I've have this book on my audible wish list from the very beginning. I first heard if this book from the author. When asked if she had a favorite book of the ones she had written she answered without hesitation, "Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow." As I've read other books by this author I was intrigued by her rapid response. The book did not disappoint. A retelling of a fairy tale, it is a Norwegian tale and was completely foreign to me. While baring some resemblance to Beauty and the Beast, it was different enough to remain new and fresh. I used every opportunity to listen too it and finished it within two days. Here is a link to the Audible page for this book. It was read by Jessica Roland who did a good job with the different characters.
.jpg)
Plot: based on the fairy tale East of the sun and west of the moon, winter has not left the Northland for decades, some say a hundred years. People are able to scrape by but often not by much. It's even harder when there are lots of children to feed. Olaf, the woodcutter has nine children. When his wife gave birth to a girl instead of boy who would be able to help support the family she was upset and refused to den give her a name. Olaf, who loved the child, was disappointed by his wife's decision but as the naming of girls is the wife's duty, he could do nothing but call the girl "the Pika," which simply means "the girl." Given the nickname "lass" by her eldest brother, Hanspater, the Pika came to accept her mother's rejection and instead sought the company of Hanspater who had returned from sea after a five year voyage. However, Hanspater is not well. He only sits by the fire and carves words in a strange language or figures that he may throw into the fire. He does make some useful things that he sells to help the family, but he appears to be broken. The Pika wants more than anything to see her brother whole. In an attempt to help him she asks a boon from the White Stag, a mythical creature she helped free from a thicket. When it is unable to help her brother it instead gives her the ability to speak with animals. While this is useful and causes her to be much sought after to help with difficult animals in also brings a giant ice bear to her families house when she is seventeen. It requests that she come and live with him in his palace for a year and one day. In return her family shall have the wealth her mother has desired for years. How hard could it be, to live with such a chreature for a year and a day in a palace with servants? Harder than the Pika thought possible.
Plot: based on the fairy tale East of the sun and west of the moon, winter has not left the Northland for decades, some say a hundred years. People are able to scrape by but often not by much. It's even harder when there are lots of children to feed. Olaf, the woodcutter has nine children. When his wife gave birth to a girl instead of boy who would be able to help support the family she was upset and refused to den give her a name. Olaf, who loved the child, was disappointed by his wife's decision but as the naming of girls is the wife's duty, he could do nothing but call the girl "the Pika," which simply means "the girl." Given the nickname "lass" by her eldest brother, Hanspater, the Pika came to accept her mother's rejection and instead sought the company of Hanspater who had returned from sea after a five year voyage. However, Hanspater is not well. He only sits by the fire and carves words in a strange language or figures that he may throw into the fire. He does make some useful things that he sells to help the family, but he appears to be broken. The Pika wants more than anything to see her brother whole. In an attempt to help him she asks a boon from the White Stag, a mythical creature she helped free from a thicket. When it is unable to help her brother it instead gives her the ability to speak with animals. While this is useful and causes her to be much sought after to help with difficult animals in also brings a giant ice bear to her families house when she is seventeen. It requests that she come and live with him in his palace for a year and one day. In return her family shall have the wealth her mother has desired for years. How hard could it be, to live with such a chreature for a year and a day in a palace with servants? Harder than the Pika thought possible.
My personal favorites; This book reminded me of Beauty by Robin McKinely in all the best ways.Both are fairy tale retellings and both cover similar, but very different stories. They are both very well written and have good pacing and flow between scene and conflicts. In addition, Jessica Day George does a great job with foreshadowing. She also doesn't pull any punches. Bad things happen to good people and evil is truly villainous. The characters are fun and believable and I didn't feel like the Pika was acting older than her age, which is something I often struggle with.
Considerations: As I said, Jessica Day George doesn't pull any punches and there are characters who die, not just "disappear" or rather when they disappear we learn that they were killed. Another consideration is that as part of her year and a day in the ice bear's palace there is a man that shares her bed. This is given the proper weight in the Pika's mind and she is uncomfortable with this. However, despite the potential there is no sexual actions or references that take place because of this arrangement. I look forward to reading this to my daughter when she is ready for books of this size.
Overall the book was wonderful. It kept me guessing about some things until the very end and held me captive until the final word. I definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to read something that feels familiar and yet is a very different fairy tale than what they're used to. The total length was 7 hours.
No comments:
Post a Comment