"Spinning Silver" First Impressions - *NO Spoilers*

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Welcome to the mod curated fantasy pick for May!

Do you like it more or less than Uprooted so far?

Please, leave all specifics, especially those regarding any plot points or character developments for the spoiler thread open on the 7th!

Content warnings for those who find them useful: (view spoiler)[ Child abuse, loss of a parent, loss of a child, anti-Semitism, discussion of rape. (hide spoiler)]

[Xan]

I've read the first three chapters -- too little to say which I'm liking better. I did like the way this started, though, especially the first chapter. I'm also marveling -- I think that's the right word -- at the two narrators each telling their part of the story in first person. That takes some smart writing to keep the reader from getting confused. I certainly hope that isn't a spoiler.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

You're good, Xan! And yes! I agree!

[Oleksandr]

Allison wrote: "Do you like it more or less than Uprooted so far?"

I had high expectations for this book after reading Uprooted and was disappointed: it is fine, but Uprooted was better. Also I dislike author's laziness in choosing the name for magical beings, on which I can elaborate if it doesn't count as a spoiler

[Travis]

I'm right where you are, Xan, and totally agree. The interwoven narrators are such a beautiful way to capture the story. I also really appreciate the story's focus on poverty and hunger, something that fantasy often leaves out. I'm listening to the audiobook, and really enjoy Lisa Flanagan's narration.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Oleksandr, I want to hear about this so badly, but I do think we should wait. If you don't remember on the 7th, I will prompt you!!

[Anna]

For those listening to the audiobook and finding it hard to distinguish when new POVs are added:

A fourth POV is added during chapter 11, and a fifth at the start of chapter 15.
Another new POV in chapter 17, but it's easy to spot.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

I've also added content warnings, if anyone finds those helpful.

[Xan]

Anna wrote: "For those listening to the audiobook and finding it hard to distinguish when new POVs are added:

A fourth POV is added during chapter 11, and a fifth at the start of chapter 15.
Another new POV in..."

Lol! There's 25 chapters. Am I going to need a chart?

[Anna]

I wish I'd had a chart!

[Travis]

Anna wrote: "For those listening to the audiobook and finding it hard to distinguish when new POVs are added:

A fourth POV is added during chapter 11, and a fifth at the start of chapter 15.
Another new POV in..."

Thank you!!!

[Melani]

I really liked this book, which surprised me. I read the short story that Novik expanded to make the novel and I honestly couldn't see where there was room for expansion. The short story was very good. Anyway, I'm curious has anyone else read the short story? (Are people even aware that it exists?) What are your impressions of the way Novik expanded the story and do you think it works?

I ended up really impressed by both the short story and the novel, and that put Novik on my "I'll buy everything she writes" list.

[Anna]

Melani, I did not know that! Link please?

edit: Oh, I think I *did* know, but forgot. It's in The Starlit Wood: New Fairy Tales, which I still haven't read despite meaning to since it came out.

[Rachel]

Got it from the library and I kind of wish she hadn't expanded it QUITE so much....it is fairly hefty!

It seems that quite a few of the starlit wood stories were good enough for nominations, or expansions...

[Bobby]

I started this one way early, thinking it was going to take me a while to finish, but I blazed through it because I loved it so much. I won't go into much detail yet, but I thought the POV changes worked really well. I missed the first couple, but then I knew what to look for and I was able to catch it every time.

Looking back I remember that the first chapter was really compelling and totally brought me into the story. It was a great introduction to a strong character and it got me rooting for the first POV character right at the start.

[Gabi]

This one completely surprised me! I've never read a fairy tale fantasy, and I was completely sucked in.
I can't compare it to "Uprooted" since I didn't read that one (althought meanwhile I've seen that it's on the group shelf, so I will read it somewhen)

[Ryan]

On Chapter 8, finding it mediocre so far, but I'll keep reading. I've been meaning to read Novik for some time now.

I'm not sure why people are so impressed with the multiple first-person viewpoints. The characters are different enough that it's pretty easy for the reader to tell within the first couple of paragraphs of a new section who the narrator is. I agree that it's an effective storytelling device, but no more than, say, an omniscient third-person narrator centering on various characters.

[M.L.]

So far I'd call it flexible. Interested in reading more though since I just started. I also would not have thought the multiple first persons are a big deal. I haven't read Uprooted so no comparison to make.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

I think the focus on POVs is because it's difficult on audio, so folks want to make sure we've got that squared away. In text, a lot of authors will either choose different tenses or points of view to switch between characters, or keep everything third person past so we have consistent use of names to keep us all on the same page.

With all of them being first person present, the stories and voices have to be distinct enough that we can tell who's narrating with fewer context clues. I think I agree it's a bold choice. I've stumbled a few times myself.

[Kristin B.]

I'm so excited the group is reading this! I have read this and Uprooted and Novik's Temeraire series and I have adored every single one! I even went and saw her at a book signing in Cambridge, MA and she was an absolute delight!

I liked this and Uprooted so much I spent 18-20 hours each making bead art of the covers. The one I made for Spinning Silver is my favorite. (I posted it over in the fan art thread. Here's a link to that comment because I'm honestly fairly proud of it. https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... )

Ok. I'm done Fangirling now!

[Gabi]

Yup, I've listened to it on audio, and the narrator didn't change the voice (much … could always be that it's due to my average understanding of English, that every POV sounded the same to me), so I got confused more than one time if I wasn't completely focused. The breaks between the POVs are rather short imho.

[Anna]

Yes, there was a lot of complaining about the POVs on audio during the buddy read, which is why I copied the chapter info here to hopefully help a bit. I might have been the one who complained the most, but I wasn't the only one!

[M.L.]

It has to be the narrator then, because reading it the voices are distinct, "father" vs "da," which is why I said it was "flexible." Since there are even more changes, I'm looking forward to 'hearing' those.

[Anna]

Yes, you do catch on at some point, but there is no real pause between the POVs, so it takes you awhile to notice. And then when the POVs start piling up, you get more confused because you don't recognize who it is, and have to figure out it's a new one. I'm used to having a good long pause between time jumps or character changes, so it felt very poorly done. And like I said back then, I'm not blaming Novik, but whoever edited the audio.

[Marc *Dark Reader with a Thousand Young! Iä!*]

I'm enjoying it so far (about 90 pages in). I was guarded; fairy tale retellings are not really my thing, and I am always leery of popular books, but no complaints so far; Novik is weaving a good story.

Would it really have been so hard to put the POV character's name as a chapter header or sub-header, to spare the reader that time trying to figure out who it is each time? Yes, it becomes clear enough through the text but it creates frequent irksome moments to have to pull back and consciously determine the framing of each section.

[Francisca]

I read this a couple of months ago, and I think I enjoyed it more than Uprooted. I agree with Travis: it touched on a lot of themes (poverty, etc.) that don't get a big spotlight in fantasy. And I thought she did the interweaving POVs really well, in a way that helped you keep seeing events and characters in a new light.

I'm looking forward to the full discussion!

[Lesley]

I’m about a third of the way through and very much enjoying the story. I found myself sucked in by the second chapter. Each new perspective adds layers to the story and I’m excited to see where and how they all come together. I also like that the story has a backdrop of Judaic religion and culture rather than some form of Christianity. It seems like you don’t often see that in fantasy books that take place in a version of the Western world.

[Paul]

I'm really liking the wordplay, the way POVs are being handled (even though I get confused sometimes), and the way this is written in general. I'm not too enamored with the plot so far though. I'm struggling on some chapters, but get rescued when the POV changes.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

I'm 60% in and really enjoying this. I like the different voices and motives for the characters. I like the different POVs and the laser focus on oppression in different forms. I keep feeling a shadow of Bluebeard's Bride underneath it all which really grounds this story for me in the mythos of the feminine. Probably coincidence, but I appreciate the honesty I feel in these different stories.

[Kaa]

@Melani: I haven't started the book yet, but I read the short story earlier this year in another group. I really liked the story and I agree that it's hard to imagine how she might expand it. I'm encouraged that you enjoyed the novel after first reading the short story!

[Trike]

Oleksandr wrote: "Allison wrote: "Do you like it more or less than Uprooted so far?"

I had high expectations for this book after reading Uprooted and was disappointed: it is fine, but Uprooted was better. ..."

Same here. I’m interested in your take once the spoiler thread opens.

[Kari]

A VERY first impression: I have just read the first chapter and never been so quickly hooked into a book before! A father who is so kind it is killing his family, and a daughter who has to become horrible in order to save them? I am all in.

[Hank, Hankenstein's Modster]

I liked Uprooted but I liked this one more. The spoiler thread should be great this month.

[Raucous]

I was, in the end, enchanted by Uprooted. So far Spinning Silver is leaving me a bit cold. I see, going back through my notes, that I liked the second half of Uprooted much more than the first so perhaps I just need to give this one more time. I’m only in the second chapter so far.

[Trike]

Raucous wrote: "I was, in the end, enchanted by Uprooted. So far Spinning Silver is leaving me a bit cold. "

Heh. You don’t know why this is funny yet, but you will.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Right, I was wondering if punnery had infected both threads!

Which I'm not opposed to, by the by.

[Nicola]

I'm about a third of the way in and really enjoying it, even a bit more than Uprooted I think. I like all of the POVs and am never disappointed when it switches between them, which is a good sign (though I was also briefly a little confused at the start of some... I do think it's a fault of the audiobook though, because as others mentioned, the pauses are short and the voice doesn't change).

I'm particularly liking the more unique and unusual elements of the story – especially the special skill/profession of the main character. I don't think I've ever encountered that one as a focus in a fantasy novel before!

[Travis]

Allison wrote: "I keep feeling a shadow of Bluebeard's Bride underneath it all which really grounds this story for me in the mythos of the feminine."

I don't know that story. Will look it up, and am very very eager to hear more when the spoilers thread opens.

I'm enjoying this so much I decided to bake my kids and students cookies just to have a decent excuse to keep listening rather than getting more work accomplished.

[Sheri]

So far, so good. I’ve just joined this group and haven’t read Uprooted yet. Should I set Spinning Silver aside and read Uprooted first?

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

Sheri wrote: "So far, so good. I’ve just joined this group and haven’t read Uprooted yet. Should I set Spinning Silver aside and read Uprooted first?"

Nah. They're unrelated.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Travis wrote: "Allison wrote: "I keep feeling a shadow of Bluebeard's Bride underneath it all which really grounds this story for me in the mythos of the feminine."

I don't know that story. Will look it up, and ..."

Ugh. My inner nerd/pedant (it's not about him, dammit! ) kicked in. I mean Bluebeard, or The Bloody Chamber, to use a popular retelling. The sense of various aspects of the feminine reminds me of that story.

[YouKneeK]

I’ll save any thoughts about the story itself for the spoiler thread, but I wanted to comment on the multiple first-person POVs since everybody is talking about that already. I can see how this would have been much more difficult to follow in an audio format, especially since there are POV shifts mid-chapter.

I read the text version, so for me it was easy to follow the POV changes. In text, I thought the voices were easy to distinguish. Whenever I saw a section or chapter break, I knew to watch for a POV change. There was usually a name clue in the first paragraph along the lines of what M.L. said, with the POV character referring to another character that only one POV character would know or else referring to them in a way that was distinctive to their relationship with that character.

But I think that kind of thing is a lot easier to catch in a text format. With audio, at least a sentence or two might pass before you hear the clue to let you know whose POV you’re in, whereas with text your eyes can take that in almost instantly because you don’t have to wait for one word at a time to be spoken. On the other hand, I’m not sure the multiple first-person POV style really added much to the story that couldn’t have been achieved with the easier-to-parse simplicity of multiple third-person POVs.

Regarding the opening question of whether we preferred Uprooted or Spinning Silver, I enjoyed both of them but Uprooted was the one I couldn’t put down. On the other hand, after-hours work issues forced me to put Spinning Silver down much more frequently than I actually wanted to, and that can affect my enjoyment of a book. I might have been more immersed in the story if I’d been able to give it more of my undivided attention.

[Raucous]

Allison wrote: "Right, I was wondering if punnery had infected both threads!"

Yes.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Raucous wrote: "Allison wrote: "Right, I was wondering if punnery had infected both threads!"

Yes."

Marvelous. I'm glad we're not being miserly with the wordplay! :D

[Kari]

Ok, got to sit down with it finally tonight and I'm 10% in now and don't want to put it down to go to bed. I'm vaguely horrified and in love and hope that my excitement is sustained!

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

YouKneeK, I think that's a valid point, and I think I agree, although I do like the first person--it adds an immediacy that when used right I find compelling.

Sheri, I hope if you do end up reading Uprooted after, you'll tell us how the experience was reading it second!

Kari, I hope that feeling persists! That's my favorite part (I think, for now) of reading--that feeling of complete anticipation and suspension of disbelief.

[Christopher]

I like this a lot more than Uprooted (but to be fair I only gave that 2 stars!).

[Chris]

Wow, this topic certainly exploded!

I enjoyed both Uprooted and Spinning Silver. My general impression of Novik is that she creates great characters, but her plots seem to have pacing problems and sometimes lose coherence.

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

Chris wrote: "I enjoyed both Uprooted and Spinning Silver. My general impression of Novik is that she creates great characters, but her plots seem to have pacing problems and sometimes lose coherence. "


I can definitely agree with this overall assessment.

I think I just connected with the characters in Uprooted a bit more than the ones in Spinning Silver, though I did like the ideas and issues explored in SS.

[Xan]

I'm through the first 5 chapters and for me there is a slight feel of The Bear and the Nightingale to it -- Russia, the cold, fairy taleish . . . uhm, err ... I'm really narrowing it down, aren't I? {grin} Hey, it's just a feeling.