage sind vorhersehbar, gewohnheitsmäßig mit andauernder Langeweile und leeren Wünschen. Dann, eines Nachts, entdeckt Sam einen Bären von der Fähre aus. Das Tier schwimmt im Kanal, anscheinend auf dem Weg nach Kanada. Wie verändert der Anblick eines Bären ihre engagierten Pläne und ihren Alltag? Verhängt er ein magisches Märchenschicksal oder ist es ein Vorbote eines unheilbringenden Schicksals? Warum taucht er auf ihrem Grundstück auf und kommt immer wieder zurück? Ihre Sicherheit wird durch die häufigen Besuche des Tieres auf den Kopf gestellt, und Sams Gefühl der Angst wird durch Elenas euphorische Stimmung untergraben.
„Cascadia“ ist ein Gleichnis unerzählter Geheimnisse, die die Schwestern auseinanderreißen könnten, eine Erzählung, die mich über ihr erstaunliches Finale hinaus verfolgte. Julia Phillips ist eine wagemutige Romanautorin, die über den Tellerrand hinaus schreibt. Wenn Ihr auf alles Antworten erwartet, ist „Cascadia“ möglicherweise nichts für Euch. Aber Leser, die kryptische Geschichten lieben, wird diese Geschichte mit ihrer wütenden, dunklen Spannung überzeugen.
September 22, 2024
Thrilling? I’m not sure Ann Patchett actually read the book before endorsing.
July 7, 2024
This is an emotion-based rating. I just really hated this book. It's getting pretty strong reviews though, so I'm not sure what others are seeing that I'm not.
This is the story of two sisters in their late twenties, Sam and Elena, who live on the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington state. They're stuck in dead-end jobs and desperate to leave and build lives elsewhere, but they've stayed around to care for their mom, who has a terminal but slow progressing lung disease. As the novel begins, Sam notices that a bear is swimming the channel between Washington and the islands. This is not totally unheard of, but it is noteworthy. The bear shows up again, right outside of Sam and Elena's house. The sisters have very different reactions, and this divergence is at the crux of this story about the relationship between two sisters.
I picked this up hoping it would be similar to Eowyn Ivey's The Snow Child - with a nod to folktales, nature-centered writing, and perhaps a sense of magic or mysticism.
While I did find the writing to be strong and the book to be easily readable, I was put off by Sam, who narrates the book. She has a massive chip on her shoulder. I tried to be empathetic - her circumstances are hard and she doesn't have a lot of opportunities - but she comes across more like a teenager than a woman in her late twenties. Despite only being just a little over a year younger than Elena, she leaves a lot of the work of caring for their mother and the household to her sister. Her reactions to other people are very immature and self-centered.
The ending to this story also really threw me, and not in a good way. Sam doesn't seem to really learn or grow, and I was left asking myself what the point of the novel was supposed to be. I think I would have enjoyed this more had the story been told from Elena's point of view.
"That was back when she pictured pain as something swift and final. She understood better, now, what it actually was - not a glass dropped onto a tile floor, one terrible burst, but a tree required to grow over years in a space that limited it. Branches curled in on themselves, leaves dropping. A living thing that was forced, relentlessly, to submit." (87)
The bear was here, briefly and beautifully, teaching them what it was to love living, helping them make it through.
This is the story of two sisters in their late twenties, Sam and Elena, who live on the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington state. They're stuck in dead-end jobs and desperate to leave and build lives elsewhere, but they've stayed around to care for their mom, who has a terminal but slow progressing lung disease. As the novel begins, Sam notices that a bear is swimming the channel between Washington and the islands. This is not totally unheard of, but it is noteworthy. The bear shows up again, right outside of Sam and Elena's house. The sisters have very different reactions, and this divergence is at the crux of this story about the relationship between two sisters.
I picked this up hoping it would be similar to Eowyn Ivey's The Snow Child - with a nod to folktales, nature-centered writing, and perhaps a sense of magic or mysticism.
While I did find the writing to be strong and the book to be easily readable, I was put off by Sam, who narrates the book. She has a massive chip on her shoulder. I tried to be empathetic - her circumstances are hard and she doesn't have a lot of opportunities - but she comes across more like a teenager than a woman in her late twenties. Despite only being just a little over a year younger than Elena, she leaves a lot of the work of caring for their mother and the household to her sister. Her reactions to other people are very immature and self-centered.
The ending to this story also really threw me, and not in a good way. Sam doesn't seem to really learn or grow, and I was left asking myself what the point of the novel was supposed to be. I think I would have enjoyed this more had the story been told from Elena's point of view.
"That was back when she pictured pain as something swift and final. She understood better, now, what it actually was - not a glass dropped onto a tile floor, one terrible burst, but a tree required to grow over years in a space that limited it. Branches curled in on themselves, leaves dropping. A living thing that was forced, relentlessly, to submit." (87)
The bear was here, briefly and beautifully, teaching them what it was to love living, helping them make it through.
January 13, 2024
Two sisters live on a small island and work service jobs as they take care of their sick mother, their costly family house, and each other. One morning, a bear takes an interest in their house.
I'm honestly stumped on how to summarize Bear's setup and appeal beyond that because it's unclear to me what counts as a spoiler for this book.
This is slow-building literary fiction that some readers would be really into. If you enjoy meditation, you could be one of them. I personally would rather do my taxes than meditate - I need progress and palpable change in an activity in order to enjoy it. Bear didn't fulfill that need for me.
This is an interesting case where a novel centers on the relationship between two characters, both of whom are well-developed, and yet for some reason I didn't feel a connection to them. In that respect, Bear reminded me of Gabrielle Zevin's Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, which I reviewed a few months ago here.
By the 50% mark, I was feeling more and more reluctant to pick up Bear.I was still waiting to feel connected to the sisters. I ended up skimming through the last half of the novel. Events do start happening towards the end of Bear. But don't pick this novel up for the sake of plot twists. Pick it up if you want to read a slowly unfolding relationship between two sisters that delves into their inner world.
P.S. word of advice: don't read this during breakfast.
Thank you, Julia Phillips and Penguin Random House/Hogarth for providing me with a free advance reader copy of Bear through Netgalley.
I'm honestly stumped on how to summarize Bear's setup and appeal beyond that because it's unclear to me what counts as a spoiler for this book.
This is slow-building literary fiction that some readers would be really into. If you enjoy meditation, you could be one of them. I personally would rather do my taxes than meditate - I need progress and palpable change in an activity in order to enjoy it. Bear didn't fulfill that need for me.
This is an interesting case where a novel centers on the relationship between two characters, both of whom are well-developed, and yet for some reason I didn't feel a connection to them. In that respect, Bear reminded me of Gabrielle Zevin's Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, which I reviewed a few months ago here.
By the 50% mark, I was feeling more and more reluctant to pick up Bear.I was still waiting to feel connected to the sisters. I ended up skimming through the last half of the novel. Events do start happening towards the end of Bear. But don't pick this novel up for the sake of plot twists. Pick it up if you want to read a slowly unfolding relationship between two sisters that delves into their inner world.
P.S. word of advice: don't read this during breakfast.
Thank you, Julia Phillips and Penguin Random House/Hogarth for providing me with a free advance reader copy of Bear through Netgalley.
April 22, 2024
Genre: Mystical/Domestic Fiction
Publisher: Random House
Pub. Date: June 25, 2024
The novel “Bear” begins with a preface from the fairytale “Snow White and Rose Red” by the Brothers Grimm. “Poor bear, said the mother, lie down by the fire, only take care that you do not burn your coat.” In the fable, there is a poor widow with two daughters: Snow White is the quieter and gentler of the two, while Rose Red is more adventurous. This novel also follows two sisters on present-day San Juan Island, Wash. In the fable, the mother lives a long life. Here, the mother is terminally ill. The author’s prose in this modern fairy tale is vivid as she tackles the complications of sisterhood in the face of life-changing experiences.
The two sisters are in their twenties and separated by only one year. They are unusually close. Sam, who represents Rose Red, is the younger sister. Elena is the Snow White character. The novel begins with a realistic portrayal of the sisters’ difficulties caring for their dying mother. There are only minimum-wage jobs on the island. The author gives us vivid descriptions of the working poor. We feel that the girls are trapped by their love for their mother. Their dream has always been to sell the house and leave the island once they can. Their plan changes when a wild grizzly bear swims to the island and appears at their front doorstep. Phillips weaves fantasy into reality here, and a dark fairytale emerges.
Sam fears the bear, but Elena responds differently to the animal. Its presence enchants her. When she and the bear begin a strange, almost courtship-like friendship, I was reminded of the film “The Shape of Water.” Tension builds when Elena is no longer keen on leaving the island due to her relationship with the creature. The sisters begin to distance themselves from each other. I read the bear as a metaphor for the future of the sisters’ lives. One stays on the island, and the other leaves for a more exciting life. I’m guessing that “Bear” is also a version of “Beauty and the Beast” with an unnerving ending. If I say more, it would be a spoiler.
In the Brothers Grimm fable, the moral is that good girls will get married and live happily ever after. I believe the moral of “Bear” is never to waste your life looking for a handsome prince. The author left me wondering if Elena’s relationship with the grizzly is an inappropriate obsession or if she befriended the bear benevolently, as Jane Goodall has done with apes. I am unsure when Sam calls animal control if it’s out of concern for her sister or jealousy of the grizzly. I am curious if other readers will also be left with questions. This book is out of my comfort zone. Although it is beautifully written, and I enjoyed the novel more than I thought I would, I still recommend “Bear” for folktale lovers only.
I received this novel at no cost from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Find all my book reviews at:
https://books6259.wordpress.com
https://www.goodreads.com
https://www.amazon.com
https://www.facebook.com/martie.neesr…
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/c…
Publisher: Random House
Pub. Date: June 25, 2024
The novel “Bear” begins with a preface from the fairytale “Snow White and Rose Red” by the Brothers Grimm. “Poor bear, said the mother, lie down by the fire, only take care that you do not burn your coat.” In the fable, there is a poor widow with two daughters: Snow White is the quieter and gentler of the two, while Rose Red is more adventurous. This novel also follows two sisters on present-day San Juan Island, Wash. In the fable, the mother lives a long life. Here, the mother is terminally ill. The author’s prose in this modern fairy tale is vivid as she tackles the complications of sisterhood in the face of life-changing experiences.
The two sisters are in their twenties and separated by only one year. They are unusually close. Sam, who represents Rose Red, is the younger sister. Elena is the Snow White character. The novel begins with a realistic portrayal of the sisters’ difficulties caring for their dying mother. There are only minimum-wage jobs on the island. The author gives us vivid descriptions of the working poor. We feel that the girls are trapped by their love for their mother. Their dream has always been to sell the house and leave the island once they can. Their plan changes when a wild grizzly bear swims to the island and appears at their front doorstep. Phillips weaves fantasy into reality here, and a dark fairytale emerges.
Sam fears the bear, but Elena responds differently to the animal. Its presence enchants her. When she and the bear begin a strange, almost courtship-like friendship, I was reminded of the film “The Shape of Water.” Tension builds when Elena is no longer keen on leaving the island due to her relationship with the creature. The sisters begin to distance themselves from each other. I read the bear as a metaphor for the future of the sisters’ lives. One stays on the island, and the other leaves for a more exciting life. I’m guessing that “Bear” is also a version of “Beauty and the Beast” with an unnerving ending. If I say more, it would be a spoiler.
In the Brothers Grimm fable, the moral is that good girls will get married and live happily ever after. I believe the moral of “Bear” is never to waste your life looking for a handsome prince. The author left me wondering if Elena’s relationship with the grizzly is an inappropriate obsession or if she befriended the bear benevolently, as Jane Goodall has done with apes. I am unsure when Sam calls animal control if it’s out of concern for her sister or jealousy of the grizzly. I am curious if other readers will also be left with questions. This book is out of my comfort zone. Although it is beautifully written, and I enjoyed the novel more than I thought I would, I still recommend “Bear” for folktale lovers only.
I received this novel at no cost from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Find all my book reviews at:
https://books6259.wordpress.com
https://www.goodreads.com
https://www.amazon.com
https://www.facebook.com/martie.neesr…
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/c…
August 7, 2024
Aside from Elena’s involvement with the bear, I admired her character so much in this book
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