I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner Published by Redhook on September 25 2018
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 464
Format: Finished hardcover
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A unique combination of elements comes together in this lush, fairy tale-inspired story.
The Sisters of the Winter Wood is a beautifully written story with elements I loved and others that didn’t work quite as well, so I guess you could say this was sort of a mixed bag for me. I’m pushing my rating up to four stars, however, simply based on the amount of heart and soul that author Rena Rossner put into it. And about halfway through the book it hit me: this story is a perfect mix of Fiddler on the Roof and Into the Woods (any musical theatre buffs out there?), and I could see it working well as a musical! That may sound like a strange observation, but the singsong-like quality of Laya’s verse chapters, coupled with dangerous romance and the traditional Jewish life that Liba embraces would totally work on stage. Hey, if a Harry Potter story can be adapted for the stage, then this book certainly has a chance!
But let’s back up. We’re talking about a book, not a fantasy musical production. . . Liba and Laya are teen sisters who live near the woods with their Mami and Tati on the outskirts of the village of Dubossary. They live their lives happily following their Jewish religion, living off the abundance of the natural world around them and going into town on special occasions. Liba is seventeen and is a devout Jew, comfortable with the family’s traditions. Although she’s shy around boys her age and is wondering if she’ll ever meet a boy and get married, it doesn’t seem to bother her too much, provided life goes on in its predictable way. Laya, on the other hand, is fifteen and yearns to break free of those traditions. She dreams of “flying away” and finding a different life, one filled with adventure and romance. The two sisters couldn’t be more different: Liba is tall and big-boned, with dark hair and eyes, while Laya is slender and waif-like, graceful and long-limbed, with white skin and blond hair.
One day however, their parents shatter their daily routine by announcing that Tati’s father is gravely ill, and they must leave the sisters to care for him. Liba and Laya are devastated, having never been left alone, but their parents assure them that they will return soon. Before they leave, Mami reveals some shocking family secrets to her daughters, which changes everything they believe in. Despite this news, Liba is determined to keep up with their daily lives, but Laya sees their parents’ abandonment as an opportunity to stretch her wings (so to speak).
The girls run into a group of strange men in town and Liba warns Laya to stay away from them. But Laya is attracted to a man named Fedir, who tempts her with his exotic fruits, and she devises ways to sneak away to be with him. Meanwhile in town, a mauled body is discovered, and the non-Jews seem determined to pin the blame on the Jewish community. As emotions rise, amidst a rumor of bears roaming the woods, Liba tries to keep everything together until her parents return.
By this time you may have already read many reviews of this book, so it won’t surprise you that the story is told in alternating chapters from Liba’s and Laya’s points of view: Liba in standard prose format and Laya in verse. I did love hearing both of their stories, and I thought Laya’s chapters in verse worked very well, although the writing is a little overblown and flowery for my taste. But the verse sections give the story a sense of urgency which helped with the pacing. Also, it was a perfect choice on the author’s part to give the dreamy Laya the more romantic format.
I also really enjoyed the Jewish elements, which make this story stand apart from other similar fairy tale retellings. According to the author’s notes, this is a very personal story for her, which addresses certain events in Jewish history and shines a light on the terrible reality of the anti-Semitism that was so prevalent in European countries in the early part of the twentieth century. Combined with elements of Ukrainian and Russian folklore, along with the famous story by Christina Rossetti called Goblin Market, Rossner found a winning combination for her tale of the love between two sisters and how they deal with growing up. She also includes a handy list of Hebrew and Yiddish words and phrases, which I referred to often.
However a couple of things didn’t work that well for me. The story seems to slow down in the middle and stalls for a while. After the excitement in the beginning of discovering their true natures, their parents leaving, and meeting the mysterious men in town, everything sort of lagged for me until the action picks up again near the end. It also didn’t help that Laya’s chapters in particular started to feel repetitive after a while. She’s yearning to spend time with Fedir, taste his fruit, and exchange kisses with him—all things that are forbidden to her as a good Jewish girl—but her tune doesn’t change much over the course of about a hundred pages or so. I get it, she wants to spread her wings and choose a different life, but it takes a long time for her to do so.
This story is also very metaphor heavy, and although I know metaphor is expected when you’re reading a fairy tale-based book, it often felt heavy-handed and ponderous. Both the swan and the bear are metaphors for great change, but I did sort of feel like the author was beating me over the head with her imagery at times. The use of the forbidden goblin fruit as a metaphor for sex was not subtle at all. Maybe it wasn’t meant to be, but I still cringed a bit during those scenes.
I also wasn’t very fond of Liba’s love interest, a boy named Dovid who takes an interest in her and doesn’t waste any time letting her know that he intends to marry her someday. Thank God Liba is an independent girl who knows when to say no, because Dovid spends a lot of time trying to tell her what to do. At first she’s flattered by his attentions, but luckily she has a mind of her own, and her beliefs and sense of duty steer her in other directions.
Ultimately, this is a story about sisterly love, family bonds, and a sense of duty toward family traditions. I did love the message, and despite a few things that rubbed me the wrong way, I did enjoy this story. And I look forward to seeing what Rossner comes up with next.
Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.
Thank you for an excellent review. It sounds an ambitious, interesting read that the author has so nearly pulled off… I can see why you’re keen to see what she does next.
It really has a lot of moving parts to it, and I thought she did a great job making them all work together:-)
Wow, you’ve definitely given me something to think about. I’ve been wanting to read this one for a long time, but after seeing some reviews, have been hesitant. However, I still think I’ll grab it if my library gets it in. It doesn’t sound like something I’ve read much of and I’d like to learn more about the traditions mentioned. Great review!
This is definitely a good library book, although I love the cover so much, it’s worth having a physical copy to sit on my shelf:-)
Terrific review! You make so many good points. I’m glad you enjoyed it overall, despite some of the pacing and metaphor issues. I agree, the author really did pour her heart into this book! I can’t wait to see what she does next.
Yes, there was a lot of heart to this story, I think her personal experience really made the emotions feel genuine.
It sounds incredible! Great review!
Thanks Jackie!
Great review, Tammy! I’ve been looking forward to this one for a while. I think it certainly sounds ambitious and I’m still interested to see how it sits with me. 🙂
If you do read it, I’ll be interested in hearing your thoughts too. I’ve seen so many 5 star reviews, so I think it may be a matter of taste.
I’ve had a copy of this staring at me for week and I’m finally planning to read it soon so I am extremely glad to see you enjoyed it so much! I’m really intrigued by the verse chapters (and, well, a lot of other elements of this book). Wonderful review!
Thanks Jordan, I was the same way, I’ve had a copy of this since early last month and it took so long to get to, but I’m glad I finally did:-)
Thank you for a very thoughtful review! I did indeed read a few before yours, and was intrigued by a story that promised to be different from the usual offering of the genre, still there was *something* holding me back – my (in)famous “book vibes”. And they proved right once again when I reached the part where you speak of the heavy-handed use of metaphor, which is something that usually irritates me, because it seems to point to an authorial lack of faith toward their readers… I’ve always been in favor of “applicability vs. allegory” as indicated by Professor Tolkien, so this might prove a little daunting…
Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…Review: CHILDREN OF TIME, by Adrian Tchaikovsky
It’s always good to listen to your instincts, I suspect yours are correct!
ME! I LOVE MUSICALS! But I’m so glad you mostly loved this book. It’s one I’ve been excited about. I love books featuring sisters.
Oh yay!!!! I’m a big musical theatre fan but there aren’t that many of us, lol.
I had no idea this was such a personal story for the author! I’m still trying to decide if this is something that’s to my tastes. I love the sound of the sister relationship but a little wary about the heavy metaphors. Lovely review, regardless! <3
Thanks Kathy! There were definitely parts where it was too much for me, but overall I’m glad I read it:-)
This sounds like such an interesting read even though parts of it didn’t quite work. I’m especially interested in the Jewish elements you mentioned. I may have to check this one out at some point. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it!
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The Jewish elements were really interesting and added an extra layer to the story, so well done!
I’m glad you enjoyed this! I agree it was a bit slow, especially in the middle…and I think perhaps I’m experiencing some fatigue now with these types of fairy tale-based books.
Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum recently posted…Book Review: The Stars Now Unclaimed by Drew Williams
Agreed, there are a LOT of these types of retellings out there right now, but I was happy that this had some unique elements to it.
Wonderful review, and to be honest you had me at a mixture of Fiddler and Into the Woods! This is already on my TBR but not very prioritized but I am looking forward to reading it at some point!
Kaleena @ Reader Voracious Blog recently posted…Children of the Dark by Jonathan Janz
I’m not kidding, I could write the music for this, it’s such a “musical” story:-)
I’m really looking forward to this one because of the Jewish elements especially the Jewish history. Anti-Semitism is a dear topic for me too, Also folklore! I love folklore! You learn so much about other cultures thought it. Oh look you are reading Sawkill Girls. Cannot wait to hear what you think!
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Sawkill Girls is CRAZY! I’m about half way through and I’m hoping I get some answers soon because it’s so weird (but in a good way!)
I had to have this book – that cover is superb. Like Steff though I think I’m becoming a bit overwhelmed with retellings – although that being said as soon as I see one I want it so badly. I liked this, a lot, but there was something that stopped me from loving it. I agree about the pacing issues and I definitely had a point where I thought ‘okay, I get it, move on’ but, regardless, I did enjoy this and would love to read more of this author.
And yes, I could see this as a musical.
Lynn 😀