The Bear and the Nightingale
A Novel
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4.5 • 758 Ratings
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A wild and willful young woman finds herself at the center of a tale of spirits, ancient evils, and the mysterious winter-king Frost—in the lyrical first novel of the Winternight Trilogy.
“A beautiful deep-winter story, full of magic and monsters and the sharp edges of growing up.”—Naomi Novik, bestselling 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.
“[The Bear and the Nightingale] has the cadence of a beautiful fairy tale but is darker and more lyrical.”—The Washington Post
Don't miss any of the Winternight Trilogy:
THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE • THE GIRL IN THE TOWER • THE WINTER OF THE WITCH
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
The Bear and the Nightingale made us feel like kids again, curled up in bed completely lost in the spell of a great story. Katherine Arden’s first novel is haunting and beautiful, full of the stuff of fairy tales. Set against harsh, wild Russian landscapes and teeming with wonderful characters, it’s got magic, menace, and all the ingredients of an unforgettable read.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Arden's debut is an earthy, beautifully written love letter to Russian folklore, with an irresistible heroine who wants only to be free of the bonds placed on her gender and claim her own fate in 14th-century Russia. Vasilisa "Vasya" Petrovna's mother, Marina, died while giving birth to her. Her father, Pyotr Vladimirovich, loves her; he also resents her for his beloved wife's death. But Marina made Pyotr promise to take good care of Vasya, saying that she was special, and indeed she is. While her father and brothers seek marriage arrangements among royalty in Moscow, Vasya, now a teenager, refuses to be married off; instead she wanders the verdant woods of her father's rural estate, communing with spirits of home, wood, and water. When a young, arrogant priest is sent to her village, the people turn away from their old ways, and the spirits that keep them safe begin to fade. It's up to Vasya to protect them, but her father marries Anna, the daughter of Grand Prince Ivan II, who believes the wood spirits are demons and wants to kill Vasya or confine her to a convent as punishment for consorting with them. As a fierce winter storm rages, Vasya must save her family while embracing the magic that lives inside her. The stunning prose ("The blood flung itself out to Vasya's skin until she could feel every stirring in the air") forms a fully immersive, unusual, and exciting fairy tale that will enchant readers from the first page.
Customer Reviews
Beautiful story
Thus story kept me captivated! I’ve laughed and cried. I wish this was a miniseries as I’d love to see the house, ice block windows and the ovens!
Captivating and lush
This checked all my boxes—magic, folklore, adventure, and heart. The love between family even in a stoic people was so real, and it managed to be a cozy tale in spite of the cold and unforgiving setting. It gives many of the same feelings as Naomi Novick’s works, which are some of my favorites. Loved it. Thrilled to read the next.
Fine
I guess I'm just not that interested 100s of pages of gaslighting & neuroticism. I think the setting & the pacing is fine, but: I can read awful things from better writers; or, awesome things from worse writers.