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Summary: Book review by Jaimie, Kelly, and Anne
Review: David Guterson's "Snow Falling On Cedars" is a novel combining many different genres into one story. A murder trial incorporates flashbacks of war-time, romance, racism, and human emotion. We recommend this book to people who enjoy novels with in-depth, descriptive detail. The undertones of racism towards Japanese-Americans give a good idea of what pre- and post-WWII was like for this race. When reading this book the verdict is concealed and remains unpredictable until the end. If you enjoy courtroom drama such as Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird," then "Snow Falling on Cedars" would be a good choice for you.
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Summary: Elise's book review
Review: Snow Falling on Ceders was a good book..but it was slow at the begining,it dragged on for a long time.It started to get better in the middle after the first couple of chapters.It was a page-turner full of twists. I have never read a book by David Guterson. If i was to recomend this book to someone i would warn them of the first couple of chapters,that they are kind of slow and need more excitment,but i would also tell them that the book got better in the end,actuallly alot better.Snow Falling on Ceders is also a good movie,with the trial. Snow Falling was very detailed and ireally felt like was in the town with all the people and i was there with the sheriff when he found Carl's body and in the mourgue when the Dr. was examining the body.
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Summary: One More Reason to Read Snow Falling On Cedars
Review: If you need another reason to read this beautifully written book packed full of incredible imagery about an ugly part of American history - it has joined the ranks of banned books! The South Kitsap School Board (Washington State) has joined East Texas in banning this book from the classroom because a small group of religious conservatives deemed it pornographic! Actually the book uses a tender teen love story and compelling murder trial to expose the rampant racism in the Pacific Northwest during and after World War II. A shining light of modern literature. Remember - A society that forgets its history is doomed to repeat itself.
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Summary: good character development
Review: This book had good character development, I really felt like I knew these people. My main complaint about the book regards certain descriptive passages in the book where the author was in overkill mode. I skimmed over these while saying "blah, blah, blah" to myself and didn't miss anything. I guess I was more interested in the story than an excercise in descriptive writing. Ishmael driving through the snowy town was particularly excessive. But I did like the book and give it a moderately favorable 3 star rating.
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Summary: A So-so read
Review: This book just moved along so slowly. I had to finish it to find out who "dunnit", but I had little sympathy for the main characters and I found the sets of coincidences at the end, so pat and so formulistic, it really was pathetic, even though I suppose the point of it may have been that coincidences do happen and should be investigated. I found the constant use of the word "cedars" really annoying. Okay, there were cedar trees there. So what? Wouldn't really bother with it. There's far better literature out there.
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Summary: Worthy of a PEN/Faulkner Award
Review: This PEN/Faulkner winning novel employs a narrative technique that distinguishes it. The tale is told from the points of views of the cast of characters. From their viewpoints the tale unfolds and we come to know the characters themselves more intimately because of their roles in relating the tale. Faulkner used this same approach in As I Lay Dying in which a group of travelers narrate their perspectives in the course of arduous travel. Chaucer likewise in The Canterbury Tales. The structure hinges around the murder trial of a Japanese-American who fought on the European front for the Allies during WWII. Unobtrusive flashbacks take us inside the minds of the characters as the tale unravels in an otherwise straight-ahead narrative style. The author's descriptions were quite beautifully moving and complete and finely drawn. The allusions to the snowfall during a great storm were a cohesive leitmotif repeated throughout the novel. The dialogue was, I found, a little uneven and a few of the characters seemed a little flat. However, the novel has heart and the primary characters rise to meet the harsh crises that life sends their way with dignity and honor and grace. The novel deals intelligently and unsentimentally about the subject of bias during a painful epoch for Asian-Americans. I would rate the novel between four and five stars: just shy of great for this appealing mainstream novel.
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Summary: Snow Falling on Cedars
Review: The author has a good style and has done a lot of research on the time period, the area, and the Japanese-Americans. Some of the court room material wouldn't happen but other wise is a an interesting book.
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Summary: Read Snow Falling on Cedars
Review: Snow Falling on Cedars is an excellent book, that takes place some time after ww2. A japanese man is accused of murder. This book deals with many political and racist issues that have always been contreversal and still are today. This is a neat book filled with great description and flowery language.
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Summary: You¿ve Have to Read This Book
Review: Snow Falling on Cedars is a book about an island just outside of the Puget Sound during and after World War II. In addition to the great detailed description, well thought-out plot, and use of historical facts, David Guterson does a great job of teaching some of life's lessons through the actions of others. Although it looks like it is just going to be about a court trial, which may seem kind of dry, it has many flashbacks that make it seem a lot more realistic. The way that Guterson does these flashbacks is an awesome work in itself, in that, you will be reading and all of a sudden realize that you have been taken to a different time and place than where you began. One of the best life lessons that Guterson shows in this work is being prejudice. Immediately following the attack on Pearl Harbor, many on the island are scared that the same will happen to them. Not only do they become afraid of the Japanese across the ocean, they become afraid of the Japanese in their own community. One couple in the novel show the two sides of prejudice as clear as they can get. Another showing of prejudice comes when the Japanese already on the island when the attack happened, are sent to the mainland to live in old Army barracks until the war is over, even though some of them are American citizens. This book is a must read for anyone interested in not only the time frame that this takes place, but anyone curious about what went on during this time of American history.
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Summary: The Best Book I've Ever Read
Review: This book is deeply moving. The reader is immediately drawn into the book's events, namely the tragic romance between Ishmael and Hatsue and the murder trial. With everything that occurs in the book, the reader can fully empathize with each character's feelings. Guterson does a superb job of making each character unique and well-developed. The descriptions of San Piedro Island are perhaps the most beautiful and romantic. This story is compelling, emotional, and intriguing.
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