Cbr17bingo Borrow
Wintersmith is the third book in Terry Pratchett’s Tiffany Aching series. Tiffany is a girl who knows about making cheese and tending sheep and who also happens to be a witch. Despite her young age, she has demonstrated extraordinary abilities and attracted the attention of other witches, who have taken her on to teach her how to use her skills. The first two books were outstanding. They were full of action, danger and wild adventures, and they introduced the reader to the Nac Mac Feegle, aka the Wee Free Men, who are devoted to Tiffany and are the source of much comic relief. The first two books of this series appealed to me not just because they were so well written and hilarious, but also because they address serious themes like grief and responsibility. Tiffany is just a 9 year old girl when we first meet her, and Pratchett’s writing demonstrates a lot of heart and good sense when tackling these serious matters that, let’s face it, lots of children have to deal with. In Wintersmith, Tiffany is 13 and dealing with exactly the same things any 13-year-old would have to deal with: how to get along with her peers (in this case, other witches her age) and the attention (wanted?unwanted?) of boys. But of course, this being Pratchett, the “boy” in question is no ordinary fellow. It is a god-like being, an elemental called Wintersmith.
The troubles begin for Tiffany when the witch to whom she is apprenticed, Miss Treason (age 113), takes her to a nighttime meeting at which Tiffany is instructed to pay attention and be quiet. But once the music starts, Tiffany finds herself joining a dance she was not meant for. It is a dance related to seasonal change and balance, a dance where winter and summer trade off with each other. When Tiffany jumps in, winter, aka Wintersmith, thinks Tiffany is the Summer Lady and falls in love with her. Wintersmith’s unwanted attention can be both annoying and charming. For example, he makes all snowflakes Tiffany-shaped and he makes it snow A LOT to get Tiffany’s attention. Wintersmith’s pursuit of Tiffany is, however, more than annoying; it’s dangerous. With the real Summer Lady now MIA, there is the potential for permanent winter and death. And while it seems that Tiffany alone will have to figure out how to restore the balance, the Nac Mac Feegle and Tiffany’s childhood friend (maybe potential boyfriend?) Roland will have an important role to play.
Alongside this story of Wintersmith and the imbalance of the seasons, the more interesting story (in my opinion) of Tiffany’s human relationships is also unfolding. Tiffany is still learning the ways of witches, particularly how they get along (or don’t) with each other. When Miss Treason dies, an intrigue develops among the senior witches in regards to determining which of the younger witches should inherit her cottage. Annagramma, one of those younger witches, is rather full of herself and hopes to get the cottage, but with the cottage comes great responsibility. On one hand, watching Annagramma fail might be fun; she’s not very nice to the other girls and thinks she is an exceptional witch. On the other hand, if Annagramma fails, that means regular people, the locals who rely on the witch, will suffer. Tiffany’s response to this situation and what happens with Annagramma was, for me, the highlight of the novel.
This third Tiffany Aching novel is my least favorite so far. Not that it’s bad; I just didn’t find the Wintersmith storyline as interesting or compelling as previous novels. I felt like Tiffany’s most important journey in this book was not the one that had to do with the weather but the one that had to do with her witch community and how she acts within it.