"I'd never forget this moment. How lucky I was to have been cared for by a bear, one that had never been cared for by anyone else."
I received this book for my birthday last month. It was one of my gifts from my Mum and I have been saving it until I could read it by the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree. Today I have devoured the book whole, in one sitting and I consider it to have been an afternoon well spent!
The Good Bear is a very heart-warming story. It is set in snowy Norway, during Christmas week so it is the perfect book to curl up with at this time of year. It is a story that explores the connections we make, both with close and distant family members, and with our own talents and gifts. It also explores the special and magical connections some of us have with animals - the trust that is given and recieved, and sadly, sometimes betrayed.
This is a love story between a young girl and a bear that has escaped from cruelty and who has been held in captivity for so long, he doesn't know how to survive a winter alone. So the little girl, Thea, helps him and in doing so, a beautiful relationship of trust develops and grows. But the bear is being hunted and the girl must protect him and keep him safe.
In some ways it reminded me of films such as Born Free or Free Willy - it has that same kind of effect on the reader. It highlights how privileged we are when an animal, any animal, puts its trust in us, especially when a wild creature chooses to interact with us in a very gentle way. It is something I have experienced myself with the wild stags in the Highlands and I can only describe these encounters as being truly magical and enchanting. And yes, it does make one feel very, very lucky to make a connection with a wild animal who could so easily harm us, but who chooses to moderate its strength and be gentle with us instead. Animals are the best friends you will ever make and their loyalty is unshakable.
The Good Bear offers companionship to a girl who feels lost, alone and isolated and in return, she offers food for his survival. It is a book which perfectly illustrates the strong bonds animals make with their chosen humans and how they will often put themselves in harms way in order to defend that human.
It is a beautiful story, one that explores the true meaning of Christmas and the coming together of different traditions and festivities across cultures. It would be a great book to curl up with and read on Christmas Eve, or at any point over the festive period when you have some free time on your hands. It's a page turner though, so you won't want to put it down until you've finished it, but as it is a fairly short book at just 300 pages, you can read it in a day. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this story and now a part of me wishes I had a wild bear to keep Christmas with too! Happy reading!
BB Marie x
No comments:
Post a Comment