Customer Reviews

Nora and the Great Bear

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is great for all ages. The story is enchanting for younger readers, but it offers life lessons for all ages. In particular, the message that we are all journeying to discover who we are and what we can offer is timeless. Also, I love the idea that sometimes we need to set aside what is "always done" for what is "unconventional", a sort of "road less travelled" idea. This book is a must have for all ages.

I have searched to buy this out-of-print book since my children and I borrowed it from a library. "Nora" is my daughter's nickname, in part because of this book. The story is about a confident little girl who bucks stereoptypes by wanting to be a great archer, the one to kill the fabled great bear. But when she sees it, she respects its beauty too much to kill it. It's a wonderful lesson on many fronts, and even my two-year-old enjoyed looking for the secret hidden bear on each page... It was really there watching the villagers all the while. My children first spotted this. On quick read, one might miss it. A special touch kids love.

I read this book to my grandchildren last week when I found it on a shelf in their house, borrowed from a library. It is idiotic. It reads as if it is a folk tale, full of the wisdom of the ages. In fact, it is full of the garbage of feminist authors and publishers. Nora and her village exist in no context. Is the village in Europe? In America? We do not know. Does Nora have a family? Apparently she just attends the meeting of the village men by herself, unattached to anyone. She practices all year with her bow, but is shown only with a gun when she goes on the hunt. Why is she allowed to go on a weeks-long hunt, camping in the woods, with a group of men apparently unrelated to her? And how can these men take weeks off from supporting their families, or are all their wives corporate attorneys? Then she wanders off into the woods by herself. Does no one supervise this child? It is snowing, but the snow does not cover the bear tracks. She sees the bear, the bear leads her back to the camp, but there really is no bear. So there really is no point.

I tried to make out what the plot was supposed to be. Then I realized that the plot is unimportant; what is important is the subtext, which is: Little girls are brave and poetic and perceptive; men are dumb and cowardly. And life makes no sense. If that's the message you want your kids to get, by all means get them this book.