Rating: 
Summary: What a Book!
Review: A couple of years ago my grandmother recommended that I read this book. I am a Japanophile and everyone thought this book would be for me. I tried reading it and never got past the first few pages. However, a few days ago I saw the paper back edition and read the comments of Pico Iyer. Pico Iyer is the author of the great book on Japan called the Lady and the Monk. Reading his comments, I decided to give the book another try. I am glad I did. This book is wonderful. I am not a liberal, I disagree with the re-location of the Japanese citizens during WWII, but I don't think it was as horrible as many of the revisonists make it out to be. I am not defending it, but people who compare it to the Rape of Nanking or the Holocaust are going to far. Again, it was a bad thing, but at least we admitt to it and own up to it. But anyway, that aside the book is great. Not only is it an exciting courtroom drama/suspense...the characters are so rich and interesting. And the look at the effects of the re-location of the Japanese Americans on themselves and the community they live in is done in a very affective manner. This is simply a great book. Anyone who wants a good read should pick this book up. And guys, its not just a girls book...this is a good read.
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Summary: Snow Falling on Cedars
Review: Brilliant novel. Has everything. Sociological discussion on race relationships. Mystery. Great story line. Great characterizations. Romance. Tragedy. History. Adventure. Beautiful setting.
Rating: 
Summary: desappointing...
Review: well, i just would like to say that,as a foreign student,this book was understandable,that's why,actually,i added one star... the ending is very desappointing,and for me,the main idea is very good,but as a result i just read a love story that takes place under cedars or with snow through the windows... though,the movie was not that bad,but the novel was still better. as a conclusion,i would advice to the ones who are interested in this story to read it instead of going see the movie...doing both is o.k.,but don't go see the movie without having read the book.by the way,i found the name "kabuo" ok,...i didn't get why it had to be "kazuo" in the movie...
Rating:
Summary: A Beautifully Told Tale of Redemption
Review: This is one of the best and most beautifully told stories I have read in a long time. At first it seems very slow and not so interesting as the author details everything happening, every thought and memory, but this soon changes to the point that you do not want to put the book down. The story jumps back and forth through out from the present time of the trial to past happenings on the island, giving a lot of insight into each and every character. Guterson also details the area of the northwest very well, describing some of the most beautiful scenes in the world which seem to counter balance the very graphic description of the autopsy and the War. His very detailed description of events and scenery brings the island to life in a time now long past. It brings out and gives a deeper understanding of the prejudice and ignorance of the Japanese-Americans by White Americans during and after World War II. This is a good book to read on a cold, snowy day. It has a little bit for everyone including action, drama, romance and mystery. After you read this book you will definitely want to see the movie which is just as good.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully Written BUT....
Review: This book is wonderful on many level BUT the story, as interesting as it is, lacks an interesting conclusion. I thought the ending was too simple and unsatisfying. It's beautifully written and the writing is poetic BUT it is not for everyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Snow Falling on Cedars
Review: David Guterson's San Pedro Island is a fictional strawberry and gill netting society in the San Juan's. The murder trial against a Japanese citizen is complicated with the relations of two young lovers, now years older. A great novel of the times, recent and incredible. A modern masterpiece.
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Summary: Brilliant characterisation and evocation of place
Review: Overall, I enjoyed this book very much. In particular I liked the evocation of the sea, snow and island way of life. The description of the geography was very powerful and one could almost taste the salt-ladden air and feel the cold. Sometimes I would re-read a paragraph two or three times, both so as to fully immerse myself in the beauty of Gutterson's prose and in sheer awe and appreciation of his skill with words and his keen sense of observation of people. A strong feature of the novel is the way in which Gutterson shows readers how the environment has shaped his characters, for example, (1) Kabuo's obsessive yearning for his stolen land containing the strawberry fields, (2) Hatsue and Ishmael's childhood love affair, which grows from their fascination with the sea and cedar forests (I remember the imagery of the glass sea box), (3) later in the story, Ishmael draws comfort from the forest because it embodies Hatsue for him and reminds him of their intimate encounters in the cedar tree. In terms of evocation of place and atmosphere, this book reminds me very much of Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow (or as Americans would know it, Smilla's Sense of Snow) and The Shipping News by E Annie Proulx. All three books have in common the sense of snow, the sea, sailing etc and have been favourites of mine for some 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. Ishmael's war experiences impact upon his initial loss of Hatsue in many ways. Ishmael's yearning for Hatsue long after returning from the experience of war, is perhaps at times, a distraction which prevents him from realising the full horror of his war experiences (including the loss of his arm and his innocence). I found the ending a little ambiguous. There were some hints/clues that Ishmael comes to terms with the loss of Hatsue. In particular, when he examines fishing boats strewn around the harbour by the storm and realises he has spent 12 years waiting for her to no avail. This seems like a key moment in the story, when he finally comes to the understanding that he has been waiting for someone whom he will never come to possess or connect with ever again. Further, re-reading of the letter Hatsue sends to him from internment camp is another pivotal moment - it is what induces him to do the right thing (this and memories of his father and the high regard he was held in by the local Japanese) and hand over the information he has. Ishmael knows this is what Hatsue would have expected of him and her old letter reinforces this view. Both Ishmael's mother and Hatsue tell him to get married and have children and the reader is left hoping that he might come to do this after achieving a sense of closure or peace by helping Hatsue and Kabuo in their predicament. At one point I recall Ishmael asking Hatsue to hold him one last time, as though this would help him to heal. Toward the end of the book, Hatsue kisses Ishmael as a gesture of thanks (or goodwill perhaps) and I saw this as a sign of hope for Ishmael- not because he could perhaps recover Hatsue - but because he could move on from that point, with his life. Similarly, by handing over the information about the freighter, Ishmael is acknowledging the legitimacy of Hatsue's other life - that she belongs to someone else and not to him anymore. I felt that Ishmael is at heart, a very lonely character and Gutterson portrays his loneliness so intensely that often times when reading, I would feel a lump in my throat. This was particularly the case in the scenes where Ishmael was visiting with his mother, when he tells her how unhappy he is, and when he realises that once his mother dies that he will be completely alone. Some people, it would appear, would like a romantic and idealistic ending, but Gutterson should be commended on developing a female character with a strong sense of self. Perhaps it was that Hatsue felt overwhelmed by the intensity of Ishmael's feelings for her - like she was being suffocated. Afterall, she had no real choice but to love him from beginning. They didn't meet as adults and consciously move toward each other, but rather they met and loved each other firstly as children. I felt that Hatsue was not only driven by her duty to her family and Japanese heritage, but her own will and sense of self-determination. She was ultimately better matched with Kabuo. She felt right with him, but with Ishmael, she felt wrong. Perhaps this was because Kabuo had a silent strength and with him she was not a possession but rather, a partner. Despite all this, I didn't fully understand Hatsue's rejection of Ishmael. I know that it was largely tied up in her duty to her family and community. I understand the choice she made, but not what she meant by the words to him, "it seemed to me something was wrong......I loved you and didn't love you at the very same moment" But then again, even Ishmael concludes on the final page, that Hatsue's heart is unknowable. Finally, I loved the description of the lives of the other Islanders - the defence lawyer and his frustration with his ageing, failing body, the embittered old Mrs Kleine, the passion of Carl Heine's and Susan Marie's marriage (results in much empathy for the dead man) and Ishmael's parents. This book definately goes on my top ten list. Saw the movie recently and whilst it comes close, it does not quite capture the richness or complexity of the characters of Gutterson's novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Plot and Character Take a Snow Day
Review: Alright, so the novel started out promising. Hissing courtroom heaters, impending doom, and all that snow. But then.... If you love snow, then this is the novel for you. If you're more interested in character and plot development then I suggest something else. Before long I realized that I was reading a sappy romance novel; a Harlequin without the steamy sex. The moral dilemma facing the narrator arrives suddenly, about two-thirds of the way through this slushy novel, and seems forced. It's as if Guterson's first draft was sent back from his editor with a note saying: "Add something interesting. Anything. Please! " And so he tried. And so he failed...
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully Written
Review: For some unknown reason, I resisted reading this book for quite some time. Recently, however, I was going through the best sellers here at Amazon and decided to try it. This wonderful book by David Guterson managed to incorporate a courtroom drama and murder mystery with history, beautiful scenes and a very real portrayal of the conflicts of the human heart and mind. The real wonder of this book is that Mr. Guterson uses this mystery and it's courtroom drama as a vehicle to explore issues which go far deeper into the human soul. Without being heavy-handed, he brings home the life changing effects of war. He also brings to the fore a period of this country's history that most people either don't know about, don't remember or choose to forget. There is irony in the fact that the three main male characters all suffered from their own demons in their own way and how it changed their lives forever. The symbolism of the snow storm is powerful to me. It is amazing to me how Mr. Guterson managed to incorporate so many things into one wonderful and moving book.
Rating:
Summary: Deserving but not for everyone
Review: Don't Don't Don't read this book for the plot--because there really isn't much of one. YOu could really summarize the key points of the story in about three sentences(I don't want to spoil the book by doing it). While others reviewers have stated that the book is rich in characters, I would tend to disagree. I found the characters stale,very one-dimensional and totally predictable. Especially Hatsue, who had no personality whatsoever. The saving grace of this book is the atmosphere, Guterson is clearly from this area and truly brings it alive for the reader. However, my last negative :)--it's not for weak readers, the language is dense and hard to get through at times.
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