Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Naomi Novik has created another beautiful world with its own type of magic. She’s also managed to subvert the antisemitism of an old tale while creating characters whose value comes from something other than the beauty of their faces. Masterful storytelling!
I recently saw Novik at a book event, at which she spoke about how various fairy tales, not just the main tale that inspired the story, become her inspiration. When she is stalled, she imagines how a different tale can be used as a path forward, another familiar story that can be woven into the plot and lead her characters onward. I read a majority of Spinning Silver after having heard this explanation, and I was able to follow Novik’s many tales as they were intricately combined in this marvelous novel.
Comments by A. Martin