Bear Daughter

This was an idiosyncratic book, with a slow start and an ending that I'm not quite sure about, but I wholly recommend it to fans of mythic fiction. It's a beautiful evocation of the textures, scents, and daily rhythms of its folkloric Pacific Northwest setting, exploring through fine details what it means to be a living being in a world of birth and death and struggle.

While the book dragged for me at first, readerly patience is rewarded with a tense, high stakes coming of age–quest story. Cloud is a wonderful, slightly unusual character, a clueless mortal girl with immortal bear parentage who struggles to identify her desires and emotions. The text makes wise observations about trauma and family, and it's refreshing to encounter a show more female protagonist with low emotional intelligence.

Finally, Judith Berman is an anthropologist, and this is a respectful and nuanced adaptation of Native source material by a non-Native author. This is her only novel, although I think I've read a short story or two of hers. Alas, it seems she's wholly out of print, so I will be on the lookout for new publications. show less

Book content warnings:
sexual assault

I stumbled across this book completely by chance in a used bookstore. I hesitated to get it because of the (obviously) white girl on the cover, but after seeing this interview by the author that other reviewers provided, I decided to grab it. Judith Berman talks about cultural appropriation, the research that went into the book, and her displeasure with the cover.

Bear Daughter is a book set in an alternate world, based on the cultures of the Northwest Coast Native Americans and with a plot that follows many Old World European myths and traditions: a great journey, underworlds, and wizards whose power sources are found in hidden, locked boxes. Cloud, the MC, is a bear-girl, borne of one of the First show more People and a mortal. Her father, a bear, and her brothers, all murdered, call out to her in her sleep. They won't stop haunting her until she can find their bones and free their spirits.

Immediately, I fell in love with the writing style, Cloud, and the plot. I could not stop reading. Even at the beginning, which is fairly slow, but never boring. It's addicting, dark, and lovely, evoking gorgeous imagery. The plot meanders, sometimes a little too much, but I couldn't bring myself to mind, because I was just too caught up in the writing and the journey.

I'm pretty sure this is a book that will be one of my favorites for a very long time. show less

When I first read the description of this book I assumed it would be a story primarily written for children, a bear who wakes up a girl, her adventures thereafter with an easy to understand moral message. The truth of this book is far more complex and a lot more interesting.
It took me a little while to get used to the style of writing at first as the descriptions sometimes felt like they lacked a certain depth. But as I read more it became apparent why this is. The book, while not in first person, is told entirely from Cloud's perception. We as readers only get to see and hear what Cloud does. There are no side chapters telling you what's happening elsewhere, no conversations out of Cloud's earshot, no descriptions of what other show more characters are feeling or thinking other than what Cloud perceives, and that's the perception of a naive and innocent girl on the cusp of womanhood. We know only as much as cloud does and therefore feel the same excitement when she finds out more about who she is and why she is the way she is. As Cloud matures, so do the depth of the descriptions.
As can be expected from the title and description, the book is heavily influenced by native American culture and mythology, though the author stresses she has taken these myths, mixed them up and added her own ideas.
In common with many stories and myths based on old tales, this story is not Disney. Though not dwelled upon there are scenes of domestic violence, slavery, butchery and attempted rape. This is a story which I think would most be suited to early-late teenagers and adults. Cloud struggles to understand what it is to be a girl on the cusp of womanhood, the confusion in not knowing her purpose and what she wants or where she belongs, the range of hard to handle emotions. It is easy to say she feels lost because she was a bear as a child, but the reality is almost all teenagers go through the same process of change as they grow up. As an adult I enjoyed the book from an adults perspective, feeling protective of Cloud and wanting to give her the feeling of safety, belonging and love she so desperately craves (the scenes with her mother are very well written and will make you nostalgic for either the comforting embrace of your own mother or of your own children). It is a story of a girl going through the 'rite' of adulthood, learning (often the hard way) that the world is not black and white, that those who seem nice may not be and those and those who seem cold can have hearts of gold, that even when someone is genuinely nice sometimes nice isn't what we need to progress! Cloud's adventure is at times lonely, exhausting, distressing and unfair. But all these aspects are also what makes Cloud grow, they teach her life lessons that must be experienced to be understood.
I enjoyed going on this adventure with Cloud, in particular the setting of a world where spirit animals, wizards and magic exist, making this not just another coming of age story. show less

Bear Daughter is an inspiring Fantasy novel, which follows a young bear cub turned girl named Cloud. Now a human child, Cloud must learn human manners and avoid the wrath of her mother's husband, Rumble. I did love the various character names and how they all tied in with the theme of nature.

Aged thirteen and threatened with imminent death, Cloud is chased from the home she came to know, to seek a better life for herself elsewhere. As she travels, she finds herself plagued by dark dreams that will lead her to fulfill her long awaited destiny.

I loved the comparison between mortal and immortal people in this world. The juxtaposition of flawless creatures of surreal beauty with dark intentions had me hooked and unable to put the book down. show more Strong themes included those of identity, loss of self and others, in addition to mortality.

The plot was fast moving, with great structure to the author's writing. Cloud's emotional state was well explored and helped me to better identify with her character. This magical world was one that I instantly felt a pull toward. So many mysteries await the read in its pages.

The one small issue I had with the book was the ending of part four, where we are introduced to a character at random after a major time leap. This was initially confusing, but by the end of the section, all of my confusion was put to rest. I just wish the sudden change in scenario had been made clear from the start of that particular segment.

Many elements of Bear Daughter are drawn from rich indigenous oral literature of the North American Northwest Coast. The events of the novel stem from a group of traditions from the aforementioned area, that are collectively known as the Bear Mother Story. Author Judith Berman found themselves greatly affected by learning of such traditions and responded by writing this masterpiece.

I loved this book and would happily recommend it to everyone I know. I shall be buying my partner their own copy. 5/5 stars. show less

At the age of 12, Cloud the bear turns into a girl. Now she has to learn how to walk and dress and eat as a human, not to ask many questions, and all the other customs of her tribe. Still trying to find her place in a human society, her dead brothers start to haunt her in her dreams, and her stepfather longs to kill her. This is the start of a rollercoaster ride through the material and the spirit world, with Cloud struggling to gain control of the journey.

A great book, although there are some horrific elements, like that spirit of a drowned woman, or somebody eating human eyes.

If you like Bear Daughter, you might also be interested in Spirit of the Rainforest, the biography of a Yanomamö shaman.

Bear Daughter is an inspiring Fantasy novel, which follows a young bear cub turned girl named Cloud. Now a human child, Cloud must learn human manners and avoid the wrath of her mother's husband, Rumble. I did love the various character names and how they all tied in with the theme of nature.

Aged thirteen and threatened with imminent death, Cloud is chased from the home she came to know, to seek a better life for herself elsewhere. As she travels, she finds herself plagued by dark dreams that will lead her to fulfill her long awaited destiny.

I loved the comparison between mortal and immortal people in this world. The juxtaposition of flawless creatures of surreal beauty with dark intentions had me hooked and unable to put the book down. show more Strong themes included those of identity, loss of self and others, in addition to mortality.

The plot was fast moving, with great structure to the author's writing. Cloud's emotional state was well explored and helped me to better identify with her character. This magical world was one that I instantly felt a pull toward. So many mysteries await the read in its pages.

The one small issue I had with the book was the ending of part four, where we are introduced to a character at random after a major time leap. This was initially confusing, but by the end of the section, all of my confusion was put to rest. I just wish the sudden change in scenario had been made clear from the start of that particular segment.

Many elements of Bear Daughter are drawn from rich indigenous oral literature of the North American Northwest Coast. The events of the novel stem from a group of traditions from the aforementioned area, that are collectively known as the Bear Mother Story. Author Judith Berman found themselves greatly affected by learning of such traditions and responded by writing this masterpiece.

I loved this book and would happily recommend it to everyone I know. I shall be buying my partner their own copy. 5/5 stars. show less

This is an epic. It is visionary. Many times throughout reading it I am reminded of Neil Gaiman's writing style. And at the end Berman explains the path she takes to find her story. It leaves you thinking.