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Summary: Don't read "Snow Falling On Cedars"
Review: Snow Falling On Cedars by David Guterman is arguably a staple of American literature. I disagree. Set on an island to the north of Puget Sound in Washington, Snow Falling On Cedars is a story of a murder trial of a man of Japanese descent. A story of racism, with examples that persist to this day, some would argue. In reality, it is a novel with little to no believability. Guterman's characters are shallow, and aren't developed throughout the book. Ishmael Chambers, a newspaper editor, is one of these. While supposedly driven by love in Snow Falling On Cedars, he is also a war veteran and yet as evidenced in the final chapters the sense of duty the Armed Forces drive into you is nonexistent. Admittedly, Guterman's story of racism in Washington has merits, including showing the awful effects of racism and the flaws of our judicial system, but these merits do not outweigh the sheer perversity and unbelievability of this novel.
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Summary: Snow Falling on Cedars
Review: Snow Falling on Cedars takes place shortly after World War II, in 1954 just off the coast of Washington. A Japanese man, Kabuo Miyomoto, is on trial for murder and David Guterson does an excellent job illustrating how prejudice affects the trial. He shows how a quiet, well-respected man can be put on trial for his life with the strongest evidence against him being the color of his skin. You see a U.S. war veteran treated as less than human because of this. It also shows how patience, persistence, and the undying belief that one is right can prevail in the end. It was great to see how Ishmael and Hatsue were able to persevere in a tough situation. I was really stunned, when I read this book, to find out how prejudiced people were at the time, nearly ten years after the war had ended. You were able to feel all this because of the excellent way that Guterson developed the characters. The way this was done was interesting. You would find out about the characters through a series of flashbacks. In my opinion this seemed to disrupt the flow of the story at times, when you would be in the middle of the trial and all of a sudden with only one sentence of transition you would be right in the middle of a flashback. Although it was hard for me to really get in to the story at times, I will admit that the structure is strong and that it was the only way to link all those different events together into one cohesive story. At times though, it is almost fun to not have the background. It allows you as a reader to try and figure out exactly what is going on. As I said earlier, I thought the character development throughout the story was excelent. There was only one character I would have liked to know more about. That was Kabuo. He is a very quiet person who keeps to himself, and none of the story is told from his point of view. As a result of this, the reader was kept in the dark as to exactly what kind of person he is. This was a good book, but I would only reccomend it if you are a patient reader, who enjoys trying to figure out the missing pieces of the puzzle as you read.
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Summary: Snow falling on cedars
Review: This novel is set on San Pedro Island off the coast of Washington in the 1950's. Kabuo Miyhamoto, a member of the island's Japanese-American community, is on trial for the murder of Carl Heine, a fellow fisherman. Heine's boat was found drifting on morning, with his body caught up in a net. While the death at first seemed accidental, bits of incriminating evidence accumulate that seem to implicate Miyamoto. On one level, this suspenseful and beautifully written novel can be read as a well written mystery. On another level, it presents an evocation of character and prejudice in a small island community in the 1950's. In her testimony, Etta Heine, the dead man's mother, clearly expresses her hatred and distrust of all Japanese; including Kabuo, who had been her son's childhood friend. The author also recreates the wartime hysteria that led to Japanese-Americans being sent to concentration camps. In fact, in pre-war Washington state, Japanese people who were not American citizens were not even permitted to own property. As the trial proceeds, the story of Carl, Kabuo, and what happened that night little by little, takes shape, as does the tale of Ishmail Chambers, the local newspaper reporter, who had a "love affair" with Kabuo's wife when they were both teenagers, just before the Japanese families were sent away in 1942. it is clear, however, that this is more than a story of one man's guilt or innocence; it is a story of a community's fear and prejudice against the Japanese-Americans in its midst.
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Summary: Snow Falling On Cedars
Review: Snow Falling On Cedars by David Guterson is a book where you feel like you are actually there. You can see everyone and everything that Guterson describes to the last little detail. Snow Falling On Cedars is a story about the life of a Japanese man, Kabuo, and his family in the United States after World War II. Whle Kabuo is on trial for the murder of a local fisherman fighting off town prejudice and racism by the all white jury, the characters that Guterson introduces in the book become more developed over time. One of these characters is Kabuo's wife, Hatsue. She is secretly in love with a white man in her all Japanese neighborhood. Her mother soon finds out about this love affair in the interment camp through a letter written by Hatsue's lover and cut's off this love affair. This shows the great difference it is between the Japanese citizens and the white citizens. this book shows the feelings and emotions of both the white and Japanese citizens after World War II. This makes the book above average from other books that just show one side because you can see how they all feel and how they differ from person to person. The flashbacks that Guerson uses for effect get confusing at times, but you can get used to them. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book because it made me see both sides before I make a clear judgment.
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Summary: Snow Falling On Cedars
Review: Snow Falling On Cedars, by David Gutersonis the story of a murder trial that takes place on a small island in the Puget Sound right after World War II. As the story unfolds, the reader learns about the characters through flashbacks, spawned by different testimonies given during the trial.The main theme of the story is racism. The defendant is a Japanese man and all who are against him are white. Because of this trial, the characters must come to terms with agonizing past events and learn to forgive, to move on with life. This book is a story of secrets and promises, some kept and some broken, some lost and some to hold onto forever. Guterson takes these secrtets and promises and weaves them into a suspenseful and complex plot full of surprises. The characters are the content of the story and the plot revolves around them. The descriptions make this book seem almost like a movie, because the images that the descriptions present are so vivid. This book has an excellent setting and the ambiance the author created was phenominal. The reader could almost hear the waves crashing on the shore and feel the stillness as the snow fell on the cedar trees. The plot was derived from real events, making the story incredibly believable. I really enjoyed this book. It was different from any other book I have ever read, in that it was a character driven story.As I was reading, I had a hard time putting the book down and I didn't want it to end.
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Summary: Book Review for Snow Falling on Cedars
Review: The book Snow Falling on Cedars is set on a small island called San Piedro off the coast of Washington, near Seattle. This character based book explores the lives of residents of this island. The author uses a very descriptive and thorough style of writing to bring to light many different themes. There are three themes that stand out in my mind as the most important. The first is the theme of love. The theme of love is powerfully portrayed through the characters Hatsue and Ishmael. It shows through these characters that love can have a drastic effect on people's lives: one character does not full recover from the disappointment that can be connected with it. The book aslo shows how relationships between Americans and Japanese Americans was forbidden following World War II. The second theme is the theme of racism. The book is centered around the trial of a man named Kabuo, who is a Japanese American. This trial is a partially race-based trial, and throughout the story we are exposed to the racism and discrimination that Kabuo and the other Japanese Americans are faced with, especially since the story takes place right after World War II. The third theme is the theme of war and how it affects people. This theme of war is expressed through a few different characters, two in particular. The graphic depiction of war through flashbacks and the lasting effects on the characters who went to war are amazing. This is a well written, descriptive story that protrays strong life values and themes.
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Summary: Review of Snow Falling on Cedars
Review: Snow Falling on cedars is an excellent book. In this book Kabuo Miyamato, a Japanese man, is accused of the murder of Carl Heine. From these events you learn the story of many different characters and how they intertwine with each other. You get an insight into the world of a Japanese American before, during, and after world war two. You get to see into a Japanese interment camp, and find out about a forbidden love between a Japanese girl and a white boy. Through these stories and characters David Guterson touches on many important issues such as racism, the losing and lacking of love, growing old, and the effect of war. Guterson shows the reader these theames with a wide variety of characters, and he goes into great depth with each of them. Reading about these characters can sometimes feel tedious and unnecessary at the time, but as you keep reading you feel the importance of it. I felt as though I knew the characters, and this helped me understand their actions and the themes of the book in more depth. This book gave me a look into how racism stems from war, and the effect world war two had on many Japanese Americans. All in all I felt this was a great book
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Summary: Snow Falling On Cedars
Review: This book is beautifully written. The discription is exceptional. The characters are so well developed through the discription that you feel you know them and are pulled into the novel experancing everything with them. Guterson demonstrates as a practical memorable author. After reading this book I don't think the mystery will ever leave my mind. This book is a scrutiny of racisim, forgivness, and love between people. The symbolism that Guterson uses is incredable. He uses fog to demonstrate mystery and he lets your mind imagine what is going to happen from the beginng of the story.
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Summary: It's Not Just About Trees
Review: Snow Falling on Cedars is a sublime novel about racism in American toward Japanese-Americans after World War II. Guters painst a crystal clear image of the events that take place. He leaves a lot of things until the end, leaving you to wonder whether the accused man, Kabou Miyamoto is guilty or innocent. I enjoyed this book a lot. Once I started reading it, I didn't want to put it down. The description hypnotized me and transported me to San Piedro, where the book is set. It shows how the Japanese were treated before and after World War II in intense realism. Snow Falling On Cedars also shows the affect of war and heartbreak. It shows how war changes people and can change an entire country. Every description and every detail has a purpose, so those of you with short attention spans, don't get discouraged. It may seem, pointless, but it is needed. Everyone in the this story has a history and their history helps paint the masterpiece of this book. Each character is a color on the palette, and as their stories blend together, the genius of the book becoms apparent. As Guterson unfolds the past, the present becomes clearer; grudeges between families are formed, love is found and then ripped to pieces, the racism and prejudice of the island toward the Japanes-Americans before and after World War II intesifies. Snow Falling on Cedars is a classic American novel that is sure to leave you amazed. I recommend it to anyone who is ready to read a really good book
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Summary: Depends on what you hope to get out of it...
Review: Preparing to enjoy a long-awaited vacation that inspired non-academic plane reading I opted to dive into Snow Falling on Cedars which appropriately responded to that criteria.Admittedly, the slowness of its' beginning made it difficult for me to feel enthusiastic about it, at first. However I believe that more than anything, the gift of this novel could be found it its' poignant presentation of the strength of prejudice and ignorance. Prior to reading the book I spent an afternoon at the Washington, D.C. Holocaust museum. Upon finishing SFOC a quote that lingered in my mind was one that read: "It is not enough to be compassionate, you must act." As idealistic as this might be perceived, I encourage and applaud literature that forces people to understand past and current injustices-especially those which are race-related. I believe this enables readers/people to broaden their understanding of an issue they may never have had an opportunity to be educated about. We all are quick, myself included, to criticize what we perceive to be flawed writing. I suppose I write from the naive perspective of someone who wants to remedy that; to read not to be highly attuned ONLY to the most unpredictable plots, or the most technically-perfected products, but instead trying to inundate the mind with material that I believe is enriching and speaks to living better. For this reason, I believe SFOC assists the reader in journeying to a time and place that helps us to identify with two sides of a frustrating battle which in turn, hopefully, forces the reader to be more accountable in his/her own ideology regarding how prejudices affect justice.
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