As Simple as Snow (Alex Awards (Awards))
by Gregory Galloway
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 355)
Read in January, 2005
Go get this book right now and read it, then report back. I'll be very interested to hear what you have to say. This is not your average young adult novel. Certainly the main characters are teenagers, and there is some angst, but it's not overdone. In fact, it's rather tasteful and sort of tangential to the plot, so you can look past it if that sort of thing bothers you. Pay attention when you read this book. I did, but I still didn't exactly know what happened when I got to the end. Ther...more
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Read in April, 2007
I read a lot of books. I don't frequently run across books I really love, anymore. There's a lot of junk. But this one I loved.
It's mostly a coming-of-age story of this high school boy. He meets a very strange girl who becomes his girlfriend. Most of what I loved about the book was all of the weird art and music she got him (and therefore the reader) interested in. There are MANY references in this book that have got me reading all sorts of other things.
But beyond that, or relate...more
It's mostly a coming-of-age story of this high school boy. He meets a very strange girl who becomes his girlfriend. Most of what I loved about the book was all of the weird art and music she got him (and therefore the reader) interested in. There are MANY references in this book that have got me reading all sorts of other things.
But beyond that, or relate...more
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Read in October, 2007
recommends it for:
everyone!!
This romantic mystery is about a teenage boy (anonymous in the story) who falls in love with one of "goth" kids named Anna, who mysteriously disappears. This is a beautiful story because the romance between them is different from others. She inspires him with her interests like writing obituaries for the people of the town. Before he met her, he was just another person hating on the goths of the school, since they were rumored to be bad people. Before he met her, he was also...more
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The book As Simple as Snow is an excellent example of stained glass writing. The characters evolve, particularly the narrator throughout the story. And the plot is shattered into many pieces of colored light. At its heart there is mystery - what secrets is Anna hiding, who is she, and eventually - where did she go? But there is also a coming of age story of a narrator who describes himself as bland changing and finding his own path.
I love the description the narrator describes his father...more
I love the description the narrator describes his father...more
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Read in February, 2008
My favorite part of contemporary young adult novels is the way authors are creating complex characters who are still so very accessible. Quite often, these characters introduce the reader to music, books, and ideas that springboard the typical adolescent mind along paths rich in thought and revelation, as well as helping propel adults along similar tracks and filling in revelations they might have missed along the way.
I really enjoyed getting to know Anastasia through the narrator. Plenty of...more
I really enjoyed getting to know Anastasia through the narrator. Plenty of...more
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Read in April, 2008
This is young adult fiction, male protagonist. I like YA fiction, and I like when the author leaves things open-ended for interpretation by the reader; so I was ok with not knowing what happened to Anna, and all the loose ends that this story leaves—like why didn't Anna like Mr.Devon, or what was up with Anna's parents; (and all the parents in this book for that matter), and the elaborate setting-up of a code and map that ultimately meant nothing. I was not satisfied at the end for a differe...more
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I like books with some ambiguity, but this book introduces heaps of "clues" to the mystery of the disappearance of the protagonist's girlfriend--none of which ever comes to signify anything definitively. There was also a creepy lack of warmth between the characters and an over all gloom-and-doom aura that I don't have much patience for unless something comes of it in the end. (A CERTAIN SLANT OF LIGHT is a good example of a dark, mysterious book that permits ambiguity but doesn't overd...more
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Read in March, 2008
This was a real shit-show. A bland high school dude falls in love with this goth chick who has all these obscure interests she forces on him, and long story short, she disappears and you have to try and figure out if she was murdered, committed suicide, or ran away. There are a bunch of so-called "clues" throughout the book that are actually all red herrings and the book concludes with no resolution. That didn't bother me so much as the fact that the road to nowhere was boring. I w...more
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Read in June, 2007
Great story.
Anna Cayne is a complicated high school girl with a penchant for riddles and affectionate mind games, who spends much of her time writing obituaries for every living person in town. She is unlike anyone the narrator has ever known, and her energy and enthusiasm explode his quiet universe, revealing a world of Houdini tricks, strange art, covert messages, and ghost stories, although her past remains an even bigger enigma.
A week before Valentine’s Day, Anna disappears, leavin...more
Anna Cayne is a complicated high school girl with a penchant for riddles and affectionate mind games, who spends much of her time writing obituaries for every living person in town. She is unlike anyone the narrator has ever known, and her energy and enthusiasm explode his quiet universe, revealing a world of Houdini tricks, strange art, covert messages, and ghost stories, although her past remains an even bigger enigma.
A week before Valentine’s Day, Anna disappears, leavin...more
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Read in June, 2007
As Simple As Snow is the story of the narrator (who always remains nameless) and Anastasia Cayne. Anna is one of the "goth" kids - different in many ways. She writes obituaries for all of the people in the town, listens to the shortwave radio, and creates puzzles for people. She is also the narrator's girlfriend, despite his being average and unnoticeable in every way. About halfway through the book, she goes missing and the narrator tries to find out whether she ran away or if she com...more
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Read in January, 2006
recommended to Jesi by:
Found off the shelf for 9th grade Independent Reading Project
I wrote some poems inspired by the book and I ended up using those for my project. I liked those poems a little... not my best but whatever.
Okay! So the book was basically okay. I read it because it was a romance book and I thought it would be really good, however, I found out that I'm not one for teen love books. I mean, the girl was wild, I loved her. And it was great that it wasn't a perfect ending for once!
The problem was that I got bored with it. I no longer cared what the boy was g...more
Okay! So the book was basically okay. I read it because it was a romance book and I thought it would be really good, however, I found out that I'm not one for teen love books. I mean, the girl was wild, I loved her. And it was great that it wasn't a perfect ending for once!
The problem was that I got bored with it. I no longer cared what the boy was g...more
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Read in August, 2008
I guess this is a mystery; a main character disappears in the middle of the story, leaving the narrator to try and work out what happened to her. Yet, this is not a whodunnit story. The book is more interested in exploring the narrator's sense of self and how others define/do not define it. The character who disappears is equally self-absorbed. She drops names of famous or obscure artists/musicians/writers/performers constantly, as though these, plus her Goth attire, define her. She also ha...more
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Read in October, 2007
This is a book that will be in my mind for the rest of my life. Or at least until I figure out what the hell happened. It is a story of the narrator G___ and his girlfriend Anna. I initially thought it was really dragged out since the description says that Anna disappears, yet she doesn't until the middle of the book. However, after reading I realized that the entire "dragged out" part of the book is full of clues because the author does not reveal what happened to Anna at the end. Thi...more
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Read in October, 2006
recommends it for:
yound adults, adults
I can't think of many other fun, casual reads that have inspired so much investigation and research on my part. From the life (and death) of Houdini to the unsettling Conet Project mystery, I found myself riveted by the book's cogs and parts more than the overall story. The characters remain two-dimensional and the plot has a few disappointing holes, but the patchwork of secrecy and fascinating clues make up for what it leaves you wanting. I would recommend this to anyone who feels like they're ...more
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Read in July, 2008
Unlike everyone else in the world, I hated this book. Should have liked it: YA, numerous literary and musical references, etc. But the characters were flat, flat, flat. And unrealistic. It was like the author sat down and wrote what he wished had happened to him in high school with the benefit of years of reading and listening to music - which is my fantasy/style of YA writing too, which is why my writing sucks. Kind of feels like he got his MFA and read somewhere that YA novels were selling so ...more
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Read in December, 2007
this one is up there with bridge to terabithia and the year without michael on my list of tearjerkers for teens (and ten-year-olds). anna makes me think of this one high school friend of mine who seemed to try really hard to be "weird." but unlike my friend, i don't necessarily think anna was a poser. i like the mystery of this book; it kind of reminds me of special topics in calamity physics, too.
p.s. i might try to make a mix of anna's cds like i did with charlie's mix tapes in t...more
p.s. i might try to make a mix of anna's cds like i did with charlie's mix tapes in t...more
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Read in January, 2008
recommended to Marian by:
Selena Childsrecommends it for: YA fans
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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2 comments
This book was not what I thought it would be. At first the writing was a little rough around the edges, but it grew richer as the plot thickened. Think of Twin Peaks without the hokey quirk. I'm still trying to process all of the clues. If you are the type of person who likes their stories all tied up in a pretty bow at the end, skip this book. If you are the type of person who likes book that insist that you THINK, give it a try.
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Read in December, 2007
recommends it for:
thrill-seekers
It was very depressing at times, but most of the time it just really grabbed your attention and held onto it. It was about a boy who fell in love with a truly eccentric girl, who suddenly disappeared, leaving behind many clues for the boy to follow.
Though it sounds like a cliche, it's painfully realistic and heart-wrenching. You honestly question if it really happened to the author or if it was just supposed to look that way.
Though it sounds like a cliche, it's painfully realistic and heart-wrenching. You honestly question if it really happened to the author or if it was just supposed to look that way.
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Read in December, 2007
recommends it for:
anyone in need of a good riddle.
This book left me scratching my head, although, admittedly I've never been patient enough to solve riddles. The plot was absorbing enough that I read it cover to cover in two days ( a feat when your a grad student, really! ), but at times I felt that this book was trying a little to hard to be confusing. This is a book I will force on friends for the simple and selfish reason that I want more people to discuss it with.
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