Harvesting Ice

Rating:
Summary: Impressed
Review: A good story, well told. The characters and their situations and interactions gave me plenty of imagery to convince me the story and setting were "true"; I believed what I was reading. But mostly this book (author) has a unique and special relationship with language. The manner of combining words and phrases and meanings made this book not just a good story, but a good story very well told.

Rating:
Summary: Finally, no more lovers riding off into the sunset
Review: Finally, a book that exposes love for what it truly is--wonderful and torturous at the same time. For anyone who ever questioned the existence of true love, ever wondered what happens when perfect endings aren't possible, this is the book to read. Taking place in the 20's, its the Great Gatsby of New Jersey...that those of us who aren't millionaire flappers can identify with. Realistic characters and well researched settings make it even easier for the reader to feel like part of the story...I'd recommend it to anyone who is sick of red-rose-mushy-kiss love stories and wants to read something true to life.

Rating:
Summary: A tale of the harsh reality of love
Review: There's a Matt Groening cartoon where a teacher asks a student what love is. The student thinks about this for awhile showing faces of anger, jealousy, anguish, and heartbreak. He then responds "love is happiness". Harvesting Ice is a story of the pound of burden and angst for each ounce of joy. The budding of the relationships the main character Mark has with the other two main characters Emily and Kristen develope at a pace made believable, with nothing too abrupt or too slow. The descriptions of the ice harvests are a fascinating lot because it is a little known aspect of the early 20th century. The backdrop of 1920s Barryville, NY provides a plethora of diverse characters, most all too recognizable.

All in all, the story is well thought out and beautifully crafted. Not once did I find myself bored or wanting to take a break from it.