What a book- This is an amazing story. I had it on audio and my god the narrator was perfect.. it was almost like she was the characters and as the snow fell, even though I was on a warm car, I felt the cold. The Characters were perfectly described and I felt like I was in the remote village at times gone by. I couldn’t tell you where in the world this village was set, or when but I could tell you the sound of the snow and the feeling of the villagers as the butcher strode in their wake.

It is a story of ruling and also mastering your inner worrier. The women of the village are to be used and abused by men and as the story goes along we learn who the real men are when they are allowed to be human and not devils like the elders of the village. The descriptions put you on the mountain top and although time flies past, there is nothing left out of the changes Edith goes through. She is one character that is an actual hero and one who doesn’t look for praise but looks for the right by life and the people of her village.



If I could give this book higher than 5 I would…. Amazing!!

A magical, mystical, ethereal tale of love, tragedy and triumph, friendship and brave defiance, set in a wintry medieval atmosphere. A small isolated mountain village, riddled with fears and superstition. The community has a mayor and a group of elders who are supposed to uphold law, order and fairness within the village, however they are cowed and bullied by the horrendous butcher, to whom they are debt in more ways than one and subsequently enable the butcher to have a despotic power over them. He is a brutal pantomime villain. They do whatever the butcher demands and turn a blind eye to his terrible misdeeds. The village women are living a life dominated by stifling patriarchal rule. This, incredibly, is the background to a beautiful and tragic love story. There is beauty and poetry in the words. I loved this audiobook and the narrator. A storyteller's tale.

Originally posted on goodreads:

This is a fierce, feminist modern fairytale. The narration is wonderful from Amanda Bright, and the writing flows nicely. With this being a fairytale the characterisation is lacking, probably by design. I did think that with this being a longer work, I would have liked to have gotten to know Edith a bit better, but the reader is kept at arms length throughout.

Overall, a good wintery read.

This is such a strong feminist read in the style of an adult fairytale. Centring around Edith, the story wraps itself in modern day issues and ultimately the rebellion of the patriarchal system set by the village elders and the control by the butcher. The language used is beautiful and enchanting, and the words used ebbs and flows with the story making it so atmospheric.

The dark setting of a bleak winter, the story brings together so many themes such as hope, loss, murder, control and the empowerment of women. A must read!

A feminist adult fairy tale. Part historical fiction, part magical realism, part kicking misogyny in the arse!

Gardner takes us to a remote mountain village where tradition & superstition rules. There's an abusive bully, corrupt leadership, oppression & distrust of anyone who is seen as 'different'. The men rule, the women are expected to conform.

When Edith meets the artistic Demetrius - a man like no other she knows, who treats those he meets with respect & interest - she falls in love & is excited for their future together. The controlling Butcher however will never stand for an outsider taking what he wants & blackmail, bullying, and violence follow. As the story moves on, & Edith loses her voices but finds her strength, the women of the village come together to move the village forwards.

With beautiful imagery & stirring language, The Snow Song is an empowering story for all.

Please note: the book does include rape & physical violence towards women & minors. If this may be triggering for you this might not be the book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley & HarperCollins Audio UK for providing me with a free eAudio copy in exchange for my honest review.

Another beautifully written story by Sally Gardner, that slowly draws you in to the magical world of this dark fairytale.
Starting as a gentle love story set in a world where outdated traditions rule, the layers build and build with secrets revealed, wrongs righted, evil vanquished and strong friendships made when the oppressed women find their voices. The characters are skillfully developed and the decriptions of the snow and the landscape transported you right into the centre of a harsh winter on the mountain in this superb adult fairtale.

I enjoyed listening to this dark and atmospheric folk tale as an audio book. The setting is a tight knit community, in the snow covered mountains, where traditions have been followed without question for many years. Edith is the daughter of the village cabinet maker. He is a drunk and in debt. Edith falls in love with Demetrius, a shepherd not from the village. However, the village butcher, a wealthy man and a bully decides he wants to marry Edith and does everything in his power to make it happen. This situation creates a catalyst of change as people realise things have been ignored for far too long. Themes of love, friendship, self belief and determination are woven carefully through this enchanting tale. Thank you to Sally Gardner, Net Galley and Harper Collins for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A beautiful, magical and powerful feast of a book. I looked forward to and enjoyed every minute of this wonderful story. Now I want to run away with the circus or go and live in the woods.

I found the narrator pleasing but the story not as exciting as I’d hoped and I found it dragged somewhat. The cover is beautiful. Perhaps I’m just not used to fairy tales in midlife and therefore it wasn’t as easy to fall in love with this.

A wonderful winter Fairy Tale perfect for this time of year and escaping Coronavirus, it has evil and love, darkness and light. And just a smidge of magic. It has a strong female lead and at its heart is driven be the empowerment of women. The Snow Song is story telling at its best.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a beautiful enchanting story. This was my first audio book and I didn’t know what to expect. Excellently narrated - it took me about 5 mins to get lost in the story, The narrator set a good pace, she did the voices well for each character and evoked their emotions - even the menace of the butcher. With a run time of about 6.5hrs - it didn’t feel too long or slow. I got totally lost in the story and kept itching to beg back to it.

The book is about a girl who falls in love with a shepherd that isa stranger in her little village. The village subject to tradition and superstition and is basically held hostage by the bully of a butcher who has everyone in his pocket. Even though she loves the shepherd, her alcoholic father tries to force her to marry the butcher. In a storm of heartbreak, Edith loses her voice but gains a tower of strength helping her to stand up to the patriarchy even as her hands are tied.

I love books about feminism and this explores several strands and storylines about women fighting oppression and finding their own voices both literally and metaphorically. Woven between that is the lyrical story of love and enchantment and fairytales. There are also very dark and violent subplots but I think they are handled sensitively and don’t feel gratuitous. Highly recommended 4.2/5

This was an audiobook that I thoroughly enjoyed. It took me back to the stories that first got me into reading when I was around 8 years old. The content isn't really suitable for children though, I should add!

The book is written in that traditional Russian/Eastern European style that just makes you want to know what happens next as the snow floats down on a cosy night by the fire.

I enjoyed the narrator, but felt she could have been a little more animated, but overall the narration was fine, if not exciting.

There are a lot of what could be referred to as "Feminist" themes, as Edith is torn from the man she loves and is told she should marry the Butcher- a vile character that is only missing a black hat and a twirling moustache.

It is interesting that all of the characters that are seen as bad or lacking in someway are referred to by their profession rather than their name, such are the Priest or the Miller's son -I really liked that .

It is a very complex tale, told in a very simple way- a brilliant read for a senior school or book club, as there is so much to talk about.

I thoroughly enjoyed it.

My thanks to HarperCollins Audio U.K. for a review copy, via NetGalley, of its unabridged audiobook edition, narrated by Amanda Bright. It has a running length of 6 hours, 30 minutes at 1x running speed.

In the past I have enjoyed a number of Sally Gardner’s books, including those written under her pen-name, Wray Delaney. This latest one was pure enchantment, beautifully written with a moving love story at its heart.

‘The Snow Song’ is set some time in the past in a village perched on a mountain in a land of ancient forests; likely Transylvania given the landscape and its local legends of the bloodless that come back from the dead. The village is run by the elders, men to whom tradition is all.

Edith lives with her alcoholic father, who is determined that she will marry the powerful village butcher, a man old enough to be her grandfather. Yet Edith is in love with Demetrius, a shepherd, who is considered an unsuitable suitor as he is an outsider. Demetrius leaves the village to tend to his flock and in his absence Edith’s father forces her to sign an oath that if Demetrius doesn’t return by the first snowfall that she’ll marry the butcher.

Oh dear! How far will the butcher go to secure Edith as his bride? Will the women of the village ever free themselves from the oppressive yoke of the patriarchal elders?

There is a powerful fairytale ambiance to this novel and a number of folk tales are interwoven into the narrative. This was an exquisitely crafted novel, a truly magical love story that is sad yet hopeful. While not quite fantasy, there are elements of folklore and magical realism found throughout.

In terms of its audiobook, Amanda Bright has a lovely voice and I felt completely transported into the world of ‘The Snow Song’. I did find her quite a fast reader, though I adjusted the listening speed to suit my ear.

Overall, an ideal winter tale that I adored and highly recommend.

A beautiful fable with a wonderful narrator.

Edith falls in love with an village outside but the elders and her family have other plans for her - wanting her to marry The Butcher. Her love goes missing and Edith falls silent in mourning - no longer able to use her voice.

The tale is beautiful and easily listened to.

The snow song is a lovely audiobook, which has been cleverly written by Sally Gardener, she has managed to create a novel that you would be forgiven if you thought this had been a story handed down over the generations and the simple narration helps tell Ediths life story in a classic way. This really is a modern fable that deserves to be remembered for a long time.

Although this was told as a traditional folk tale, set somewhere in Eastern Europe it is not suitable for children as there is incest and rape alluded to (very specifically)
This really is a fantastic tale with a developing sense of strong women realising their feminist power when working together although they have been oppressed by the patriarchal traditions of the village elders
I give the story ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Although the narrator was not to my taste.
Many thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in advance in exchange for an honest review.

This was a delicious mix of fairytale fantasy , cautionary fable and a rather searing tale of the rise of feminism in a patriarchal society.

What begins as a love story between mysterious handsome outsider and the young granddaughter of the village story -spinner and daughter of town drunk begins with such youthful hope

At great cost she has also caught the eye of odious extortionist The Butcher who has a awful grip on the running of a secluded mountain village. As revelations and rash acts abound, their hold begins to unravel despite the sudden muteness inflicted by unrelenting heartbreak of our heroine. .

The author Sally Gardner has used quite a brilliant device here of making the main group of men here caught in a web of control, blackmail, corruption and misogyny less human by referring to them only by their job title... as people break away from the tight knit group they gain names and personality.

There is folklore and magic, at work here but also a celebration of the power of female solidarity . It was a sparkly but spiky read, rather like the icicles I imagine hanging from every village abode.

The delivery was a tiny bit stilted in this audio version, but that might be because I imagined a slightly more “European voice” given the the setting. I am of Eastern European stock for favour them for these kind of fairytales ... a tiny quibble for a wonderful escape from reality ... beauty with bite!

I was given this audiobook via Netgalley for an honest review. I was starting to get in a wintery mood and this sounded right up my street.

The story takes place in a small community, highly religious where the status quo is controlled by the village elder men, who take on wives of their choosing and the women live very sheltered and controlled lives. All this changes when a young girl falls in love with an outsider, and to be allowed to marry him, he must return to the village before the first snow falls.

I went into this with not many pre-conceived ideas of what it would be like but I really enjoyed it. It definitely got me in a wintery mood and I felt the isolated community was done very well. It was easy to feel how stifled these women were in this.

I hadn't expected it to be as feminist as it was and felt it handled quite a few issues and handled them well.

The setting and vibe reminding me of The Bear and the Nightingale which I loved, and though it wasn't a fantasy, there are some fantastical elements in this that I thought were done well.

A solid 4 star read for me. The audio was done well and would recommend.

I received this eaudio from the publisher and netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I listened to 58% before I decided to DNF this.
While the story itself was interesting as a concept to me, it felt very superficial. The characterisation never went very deep and nor did the stories of the people in the village. I guess this is probably some type of magical realism, I’m not sure. But I didn’t feel like I got to know any of the characters that well.

Despite spending half the book with Edith I didn’t feel like I knew her really, and I dislike being told that characters are in love with absolutely nothing to back it up. He plays his violin and they love each other? Okay. Sure.
I just, I really need some more proof and build up of a relationship to care if that relationship is central to the entire story.

I just felt more and more depressed listening to it and so I decided that while it was very feminist I couldn’t continue.

I absolutely loved the narrator and I would love to hear more of her stuff!

It’s a beautifully written book but it is clearly not for me!

The Snow Song follows the life of Edith, a carpenters daughter and a girl who falls in love. She promises to marry a Shepherd Dimitri, but the Butcher is determined to have her for himself and she makes an oath to marry the Butcher if her Shepherd hasn't returned by the first snow.

This was such a pleasant book, I listened to the entirety in one day. The mysticism that was weaved through the storytelling was imaginative, curious and exciting. The relationships were sometimes surprising, but endearing where they thrived. I enjoyed listening to it, and would simply suggest that the MP3s in the audio book could be named by chapter to make navigation easier.

The style of writing captured me from the very beginning, right to the very end. Many things happened that excited my imagination and sent magic running through my synapses. The narrator read well and maintained a lovely definition between characters simply through inflection and tone.

Thoroughly enjoyed.