So this month's Book Club read was The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey, a story roughly based on an old Russian fairytale character named Snegurochka, or The Snow Maiden.
It tells the story of Mabel & Jack who, following a tragic event in their lives, decide to leave their comfortable lives to run a homestead in Alaska. Facing the long, dark winters with only each other for company & living a frugal existance, can they survive......& will they even want to?
One winter as the first snowfall arrives thick & fast, in a moment of brief happiness they build a child out of the snow. The following morning, it would seem that the snowchild had been destroyed by a wild animal but then the sudden appearance of a girl close to their home makes Mabel start to remember the stories of her childhood, the stories of Snegurochka.
After contacting her sister back home to send the old book to her, she starts to believe that the child they made of snow is actually the child who now visits their home & lives in the woods. Could this be the case or is it just a child who lives rough in amongst the trees, with only a red fox for company?
I was totally gripped by this beautiful tale right from the beginning & although it is essentially a sad tale, I found parts of it strangely uplifting. I'm so glad this was chosen as our June Book Club read as it's not a book I'd have chosen for myself in a million years but I really loved it. It's beautifully written & you feel so much empathy for all of the characters, I urge you to read it even if it doesn't seem like your usual style of book!
Now to make a start on my stack of library books I have out at the minute....& then the 18 books I have waiting on my Kindle.......!
What have you been reading lately that you can recommend?
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