Snow Falling on Cedars : A Novel

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Summary: Book is rather tedious but has some shining themes.
Review: The text of the story is rather slow going for the most part and is cluttered or junked with not so compelling dialogue. T he thematic content, i.e., racism and the perversion of American justice is strong and convincing and the reader can be moved by the writing through this channel. Guterson makes a fine attempt here but there is no real feeling evocable for the characters, just for their plights. Recommended reading for those interested in a fictionalized account of Asian American discrimination during the Second World War and anyone who wants to read a good crime novel of the trial genre.

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Summary: Intriguing and captivating. I just loved it! Read it!
Review: Guterson takes us with great talent throught the maze of our judiciary system, and explores racial prejudice in post WWII Washington State. His attention to details, and his ability to link events made reading "Snow Falling on Cedars" extremely enjoyable

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Summary: A splendid narrative of cross-cultural conflicts in America
Review: A wonderful book that was many stories in one - a mystery, romance, description of the World War II era in the United States, and a summary of inter-generational conflicts among Japanese-Americans

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Summary: One of the best I have read in a long time.
Review: Very well done

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Summary: Everything on earth is a living thing
Review: David Guterson is definitely an environmentalist - his love of the land, the earth, the sea and everything in it comes shining through. I found it interesting reading all the reviews, and maybe Amazon has a first here - the most reviews ever written on one book! As an aspiring writer, I loved the descriptive passages and the beautifully written prose - it is hard to believe that this was his first book. Guterson must have first-hand knowledge of the Japanese people, because their traditions, their pride and their complete belief that people and land are one comes shining through. Guterson is definitely a writer's writer and I hope that his good fortune continues - I look forward to reading his next book. He definitely gives inspiration that life is wonderful, in spite of terrible misfortunes, and that the human being can overcome hate and learn to love life.

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Summary: Gripping novel, forcing you to look at your own prejudices
Review: This book looks at the horrors that are caused by mass stereotypes and the prejudices surrounding the Japanese-Americans during World War II and how they still effect our thinking today. Guterson's knowledge of the San Juan Islands and the area around there makes the book almost historical, with his discriptions putting you (for lack of a better phrase) in the courtroom and on the island with the characters. By the end of the book, you will be shaking, both with the fear of the stereotypical prejudices that drive some people's thinking and the horror of our predecessors past actions.

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Summary: A great murder mystery judges mankind as well as a murderer
Review: A great murder mystery judges mankind as well as a murderer. In "Snow Falling," that judgment falls on individuals, on a community, on ways of life and philosophies of life. The author does all those things, while at the same time drawing images of the setting that are both starkly beautiful and beautifully pertinent to the plot. The island becomes a metaphor that describes and encloses all its people.

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Summary: The words went together well.
Review: The story makes a fine mystery, but little else. My sister was convinced that my father would not like this book. I am not enamored of it, and I am not convinced that any Japanese-American male will really enjoy it. Consider this: the Japanese-American males are two-dimensional props in this story. Where are their true emotions? The real characters are the white males and an Asian female. Everyone else is superficial. The writing is well done, but I think that this book is just a good mystery and does not deserve to be called "literature." I wonder why it has won any awards at all, except maybe the "Edgar."

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Summary: Poetic look at the nature of racism and community.
Review: This is a beautifully written and poetic rendering of a very difficult subject. Guterson manage to shine a quiet, but intense light on the subject of individual and institutionalized racism and its effects over generations. Everything about this book is real ... the settings, the characters and the situation. It requires the reader to look deeply within themselves and review his or her own attitudes. This is a book that arrived with little or no fanfare, and I'm glad to have had it recommended to me

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Summary: Enchanting imagery and love lost, but not forgotten.
Review: This book is one of the most finely written pieces of art you will ever pick up...and not be able to put down. Guterson has shown in his freshman creation that he has the pen of a classic novelist and the vision of a fine artist. The ebb and flow of the tides surrounding this beautiful island mirror the opinions of the people playing parts in the courtroom drama, and the hearts of two young lovers, living a simple life and experimenting with the elations of young love and the sorrows of love lost. The story will shock you, tug at the strings of your heart, and make you long for a piece of land to call your own, as long as it is someplace to plant the sweet roots of a family. Guterson has done the world a favor in creating this vision of life in the wake of Japanese internment, and you will do yourself a favor taking the time to read it