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hadeelpickle's review
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
doggerdog's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.5
“…And the snow began to settle on the highest branches with a gentle implacability.”
“All human claims to the landscape were superseded, made null and void by the snow. The world was one world, and the notion that a man might kill another over some small patch of it did not make sense…”
The novel opens onto a court scene framed by a blinding snow storm happening just outside the windows. From here we know that the motif of the snow is going to be reflective of the trial of Kabuo Miyamoto.
Without giving too much away, I’ll say that Guterson enchantingly subverts our understanding of the concealment of information and context. Using a seamless technique of flashbacks between the days of the trail and the past, we slowly uncover more about the inhabitants of San Piedro in a way that keeps us constantly invested in the lives of those living there and the incident that took the life of Carl Heine. And yet, as we learn more, we realise there is nothing to the case.
In a paradoxical way, we see the inhabitants and the jury are blinded by having too much knowledge, having too much prejudicial bias. Guterson tells this story to the audience in a way that is less about the legal components of the trial, but rather showing us that compassion and human agency is what determines the outcome (of everything). He questions whether we need to obscure our vision to see the real truth, block out the distractions and view the situation as if it were the snow covered cedars. The snow covered island of San Piedro.
msmagoo502's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
syro2014's review
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I really liked the environment that the Author painted, I think the book really shined in that area along with the back stories of all the characters. The book started kind of rough for me because of the maritime vocabulary but after some dictionary reads things got a bit better. The ending left me a unsatisfied , to be honest. I’m not sure why, I think it may have wrapped up a little too quick. I felt like there should’ve been more development involved. Pretty dissatisfying.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Death, Gore, Sexual content, War, and Gun violence
cookiemonster1234's review against another edition
emotional
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
gwenhwyfar82's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
casey_lester's review
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
leannecoppola's review
4.0
I decided to read this because the girl that babysits for me has to read this for her honors English summer reading. I thought it was worth a read and break up the cheesy summer books!!! Well, this is a great book to read during the winter with a good glass of wine. It's slow but interesting. YOu have to keep track of timelines a lot and lots of unusual names. But this was a great book and worth the read. A bit of a mystery, a bit of drama, a bit of history, and a small romance plot line. Enjoy!
writtenbymelinda's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-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? No
3.5