Rating: 
Summary: Lyrical prose, weak courtroom thrills
Review: While I applaud the lyrical, nearly poetic writing style of the author, the style does not translate well into courtroom action. Indeed, the intensity of the trial seemed more like someone appearing at traffic court than someone on trial for murder. Thus, strengths of the book include the beautifully written, descriptive passages concerning the northwest landscape, nautical details, and a vivid and unforgettable, haunting description of war, as well as the carefully articulated racial tension of the community. However, weaknesses include a rather plodding advancing courtroom plot, with a resolution that seems more Matlock-ian than the build warranted. (In my opinion, the author's style was much more effective in his book, East of the Mountains, in which his lyrical style translated well into the themes of nature and of self-inspection.
Rating: 
Summary: A Novel Well Done
Review: Snow Falling on Cedars is a book that offers a little something for everyone. I enjoyed it a lot, for a variety of reasons. Some think it is the best thing they ever read while others see it as a waste of time. To me, this is a story about the tragedy of a man who cannot come to terms with the loss of a childhood sweetheart. Not everyone enjoys a story with a concentrated theme such as this, but the truth is this is only one of the many themes offered in Gutterson's novel. In the novel you can find themes such as racism, bigotry, love and legal affairs, and even loneliness. The themes are so broad in this novel, there truly is something for everyone to enjoy. I myself am a freshman in college, and it was my job to read, understand, and present to my peers this novel. Well in no way was this task a job, but more along the lines of an enjoyable experience. This is just one of those books that while reading, you just can't stop. Gutterson's attention to detail really made this novel shine. It is a difficult task to really provide the details necessary for the reader to really feel the events taking place, but Gutterson accomplishes this beautifully. Sometimes I would reread a paragraph two or three times, so I could fully appreciate the beauty of Gutterson's prose and sheer awe of his keen sense and observation of people. Descriptive passages in this novel are absolutely brilliant. The setting in this novel is described with so much detail you can't help to think either you're there, or you know exactly what it would be like to be there. The reference to the snow in this book is placed so perfectly and connects so well with the issues in the novel it is absolutely amazing. The best example of the placement of the snow, is the simple idea that the horrible snowstorm would not stop until the truth came out regarding the trial. The way Gutterson set this up was perfect. In a way, just by observing the mention of weather in this book, you could almost predict where the book was at and where it was going. Gutterson's characters in this novel are so complex, it is quite a task figuring them out. It is this complexity that makes these characters so likable and dislikable at the same time. While reading this novel, one can't help but begin to develop feelings and emotions towards them. Gutterson's creates characters with so much depth you feel as if every new detail is completely necessary for understanding the character. A key aspect of making this book so enjoyable, is the fact that the reader does not just feel as if they know the main characters, for Gutterson provides us with enough information to figure out the society as a whole. This feature of the novel puts it on a whole new level, as far as I am concerned. Many books out there, you feel as if there is no attention paid to the surroundings and the people whom occupy it, but not this book. The descriptions in this book spare no expense. One almost feels as if they can understand the society as a whole and even picture what the snow looks like falling on surrounding cedar trees. It is this attention to detail such as this, which makes this book so enjoyable. Gutterson truly created a masterpiece with Snow Falling on Cedars. I myself am not the most avid reader, so in result I am not much of a critic. As far as I am concerned this book had no down sides. I found myself not being able to put the book down, I completed it faster than any other novel I had ever been exposed to. I probably could have completed the novel even faster if I was not to have wanted to read every paragraph two if not three times. I highly recommend the novel to who ever enjoys a story full of beautiful ideas. Although the ending is predictable, trust me it is the ending that the entire book you hold out for. This was an extremely good read, and I am confident you will all agree.
Rating: 
Summary: Haunting and beautiful
Review: David Guterson's stunning evocation of San Piedro Island - and the emotions, conflicts, and times of its inhabitants - make Snow Falling on Cedars an unforgettable read. Guterson's language is superbly delicate, his characters sharply drawn. A hauntingly perfect blend of slowly unraveling mystery, dreamlike-yet-gritty images, foggy old memories and bittersweet notes of cedar.
Rating:
Summary: An Imagined Community, Brought to Vibrant Life
Review: I wasn't alive in the 1940s & 50s, and I've never been to the Pacific Northwest, but this book made me feel like I'd done both. I *have* spent a lot of time on an island much like the one on this book: a small collection of fishing and farming towns overrun by tourists and mainland people in the summer but quiet and magical in the off-season, and Guterson's description of his fictional island rang absolutely true for me. History, family ties, and childhood memories matter enormously in a places like these, and Guterson takes the time to weave a web of them for his characters that's complex enough to seem real.Even more surprising, the community *itself* seems real: It lives, it breathes, and the minor characters relate to the major ones in ways beyond those that the action of the story requires. This strikes me as the literary equivalent of finishing the unseen insides of a piece of furniture--a welcome touch of fine craftsmanship. Finally, as a long-time mystery fan, I found both the mystery and its resolution at trial satisfying in the context of the book. It's no conventional slam-bang trial scene, but it's true to what came before it. (There is, after all, a reason why Stephen Crane's battle scenes don't read like Tom Clancy's . . . though both are excellent.)
Rating:
Summary: A book of emotions
Review: Snow Falling on Cedars, though some times it seemed a bit slow, was very interesting and compelling. If you are looking for an edge of your seat mystery you are out of luck. This book uncovers something much deeper than the truth about a mans death. This book uncovers the truth about hate, racism, love, and loss. This outstandingly written novel would be a wonderful adition to any students repetoir.
Rating:
Summary: Food for the Imagination
Review: It's amazing how an author like David Guterson can write one sentence and take a reader into a fictional world full of love, hate, prejudice, and beautiful scenery. Snow Falling on Cedars is a story that possesses all of the elements to make it a great post-modern novel. Taking place in the 1950's, it reveals the prejudice that Japanese Americans faced on a little island off the coast of Washington called San Piedro. It is a story of a WWII veteran who happens to be Japanese who comes back from fishing one night only to find out that he has been accussed of murder. The reader is taken on a journey through the eyes of Ishmael Chambers, a local newspaper reporter, who is on a quest for the truth while also dealing with the losses he has encountered in his life which include his love for Hatsue, the accused wife. This book is beautifully written so much so that it can take the reader to San Piedro Island and make them feel the cold wind and see the snow falling, wieghing down the cedar branches. Guterson's descriptions of the characters, their emotions, and the scenery allow the reader to get cuaght up in a whirlwind of images. It's best just to let your imagination take over while readeing this book. It's amazing where Guterson will take you.
Rating:
Summary: All is chance, except for the human heart.
Review: The protagonist, Ishmael, makes an amazing journey from boyhood to manhood and takes the reader on a painful but beautiful quest to find himself. The love story between Ishmael and Hatsue is the core of "Snow Falling on Cedars" and the painful realization that this love can not be is theconclusion that descends like the winter snow oneverything and everyone. The world is not perfect, but redemption is possible by heroicacts of kindness. Ishmael learns this over thecourse of his life. He loses his arm, he loseshis love for Hatsue, his loses his way toward hisown life. But in the end he sees that only bysetting Hatsue free to live her own life (without him) can he live. The possibility ofreal manhood is linked to unselfish acts of kindness to others we love. Few books combinea love story, a tale about racism in America and the marvelous setting in the Pacific Northwest with the power and alure of "Snow Falling on Cedars." A delicious read.
Rating: 
Summary: Very slow moving
Review: Usually, if I don't like a book, I will stop reading after only a few chapters. I read more than half of this book before I had to call it quits. I kept hoping that I would find the suspense and plot twists that I expected which never materialized. I fast forwarded to the ending which was disappointing and glad I hadn't plodded along to the end. Well, on to Grisham's latest!
Rating:
Summary: Path of Destruction
Review: Snow Falling On Cedars is paints a beautiful picture of and island that must heal the wounds left by war. Set on a small island of Japanese and white settlers just after WWII, the story follows the trial of Japanese fisherman Kabuo Miyamoto. Accused of killing another white fisherman, Kabuo's neighbors one by one begin to turn against him. Woven throughout the trial are the countless retellings of personal events which occured on the island up to the present. Through these, the breathtaking love of two people, a Japanese girl and a white boy, and how they were torn apart is exposed. Now grown up, Hatsue has moved on and married Kabuo, but Ishmael is still pining the loss. As the trial pursues, Ishmael slowly pulls away the layers of anger and cynicism from his emotions and he is left with who he is, a man whose heart and soul was destroyed by a community not willing to accept the different. Touching and emotional, Snow Falling On Cedars is an amazing example of the destruction path that prejudice leaves.
Rating:
Summary: See the movie!
Review: I agree with the previous reviewer! The book had too much detail, I think, and kept backtracking with the histories of each character's grandparents! Although someof the childhood memories were interesting, the story could have been much shorter. Although this hardly happens, I would recommend seeing the movie!
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