Reviews

Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au

ameena_23's review

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4.0

3.75 ⭐

"There was no control, and understanding would not lessen any pain. The best we could do in this life was to pass through it, like smoke through the branches, suffering, until we either reached a state of nothingness, or else suffered elsewhere"


"We are all essentially nothing, just series of sensations and desires"


"It was as if the artist had smeared them onto the paper with only his fingers, or as if the paintings had been submerged soon after being completed, leaving only clouded patches of color and ink"


"Maybe it’s good to stop sometimes and reflect upon the things that have happened, maybe thinking about sadness can actually end up making you happy"


"I had the vague thought I had been taught somehow that the best thing was still to be desired, even if you did not desire, even if you did not much like the person who desired you"

_nicoconut's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.25

callieswag17's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

e333mily's review against another edition

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3.75

quiet, calm, tender

mjm25's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

kurbanski's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

4.0

hannah_ma's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

gertymae's review against another edition

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hopeful reflective relaxing sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

lauraschhh's review against another edition

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To reread immediately.

cactuswildflower's review against another edition

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emotional reflective relaxing sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I selected Cold Enough For Snow simply for the title. This brief novel reads like a piece of poetry and packs a punch. I’ve never visited Japan but I feel like I know it, having traveled vicariously with this mother daughter team as they navigated their way across the country. Yearning to connect more deeply with her aging mother, a young Australian woman arranges an autumn holiday to Japan, taking in art, nature, architecture and food. We are privy to family dynamics and revelations as the trip progresses but ultimately the pair fail to deeply connect as the daughter had initially hoped. It is an essay in discord, but beautiful and poignant. A gorgeous fictional travelogue, gentle and soft like gradually falling snow. It leaves the reader contemplating the depths of their own familial relationships. I didn’t want it to end.