The Bear and the Nightingale cover art

The Bear and the Nightingale

Winternight, Book 1

Preview

Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Bear and the Nightingale

By: Katherine Arden
Narrated by: Kathleen Gati
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.
Cancel

About this listen

Random House presents the unabridged downloadable audiobook edition of The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden, read by Kathleen Gati.

A young woman's family is threatened by forces both real and fantastical in this debut novel inspired by Russian fairy tales.

In a village at the edge of the wilderness of Northern Russia, where the winds blow cold and the snow falls many months of the year, a stranger with piercing blue eyes presents a new father with a gift - a precious jewel on a delicate chain, intended for his young daughter. Uncertain of its meaning, the father hides the gift away, and his daughter, Vasya, grows up a wild, willful girl, to the chagrin of her family. But when mysterious forces threaten the happiness of their village, Vasya discovers that, armed only with the necklace, she may be the only one who can keep the darkness at bay.

Atmospheric and enchanting, with an engrossing adventure at its core, The Bear and the Nightingale is perfect for fans of Naomi Novik's Uprooted, Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus and Neil Gaiman.

©2017 Katherine Arden (P)2017 Random House AudioBooks
Classics Fantasy Fiction Magical Realism Feel-Good Heartfelt Carnival

What listeners say about The Bear and the Nightingale

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    203
  • 4 Stars
    81
  • 3 Stars
    30
  • 2 Stars
    9
  • 1 Stars
    4
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    206
  • 4 Stars
    54
  • 3 Stars
    20
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    3
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    181
  • 4 Stars
    67
  • 3 Stars
    28
  • 2 Stars
    7
  • 1 Stars
    4

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A magical Russian world

This was fantastic!
I loved the world, it was so incredibly rich, and the narrator did an outstanding job of emoting this richness. When listening to this story, you could feel the cold, feel the wind rattle your bones and the sting of wet on warm skin.
Highly, highly recommend, it was excellent!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

MY HEART!

This story is beautiful! A folk lore tale with a little feminist spice in the mix. I HATE THAT PRIEST. Vasilisa has my heart.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Strong female character, fairy-tale feel

For me the story really got interesting around chapter 20. Loved how beautiful the horse characters are in this story & skilful imagery by the writer. Am definitely going to listen to the next book. Narrator does a fantastic job of pronouncing the difficult Russian names in this story!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful story

This story was poetic and magical. It was also well read, the accent enjoyable once my ears became accustomed to it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Slow and the 'Russian' accents get a bit much

This is a different sort of story set in a fantasy version of Russia. The protagonist is interesting, even if she is 'the chosen one' trope through and through. The story is SLOW which can be a good thing with fantasy and I think this is the first of a trilogy. I ended up more or less enjoying the book, but not enough to carry on with the series. I found the constant 'Russian' accents of the voice performer wore pretty thin half way through the 11 hour run time.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

It was tedious

I had high hopes, but the story dragged and it just wasn’t as engaging as I hoped it would be.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved this book, but had to read it as a paperback

This book came strongly recommended. I did try to start it twice but couldn't finish, because something about the narration didn't work for me. I never got past the first chapter though, so maybe it got better?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it!

I was so engrossed I didn’t want it to end so I had to read it twice.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable fantasy tale

Enjoyed the story but found the reader's accent a bit difficult to follow at first.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Stories to remember

Draws you in like a warm fireplace from the cold wind outside. Compelling story with lots of stories within, want to start again. Thanks Katherine the author and Kathleen the narrator, great job

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.