Spinning Silver

* ebook
* Print
* Audio

## About the Book

* Genres: High Fantasy, Dark Fantasy
## Description

**NEBULA AND HUGO AWARD FINALIST • NAMED ONE OF PASTE’S BEST FANTASY BOOKS OF THE DECADE • NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY AND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review • NPR • Time • Tordotcom • Popsugar • Vox • Vulture • Paste • Bustle • Library Journal**

**With the Nebula Award–winning *Uprooted*, Naomi Novik opened a brilliant new chapter in an already acclaimed career, delving into the magic of fairy tales to craft a love story that was both timeless and utterly of the now. Spinning Silver draws readers deeper into this glittering realm of fantasy, where the boundary between wonder and terror is thinner than a breath, and safety can be stolen as quickly as a kiss.**

Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father’s inability to collect his debts has left his family on the edge of poverty—until Miryem takes matters into her own hands. Hardening her heart, the young woman sets out to claim what is owed and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold. When an ill-advised boast draws the attention of the king of the Staryk—grim fey creatures who seem more ice than flesh—Miryem’s fate, and that of two kingdoms, will be forever altered. She will face an impossible challenge and, along with two unlikely allies, uncover a secret that threatens to consume the lands of humans and Staryk alike.

For more information
visit Spinning Silver wikipedia
## Chapters

1. Chapter 1
	1. Miryem POV
2. Chapter 2
	1. Wanda POV
3. Chapter 3
	1. Miryem POV
	2. Wanda POV
4. Chapter 4
	1. Miryem POV
	2. Wanda POV
5. Chapter 5
	1. Miryem POV
6. Chapter 6
	1. Wanda POV
	2. Miryem POV
	3. Irina POV
	4. Miryem POV
7. Chapter 7
	1. Miryem POV
	2. Irina POV
	3. Wanda POV
8. Chapter 8
	1. Wanda POV
	2. Miryem POV
	3. Irina POV
9. Chapter 9
	1. Miryem POV
	2. Irina POV
10. Chapter 10
	1. Wanda POV
	2. Irina POV
	3. Miryem POV
11. Chapter 11
	1. Stepon POV
	2. Irina POV
	3. Miryem POV
	4. Wanda POV
12. Chapter 12
	1. Miryem POV
	2. Irina POV
13. Chapter 13
	1. Stepon POV
	2. Wanda POV
	3. Miryem POV
14. Chapter 14
	1. Irina POV
	2. Stepon POV
	3. Miryem POV
15. Chapter 15
	1. Magreta POV
	2. Wanda POV
	3. Stepon POV
	4. Miryem POV
16. Chapter 16
	1. Stepon POV
	2. Miryem POV
	3. Irina POV
17. Chapter 17
	1. Mirnatius POV
	2. Magreta POV
	3. Irina POV
18. Chapter 18
	1. Wanda POV
	2. Irina POV
	3. Miryem POV
19. Chapter 19
	1. Magreta POV
	2. Stepon POV
20. Chapter 20
	1. Mirnatius POV
	2. Magreta POV
	3. Miryem POV
21. Chapter 21
	1. Wanda POV
	2. Miryem POV
	3. Stepon POV
22. Chapter 22
	1. Irina POV
	2. Miryem POV
	3. Irina POV
23. Chapter 23
	1. Miryem POV
	2. Irina POV
	3. Miryem POV
24. Chapter 24
	1. Miryem POV
	2. Magreta POV
25. Chapter 25
	1. Wanda POV
	2. Miryem POV

## Additional Info

**Note:** Include any additional information that you want to, such as plot summary / Cliff Notes, list of characters, etc.

#### Characters:

##### Characters in or near Pakel/Pavys:

* Miryem Mandelstam ‎
* Josef Mandelstam - Miryem's father
* Rakhel Mandelstam - Miryem's mother
* Oleg the carter
* Panova Lyudmila - a neighbor
* Odeta the baker's wife
* Gorek Vitkus - Wanda's father
* Wanda Vitkus
* Sergey Vitkus - Wanda's middle brother
* Stepon Vitkus - Wanda and Sergey's younger brother
* old Jakob - a neighbor of the Vitkus farm
* Panova Gavelyte - a neighbor
* Kajus Simonis - brews krupnik
* Lukas Simonis - Kajus' oldest son
* Marya the dressmaker
* Petrov - a carter
* Panova Gizis - a neighbor
* Varda Kubilius - Oleg's neighbor
* Rybernik, Hurol, Gnadys, Provna, Tsumil, Dvuri - more villagers southeast from town
* Algis - Oleg's son

##### Vysnia's Jewish quarter

* Aron Moshel - Miryem's grandfather
* Panova Moshel - Miryem's grandmother
* Panova Idin - one of Panov Moshel's guests
* Basia - Miryem's cousin (Miryem's mother has two sisters, both married in Vysnia with children)
* Isaac - Basia's betrothed
* Amtal - the Jewish man whose house covers the tunnel
* Joshua Moshel - Aron's brother

##### The Duke of Vysnia's household

* Irina
* Magreta - Irina's nurse
* Erdivilas - Irina's father, the duke
* Galina - Irina's stepmother
* Piotr - one of Irina's two young brothers (other unnamed)
* Silvija - Irina's mother
* Ania - the previous Duchess Magreta remembers
* Father Idoros - a priest of Vysniya
* Darius - a cousin of Irina's
* Palmira - Galina's maid
* Ula - a maid
* Nolius - Erdivilas' steward
* Edita - Erdivilas' housekeeper

##### Characters from Koron and broader Lithvas

* Mirnatius ‎- the Tsar
* Chernobog - a fire demon
* Prince Ulrich - lord of three cities and salt mines
* Vassilia - Ulrich's highly marriageable daughter
* Prince Casimir
* Archduke Dmitir - regent for Mirnatius after his father and brother died
* Karolis - Mirnatius' older brother
* Duke Azuolas - a day's drive from Vysnia towards Koron
* Matas and Vladas - Mirnatius' guards sent to get Magreta
* Aunt Felitzja - Ilias's mother
* Ilias - Mirnatius' cousin
* Lord Reynauld ‎D'Estaigne - court cynic
* Prince Gabrielus - on the road between Koron and Vysnia
* Timur Karimov - guardsman who likes Irina
* Koshik - Mirnatius' driver

##### Characters in the Staryk lands

* The Staryk Lord
* Flek
* Rebekah bat Flek ‎
* Tsop
* Shofer

### Timeline of events:

#### Pre-book:

* Mirnatius is born; Erdivilas attends his christening with Silvija
* only a few years after marrying the tsar, twenty years ago, Mirnatius' mother is put to death for witchcraft and attempting to kill her stepson Karolis
* four years after Mirnatius, Irina is born
* seven years before Miryem starts collecting debts, the winters and Staryk raids start getting worse
* seven years before Miryem receives Staryk silver, the tsar and his older son die of a fever, making Mirnatius (13) the new tsar and Archduke Dmitr regent; Irina (10) attends the coronation in Koron and they stay for seven weeks, until the first snow of winter. Galina is heavily pregnant with her first at this time.
* five years before Miryem starts collecting debts, Wanda's mother dies, leaving Wanda (11), Sergey (7), and Stepon (3)
* four years before the Staryk silver, Archduke Dmitr engages his daughter to Mirnatius (16), but right before the wedding, he dies and Mirnatius says he can't marry now, and doesn't need a new regent

#### Opening of the book:

* Around midwinter of the year she turns 16, Miryem starts collecting money on the debts owed to her father, and Wanda (also 16) comes to work for her (a half-penny off the debt per day)
* In spring, Miryem visits her grandfather and doubles Wanda's pay (a penny taken off the debt) if Wanda will do the collecting
* The following spring, she visits Vysnia again, but on the way back makes her boast in the woods
* The next day they find Staryk tracks, and Miryem starts paying Wanda half in coin and half to the debt, and the same amount also to Sergey to stay the night and keep goats
* The following day is market day and Miryem sells dresses she bought with silver for gold coin, and her father repeats the boast. A storm keeps Wanda from going home and the Staryk leaves six silver coins for Miryem on the stoop. Miryem leaves for Vysnia again the next day, and the day after (a Friday) gets Isaac to make them into a ring, which is sold to the duke. That afternoon they drive back to Pavys and the Staryk collects his gold on the way.
* The evening of the next market day (Wednesday) the Staryk leaves sixty silver coins, and says Miryem has three days. Miryem gets Oleg to drive her to Vysnia that night. Isaac spends all Thursday and Friday morning making a necklace, and that afternoon sells it to the duke for Irina (16 - so she would be a year younger than Miryem and Wanda, since it's been over a year since we met them so they would both be at least 17 now. Irina was 10 and Mirnatius 13 when they met in autumn seven years ago; that works if Irina has a summer birthday.)
* Saturday after sundown Miryem drives back with Oleg and the Staryk again intercepts them in the woods
* Oleg is discovered dead Sunday morning and buried Tuesday; Wanda has earned twelve pennies so far and Miryem says her father will double the pay if she keeps coming while Miryem is gone. Miryem leaves for Vysnia shortly thereafter (a Wednesday that's not a market day?) The Staryk comes her first night in Vysnia, and gives her six hundred coins and seven days. It takes Isaac the full week to make the crown, and it is sold to the duke only two days before the tsar is due to arrive.
* Wednesday evening Isaac and Basia's betrothal is celebrated, and the wedding set to be in one week. The Staryk lord claims the chest of gold and Miryem, and they are married, and Miryem crowned, on arriving at the glass mountain.
* Also this same Wednesday, Wanda sells the remaining aprons at market day and returns home to find Kajus drinking with her father Gorek and engaging Wanda to his son Lukas. She refuses, there is an altercation, and Gorek is killed. She and Sergey have earned twenty-two pennies for their work, and they send Stepon and the goats to the Mandelstams and set out that night for Vysnia. (Editor's note: in order for the coins to add up, I think maybe they have Saturdays and Sundays off?)

#### Between Miryem's marriage and Basia's

* A lot happens in this very busy week
* Irina and Mirnatius are in Koron on the last day before June, and there have been two blizzards since Spring Day

#### Conclusion of the book

* the next few days are also very exciting
* Spring is finally allowed to take hold for real, summer passes, and the book concludes early the next winter.