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Summary: History, mystery, romance. What more could you want?
Review: Snow Falling on Cedars, however, is much more than history, mystery, and romance. It's a piece of sensory writing, lyrical and visceral. Set on an island in the straits of Puget Sound, the book is a story of this island of fishermen and farmers that serves as a cosmos for the bigger world outside, during the 50s when lingering memories of internment of Japanese during World War II still affected the lives of those whose lives were either disrupted or changed forever by that event.
This is a book to be savored, shared, and discussed; most of all, it's a book not to be missed.
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Summary: Injustice of the law and the heart
Review: "Snow Falling on Cedars" is not a prototypical mystery or courtroom drama, and it would be a mistake to think it was, because its underlying theme does not exactly fulfill the conventions of either genre. While the central storyline of this novel is about an alleged murder whose Japanese-American defendant may or may not be wrongfully accused, the theme of injustice is not only of the law but of the heart.The emotional undercurrent between Ishmael and Hatsue, given their history and lingering unease, is what drives the story, and David Guterson presents the characters credibly. The many flashbacks establish their secret, interracial love, and are the best sections of the novel, as it builds the right momentum for later events. Flashing forward occasionally to the trial, I was less concerned with the guilt or innocence of Kabuo (Hatsue's husband), and more interested in exploring the emotional scars Ishmael carried, the unfairness of losing his love and being denied the reason, and the inability to heal his wounds after so many years. It is this emotional foundation that gives the deepest meaning to the story. The resolution of the trial becomes more interesting because it is a test of Ishmael's dignity in the face of his conflicts. This is a beautifully written novel but it is also not without flaws. David Guterson is a very talented writer, with a remarkable descriptive gift and an excellent vocabulary. He captures the atmosphere of life in the Pacific Northwest with an elegant, very localized writing style. On the other hand, Guterson often spends so much time setting the scenes with throwaway details that on several occasions it threatens to overwhelm the plot. The author finally portrays Ishmael a little too broadly. He hasn't decided whether Ishmael should still be bitter, empty, angry, hurt, hopeful, desperate, or everything at once -- twelve long years after Hatsue denied him. In contrast, Hatsue narrows into someone rather cold, two-dimensional and easy to dislike, which is never reconciled with the love she previously had for Ishmael. We never discover how genuinely Hatsue loved Ishmael, nor how seriously he may have misunderstood her. Hatsue's letter to Ishmael from Manzanar becomes a dramatic turning point in her life, but to Ishmael (and the reader) it's a lie, leaving him to question what he could have done to stay with her. And as in real life, there are no convenient answers, obviously. I can recommend the book as an involving drama that examines injustice in emotional and legal terms. It is very well written, if sometimes overwritten, and there's more than enough emotional substance to carry the whole weight of the novel. Just don't expect to be swept away with it entirely.
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Summary: The Anatomy of Prejudice
Review: This book may be set (as one reviewer has remarked) in winter in Washington State rather than in summer in Alabama, but the plot is familiar from Deep South courtroom dramas such as Intruder in the Dust, To Kill a Mockingbird and a number of others. A member of an ethnic minority community, wrongly accused of a serious crime, faces prejudice from the white majority but is defended by a liberal white lawyer. The action takes place on San Piedro, a small island in the Pacific North-West, in 1954. The island's inhabitants are mostly white, but there is a sizeable Japanese community. A young Japanese-American fisherman, Kabuo Miyamoto, is accused of the murder of a white man, Carl Heine, and it is his trial that lies at the centre of the action. (The alleged motive is a long-standing family dispute about land). Intertwined with this story is a second familiar plot, the Romeo and Juliet theme of two lovers from opposite sides of a divided community. In a series of flashbacks, we learn that Miyamoto's wife, Hatsue, was before her marriage romantically involved with a white boy, Ishmael Chambers, the son of the editor of the local newspaper. The romance, however, ended after Pearl Harbour, when Ishmael was drafted into the armed forces and Hatsue, along with her family and the rest of the Japanese community, was sent to an internment camp on the mainland. Hatsue's mother found out about the relationship and compelled her to write to Ishmael ending it. At the heart of the novel is an analysis of the nature of prejudice. Relations between the white and Japanese communities have never been easy, but they are worsened by the attack on Pearl Harbour and by the subsequent internment of the Japanese. This is not the murderous, lynch-mob mentality of the old South (there are few racially-motivated incidents worse than vandalism or shouted abuse), but rather a continuous underlying suspicion and distrust that poisons the atmosphere and makes normal relationships impossible. Although plenty of whites hate the Japanese, Guterson makes it quite clear that racism is not a white monopoly and that the Japanese community has its own racist elements. The most bigoted Japanese character is Hatsue's mother Fujiko, who pledges her loyalty to America, but in her heart despises white Americans and their culture, which she regards as inferior and spiritually corrupting. The two communities may attend the same schools and work at the same trades (most islanders are either fishermen or strawberry farmers), and there are occasional same-sex friendships, but there are few other points of contact between them. Inter-racial love and marriage are particularly frowned upon, especially from the Japanese point of view. (Japanese girls are taught to beware of "lustful" white men, just as girls in the South were taught to view every black male as a potential rapist). Contrary to what some reviewers have thought, therefore, it is easy to realise why Hatsue deserts Ishmael; by falling in love with him, she has violated one of her society's deepest taboos. To have continued the relationship, in defiance of her parents' wishes, would have meant cutting herself off not only from her family but also from the wider Japanese community which, in the internment camp, is all she has to cling to. One of the most pernicious effects of racism is the way it destroys trust by making people see prejudice where none exists. Ishmael wrongly assumes that Hatsue has abandoned him out of anti-white feelings. Many whites see all Japanese as potential traitors, even those like Miyamoto who have served with the American army. Most seriously of all, Miyamoto is responsible for his own misfortune in that he brings suspicion on himself by first concealing, then lying about, the circumstances of Heine's death; he assumes that whatever a Japanese says will not be believed by the whites. His defence lawyer, Nels Gudmundsson, tries, probably mistakenly, to make race an issue at the trial by ignoring his client's lies and attributing racist motives to the police and prosecution. The estrangement of the two communities, however, goes deeper than simple prejudice. Although there are tolerant figures in the white community, such as Gudmundsson and Ishmael's parents, their tolerance arises out of a belief that, give or take a few quaint old-country customs such as tea ceremonies and ceremonial stick-fighting, the Japanese are loyal to the same values as the whites. The liberals are unaware of quite genuine cultural differences which could give rise to conflicts of loyalties. The main Japanese criticisms of whites are that they place too much emphasis on individualism (which the Japanese see as egoism) and that they are unwilling to accept misfortune stoically. Yet a belief in the value of the individual and a belief that one can improve one's lot- and the lot of others- by battling against misfortune are two of the key tenets of Western democracy. The Japanese ideal of "bowing to the wind", by contrast, can easily be used to justify unquestioning obedience to authority, whether it be the authority of a warmongering emperor and his generals or that of domineering parents. The climax of the story comes when Ishmael, who has succeeded his father as editor, finds evidence that could establish Miyamoto's innocence. He, however, is still embittered both by the loss of an arm while fighting the Japanese and by the failure of his romance with Hatsue, and hesitates to reveal it, thinking that if Miyamoto is hanged as a murderer that romance may yet be rekindled. The ending of the book is not particularly satisfactory, as Guterson places too much emphasis on Ishmael's supposed dilemma. (In moral terms, of course, there is no dilemma: do you save an innocent man from the gallows or do you let him hang in the hope of gain to yourself? You don't need a first in moral philosophy to realise that there is only one answer to that question). Despite the predictable and disappointing ending, however, there is much to enjoy in the book, such as its analysis of a divided community or the lyrical descriptions of the island's scenery which form the backdrop to the love story of Ishmael and Hatsue. Overall, a very good first novel, and considerably better than the film.
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Summary: wonderfully written atmospheric and interesting
Review: This writer has great skill in evoking an atmosphere that make you feel you are there. The descriptions of the island, the ocean, the forest, the strawberry fields, etc . are all just fabulous. The characters are well drawn and interesting, though it is hard to understand some of them entirely, which I guess one could say of real people. I do not quite understand Hatsue's rejection of Ishmael, but thier love story is very real and interesting, as well as unique. I would recommend this book for people who love books that are well written and have unique and beautiful locations for a setting.
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Summary: People who gave good review couldn't have read it all.
Review: It started out ok but lost steam along the way. It really seemed like it was a screen play. The courtroom especially was very Perry Mason. Some of the period details seemed off. For instance I believe people running to the store and wiping out everything in sight didn't happen in the 50's whenever there was a blizzard. You know there wasn't TV then to hype every weather event. I also don't think every car on the road would wipe out because it was snowing. Way too much useless description.
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Summary: Excellent read but tough ending
Review: I really enjoyed reading "Snow Falling on Cedars" by David Guterson. However it left me feeling shortchanged at the end. Throughout the book I enjoyed the court-room scenes and telling of a teenage love story. Even the war stories interested me. They were well researched and provided an insight into the lives of Japanese Americans during internment. However Guterson seemed crossed between telling the story of reporter Ishmael Chambers and telling the story of the accused's family and the man he was accused of killing. In the end Guterson was unable to give a satisfactory conclusion to either. Although some of the overly descriptive passages about nature bored me, I would recommend this book to most readers. The conclusion disappointed me, but the rest of the book did not. If you're up for a long read, you can't beat Guterson's part love, part mystery, part war story from San Piedro Island.
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Summary: Good story, not so good story telling.
Review: It was a good story, but it could have been told as well (or better) in half the space. I got really bored reading about every single plant on someone's farm, or the names of every person in a room and what they did for a living... pointless details that didn't really enhance anything. It took me just over a day to read, but it seemed like much longer. It's frustrating to get bored with a book while at the same time being caught up in the story. I wanted to find out what happened, but slogging through the mud to get there was a chore.
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Summary: An Excellent Novel
Review: Even three years after reading this novel, I still can't believe how the author managed to go into such depth for so many characters. The novel is set in present time where a Japanese-American is on trial for the murder of a German-American over land. However, it flashes back in time to chronicle the relationship of the defendent's wife, Hatsue, and the local journalist covering the story, Ishmael. What makes this novel stick is how Ishmael has found his soulmate in Hatsue, but Hatsue found her soulmate in Kabou and Kabou with Hatsue, leaving Ishmael as the odd man out. I remember this poignant passage in the novel (I can't quoute it b/c I don't have the novel w/ me) where Hatsue writes a letter to Ishmael and tells him of the exact moment she realized what they were doing was completely wrong and she didn't love him. And it's so emotional because Ishmael remembers that exact moment as the moment he realized it was so right and he loved her with his soul. Talk about doomed love. However, Ishmael has some vital information that may cause the charges against Kabou to be dropped. The question is, will he swallow his bitterness and hopes (Hatsue running to him when Kabou's found guilty) and turn in the evidence? In the end, he does and we realize he still loves Hatsue, but he lets her go and tries to move on. Really great novel.
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Summary: A strong emotional grip
Review: I thought this book was just great. I cant describe how tied into this book i was. Guterson has beautiful narrative techniques in this book and has a wonderful way of bringing in the realities of the of the racism, japenese internment camps, WWII and brings in the feelings of all these characters. It really made me feel for the characters and has an emotional grip on anyone that reads it. I think the fact that a high school student like me, enjoyed this book and its literary importance is definatly proof that its a great book. It has a mixture of a mystery, love and graphic images. I suggest this book to anyone and everyone!
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Summary: Definitely worth reading
Review: The novel "Snow Falling on Cedars" opens in the year 1954, thirteen years after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Kabuo Miyamoto, a Japanese American is on trial for the murder of a local fisherman, Carl Heine. Ishmael, a local reporter for the San Piedro Times is sitting in the audience glancing at Kabuo's wife, Hatsue. Throughout the entire trial, there are flashbacks of Ishmael's relationship with Hatsue. They grew up together and eventually fell in love. However, because of the war, they are separated and forced apart. Hatsue moves on, but Ishmael stays in love with her to the present day trial. This novel is very well written and incredibly detailed. It is a combination of a murder mystery, romance, and war story. It allows us to understand what Japanese Americans went through during World War II. Because of all the description, I was actually able to feel what they were feeling, and understand what it was like to live during that time. After reading the novel, I also watched the movie. I thought the book was a lot better than the movie. The movie was not only confusing, but boring. I would recommend the book anyday.
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