
Thistlefoot
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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January LaVoy
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Written by:
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GennaRose Nethercott
About this listen
In the tradition of modern fairy tales like Naomi Novik's Spinning Silver comes an immersive fantasy saga, a debut novel about estranged siblings who are reunited after receiving a mysterious inheritance.
“A wonderfully imaginative, wholly enchanting novel of witness, survival, memory, and family that reads like a fairy tale godfathered by Tim Burton in a wild America alive with wonders and devils alike. Thistlefoot shimmers with magic and mayhem and a thrilling emotional momentum.” —Libba Bray, bestselling author of The Diviners
The Yaga siblings—Bellatine, a young woodworker, and Isaac, a wayfaring street performer and con artist—have been estranged since childhood, separated both by resentment and by wide miles of American highway. But when they learn that they are to receive an inheritance, the siblings agree to meet—only to discover that their bequest isn’t land or money, but something far stranger: a sentient house on chicken legs.
Thistlefoot, as the house is called, has arrived from the Yagas’ ancestral home outside Kyiv—but not alone. A sinister figure known only as the Longshadow Man has tracked it to American shores, bearing with him violent secrets from the past: fiery memories that have hidden in Isaac and Bellatine’s blood for generations. As the Yaga siblings embark with Thistlefoot on a final cross-country tour of their family’s traveling theater show, the Longshadow Man follows in relentless pursuit, seeding destruction in his wake. Ultimately, time, magic, and legacy must collide—erupting in a powerful conflagration to determine who gets to remember the past and craft a new future.
An enchanted adventure illuminated by Jewish myth and adorned with lyrical prose as tantalizing and sweet as briar berries, Thistlefoot is a sweeping epic rich in Eastern European folklore: a powerful and poignant exploration of healing from multi-generational trauma told by a bold new talent.
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What the critics say
BOOK ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: NPR • The Wall Street Journal • Washington Independent Review of Books • BookPage • Book Riot
ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Tor • Paste • Business Insider • BuzzFeed • Library Journal • Literary Hub • Debutiful
JEWISH FICTION AWARD HONOREE
“Steeped in the ancient tropes of folk tales and animated by a passionate belief in the vital role of storytelling, GennaRose Nethercott’s first novel builds on her work as a folklorist and poet. . . . Gorgeously written . . . riveting and moving.”—Wendy Smith, The Washington Post
“At times solemn, at times playful, the [narrator] speaks to the reader like a storyteller to a crowd gathered around a campfire. . . . [Thistlefoot] balance[s] fun and solemnity, joy and suffering."—Mallory Yu, NPR
“An excellent dip into the darker side of Eastern European tales. . . . The author adriotly captures the challenges of adult sibling relationships in a story of survival and memory that is pure poetry, but never glosses over the violence of history.”—Liz Braswell, The Wall Street Journal
What listeners say about Thistlefoot
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Martiall
- 2023-07-06
Loved it
An amazing retelling with incredible moral. Tw: genocide, antisemitism. Love the diverse characters and the development.
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- Aditi Sen
- 2024-01-31
Incredibly beautiful and poignant.
I never thought Baba Yaga tale could be retold in such a beautiful manner. As someone who loves folktales, this felt so special. Such a powerful tale.
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- MM
- 2022-11-26
an enjoyable ride!
overall a really great story, that said I would have preferred being introduced to this alternate universe in a more direct way.
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- Stihl Acres
- 2023-02-17
Great Story!
I really loved this story, it definitely lived up to my expectations. Performance was very well done, too.
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- Jamie
- 2023-11-13
Couldn’t Stop Listening!
I love this story about the necessity of stories. This book masterfully shows how death does not severe us completely from our loved ones, or our histories, or the land. Beautiful!
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- Carolyn A
- 2024-12-02
Such a disappointment
This is my kind of fairy tale fantasy genre. It all began with such promise, but quickly devolved into a nonsensical mess. And I’m not talking about the magic house or the siblings’ extraordinary abilities. Too many bad plot decisions led to me giving up on this book, something I hate to do when I paid good money.
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