The Snow Child
Books | Fiction / Literary
3.9
(953)
Eowyn Ivey
In this magical debut, a couple's lives are changed forever by the arrival of a little girl, wild and secretive, on their snowy doorstep. Alaska, 1920: a brutal place to homestead, and especially tough for recent arrivals Jack and Mabel. Childless, they are drifting apart -- he breaking under the weight of the work of the farm; she crumbling from loneliness and despair. In a moment of levity during the season's first snowfall, they build a child out of snow. The next morning the snow child is gone -- but they glimpse a young, blonde-haired girl running through the trees. This little girl, who calls herself Faina, seems to be a child of the woods. She hunts with a red fox at her side, skims lightly across the snow, and somehow survives alone in the Alaskan wilderness. As Jack and Mabel struggle to understand this child who could have stepped from the pages of a fairy tale, they come to love her as their own daughter. But in this beautiful, violent place things are rarely as they appear, and what they eventually learn about Faina will transform all of them.
Fantasy
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More Details:
Author
Eowyn Ivey
Pages
400
Publisher
Little, Brown
Published Date
2012-02-01
ISBN
0316192953 9780316192958
Ratings
Google: 3
Community ReviewsSee all
"From the first few pages I could tell that the authors writing style had an interesting mix of influences (primarily old disney fairytale and gloomy mysterious vibes) and that it would be a strong point for the story. As for the plot, it took me a few chapters to even start getting into the story but my interest had an exponential growth. To give an idea: it took me one week to read part one; about 4 days to read part two; and 1.5 days to read part three. (And yes, they are of similar length.) 8/10 "
"I wish that I had made time for this book sooner. I think I have a strong contender for Favourite Books of 2016 already!<br/><br/>I do not want to gush too much about this book because I think it is better if you go in with less information. Discover this book for yourself. If you like any of the following, then you’d probably really enjoy The Snow Child:<br/><br/> - historical fiction genre<br/> - detailed scenic descriptions<br/> - flawed but loveable characters who are struggling in their relationship<br/> - magical realism<br/> <br/>The Snow Child is a retelling of a Russian fairytale called Snegurochka (or The Snow Maiden). The original story and other retellings are mentioned throughout this book in the section dividers.<br/><br/>I enjoyed many things about this read but what I liked most of all was the conflicting doubt you felt about the snow child’s existence. You believe that the child is real when the story is closely intertwined with the Jack and Mabel’s perspectives, but it seems that are the only two who see this snow child — so are we all crazy for believing she exists? Then there is the subtle stylistic way that Ivey writes the dialogue for whenever the snow child speaks, again this could be to show that there is some distinction between reality and the magic that might be present. It is these tiny details that got to me!<br/><br/>Another two noteworthy pieces that I would like to share is that The Snow Child had well-rounded characters. I cared for all the characters, each equally loveable and flawed in their own way. Secondly, I especially loved Ivey’s descriptions of the Alaskan wilderness; the scenic explanations were captivating and had me feeling nostalgic of home (a small town in Ontario, Canada). The landscape and way in which Ivey wrote about it play an important role in the story.<br/><br/>I highly recommend this book! I will caution that if you are someone who likes there to be no loose-ends and require a concrete resolution by the end, this book may not be for you. I personally found the ending beautiful, but this is one of those endings that readers can interpret a number of ways.<br/><br/>The conclusion left me wondering and feeling somewhat hopeful. I was thinking back on the book for days afterward — and it has been a while since a book has done that to me.<br/><br/><a href="https://myareads.wordpress.com/">Check out more reviews from myareads</a><br/>"
"This is not a book I would normally pick up, but since I have been traveling in Alaska this week I wanted to read something that connected with the location and this novel is on the "must read" list for any Alaskan travel. It's funny because I started reading it on the plane and thought it was super bleak and depressing, and then I got up to Fairbanks and was like, yep this makes way more sense. Even in the summer this landscape is downright hostile, and I appreciate that the author, who is a native Alaskan, really infused the story with the real place. When you read this you feel like you are alone in an Alaskan winter. But despite the remarkable visuals, my favorite part about this book (and why I presume is was a Pulitzer Prize finalist) was the connection you feel with the characters. It's a heart wrenching story, but it's beautifully done. I really grew to love it, and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to read it on my trip. I would highly recommend, because regardless of where you are in the world, this book will show you how to fall in love with people and with the place you are."
A P
Allie Peduto
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