Back from my travels - and I’m a bit jet-lagged. So bear with my jumbled thoughts - so many posts and great comments to read and enjoy!
I really enjoyed the book - fantasy is one of my favorite genres, so no surprise there. I enjoyed the clarity of Novak’s writing and the storyline. Since I’m late to the party, I’ll keep my comments succinct (well, for me).
Things that I didn’t like about the book. I found the change of voice annoying and distracting as everyone else has said. The first time the character changed, I didn’t catch it and was really puzzled when the point of view changed.
I felt the last third or so of the book was packing too much information too quickly. And so, the ending felt rushed and incomplete in details.
What I liked about the book. I enjoyed the writing style, it was just descriptive enough and not too wordy. At no point did I feel like reading it was a struggle.
I felt it was a simple fairytale romance at heart but one with a twist. The thing that stood out the most for me with this book is that all Novik’s female main characters are ordinary looking, even downright plain unlike in the traditional fairytales. The ‘Ugly Duckling’ who doesn’t turn into a swan but still gets her happy ending.
I enjoyed reading about Miryem’s family’s religious practices, the element of religion never felt intrusive.
I also found the side stories of Wanda and Irina charming and it added to my enjoyment.
Like everyone else has said, I liked the women characters the best, Miryem, Irina, and Wanda, but I did have a special liking for the Nameless One.
Count me in the ranks of those who will read Novik again - I have started on *Uprooted *.
I am also rereading Spinning Silver because I had to rush through to finish it before I left, having postponed it till the last minute so it would stay fresh in my mind for the discussion and enjoying it very much now keeping in mind everyone’s comments. @jollymama your idea for the movie based on the book is inspired.
I still haven’t gotten Spinning Silver, but The Nix sounds interesting and it was available as a library ebook so I’ll give it a try. I’m a novice at these discussions though.
I’m happy to read The Nix even if a little daunted by the number of pages. Too often, I get stuck on my favorite genres, fantasy and mysteries, and need the encouragement to branch out.
Reading through some of the suggestions above, if we do consider a classic at any time next year, I’d like to second @VeryHappy ‘s suggestion of Somerset Maugham, one of my favorite authors.
On my current reading now list (limited because I haven’t had a chance to go to the library) is
*Uprooted * by Naomi Novik
*Lethal White * by Robert Galbraith
*Circe * by Madeline Miller
Recently read: *My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry * by Frederic Backman. Loved it! Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. Liked it a lot.
@Marilyn, what I love about the discussions is it’s fine to just say I loved or hated the book, or you can really get into it start looking up references. We had links to maps and photos of 19th c New Zealand for one discussion. Being able to actually ponder a book for a couple of weeks and do a little research if you want to, makes this different from in person clubs. BTW who pulled out the original Rumpelstiltskin tale? I kept meaning to do so, but never did.
As for what I am reading - currently switching between When in French: Love in a Second Language by Lauren Collins, which has some memoir aspects, but is mostly about language. Once upon a time I spoke French reasonably fluently, so her take on the French language is pretty interesting to me. There are a lot of idioms she talks about that I don’t remember ever knowing.
Also reading The Queen’s Poisoner as mentioned upthread and I’ve got two Chinese classics that I need to try. I felt like I was touring England, but had never even tried to read Shakespeare.
I just bought The Nix on E-bay!!! It was $6.48 which included shipping. It will be donated to our library as it isn’t in the system !! I should have it by Christmas. There were even cheaper copies there.
Interesting article. I have not finished Spinning Silver yet. The wait list was long at the library and I actually got the audio book first, then the ereader, still on wait for print. I ended up going back over all I had listened to and realized I had missed some key points along the way. I think my mind wonders when I am just listening but when reading I can go back over things I missed.
Thank you for the link to the article. As an audiobook “reader”, I found it interesting.
I do miss the ease of quickly paging back in a tree book to re-read passages.
However, I recognize that if it were not audiobooks, I’d be lucky to read one book a year.
I’ve noticed that audiobooks are working a different muscle. The more I get in the habit of listening & concentrating on the spoken word, the easier it becomes.
I also think audiobooks are getting better and better.
It’s definitely a different experience v. Reading.
I haven’t listened to a book in years - we listened to quite a few when the kids were younger before everyone had a laptop. I generally didn’t feel I missed much, though I remember being shocked when I discovered that a book that the print edition of Cane River had photos. I’m glad I heard David Sedaris read his stories before I read anything of his, because now I hear his voice when I read his books.
I’m noticing in the comments about Spinning Silver that those who liked the book, and those who didn’t like the book, actually liked and disliked the same elements. For some, the overall review tipped one way, and for others, the opposite way.
Absolutely. I rarely listen to audiobooks, but when I do, I have to focus to keep my mind from wandering. I hear something, think of something else, and suddenly I’ve missed five minutes of the story. I think audio really enhances books where an accent is important for setting or ambiance, e.g., I really enjoyed the audio for The Strangler Vine.
I just posted the thread for The Nix. Happy reading! And Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays to everyone!
Thanks for all you do for this Book Club, @Mary13!
I’ll be starting “The Nix” very soon to be sure I finish in time. I remember when my RL Book Club read “Anna Karenina,” I had to set out a schedule to read so many pages a day to be sure I got through it in time for our meeting. I think that’s the only time I had to that – we’ll see how things go with this book.
I finished the book tonight. I found it enjoyable. Like others, I liked Meryam the best, but I also liked her mother, and Wanda. I liked wanda’s Brothers too, both the strong serge,y and the sensitive stepson. I could write more, but we have moved on.
It’s still Dec and i think many of us would enjoy further discussion. I thought it was a book that is different from what many of us often read. Please share some more of your thoughts.
This is unrelated to the actual content of the book, but I really liked the cover art. I can’t tell you how many times I looked at that drawing of non-nonsense Miryem dropping the gold coins into her hand.