The Bear and the Nightingale

A Novel

By: Katherine Arden

Narrated by: Kathleen Gati

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 Audio

Critic reviews

"Arden's supple, sumptuous first novel transports the reader to a version of medieval Russia where history and myth coexist." (Kirkus Reviews)

Wonderful!

Was very easy to get lost in this world and enjoy every minute. Looking forward to her next book.

Hard to stay with the story

I had a really hard time staying engaged with the story. There were to many characters to keep track of. I am having a hard time wanting to listen to it or finish it.

Good overall, but some major problems

I was pretty excited to read this book as a Russian folklore enthusiast and since all of the reviews were so positive. Overall the book was good, but I had a few major issues.

1.) Bad Russian accents - I am a bit surprised that several reviews said the accents were “spot on”..... sorry, but I found them annoying and very distracting. I wish the narrator hadn’t done them at all.

2.) Characters were not memorable- I just finished the book and I struggle to describe a single character without describing their family position or their job. The main character is a bit of an exception, but even still she didn’t have many other traits than just being defiant.

3.) The reoccurring last name -ovich - I get that the author was trying to use a last name that was common in the area and time frame, but EVERY SINGLE
PERSON HAD A LAST NAME WITH -ovich in it. That would be giving every person in Cambridge Massachusetts the last name Smith. Just because it is common does not mean everyone has that last name or something similar.

That was pretty much it, if you don’t think these things will bother you I would say go for it. It did have an interesting premise and leads nicely up to a sequel.

Overall I did like the story, but these issues did detract from enjoyment of it.

Interesting setting and characters but slow going

I appreciated the setup and the immersion that Arden achieves with such descriptive details in each scene, however the events of the majority of chapters were very slow going and after a while the details started to feel as though they were included for length. The characters were largely well realized and the climax was interesting, but it felt like too much of a slog to reach it. Katherine Gati did a great job bringing the story to life.

interesting but did blow mw away

Great characters, great idea...but sadly the story didn't grab me, had to slog through it

a truly enchanting tale!

Beautifully performed, this novel brought me to a magical time and place. The description compared the imagery and creativity to that of Neil Gaiman and also The Night Circus - both are entirely true. I loved getting lost in this wintery tale. I can't wait to see what Arden does next!

Great story, mediocre storytelling

Despite original and interesting characters and magic, I had a hard time feeling engaged with this novel. There was a lot of backstory, and I kept wondering whether the story had REALLY started yet. Such a long beginning also made the end feel anticlimactic and unsatisfying; many of the ends were tied up but they weren't necessarily the ones I expected. If I were an editor, I would have strongly recommended a less linear narrative.

fabulous fairy tale!

I read this book before listening to the audiobook and just loved it. Listening was even better - this narrator really brings the characters and the setting to life!

performance 11/10

Great story. incredible reading. I did not want to stop listening, I did not want it to end.

great read, narrator was awesome

loved the story line, narrator was awesome, made you kerp wanting to listen to more