Rating: 
Summary: Minutia Bombarding on Sleeper . . .
Review: I had to seek this book out and write a review on it. I couldn't believe that a book filled with so much meaningless information ever made it past any respectable editor, especially any of those over at Harper-Collins Publishers, who are famous for being uncomprimisingly shrewd with the red pen. The most unsavory example of Guterson's verbal barrage falls within the first three chapters. He pads the pages with 5 and 10 dollar S.A.T. words that seem horribly out of place and done as a second thought. I have no problem with words like Stultify, attenuated, abaft, or miasma but the problem here is, that Guterson himself refrains from utilizing these all-to-obvious flags as the book progresses. What a destructive way to use the language. On page 253, he can barely muster a three syllable word. I don't mind it one way or the other but please, find some consistancy. Even Hemingway had to.Snow falling . . had to be the biggest sleep-over and let-down of my entire literate life. It was clear that this book was written with the sole intention of selling it to Hollywood for the production of a movie. If Charlotte Gusay and Co. had anything to do with this one, I wouldn't be surprised. This insipid piece of writing was so Perry Mason-esque that I thought I heard the music playing in the background, despite the millionth verbalised transgression upon the snow. And yes, you can take that both ways. Note: The American Heritage Dictionary on page 1498 describes the word 'Verbalism' in section 3 as: Abundant use of words without conveying much meaning. Directly to the left, it shows the cover page for this book as an example. I wish I could've given this book zero stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Slow moving, bad charactor deveopment
Review: The plot had some nice ideas, but to much irelevent information (which I wouldent have minded if it had been intrusting). there was also a compleat failear to devolp the ideas into an intrusting story. The language is good, but a touch pedantic, and that is no reason to read the book. i would not recomend it.
Rating: 
Summary: PHENONEMAL!
Review: Ismael chambers is the reporter for San Piedro island. there's a murder trial about the death of Carl Heine, a local fisherman. A man named Kabuo Miyamoto is charged with murder. Memories of a charmed love affair between a white boy (ismael chambers) and a japenese girl who grew up to become kabuo's wife. This book is heart compelling, and flawlessly written. A whodunit complete maneuvering and surprising turns of evidence and at at same time a mystery. i loved this book, and i'm only 12!
Rating:
Summary: Had To Put It Down
Review: I had to put down Snow Falling on Cedars every chapter or so to absorb the richness of Guterson's descriptions and his awesome characterizations. The timeframe of this novel is set during the murder trail of a Japanese American man during 1954. During this period, the novel captures a fierce snowstorm that knocks out the power on San Piedro Island in the Pacific Northwest. The symbolism of the heavy storm parallels the weight of prejudices between the islanders and Japanese over the years. Through flashbacks during the trail, Guterson recounts the young love affair of Ishmael, a white man, and a Japanese girl, Hatsue, and recreates the horror of World War 11 interment camps. Now Hatshue's husband is on trail for murder, and Ishmael, who lost an arm in the war, is challenged to forget Hatsue and to report the trial's coverage fairly. The novel is filled with living moments such as the scene when Susan Marie is told of her husband's death. I will never forget her sitting down on that "bottom" stair. Guterson is great with small detail. Snow Falling on Cedars has a satisfying ending and is a lovely work of art. I enjoyed every page.
Rating: 
Summary: an engaging & atmospheric novel
Review: This book unfolds itself slowly like a vintage wine. Once you have a sip, you just want to keep going until the last drop. The writing is marvellously descriptive & haunting at times, evoking the sense of being there among the readers. It touched upon issues such as prejudice, xenophobia, mentality of small town versus out of towners, lovers who are divided by circumstances & responsibilities towards their family & race, getting to let go, memory of a place. A truly satisfying read. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Experience this book!
Review: This story is so beautifully written, it engages your senses of sight, touch and smell so overwhelmingly that you could swear you were there. This is a story of a small Washington village, the internment of the Japanese, and the effects of love and prejudice on all involved. The author does not spoon feed you every little detail but draws you into the village to experience the lives of these people and to come to your own judgements about the hows and the whys of what happened. The pace of the courtroom scenes mirrors the resignation of the man on trial, that "What will happen will happen", and for me this emphasized the emotional aspects of the story rather than detracted from it. This was an excellent book. It caused me to do some further research on the subject of the Japanese internment camps, and to find out that not one person of Japanese ancestry was ever convicted of espionage during this time. When an author has the ability to inspire others to look into the past from an historical perspective that says a lot!
Rating:
Summary: This book is suitable for schoolchildren
Review: I am a freshman in high school, and I just finished reading "Snow Falling on Cedars" for English. This book is very well written with good description and understandable storyline. I know that this book contains some sexual intimacy scenes not suitable for younger children, but most of the scenes were put there to help relate to the characters. My english teacher assigned us to write a paper on whether or not "SFC" should be taught next year. 75-80% of the freshmen students said that it should be taught because of its plot, the way it views racism, and what it teaches the reader. My classmates and I understood the book, but viewed the "vulgar" sexual scenes as irrelevent. I enjoyed the book and would rather read the book first before seeing the movie since it gives me a chance to read what the characters feel and think which is kind of hard to imagine watching the movie. I recommend this book to whoever has the time to read a 460 page book, wants to learn more about racism during and after World War 2, and likes to read court cases.
Rating:
Summary: Very much a "can't put it down"
Review: I read the reviews before ordering through Amazon, and although I was already committed to reading/ordering, I was discouraged by the reviews. It took about 20 pages before this book really captured me interest, but I really loved the descriptions of the relationship dynamics, and the very picturesque scenic descriptions as well. I am from Island County WA, now live in Japan, and have a some interest in the Japanese Internment chapter of American History. All in all, the reviews posted didn't do the book justice. I would love to meet the author, and wonder how he knows so well the heart of Japanese thinking-- even nisei thinking. Looking forward to the movie's arrival in Japan.
Rating:
Summary: Truly a magnificent book
Review: I recommend Snow Falling on Cedars to anyone I meet who is looking for a "good book to read." It is truly a masterpiece in the genre.
Rating:
Summary: All in all, pretty good.
Review: Beautifully written, superb prose, and a joy from begninng to end. Superb character depiction. Court room secnes are usually boring, but not this one. Dramatic racial tension.
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