Dec: The Snow Child Spoiler Thread

[Bookworm with Kids]

This is the spoiler thread for our December read, The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey.

[Andy]

what struck me most was that despite the magical elements, the book was really about the characters, their disappointments and struggles and their reliance on each other

[SueLucie]

I finished this a little while ago and am immersed in a new book so I guess I’d better offer a few thoughts before the detail slips my tired old mind completely.

I wonder what others think about the way the author adapts the traditional folk tale of Snegurochka. Were you expecting a happy ending? Did you think the ending was happy or happy-ish? As Mabel’s sister writes in her letter: ‘What a tragic tale! Why these stories for children always have to turn out so dreadfully is beyond me. I think if I ever tell it to my grandchildren, I will change the ending and have everyone live happily ever after. We are allowed to do that, are we not Mabel? To invent our own endings and choose joy over sorrow?’

What did you make of the character of Faina? I don’t think she could really be given much of one without spoiling her mystery. Since we are given so little idea of her inner life, I’d love to know what others thought of her.

[SueLucie]

Andy wrote: "what struck me most was that despite the magical elements, the book was really about the characters, their disappointments and struggles and their reliance on each other"

That is the aspect that I enjoyed most, Andy, the life of the pioneer settlers in the north.