And as moneylenders their role in the local economy is both welcome and despised. Distrust is high and misunderstandings are common (Wanda, a farm girl, mistakes the family’s sabbath prayer for a magical spell), and Miryem and her family are always aware that their lives could be disrupted by anti-Jewish violence. Novik said in an interview with Paste magazine that “ Spinning Silver is about my father’s family, and they were Lithuanian Jews who had to escape persecution”. Though much of Spinning Silver is fantasy, the antisemitism that shapes the outlook of so many of its characters is not. That said, Spinning Silver is the darker and more complicated story, and much of that complexity and darkness comes from a simple fact: Miryem, the central character in the novel, and her family are Jews. With its combination of Eastern European culture, fairy-tale like magic, and modern sensibilities, Spinning Silver has much in common with Naomi Novik’s Uprooted, and folks who enjoyed Uprooted will enjoy Spinning Silver as well. The economy is largely agrarian with barley and wool playing an important role. Spinning Silver is a fairy-tale inspired fantasy set in Lithvas, a fictional country with with elements of Lithuanian, Polish, and Russian history and culture. MassHire Franklin Hampshire Career Center.Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library and Museum.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.My Account Accessibility Hours Contact Donate Search for: Search What to search 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.

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. 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.

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. 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 a novel