The Bear and The Nightingale: (Winternight Trilogy) (Winternight Trilogy, 1)

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A tale both intimate and epic, featuring a heroine whose harrowing and wondrous journey culminates in an emotionally resonant finale.”—Publishers Weekly(starred review)

BP: Vasya is a truly compelling heroine. She is strong enough to embrace her differences, but she still reads as a woman of her time. How did you maintain that balance? Vasya è sicuramente la protagonista principale intorno alla quale ruota la narrazione, ma la sua storia si intreccia con le vicende di alcuni personaggi minori. KA: I took a course in college as part of my Russian degree, ambitiously titled “The Russian Mind.” This class started us off in Slavic prehistory and took us through more than a thousand years’ worth of events, ideas, and pieces of literature that shaped the thinking and the culture of the Russia we know today. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Domovoy Slavic religion". Encyclopaedia Britannica. {{ cite web}}: |last1= has generic name ( help) A] sensual, beautifully written, and emotionally stirring fantasy . . . Fairy tales don’t get better than this.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)To what degree is the character of Konstantin sympathetic? Does his passionate faith excuse his actions? Is he an unwitting dupe or a willing player in his own fall? Do his charisma and artistic talent conflict with or complement his vocation as a priest? Why? There is a guardian spirit for everything in Russian folklore. The domovoi guards the house; the dvorovoi guards the dooryard. The bannik guards the bathhouse, the ovinnik, the threshing-­house. Their areas of influence are almost absurdly specific. And each creature has a certain appearance and personality, and people must do certain things to placate them.

Vodianoy: a male water spirit. They are vengeful creatures who enjoy drowning people. They are typically considered the male version of rusalkas. [11] Vasilisa Petrovna is an unforgettable heroine determined to forge her own path. Her gifts and her courage have drawn the attention of Morozko, the winter-king, but it is too soon to know if this connection will prove a blessing or a curse. Konstantin discovers the voice that’s been directing him is not from God; it’s the Winter King. He can hardly believe it. The Winter King says he must sacrifice someone with the sight (a witch) to save Vasya. The only other one is Anna. In college I didn’t do any creative writing at all. I studied foreign languages, wrote earnest essays and wanted to be a diplomat. But after I got my degree, I realized I was burnt out and I didn’t want to race into a career right away. So I moved to Hawaii to work on a farm. It was supposed to be for just a few months while I gathered steam and figured my life out. But I got bored on the farm, and as a remedy against boredom I decided to write a book.BP: The Russian wilderness—­and the Russian winters in particular—­are vividly described in your novel. Can you talk a bit about that and how it affects your characters? Atmospheric and enchanting, with an engrossing adventure at its core, The Bear and the Nightingale is perfect for readers of Naomi Novik's Uprooted , Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus , and Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials . A man comes to their property telling them his nearby village has burned to the ground. Pyotr and Kolya go to help. The voice comes to Konstantin again, this time telling him that Vasya has to leave for the village to be safe. He convinces Konstantin to send her away while Pyotr is still gone. Konstantin and Anna decide to send Vasya to a convent. She begs not to go and thinks it sounds like the worst kind of torture. Konstantin says it’s the only thing that will save her soul.

Throughout the novel, Vasya meets many strange creatures from Dunya’s fairy tales—­from the domovoi to the rusalka to upyry. Which of the demons that Vasya encounters is your favorite? Which ones would you never want to meet? a b "Katherine Arden Awards". Science Fiction Awards Database. Locus Science Fiction Foundation . Retrieved August 14, 2021. Being a fan of Game of Kings—of any Dunnett novel—is a strange experience. The fandom is passionate, but of plenty of folks, understandably, don’t get what the fuss is about. Dunnett makes no concessions to readers. You have to think about what you are reading. With Dunnett, it’s important to consider the possibilities and implications of each interaction—which can take you out of the story.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. But for the young, wild Vasya these are far more than just stories. She alone can see the house spirits that guard her home, and sense the growing forces of dark magic in the woods. . . Vasya mounts Solovey and rides deep into the forest. Morozko opens the door and lets her into his house. The journey of a female hero is slightly different. First, the female hero must escape domestic imprisonment as a child. She is called to adventure, refusing supernatural aid. She may have to chose between a light and a dark man, searches for a father, and encounters an alternative mother figure.The female hero rejects her inferiority as a woman, and after trials and tests, succeeds in her quest.

I’ll have a story,” said Marina at once. Her tone was light, but her eyes were dark. Dunya gave her a sharp glance. The wind sobbed outside. “Tell the story of Frost, Dunyashka. Tell us of the frost-demon, the winter-king Karachun. He is abroad tonight, and angry at the thaw.”At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn't mind—she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse's fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil. It’s a character driven story that has a huge fairytale vibe to it. Although the pacing was slow and there’s not much action in the book, I was still hooked to the plot because I really enjoyed seeing Vasya growing up from a wild kid to a strong young woman. People who love character driven plots will definitely love this book. The culture, religion, the exotic wintry setting, and the supernatural elements are the other aspects that held my interest. The religious theme seemed a bit too much sometimes but I didn’t mind it. The story was told in third person pov and I’m glad that we get to enjoy the story from different perspectives. The world building was totally stunning! I totally fell in love with the beautiful scenery the author has created. Her vivid and lyrical writing style will take you to her enchanting imaginary world filled with magic and adventure. Every time you take one path, you must live with the memory of the other: of a life left unchosen. Decide as seems best, one course or the other; each way will have its bitter with its sweet.” Vasilisa and her family live on the edge of the Russian wilderness. Vasilisa’s father rules these lands, and her mother died giving birth to her, knowing that she was special. Vasilisa was raised by her mother’s nursemaid, who is constantly telling her fairy tales that most Russians fear, but Vasilisa loves.