Light on Snow

Book Description

A brilliant and beautiful contemporary novel about love and memory from the author of the bestselling novels All He Ever Wanted and The Pilots Wife.The events of a December afternoon, during which a father and his daughter find an abandoned infant in the snow, will forever alter the 11-year-old girls understanding of the world and the adults who inhabit it: a father who has taken great pains to remove himself from society in order to put an unthinkable tragedy behind him; a young woman who must live with the consequences of the terrible choices she has made; and a detective whose cleverness is exceeded only by his sense of justice.Written from the point of view of 30-year-old Nicky as she recalls the vivid images of that fateful December, her tale is one of love and courage, of tragedy and redemption, and of the ways in which the human heart always seeks to heal itself.

Customer Reviews:

An unwanted baby.......2007-09-25

LIGHT ON SNOW by Anita Shreve
September 25, 2007

Amazon Rating: 4/5 stars

Another winner from Anita Shreve, LIGHT ON SNOW centers on an incident that changes the lives of a mourning father and his twelve-year-old daughter. The story is told through the eyes of an adult Nicky Dillon, regarding events that took place when she was twelve. She had just lost her mother and baby sister Clara to a tragic car accident. She and her father, who was once a successful architect, live in a remote part of town where they are practically cut off from society. It is his choice. He can no longer deal with people because his grief is so great. He now makes a living making furniture, spending his time crafting beautiful pieces of art with his hands.

One snowy afternoon while the two of them are walking their daily hike, they hear a noise, and then realize it's a baby. They find the newborn lying in the snow, wrapped up in a blanket with the umbilical cord still attached. The baby is no more than a day old if that. They report this to the sheriff, and the baby is taken away. They keep tabs on the status of the baby, feeling caring towards it but knowing that with the baby's parents out of the picture, the infant will eventually end up in a foster home.

Shortly thereafter, they receive a visitor to their home, the baby's mother. Nicky begins a friendship with the nineteen-year-old woman, a woman who was forced to give up her baby, partly pressured by her boyfriend, but also worried at how her family will react. She tells Nicky that she had never wanted her baby to die. Nicky's father knows that the woman is a fugitive, and will be tried for murder. Keeping silent about her makes him an accomplice, but Nicky is against the idea of turning in the young woman who is sorry for what had happened with her baby. The appearance of this woman makes a big impact on both Nicky and her father, to a point where their lives will be changed forever.

LIGHT ON SNOW is really two stories. It is a story of a young woman's plight and her responsibility in the act of disposing of her baby, but also how this event changes the lives of two people who are drifting along in life, living apart from society, and mourning two deaths and cannot let them go. Nicky connects with the woman, a mother figure that Nicky hopes will remain in their lives forever along with the new baby. But her father wants nothing to do with this woman, a woman who he feels is the lowest form of human life, someone that would dare to throw away a precious baby. He wants to forget they ever met her, and continue the lives they were leading, alone and apart from the rest of the world.

LIGHT ON SNOW was yet another wonderfully written book by Anita Shreve and as usual I am looking forward to my next.

A grief mosaic.......2007-09-14

This novel is wonderful. The writing is fluid, calm and knowing and you have this quiet assurance that this author knows where she is going with her story. Her pace is deliciously unhurried and you walk gently, quietly and easily with her. The story isn't an easy one one but Anita Shreve makes the writing of it simple and natural.

The characters are unforgettable (especially our tween protagonist through whom the writer speaks) and have such a warmth. Their pain is so intimate and raw, you feel like a welcome intruder. I felt like I was reading through my lashes and with my heart.

The novel unfolds beautifully and there is so much grace in her prose, I even underlined quite a few sentences. And for the first time, winter has her own true beauty. It ends perfectly; no blame, no secrets, no questions...we move on.

It's also interesting to read the author's short list of her favourite fiction at the end of the book as well as a book study guide and preview of 'A Wedding in December'. I understand that this book was supposed to be narrated in hindsight by a grown up Nicky Dillon at age 30 but I didn't get that sense while I was reading. It all was in the present. In any case, I'll be reading more by this author.

I can't stop thinking about this story.......2007-09-06

This is a touching, funny, sad, wonderful book. Other reviewers have given great synopses so I won't get into that. If you love character development and enjoy reading while clutching a kleenex this book is for you. I can't stop thinking about this story. . . !

Yawn..........2007-08-06

This book is readable. It took me about three months to creep through this pointless novel. And I do mean pointless. I have put it down and picked up other novels in between trying to get through it. And for what? We never know what happened to Charlotte or James-but Nicky sees it fit to tell us what eventually happened to her father (on finding love again.) And the ending didn't make sense. Put it in gear? What the Detective left them? Whatever. I don't care. I agree with another reviewer in saying this should have been a short story. It was so obvious that the author was stretching this paper thin storyline as far as she could take it. Honestly, a junior high student could've written this book of simple proses.

A Good Book.......2007-06-12

This was an enjoyable and easy book to read. Anita Shreve always does such a wonderful job of bringing her characters to life.

This story is narrated by twelve year old Nicky Dillon. She and her father live in a secluded town in New Hampshire. One afternoon while they are snowshoeing they find a baby who has been abandoned in the freezing cold.

Nicky can't stop thinking about what if...What if we had never moved here? What if we had decided to stay home that afternoon? What if they had never found the baby?

I thought the story was good and realistic. The story was engaging with an element of suspense to it. The characters were real and the dialog believable.

This was a good book but not as developed as Fortune's Rocks and not as suspenseful as The Pilot's Wife.

Overall a good read.

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Funny
Even if you're not a tennis fan, you'll LOVE this book!
Worst Donna Kauffman Book
Better than Sleeping with Beauty
fun sports romance

Not So Snow White
Donna Kauffman
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0553383094
Release Date: 2006-05-30

Book Description

Can a down-on-her-luck princess really have it all?

A whisper away from thirty, gorgeous Tess Hamilton has been the tennis world’s top titleholder and celebrity since she won her first championship at fifteen. Now the headline-making party girl is getting her first taste of mortality–thanks to new teenage phenom Gabrielle Fontaine. But it’s Gaby’s cool, calm, and all-too-collected brother and manager, Max, who really has Tess seeing double. He’s the first man she can’t seem to seduce–or intimidate. It appears Tess is truly off her game, until a real-life, modern-day fairy godmother steps in.…

Aurora Favreaux, a founder of Glass Slipper, Inc., and an old family friend, has a plan to get Tess back on her stilettos, and it includes an unlikely meeting between Tess, Max, and Gaby at Glass Slipper’s new London headquarters–just in time for Wimbledon. It seems that Tess is going to hit the courts in a whole new way, to prove to the world–and herself–that a woman with the heart of a champion can ace life and love–even after the big 3-0.…

Customer Reviews:

Funny.......2007-01-11

Donna Kauffman's books always make me laugh. They are a great escape from reality. Any of her books that brings in the Godmothers are sure to be a hit. This one is no exception. A must read for any Kauffman fan! If you like Janet Evanovich's novels you will like Donna Kauffman.

Even if you're not a tennis fan, you'll LOVE this book!.......2006-07-18

Donna Kauffman is a fabulous adult fiction writer. I enjoyed every one of her books (some more than others, but enjoyed them all).

Tess Hamilton has been tennis pro since age 15. But after a shoulder injury during a game and loosing her sponsorship, Tess needs to find a new way of getting money. So, when her brother ends up in Wimbledon (and he's getting married), Tess decides to fly to London and try to get another sponsorship.

Gabrielle Fontaine has just become pro and in her eyes, is being held back by her brother. Now at Wimbledon she's seeking advice and help and a coach that isn't picked out by her brother.

Aurora is now trying to help Tess out by giving her a place to stay and hopefully a job. Although Tess thinks no one knows her financial status but herself, Aurora's a smart lady and knows something's up. Aurora is able to get Tess to help Gabrielle, even though Max isn't happy about it.

Watch sparks fly between Max and Tess. And see Gabrielle go to Wimbledon.

Worst Donna Kauffman Book .......2006-07-13

Not So Snow White, yeah right. THE MOST BORING of anything she has written. I was so disappointed, the characters lack any kind of depth, I couldn't care less what happened in the end. Skimmed the last 2 chapters just to say I finished it.

Better than Sleeping with Beauty.......2006-07-02

I enjoy this author, and I usually buy her books. However, the last book, Sleeping with Beauty, wasn't really one of her best. I was disappointed when I read it and ended up giving it to a second hand bookstore--not what I usually do with a Kauffman book.

I liked this book a lot better.

Kauffman clearly has a love for tennis and that shows in this book. But also, she managed to write a character, Tess, whom I found believable and endearing. I also liked her hero and his little sister. These were much better characters than those in Beauty.

The Godmothers from Glass Slipper, Inc. were back in this book, but this time the focus is on Aurora. I am beginning to be tired of these mavens and hope Kauffman gets a new plot device, but unlike Beauty, I didn't find Aurora's appearance in this book overshadowing the romance.

And the romance is back in this book unlike Beauty. If I were to rank the books including the Godmothers, I liked Cinderella Rules, then Dear Prince Charmind, then this book, and Sleeping with Beauty a distant last.

fun sports romance .......2006-05-31

Tess Hamilton has been on top of the tennis world for years, but failed to plan on a post sports future as she thought she had years to go. Poor investments and bad spending habits leave her near broke even as an injury may have ended her career. A desperate Tess decides she needs some sponsors so she hides her injuries hoping to bluff her way through a few victories due to her unbeatable reputation.

Glass Slipper, Inc co-founder Aurora Favreaux knows something is wrong with Tess so she coaxes her friend to coach the new teenage phenomena fifteen years old Gabrielle Fontaine. Tess unenthusiastically accepts the job with plans to get back on the circuit as soon as possible. She finds her student is talented, but somewhat stubborn; worse she finds herself attracted to Gaby's over-protective over bearing, older brother Max, who manages her tennis career. Max reluctantly agreed to hire Tess, but has doubts about a woman who has been tabloid heaven or hell (perspective) for fifteen years starting the same age as his sister is now. Neither understood what love in tennis really is before.

The latest Glass Slippers tale (see SLEEPING WITH BEAUTY) is a fun sports romance starring an extremely responsible male and a great female athlete who knows what she has lost as her career begins to fade. Needing money due to poor financial management that left her broke and owing the IRS is why she took the job, but Aurora soon becomes more like a big sister to Gaby than just a coach and the soulmate to Max. Though some mixing of sports metaphors might Tee off fanatics NOT SO SNOW WHITE serves up a six love romance starring a couple of aces.

Harriet Klausner

4 Titles By Shreve - The Pilot's Wife - Light on Snow - The Weight of Water - Sea Glass

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4 Titles By Shreve - The Pilot's Wife - Light on Snow - The Weight of Water - Sea Glass
Anita Shreve
Manufacturer: various
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Product Description

4 trade paperback Titles By Shreve - The Pilot's Wife - Light on Snow - The Weight of Water - Sea Glass

The Snow White Bride (Jewels of Kinfairlie)

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Alexander was Perfect but Eleanor was Untrustworthy
Great!!!
Great end to a fun trilogy
Fabulous Medieval
terrific Kinfairlie medieval romance

The Snow White Bride (Jewels of Kinfairlie)
Claire Delacroix
Manufacturer: Grand Central Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0446614440

Customer Reviews:

Alexander was Perfect but Eleanor was Untrustworthy.......2006-09-06

The story was perfect, as was Alexander, up until the moment he drank the wine, (in the beginning of the story), then he was consistently burdened with heartache because of Eleanor.
The editorial review listed above is right. I don't think I've ever seen a heroine lie as much as this one did, and often after she'd sworn faithfully to Alexander that she wouldn't do so again. He gave her so many ways out each time, with his kindness and willingness to take her side, but still, she would lie to him. Then he would find himself being 'thankful' when she'd let him in on the truth behind one of her 'secrets.' How appalling.
At one point, when she decides to tell Alexander and his people a truth, only because they'd caught her in one of her lies, she turns it into a Once-there-was-a-woman story, leaving the people to figure out that she's talking about herself. Couldn't she have just said it was she? Granted, she was treated horribly in the past, but I could drum up no sympathy for this woman because she was deceptive to the end - she had invited Lord Reinhard without telling Alexander, (she could have told him without revealing her final secret)and Alexander is again pained by her actions. All manners of horrible things are going through his mind, not the least of which is his fear that his newborn might be ill. He deserved a better wife.

Great!!!.......2006-07-26

Great once again. Couldn't put it down the first time and have reread it more than once since!

Great end to a fun trilogy.......2005-11-11

THE SNOW WHITE BRIDE by Claire Delacroix
November 10, 2005

Amazon rating 4/5 stars

"The Snow White Bride by Claire Delacroix is the third in a 1400s family trilogy set in England. The oldest brother Alexander has the task of keeping Kinfairlie from going into debt. In the first two books, his objective was to marry off his sisters, Madeleine and Vivienne. In this third episode, the sisters get an idea of their own - to coax their brother into marrying a woman of their choosing. This ends up being a stranger who shows up on their property, seeking help. Lady Eleanor's life story is a mystery, but the sisters are aware that she is running away from someone. They agree to get their brother to marry her, no matter what it takes!" - Complete review at BookLoons - M. Lofton

I enjoyed this book a lot. The entire series was fun. Recommended for those who love historical romances with a touch of humor.

Fabulous Medieval.......2005-11-02

Setting - Kinfarlie, Scotland - 1421 --- In a desperate flight to freedom, Lady Eleanor had made her way to the village of Kinfarlie, Scotland but with the snow falling fast and furious, she needs to find shelter - and soon! Seeing a church through the falling snow she was grateful to find the door unlocked - sanctuary, and at last a place to rest. It was here that the two sisters of Alexander Lammergeier, Laird of Kinfarlie would discover Eleanor and formulate a plan to both aid the beautiful lady and give their brother a dose of his own medicine after tricking the both of them into marriage!

Lady Eleanor was amazed at the Laird of Kinfairlie's sisters warmth and caring, as well as shocked that they wanted a complete stranger to marry their brother. After years of abuse at the hands of two deceased husbands, she finally agreed, sensing that the young laird could at least offer her protection from the danger that followed close on her heels. What she didn't quite expect was to discover a man who seemed to want nothing more from her than to make her smile; who seemed to respect her as a person; and who sparked in her a passion that she'd never before experienced.

Alexander was enchanted with his mysterious new wife and though he soon discovered how he'd been tricked into the marriage, he wanted to gain her trust and her love. It would soon became a true test of his faith when he realized that she held many secrets close to her heart, a heart that he was no longer sure was pure. As much as Alexander wanted to believe in her, rumors of her murdering her late husbands and mysterious accidental poisonings at Kinfairlie pointed to her guilt, as a ruthless fiend sought to capture her for himself or would Alexander's love be enough to save them both?

--- In the third book to the `Jewels of Kinfairlie' trilogy, Delacroix has penned another exciting, sensual and edge of the seat romantic adventure. Delacroix proves once again how masterful she is at creating wonderful characters and integrating a fabulous plot, mystery and sensuality into the mix. Eleanor was brilliantly drawn so that the reader truly felt overwhelming sympathy over the horrors that were visited down on her; Alexander was a dream hero; and the villain a total ruthless fiend! This is a totally entertaining read and it begs this reader to say - please, don't stop here - there's three more jewels (the rest of the Lammergeir sisters) just waiting for stories! --- Marilyn, for (...)

terrific Kinfairlie medieval romance .......2005-10-25

The Laird of Kinfairlie, Alexander, is proud of marrying off two of his sisters Vivienne (see THE ROSE RED BRIDE) and Madeline (see THE BEAUTY BRIDE) in what appears to be happy relationships. However, his two siblings have not forgotten how poorly he managed their futures once he replaced their deceased parents. Vivienne and Madeline decide to find a bride for their brother before he can wed off the still too young remaining sisters.

They select Lady Eleanor who wants to marry for love and passion, but knows men only covet her fortune. Alexander's siblings ask her to marry their brother. She knows if she chooses Alexander as her husband she will be freed from danger of those abusive suitors willing to do anything to claim her fortune as theirs. However, Alexander is interested in her smile that makes his insides weak. He wants Eleanor by his side for a lifetime, but persuading her he loves her starts with earning her trust.

The third Kinfairlie medieval romance is a terrific entry as the two sisters avenge their brother's misdeeds by finding the right woman for him if he is wise enough to realize it. The story line is exciting but character driven starting with the contented married siblings plotting their brother's fall into matrimony and only getting deeper as the heroine trusts nothing male because they only want her only her fortune while Alexander knows he can achieve security with Eleanor, but wants more as he realizes she is his soulmate.

Harriet Klausner

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Colors Shapes Words and Numbers Alan
Alan Snow
Manufacturer: Crescent
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Physics | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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no title
An engaging but melancholic novel set in the changing English society of 1935-1943

Light and the Dark
C P Snow
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book
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ASIN: 0684105667

Customer Reviews:

no title.......2006-02-08

A terribly bittersweet, hauntingly powerful novel about Roy Calvert, first seen in "Time of Hope". A manic-depressive, I think. Perhaps it was not so recognized in the 30's and early 40's when this takes place. A very memorable and sensitive portrait of the love and friendship that can exist between two heterosexual men, as it delicately portrays the compassion and caring they come to share, Roy, and Lewis Eliot, the narrator. Melancholic and sad, yet a wonderful book. Just as striking as two others, "Time of Hope" and "The Conscience of the Rich", but even more poignant. The last line could not be more perfect. Snow is a master of the human psyche and condition.

An engaging but melancholic novel set in the changing English society of 1935-1943.......2006-01-08

C.P. Snow (1905-1980) is probably best remembered for having postulated, in 1959, the existence of a growing gulf between the sciences and the humanities ("The Two Cultures"). A physicist who later successfully served in government, he also wrote a very interesting, albeit stylistically simple, sequence of self-contained novels ("Strangers and Brothers") roughly stretching from the 1920s to the 1960s, whose narrator, Lewis Eliot progresses from rather humble origins in an English provincial town to law school, a practice in law, a fellowship at Cambridge and government work during and after the second world war. Eliot is a decent, human and sympathetic character who is, at first, Snow`s device for exploring for exploring more brilliant or outstanding characters -in this respect Eliot sometimes reminds one of a more intelligent and senstive version of Conan Doyles' Dr. Watson. Snow`s novels quickly become more concerned with exploring routine struggles for power and influence in the changing English society of his time.

"The Light and the Dark", written just after the second World War (1947), is a tale about one of Eliot`s friends, Roy Calvert, a brilliant young linguist at Cambridge who suffers from maniac-depressive bouts. There are four parts to the novel. In the first part, set circa 1935, we meet Roy as a graceful and gifted graduate student and see how he moves through a slough of despondency, rises to a peak of reckless, destructive behaviour and then is impelled to a blindingly harsh and absoluteless cheerless intuition about reality. At the same time, Snow regales us with an excellent portrayal of the academic manoeuvres in the closed college world which culminate in a fellowship for Roy. In the second part, we watch as Roy`s (and Eliot`s) hopes that he can overcome his condition are dashed, how other of Roy`s most intimate friends gradually become aware of his problem and their futile attempts to help him. This is set aginst a fascinating background of how torn and polarized pre-War Britain was on the subject of Nazi Germany, to the point of setting lifetime friends and members of the same family against each other. In the third part, Roy himself spends some time in Germany and, to the horror of his friends, is quite sympathetic to the nazi regime and even invites Eliot to Berlin in the forelorn hope of converting him. War breaks out, and we get a very interesting glimpse of how part of English academia was coopted into the war effort. Roy himself is initially drafted into Intelligence while Eliot is concerned with planning and becomes involved in fighting against a strategic decision to escalate air bombing. By this time, Roy has reached the end of his tether and when Eliot unsuspectingly and bitterly mentions that the highest casualty rates will be amongst airmen, Roy requests his own transfer and is killed on a bombing mission.

The book tends more to the dark than to the light, as befits the years that are portrayed, but the author exercises a quiet control to prevent the novel from slipping into sentimentality or pampleteering and strives to presents some sort of balance between the light and the dark. Roy himself is a complex character who deeply marks those who know him, who know that they can never be or feel the same way after they have fallen under the spell of this gifted, charming, proud man unsuccessfully struggling to master his own illness.

3 Book Set By Anita Shreve; the Pilot's Wife; All He Ever Wanted; Light on Snow

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3 Book Set By Anita Shreve; the Pilot's Wife; All He Ever Wanted; Light on Snow
Anita Shreve
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000W25NVM

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3 Book Set By Anita Shreve; the Pilot's Wife; All He Ever Wanted; Light on Snow.

4 Titles By Anita Shreve : Strange Fits of Passion - Where or When - The Weight of Water - Light on Snow

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4 Titles By Anita Shreve : Strange Fits of Passion - Where or When - The Weight of Water - Light on Snow
Anita Shreve
Manufacturer: various
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000WEACQ6

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multiple books ship as one item. save on shipping/handling charges.

4-book Set; All He Ever Wnted; the Pilot's Wife; Light on Snow; the Weight of Water By Anita Shreve

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4-book Set; All He Ever Wnted; the Pilot's Wife; Light on Snow; the Weight of Water By Anita Shreve
Anita Shreve
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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4-book set by Anita Shreve.

C.P. Snow: Strangers and Brothers : Time of Hope, George Passant, the Conscience of the Rich, the Light and Dark (Hudson River Editions)

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THE LIGHT AND THE DARK, before lithium
Uff...what a waste of time!
Extraordinarily Insightful Novels that Begin Greatest Series
These books begin a wonderful cycle of novels

C.P. Snow: Strangers and Brothers : Time of Hope, George Passant, the Conscience of the Rich, the Light and Dark (Hudson River Editions)
C. P. Snow
Manufacturer: Macmillan Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0026121956

Customer Reviews:

THE LIGHT AND THE DARK, before lithium.......2003-10-15

This book, THE LIGHT AND THE DARK, (this series, STRANGERS AND BROTHERS, for that matter), contains absolutely first-rate psychology. Indeed, one could say that psychological observation is C.P. Snow's forte. Roy Calvert is about five years younger than Lewis Eliot. Through chance they have college rooms in the same entry.

Some believed that Roy Calvert would be the Orientalist of his generation. He had a special melancholy belonging to some chosen natures. He wanted to be elected a fellow of the college, but things were proceeding slowly. Arthur Brown was working on the election. It would be a close thing. Lewis was too new to the institution to be of much use. His friend, Francis Getliffe, a scientist, was waiting to be convinced that Roy Calvert was first-rate in his field. Roy Calvert was experiencing a darkness of mind. All through the period of melancholy his intelligence was as lucid as ever.

Ultimately Roy Calvert was elected a fellow after a hiatus during the spring and the summer to gather votes. Since his election brought joy to others, he pretended joy, but the melancholy had taken hold. Lewis was placed in a precarious position. What does one do when one senses a friend is wildly out of control. An older man tells Lewis that young men do silly things. To be successful a scholar needs obsessive devotion to the subject and a touch of supreme confidence. It was believed that Calvert had those traits.

Having undergone two bouts of bipolar disorder, Roy told Lewis that Lewis believed in predestination but he did not. He would still fight his condition. He would not consider it a given. It had come to the point where Lewis's presence deprived him of peace of mind.

Roy sought knowledge of God. He knew that his acts of faith were hollow. Then he learned a clergyman friend was self-absorbed. His sadness was returning. By age twenty eight Roy was spending dark nights. He spent time in Germany on scholarly tasks. A report was received that he was in too close contact with some of the Nazi officials. He did not consider matters of self-preservation as most people do.

Upon his return from Berlin he went through another dark period. He reacted with bitter anger to criticism of a now deceased collaborator. In his worst hours he had a sort of desperate charity. Roy had an elaborate dinner for his friends.

Both Roy and Lewis were distressed over the war. They held war-related jobs. Then Roy went into training to be a pilot. He married. He participated in bombing raids and went missing. It is understood he sought danger purposely.

The writing is elegant and fine. One is transported to Oxbridge in the thirties and forties, to stately houses, to government offices, to foreign cities. Snow's portrayal of the main characters is done with economy and precision.

Uff...what a waste of time!.......2000-04-11

Im not gonna waste to many words about this, but I should start by saying that I only read the "the light and dark". So it is fear to say that my knowledge about the series is limited but...the best thing about the book was when I finnished it! FINALLY! For me the book was so superficial and shallow. The book is about a guy in some sort of crises that never is really explained and it is written in such a way that it doesnt give you a possibility to suggest what is going in this guys head. A very passive writing, like describing a landscape! Im sure the auther has some indebt knowledge of human and there behaviour but he sure has trouble sharing it! I did manage to get through the book though and that is fine. I know now that I will never read a book by mister C.P.Snow again. If you are thinking of reading something by him you should read the first 50 pages. If you like it, fine go on, if not stop. The rest is excactly the same. Just another party or visit or what ever...nothing juicy! Regards, Arni

Extraordinarily Insightful Novels that Begin Greatest Series.......1999-07-03

I have never relished a series of novels (or a long novel) as I have Strangers and Brothers. In these serious works begin an unsparing examination of character in trying situations, of love and power, of obsession, of reason and unreason, of society and politics. I have read the series numerous times. Whenever I sought to interrupt my reading with something else, I grew frustrated at the other author's dullness of perception, the bluntness of his insight. It is a haunting series, to which any reader will return again and again. I should speak of the downsides: there is very little humor, and until one has read about 150 pages, the novels are not very interesting. However, if one gets that far, the next 2000 pages have a grip like no other. The series is a knowing, sophisticated, unsentimental examination of intelligent and usually well-meaning people in conflict. It is perhaps the most underrated series of books that have been written in this century. It is compelling, and you will always remember it, and return to it.

These books begin a wonderful cycle of novels.......1999-02-27

Love, politics, alienation, change. CP Snow tackled the "big topics". These books begin an eleven novel cycle, using as a focal point a provincial Englishman of humble origin who works his way up the rungs of law, into academia, and finally into government. These novels trace the narrator, Lewis Elliot, from his early small town days through his first entry into academia. Snow's style is easy, deliberate, and narrative--these books are not "experimental" in any sense, but instead are a "good read" in the best old-fashioned sense. Have you ever wished for books with both good plots and artistic merit? Then you must begin here. Snow understood a lot about us--that sometimes the most brilliant personalities are not the most successful, that the politics of small groups and the politics of large groups are entirely different, and that both faith and love have odd play with those whom they possess from time to time, and in Strangers and Brothers he spins his themes out well....I highly recommend.

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