Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - The Snow Child

Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

15 reviews

emjbarnes's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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aliciagriggs's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

A beautiful novel on the whole- a little mesmerising and sad at times. I enjoyed reading about life in Alaska and the description of the place immersed me. It's enjoyable to read on a cold, winters day, as you feel somehow closer to the novel because of this.
What I didn't enjoy was the copious amounts of animal killing and hunting. I skipped most parts, but there is an awful lot of it throughout, which does detract from the enjoyment. As a vegan, this is a tough book to read, so skipping it was necessary for me to continue with the book. I was warned not to read this book because of this element, but I'm glad I did because everything else about the novel is brilliant. I loved the setting, as I say, and I liked all the characters, which is rare in a book I think. Esther is probably my favourite, but I did like Mabel and Jack too.
I was thankful that the author didn't put in a nasty character for the sake of it, but rather concentrated on relationships and character development. A beautiful, poignant story, with sadness and raw emotion throughout.

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maya_vee's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Lovely writing, characterization, setting, and there’s so much depth to the characters even though the story is simple. I loved the descriptions of Alaska and homesteading in the 1920s, and the way Jack and Mabel struggle and adapt to their new home. I’m not sure the way Faina evolves with the passage of time made as much sense to me as the ways Jack and Mabel grow and evolve, but that’s just my impression right after finishing. I’ll sit with it and see if it comes together a bit more.

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ssummar's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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juliej0715's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

This was a wonderful book. I was surprised by how much I loved it even more as it went on. Emotional, being in a new place, dealing with grief, the hope of magic and a new life. Overall it's wonderful. I don't have a great reason to not give it 5 stars, maybe because I don't want to shout it from the mountains that it should be required reading for everyone, but I really don't have any criticisms. It turns out to be quite a beautiful story in the end. The author does a wonderful job describing the Alaskan wilderness and the beauty of nature. You hope and wish for all these characters' happiness and peace. Magical and mysterious and overall a wonderful lovely joy.

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