A “finely wrought, flawlessly written” novel (New York Times Book Review), set on a small island in the Puget Sound, that is “at various moments a courtroom drama, an interracial love story, and a war chronicle” (San Francisco Chronicle). “Guterson has fashioned something haunting and true” (Pico Iyer, Time). Winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award. A fall 1999 major motion picture.
Ten years after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, a Japanese-American man is accused of murder and his life hangs in the balance in a courtroom on San Piedro Island, north of Puget Sound, where similar to the rest of the country, human frailty and prejudice have passed from generation to generation. The jury is instructed by the defendant’s attorney, …
I was hesitant about this book at first because the writing seemed slow and filled with “fluff” that appeared unnecessary. Upon reading the first few chapters however, I could not think the opposite more. Guterson writing is trance-like: slow and steady to create calm within the reader, but powerful and emotional at the same time, enough so to …
Such a well written book, the characters just pull you into the book.
A good book based in the pacific northwest. It is a book that reminds me of the snow on our cedar trees from our back window.
Snow on Cedars is a thought provoking and eye-opening look into the prejudice against the Japanese Americans in WWII — really encompassing the periods before and after as well. When a white fisherman is found dead , off his boat, eyes turn to his Japanese neighbor. I did enjoy this novel, on audio, but must admit the lengthy descriptions grew a …
One of my all time favorites……..he takes you there…….you can smell the trees and feel the snow………and the story is heart wrenching…….I actually put this one down after every chapter……I simply did Not want it to end.
Great story thAt gets very little attention. Ver y thought provoking.
A very good novel. An involved plot with characters that spring to life.
The tragedy of America Japanese sent to detention camps during WWII, the tragic effect on the soldiers who came back alive but never the same and the tragedy of a man accused of murder partly because of his race. The book is haunting in the detail of the sights and smells of a Pacific Northwest island and haunting for a love that was between a …
Well written, wonderfully descriptive and thought provoking.