In what ways does Faina represent the Alaska wilderness?

Discuss the January 2015 book of the month. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey.
Post Reply
User avatar
Scott
Site Admin
Posts: 4065
Joined: 31 Jul 2006, 23:00
Favorite Author: Eckhart Aurelius Hughes
Currently Reading: The Unbound Soul
Bookshelf Size: 340
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-scott.html
Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU
Publishing Contest Votes: 960
fav_author_id: 248825

In what ways does Faina represent the Alaska wilderness?

Post by Scott »

The following is a discussion question from the publisher for the January 2015 book of the month, "The Snow Child" by Eowyn Ivey. Please do not read this topic until you have finished the book because this topic may contain spoilers.

In what ways does Faina represent the Alaska wilderness?

The biggest aspect that comes to mind for me is that she cannot be tamed. What do you think?
"That virtue we appreciate is as much ours as another's. We see so much only as we possess." - Henry David Thoreau

"Non ignara mali miseris succurrere disco." Virgil, The Aeneid
User avatar
gali
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 53652
Joined: 22 Oct 2013, 07:12
Favorite Author: Agatha Christie
Currently Reading: The Suite Life
Bookshelf Size: 2287
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-gali.html
Reading Device: B00I15SB16
Publishing Contest Votes: 0
fav_author_id: 2484

Post by gali »

Faina is fiercely independent, runs wild and can't be tamed as you said.
A retired Admin/Mod

Pronouns: She/Her

"In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you." (Mortimer J. Adler)
User avatar
Fran
Posts: 28072
Joined: 10 Aug 2009, 12:46
Favorite Author: David Mitchell
Favorite Book: Anna Karenina
Currently Reading: Hide and Seek
Bookshelf Size: 1208
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-fran.html
Reading Device: B00I15SB16
fav_author_id: 3104

Post by Fran »

I agree with you both - I would also suggest she is intrinsically Alasca, she cannot survive without the snow and ice. She is wild, free, kind but can be cruel.
We fade away, but vivid in our eyes
A world is born again that never dies.
- My Home by Clive James
User avatar
HoneyB
Posts: 296
Joined: 05 Dec 2014, 11:09
Currently Reading: The Law of Moses
Bookshelf Size: 270
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-honeyb.html
Latest Review: "The Whisper of Time" by Ute Carbone

Post by HoneyB »

Based on the fairy tale side of Faina, she was a literal part of the Alaskan snow. Other than that, she knew the wildlife like she was apart of the landscape (wild and free). She lead Jack to the giant moose they needed to survive their first winter. She could hunt even better than Garrett, who was an avid hunter. Oh, remember when she found the birds that blended with the snow, and the bear's den? She could hide and navigate the wilderness like the animals.
A book is a device to ignite the imagination.
~Alan Bennett
Latest Review: "The Whisper of Time" by Ute Carbone
User avatar
KristineNicole
Posts: 158
Joined: 07 Dec 2014, 15:47
Favorite Author: Emily Bronte
Favorite Book: Wuthering Heights
Currently Reading: The Snow Child By Eowym Ivey
Bookshelf Size: 0
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kristinenicole.html
fav_author_id: 2494

Post by KristineNicole »

She seemed young, (which Alaska seemed to a lot of people at that time.) She did what she wanted, (as the Alaskan wilderness will do.) And she was in sync with the animals.
User avatar
Miss_Jane2014
Posts: 81
Joined: 12 Jan 2015, 15:28
Currently Reading: Better Off Dead by H.P Mallory
Bookshelf Size: 14
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-miss-jane2014.html

Post by Miss_Jane2014 »

Faina is wild and free. She is, in a way, unable to be tamed. All of which could be used to describe the Alaskan frontier. She embodies that wildness and spirit.
Peaceplank1
Posts: 31
Joined: 11 Jan 2015, 02:12
Favorite Book: Perfume
Bookshelf Size: 79
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-peaceplank1.html

Post by Peaceplank1 »

Faina is the Alaskan Wilderness in human form: wild, free, untamed, dangerous, spirited and beautiful.
User avatar
Norma_Rudolph
Posts: 207
Joined: 29 Apr 2014, 15:04
Favorite Author: Mary Stewart
Favorite Book: <a href="http://forums.onlinebookclub.org/shelve ... =4245">The Gift of Lies</a>
Currently Reading: Enchantment
Bookshelf Size: 21
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-norma-rudolph.html
Latest Review: "Desolate" by Stephanie Binding
fav_author_id: 10582

Post by Norma_Rudolph »

Faina was connected with Alaska on every level of her life. She literally could not live without being a part of it.
Latest Review: "Desolate" by Stephanie Binding
User avatar
Lilapo9
Posts: 342
Joined: 30 Jun 2014, 13:45
Favorite Author: Diane Duane
Favorite Book: <a href="http://forums.onlinebookclub.org/shelve ... 29675">The Ministry of Cantors</a>
Currently Reading: Handbook for Cantors
Bookshelf Size: 134
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-lilapo9.html
Latest Review: "Memory of Miracles" by Beth Durkee
Reading Device: B00EM3WGYY
fav_author_id: 4363

Post by Lilapo9 »

I could see that "untamed" aspect of Alaska. Fierce, strong, and independent, these are the qualities that would be needed by any who would live there. These qualities are also depicted in the wildlife that live there as well. Also independence becomes self-sacrificing for the sake of another. Not just from the aspect of Faina sacrificing her existence for the sake of a child but of Garrett for Faina and Jack for Mabel and Mabel for Jack.
Latest Review: "Memory of Miracles" by Beth Durkee
User avatar
Jenie
Posts: 50
Joined: 11 Jan 2015, 18:50
Currently Reading: End of the Last Great Kingdom
Bookshelf Size: 25
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-jenie.html
Latest Review: "Barnaby and Clare" by Derrick Alexander

Post by Jenie »

Faina is a wild child. She is as harsh as the winter wind, uncontrollable as the snow, yet so beautiful. The description of the Alaskan wilderness and Faina are identical. Just as you cannot control or tame the winter, you cannot tame Faina.
The Greatness of a man is in the quality of his personality and in the effectiveness of his influence ~ Chris O.
Latest Review: "Barnaby and Clare" by Derrick Alexander
User avatar
SharisseEM
Posts: 273
Joined: 30 Sep 2014, 04:32
Favorite Author: Mia Sheridan
Favorite Book: Stinger
Bookshelf Size: 34
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-sharisseem.html
Latest Review: "The Bonding" by Imogen Keeper
fav_author_id: 3312

Post by SharisseEM »

Faina is the perfect representation of the Alaskan wilderness. She's as beautiful as she is untameable. She's a free-spirit who survives perfectly on her own and is both gentle and harsh.
“I don't suffer from my insanity -- I enjoy every minute of it.”
Latest Review: "The Bonding" by Imogen Keeper
User avatar
Kappy
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 343
Joined: 03 Jan 2015, 11:19
Favorite Author: Isaac Asimov
Favorite Book: The Essene Gospel of Peace
Currently Reading: McGee & Stuckey's Bountiful Container
Bookshelf Size: 762
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kappy.html
Latest Review: "The Big Exoneration" by Dennis Sanchez
fav_author_id: 2547

Post by Kappy »

Faina represents the wilderness by blending in with the environment, rather than attempting to control it. Garrett said "I don't want to be warm and safe," but Faina exemplified that belief better than Garrett did.
Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds
Latest Review: "The Big Exoneration" by Dennis Sanchez
User avatar
Taylor Razzani
Posts: 319
Joined: 08 Jan 2016, 19:56
Favorite Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Favorite Book: <a href="http://forums.onlinebookclub.org/shelve ... 59294">The Shadow of the Wind (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books)</a>
Currently Reading: The Bachman Books
Bookshelf Size: 56
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-taylor-razzani.html
Latest Review: The Hand Bringer by Christopher J. Penington
fav_author_id: 2684

Post by Taylor Razzani »

You've all pretty much said it :)
She's wild, untamed, and is unforgiving when she hunts and kills, reflecting that Alaska is tough on any creature that lives there.
User avatar
Princewill Uchenna
Book of the Month Participant
Posts: 100
Joined: 29 Oct 2023, 12:32
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 26
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-princewill-uchenna.html
Latest Review: A Dream For Peace by Dr. Ghoulem Berrah

Post by Princewill Uchenna »

I agree with you both - I would also suggest she is intrinsically Alasca, she cannot survive without the snow and ice. She is wild, free, kind but can be cruel.
Post Reply

Return to “"The Snow Child" by Eowyn Ivey”