Review: SPINNING SILVER, by Naomi Novik

SPINNING SILVER, by Naomi Novik

Audio Book

Random House Audio  - 2018

Narrated by Lisa Flanagan

My Rating (out of 5)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Absolutely spellbinding, dark, and twisted.  I loved it.

SPINNING SILVER is a wonderfully twisted retelling of the classic RUMPELSTILTSKIN, all grown up and ready for an adult audience. 

Miryem is the daughter of the town money lender. Her father is not particularly successful, as he is not good at the collecting part of the job. One day Miryam - tired of living in poverty while her father's clients feast rather than pay their debts, decides to take over the family business.  Miryam is not only a successful money lender, she is also a shrewd business woman and is soon making sizable profits on her business dealings.  She brags that she can spin silver into gold.

This brings her to the attention of the Staryk king who has an affinity for gold. The Staryk are the cold, magical folk who live in the Forest on the borders of the town.  The Staryk king challenges her to to change his silver into gold three times.  Fail and be turned to ice, succeed and be taken to his winter kingdom to become his unwilling queen. 

There are so many facets to this story. Along with Miryem there are other key characters with their own stories - Wanda, who was working for Miryem to pay off her father's debts, and Irina, the daughter of a nobleman, who was all but locked in a tower until she is adorned with the Staryk silver and gains the attention of the Tsar. There was just so very much going on, but despite that, and the multiple points-of-view, this story was easy to follow as it was all so beautifully and intricately woven together.

The women of Novik's retelling are strong, smart, and powerful, which is another nice update to the classic version.  Despite that, she still creates a definitive "old world" mood in her work. 

The narrator was brilliant. Excellent emotional range, and ability to speak with a very convincing slavic accent added to the whole mood of the story. She definitely rose to the occasion and performed in a manner consistent with the quality of the story.

This story has definitely earned a place for itself as one of my favorite books this year, print OR audio.

Happy Reading,

Christine