
The Bear and the Nightingale
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Kathleen Gati
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By:
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Katherine Arden
About this listen
Katherine Arden’s best-selling debut novel spins an irresistible spell as it announces the arrival of a singular talent with a gorgeous voice.
“A beautiful deep-winter story, full of magic and monsters and the sharp edges of growing up.” (Naomi Novik, best-selling author of Uprooted)
Winter lasts most of the year at the edge of the Russian wilderness, and in the long nights, Vasilisa and her siblings love to gather by the fire to listen to their nurse’s fairy tales. Above all, Vasya loves the story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon. Wise Russians fear him, for he claims unwary souls, and they honor the spirits that protect their homes from evil.
Then Vasya’s widowed father brings home a new wife from Moscow. Fiercely devout, Vasya’s stepmother forbids her family from honoring their household spirits, but Vasya fears what this may bring. And indeed, misfortune begins to stalk the village.
But Vasya’s stepmother only grows harsher, determined to remake the village to her liking and to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for marriage or a convent. As the village’s defenses weaken and evil from the forest creeps nearer, Vasilisa must call upon dangerous gifts she has long concealed - to protect her family from a threat sprung to life from her nurse’s most frightening tales.
Praise for The Bear and the Nightingale
“Arden’s debut novel has the cadence of a beautiful fairy tale but is darker and more lyrical.” (The Washington Post)
“Vasya [is] a clever, stalwart girl determined to forge her own path in a time when women had few choices.” (The Christian Science Monitor)
“Stunning...will enchant readers from the first page....with an irresistible heroine who wants only to be free of the bonds placed on her gender and claim her own fate.” (Publishers Weekly [starred review])
“Utterly bewitching...a lush narrative...an immersive, earthy story of folk magic, faith, and hubris, peopled with vivid, dynamic characters, particularly clever, brave Vasya, who outsmarts men and demons alike to save her family.” (Booklist [starred review])
“An extraordinary retelling of a very old tale... The Bear and the Nightingale is a wonderfully layered novel of family and the harsh wonders of deep winter magic.” (Robin Hobb)
©2017 Katherine Arden (P)2017 Random House AudioCritic reviews
"Arden's supple, sumptuous first novel transports the reader to a version of medieval Russia where history and myth coexist." (Kirkus Reviews)
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Russian Fairytale
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Loved it!
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What did you love best about The Bear and the Nightingale?
I loved how easy the author made it to step into the cold, dark woods of Norther Russia, how immersive and real the experience was, as though instead of peering into a snowglobe and watching, we were instead in the swirling drifts among the trees, breathing the same air.I also loved Vasilisa's stubbourness, hehe. It would not have been an enjoyable story if she had always done as she'd been told. She's a good female protagonist. I appreciated especially the ending and the choice she made, probably because I wanted the same and would have been heartbroken had it been any different.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Vasilisa's brother who stood by her until the end was my favourite. :D I admire his bravery and loyalty. It brought a feeling of comfort and relief every time he believed in her when everyone else turned away.What does Kathleen Gati bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Her voice was low and smooth, velvet like smoke. It was a perfect match to the setting, and to bring to life the creatures that dwelt just beyond the awareness of the woodfolk. She gave the characters voices with emotion that brought to life their faces as they spoke.Stayed Interesting Throughout
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New fairy tale
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This.
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Good book but fell kinda flat.
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Good ending
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Amazing
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Better as physical Book
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Beautifully written and eloquently told.
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