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amygatzemeyer's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
beaniibabyy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
5.0
annekc's review against another edition
3.0
Loved the setting, interesting thoughts on racism and discrimination pre and post war. Unfortunately the sex and innuendo were weird and kinda creepy to me, totally out of step for me with feel of the rest of the book. Could have left all that out and wouldn’t have impacted the story at all.
agw11588's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
ink_squid's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this book overall. At the end I didn't want to blink I was so into it. It's main drawback for me was the detail of every little thing. I enjoy fast moving stories not pages upon pages of descriptive text. The author digs into each character and each of their family members characters broadly (not deeply) so that what could have been skimmed over goes on for too long and becomes tedious.
I loved the story. The writing itself was good. It went from 3 to 4 to 5 to 4 stars. I loved it so much at the end but can't let go of what I didn't enjoy. For those that love descriptive prose - enjoy!
I loved the story. The writing itself was good. It went from 3 to 4 to 5 to 4 stars. I loved it so much at the end but can't let go of what I didn't enjoy. For those that love descriptive prose - enjoy!
cozyreadings's review against another edition
3.75
“That the world was silent and cold and bare and that in this lay its terrible beauty”
What a great piece of character work did this turn out to be! A very interesting exploration of racism, love and loss, and the big difference between what can and can't be controlled in life.
This is a book that my partner has been wanting me to read for ages, and I finally caved. Now when it comes to the story, the build up of the characters and the atmosphere, it was absolutely great and I will be thinking on it for a while.
I saw people being unhappy about the "pointless" backstories of characters, and them just wanting to know what happened to the deceased. I don't agree there, most backstories were actually very important to everything that happened in the book. Now I say most backstories, because there were some instances where we really didn't need to know certain things. Because of that, and thus where this book fell short to me and why it didn't receive a full five stars, is the fact that this really suffered from a case of "man-writing".
What I mean by this term is the fact that there were some things in here, mainly descriptions or actions of characters, that just weren't necessary and didn't add anything to the story (in my humble opinion). Did I need to know that the dead guys penis was double the size of the coroners? Did I need to know that a female character has big boobs that touch her arms when she walks? Did I really need to know that the old lawyer has erectile dysfunction? (the answer to all that is a big NO).
The only exceptions that I can make are two instances where it was necessary, (view spoiler) but the ones I summed up previously had no extra worth.
Aside from those complaints, I absolutely would recommend Snow Falling on Cedars to anyone.
What a great piece of character work did this turn out to be! A very interesting exploration of racism, love and loss, and the big difference between what can and can't be controlled in life.
This is a book that my partner has been wanting me to read for ages, and I finally caved. Now when it comes to the story, the build up of the characters and the atmosphere, it was absolutely great and I will be thinking on it for a while.
I saw people being unhappy about the "pointless" backstories of characters, and them just wanting to know what happened to the deceased. I don't agree there, most backstories were actually very important to everything that happened in the book. Now I say most backstories, because there were some instances where we really didn't need to know certain things. Because of that, and thus where this book fell short to me and why it didn't receive a full five stars, is the fact that this really suffered from a case of "man-writing".
What I mean by this term is the fact that there were some things in here, mainly descriptions or actions of characters, that just weren't necessary and didn't add anything to the story (in my humble opinion). Did I need to know that the dead guys penis was double the size of the coroners? Did I need to know that a female character has big boobs that touch her arms when she walks? Did I really need to know that the old lawyer has erectile dysfunction? (the answer to all that is a big NO).
The only exceptions that I can make are two instances where it was necessary, (view spoiler) but the ones I summed up previously had no extra worth.
Aside from those complaints, I absolutely would recommend Snow Falling on Cedars to anyone.
livfro's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
laffols's review against another edition
2.0
I'm glad I read this book, because I didn't absolutely love it. I've been reading a lot of books this year that I really loved, and I think it's important to come across one that just doesn't quite do it for you so you can analyze why it is you didn't like it.
Guterson does a fantastic job describing the island and island life. He has a really interesting storyline, too, and includes elements such as racism, xenophobia, war, PTSD and the ugly history of the USA which makes the story resonate on deeper levels. Some of the poetic devices he uses to describe the island life, such as the scene where various townsfolk are combatting the blizzard, are really beautiful.
However... the sex scenes. So bad. So so so bad. Is this what men think sex should be like? And, at times, the book gives off some self righteous vibes. I don't precisely have segments of the book to back up this feeling, but I feel like the author is really into himself. Maybe I just don't like male authors all that much.
Guterson does a fantastic job describing the island and island life. He has a really interesting storyline, too, and includes elements such as racism, xenophobia, war, PTSD and the ugly history of the USA which makes the story resonate on deeper levels. Some of the poetic devices he uses to describe the island life, such as the scene where various townsfolk are combatting the blizzard, are really beautiful.
However... the sex scenes. So bad. So so so bad. Is this what men think sex should be like? And, at times, the book gives off some self righteous vibes. I don't precisely have segments of the book to back up this feeling, but I feel like the author is really into himself. Maybe I just don't like male authors all that much.
purplelily1321's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
4.0