The Bear and the Nightingale Summary
Arden, Katherine

The Bear and the Nightingale Overview

This novel, which reads like a fairy tale but which has several inflections of meaning that seem intended for more mature minds, is the often archetypal story of Vasya, an independence-minded young woman who struggles to maintain her individual identity in a set of circumstances that does not value such independence in a woman. Set in Medieval Russia, the narrative integrates several elements of myth and legend, exploring themes related to the tension between religion and nature, the nature of sacrifice, and mother-daughter relationships.