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Summary: The best summer reading title yet
Review: Although I was not looking forward to my summer reading, I reall enjoyed Snow Falling on Cedars. This book will keep you in suspense until you finish it. I was sometimes suprised at what the characters would do, but everything turned out good at the end. One warning is that there is a bit of cursing in the novel, and some graphic descriptions. This is suggested for anyone who enjoys whodunnits or historical fiction. I strongly recommend this novel.
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Summary: Student Enjoyed this Summer Reading Title
Review: Out of all the books I've had to read during the summer, Snow Falling on Cedars is one of my favorite. When read, you are unsure how the book will end, but the ending will really please you. Sometimes, I would disagree with what characters did, however, this book is a great historical fiction title. A must read for any mystery reader who enjoys history also.
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Summary: Good read.
Review: This is an enjoyable book. It is well written, you feel like you've grown up on an island after reading this, the detail. I did not find it suspenseful though, I don't know why the reviewers thought it was, for me the ending was obvious. The flashbacks were a little confusing too, just keep in mind there are a lot of them, and almost everyone has at least one. Overall I still highly recommend it, if not for the plot and writing, at least for a glimmer of what Japanese Americans went through during WWII, which was good to gain an understanding of.
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Summary: A sensitively written book
Review: This was an incredibly well-written novel of forbidden love,tragic death, racical disharmony and prejudice set on a small islandduring WW2.It follows the lives of two high school sweethearts, Hatsue and Ishmael, abruptly torn apart by the events of WW2... What I found extrememly interesting was the historic content surrounding the events of WW2, especially the bombing of Pearl Harbour and the resultant prejudice against Japanese Americans and their treatment by white Americans during this period. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, but did find the ending less than satisfying - however, this did not detract from my overall enjoyment.
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Summary: Snow Falling on Cedars
Review: I listened to the audio book. This story somewhat confusing and the narrator's voice was loud, then soft, then loud, then soft. I had a hard time getting into it and I found the end to be dissappointing. Nothing was really solved or summed up. I would not reccommend this tape to a friend.
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Summary: Romantic
Review: I view this book as a "love story" centered around a murder trail. That is what I like about it. I love the fact that the author did it this way. Book very well written. I could feel the chill from the snow and smell the cedars. Very descriptive.
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Summary: Magical!
Review: I knew nothing about this book except that it was made into a movie (which I subsequently saw). However, I obtained a copy and had no idea of the storyline or plot and initially started the book thinking perhaps it was a Courtroom drama. What a misconception! This book drew me in and was spellbinding. Yes, it is in part a Courtroom drama, but it is also a love story, a mystery and depiction of the effects of World War II on a small Japanese community. The tale is told in a series of flashbacks and the interweaving of the story as it relates to past and present, will capture the reader's mind and imagination. A wonderful story told in a captivating style. Well, worth a read.
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Summary: Beautifully written
Review: This book was a joy to read. One of the most frequent complaints I have seen about this book is that its plot is thin and its ending too predictable. You should not be reading this book for its plot. You should read it for its wonderful pacing and excellent writing. The plot is incidental. Remember, this is not a murder mystery; and it is not a courtroom drama. If that's what you're looking for, pick up a Grisham book. This is a finely crafted novel that makes you think. Too bad the film version couldn't have been better.
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Summary: Something for Everyone...and more
Review: Snow Falling on Cedars was greeted by mixed enthusiasm by the members of The Companionable Readers Bookclub. Some of us were eager for a good old fashioned murder mystery, while others were concerned for their fine sensibilities. What a surprise we got! Snow Falling on Cedars has it all: the tragic death of a local fisherman, a gritty courtroom drama, an inter-cultural struggle for acceptance, an unrequited love, a gripping "locked room" puzzle, a town torn apart by war, and a solid marriage shaken the accusation of murder. Want more? Read this book. It is elegant, beautiful and picturesque. We did find it a little slow moving in places, and a few of our readers struggled to keep up with the times (leaping around as it does!), but on the whole, it is a moving story of three men, irretrievably altered by the influence of war, and the tragic intersection of their lives and cultures. Highly recommended by our readers!
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Summary: An Ending ...
Review: It is rare that an author can properly provide a feeling and outrage that erupted within me at reading this book. A well written novel with characters that live in your mind's eye as they would have lived on that cold and backwater island in the north west aptly describes the book. It is filled with the angst of Ishmael, scorned by his first and forbidden love. He unwittingly begins to blame her for his problems of life, drowning himself in his own unhappiness and heaping the injustices of his life upon the girl, even the loss of his arm. Hatsu begins as a woman confused and torn between her heritage and her young love with Ishmael. She realizes things are not right during her first sexual experience with the boy and she leaves with her family for Manzanar, depressed and confused over her feelings for him. While at Manzanar her feelings are sorted out, with a little old world help from her mother and the kindness of her future husband. The novel is less about the crime of murder and more about the relationship between the inhabitants of the island that form a microcosm of Western America. The main problem that I experienced with the novel was its ending, so well written and developed it just abruptly came to a stop leaving me without a good feeling of closure and satisfaction. I tend to equate this to some high and mighty book editor cutting and hacking away with his mighty red pen.
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