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The Snowflake

by Jamie Carie (Goodreads Author)

3.72 of 5 stars 3.72 · rating details · 108 ratings · 31 reviews

Christmas 1897. Ellen Pierce and her brother are determined to reach the Alaska gold rush. But when ice stalls their steamship, all seems lost, until Buck Lewis makes a decision: he'll lead all who dare to follow on foot toward Dawson City.

Buck is determined to leave behind a heartbreaking past. No amount of ice or weather will stop him. But he never counted on a woman joi...more

Hardcover, 240 pages

Published October 1st 2010 by B&H Books (first published September 23rd 2010)

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Sep 30, 2010 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Title: THE SNOWFLAKE
Author: Jamie Carie
Publisher: Broadman & Holman
October 2010
ISBN: 978-14336-6936-1
Genre: Inspirational/historical

Christmas 1897 in Alaska isn’t exactly easy. Ellen Pierce and her brother Jonah are alone in the world, and Jonah is convinced he wants to strike it rich panning for gold. So, he and Ellen take off. When the ship gets struck in ice, it becomes apparent that the passengers have only two choices: They can stay onboard ship until spring, and likely die of starvatio...more

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Sep 14, 2010 Edna Tollison rated it 5 of 5 stars

Alaska 1897, aboard a steamship Ellen Pierce was on her way to the gold field to satisfy her sick brother Johan who has mental problems and she is afraid of him, as her mother on her death bed made her promise to take care of her brother. She had meet a man on board that had talked to her named Buck Lewis. They were racing with time as the river would soon freeze over. There was a large shaking of the ship and they all went up to see what had happened, and the ship was stuck in ice with no way t...more

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Aug 01, 2010 Julie Graves rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-reads, christian

Ellen Pierce and her brother are on their way to the Alaskan gold rush. Ellen promised her mother on her deathbed that she would watch over her brother. Ellen’s brother is jealous of any man that looks at her. He is not well in his head. Ellen lives in fear of him, never knowing if he will have a “normal” day or if his eyes will have that empty look that she knows means the day will be most difficult. Ellen feels that she has been rejected by God. She feels that the burden of her brother’s care...more Ellen Pierce and her brother are on their way to the Alaskan gold rush. Ellen promised her mother on her deathbed that she would watch over her brother. Ellen’s brother is jealous of any man that looks at her. He is not well in his head. Ellen lives in fear of him, never knowing if he will have a “normal” day or if his eyes will have that empty look that she knows means the day will be most difficult. Ellen feels that she has been rejected by God. She feels that the burden of her brother’s care is on her and that her life will never be normal.

Buck Lewis is heading the same way but for a different reason. His mission is to find the man that shot and killed his wife. He is determined to bring the man to justice.

When the steamboat that they are on becomes locked in the ice of the Tundra all seems to be hopeless. Buck proposes to take whomever wants to go on a 200 mile trek in the bitter cold to Dawson City. Of course Ellen’s brother wants to go. He cannot be reasoned with. Buck is nervous about taking a woman on the trek but they set out. The going is not easy and they lose several lives in the course of their trek.

Ellen and Buck are attracted to each other. Buck is reserved though. He cannot understand how he can have feelings for another woman. His wife has only been gone for 7 months. Plus there is his mission to find her killer. They make it to Dawson City. Ellen collapses and a kind woman named Kate takes her in to nurse her. When Ellen comes around she soon discovers that she is staying in a brothel! Kate is the owner of several such establishments and saloons. Ellen immediately sets out to find work for herself and a place to live. Buck decides he must continue on his search for his wife’s killer. On parting Ellen asks Buck to promise to be with her on Christmas day.

Having no success in finding a place to live or work Ellen takes Kate up on her offer of dancing with lonely men for a dollar a dance. She is an instant hit with all the men because of her compassion and caring for them. She listens to their stories and she promises that she will pray for each of them if they would like her too.

Will Buck be able to keep his promise to Kate and be back by Christmas? Will he find his wife’s murderer? Will Kate ever feel that she is loved by God and that he hears her every prayer?

The Snowflake is a quick read. I was able to read it in a couple of hours. The characters were engaging, but being a Novella they weren’t developed enough. There were hints of what had happened in the past but not overly detailed. For those that like romantic short stories this will be a perfect read for you!
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Jun 24, 2011 Cindi rated it 4 of 5 stars

It is a Christmas-themed novella that tells of God's grace and matchless love set in Dawson City along the Yukon River in the winter of 1897. It is at the height of the Alaskan gold rush.

This is a book that, while shorter than the average novel, is not short on suspense and well-drawn characters. The author creates a setting that has the reader shivering along with Ellen as she staves off frostbite, fear, and hunger along with the very real drama that takes place between the various characters t...more

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Dec 27, 2010 Amber Stokes rated it 4 of 5 stars

Full of adventure, romance, and some rather deep topics, The Snowflake is a novella with a beautiful cover and an intriguing story! Right from the start, I was drawn in through the epigraph:

"They say that every snowflake is different. If that were true, how could the world go on? How could we ever get up off our knees? How could we ever recover from the wonder of it?" (From Jeanette Winterson, The Passion, 1987)

Talk about powerful! I appreciate the themes throughout this book of love (God's love...more

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Nov 10, 2010 Kara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviews-b-h, reviews-all, historical-fiction, fall-reading-challenge-2010

This short novella tells the story of Ellen Pierce and her brother, who are en route to reach the Alaska gold rush in 1897 when their steamship is stalled in the ice. Rather than stay with the ship and face possible starvation, Buck Lewis, another passenger, leads those who are willing on a dangerous wilderness trek to reach Dawson City. Ellen and her brother join the group. Ellen, as the only woman in the group, must struggle to survive, and then make her own way in an unfamiliar Alaskan fronti...more

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Mar 10, 2011 Courtney rated it 5 of 5 stars

Jamie Carie has really done an amazing job with the character depth in "The Snowflake". This was an amazing book!! It captured my soul right from the beginning and had me eager to keep reading.

It was Christmas of 1897 and Ellen had lost pretty much everything important to her in her life. She was traveling with her brother Jonah to reach the Alaska gold rush. When tragedy stuck the boat they were on they decided to travel to Dawson City on foot with her brother and some other men aboard the shi...more

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Jan 17, 2011 Lydia (Overweight Bookshelf) rated it 4 of 5 stars

First reviewed here: http://overweight-bookshelf.blogspot....

We have all heard of the little engine that could, correct? Well, this is the little book that could. Jamie Carie has succeeded in packing this little novella with enough drama, adventure, and romance to possibly be stretched out into a series (oh, how I wish she would!). With this book, Jamie stays true to form in producing a wonderful inspirational historical romance that does not shy away from complex issues such as mental illness,...more

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Apr 13, 2011 Diane A Brown rated it 5 of 5 stars

A Glimmer of hope...

Trapped by the frozen ice and unwilling to wait until spring, Ellen and her brother join others in a perilous journey across the Alaskan wilderness. The dream of gold written on their hearts. Surrounded by unimaginable mind numbing cold, nigh froven to death, a glimmer of hope can lift your soul.

Fear and love are the greatest motivational forceses. Jamie has woven these into The Snowflake with vivid and clear detail. It is easy to visualize and feel the outward and inward str...more

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Sep 24, 2010 Cheryl rated it 2 of 5 stars

The year is 1897 in Alaska.

Ellen Pierce and her brother, Jonah along with several others are traveling to Dawson City. The ship that they were traveling on gets stuck in ice. There is only one option…travel by sled and snow dogs across the frozen tundra to Dawson City. The trek will be very dangerous. Luckily for Ellen and her brother, Buck Lewis volunteers to lead the group to Dawson City.

I first was introduced to Mrs. Carie when I read Love’s First Light. I really enjoyed that book and Mrs....more

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Sep 22, 2010 Lenore Webb rated it 3 of 5 stars

Even today I have a read or two of romances. My latest was 'The Snowflake' by Jamie Carie. Yeah, with our Texas heat I was ready for a lil cooling off. Here I traveled back to 1897 and followed a adventure trip to Alaska. Here in a world that only men venture the unheard of happens. A determined strong woman is making the same trek. Will this hamper the journey or can the different outlook on life help new answers come about? I loved seeing how a deep romance based on respect and admiration grow...more

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Jan 09, 2011 Beverly Frisby rated it 4 of 5 stars

Set in the gold rush days of Alaska, "The Snowflake" quickly immerses the reader into a tale of romance, survival, and faith. The novella centers around Ellen Pierce, who against her better judgment, is accompanying her brother Jonah on a steamship bound for Alaska and the gold rush. Ellen promised her dying mother that she would always take care of Jonah, who is suffering from a mental disorder that can quickly change him from almost childlike to mean and abusive. When their steamship gets stal...more

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Mar 18, 2012 Joelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-shelf, christian-romance, historical-fiction, romance

The Snowflake

by Jamie Carie

3 out of 5 stars

http://angelswithattitudebookreviews-...

Christmas 1897. Ellen Pierce and her brother are determined to reach the Alaska gold rush. But when ice stalls their steamship, all seems lost, until Buck Lewis makes a decision: he'll lead all who dare to follow on foot toward Dawson City.Buck is determined to leave behind a heartbreaking past. No amount of ice or weather will stop him. But he never counted on a woman joining a dangerous wilderness trek--or on...more The Snowflake

by Jamie Carie

3 out of 5 stars

http://angelswithattitudebookreviews-...

Christmas 1897. Ellen Pierce and her brother are determined to reach the Alaska gold rush. But when ice stalls their steamship, all seems lost, until Buck Lewis makes a decision: he'll lead all who dare to follow on foot toward Dawson City.Buck is determined to leave behind a heartbreaking past. No amount of ice or weather will stop him. But he never counted on a woman joining a dangerous wilderness trek--or on falling in love with her.As their journey unfolds and Christmas approaches, Ellen and Buck discover that the greatest gift of all can't be wrapped in paper and tied with a bow. It comes from, and is received in, the heart.Come share in a soul-deep romance that gives a joyful reminder of a redeeming God who makes us each unique, yet loves us all the same.

My Thoughts and review

This was a touching story about a brother and sister who set out to be part of the Gold Rush. Being stuck on a stream ship and ice-locked they decided to venture out on foot with a part to make there way.This trip will make you or break you its not for the faint at heart and the most enduring will survive.Ellen is living in hell with and abusive brother and this trip is not making it any easier as he is a weak individual and not only does she have to survive herself she has to look out after the brother who should be looking out for her. She made a promise to her mother to take care of her brother but, in doing so has sacrificed a life of her own.On this trip Ellen sees a glimpse of hope in there guide Buck perhaps there is someone out there who will love her after all.

I made mixed feeling about this book weather to give it 3 or 4 stars. Ellen loses who brother along the trek to safety and nearly her own life. Once in town she is taken in my a women Kate who owns a brothel and nursed back to health.My problem with the story I guess is I did not like the turn of events that happen once this party reached safety.Here is a young frighten girl left alone in the world to fend for herself without anyones help. It seemed that once they were to safety she was on her own a know one to look out for her.They all seemed to have built a friendship and a closeness on the trip and Buck obliviously seem to care for her just up and left without seeing her settled first all the sake of hunting the killer of his dead wife!

Ellen's belief and God and her kind heart and spirit saw her through her trying time. No matter what has happen to her she hasn't lost faith in God and is still wishing for her happily ever after.A touching story of endurance.Just proves that only the stronger survive.You had to love Ellen with all her strength and compassion for others this story could have ended and totally different way.

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Dec 29, 2010 Mandy rated it 3 of 5 stars

MOM'S REVIEW:

This 1897 romance takes place during the Alaska gold rush. Ellen and Buck overcome incredible obstacles to survive a wilderness trek after their steamship can sail no more. It is a good look into life during the gold rush with good spiritual lessons, but too predictable for me.

BOOK OVERVIEW:

Christmas 1897. Ellen Pierce and her brother are determined to reach the Alaska gold rush. But when ice stalls their steamship, all seems lost, until Buck Lewis makes a decision: he'll lead all w...more

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Nov 20, 2010 Lauren rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

The Snowflake is just like the cover suggests- a cute, hopeful, and quick read perfect for the holiday season.

The Snowflake tells the tale of Ellen Pierce and Buck Lewis, two people who haven't been truly happy in a long time. For Ellen, she has to deal with her patronizing, ill-mannered brother day in and day out because of a promise Ellen made her mother before she died. Buck is still dealing with the results of his wife's death a few months prior. Thrown together on boat destined for the Alas...more The Snowflake is just like the cover suggests- a cute, hopeful, and quick read perfect for the holiday season.

The Snowflake tells the tale of Ellen Pierce and Buck Lewis, two people who haven't been truly happy in a long time. For Ellen, she has to deal with her patronizing, ill-mannered brother day in and day out because of a promise Ellen made her mother before she died. Buck is still dealing with the results of his wife's death a few months prior. Thrown together on boat destined for the Alaska gold rush, Buck and Ellen meet and sparks fly, that is until Ellen's brother gets in the way. Though, after a tragedy that leaves them deep in the Alaska wilderness occurs, Ellen, Buck, and everyone else on board is depending on each other to survive the trek to the next town. Will they make it alive? Better yet will Ellen and Buck get the happy endings they deserve? Only time and more pages will tell in this deeply romantic read!

While The Snowflake is considered to be a novella, it never once felt that Jamie skimped on character and plot development. She actually had just the right amount to the reader fully invested in Buck and Ellen's story from the get-go.

And talking about those two, they had to be one of my favorite parts of the story. Ellen was a girl who may have appeared weak on the surface was truly a brave person deep down. I mean, she was the only woman and one of the only people in the story who made it hiking across Alaskan outback alive. That takes guts. Buck was a strong guy with a leader type peresona, though he was still a sweet-heart deep down. And when you mixed the two of them together, they were an adorable couple. I also loved the add-on of Ellen's friend Kate as well because the sceanes of them together always added a touch of humor to this mostly serious story.

While the main plot of this was predictable, it still held my interest the whole time. I found the part of the story that took place in nature to be extremely good because I was always amazed to see how one person could manage to make it through those type of harsh conditions alive.

Furthermore, Jamie's writing was always up to par, making this one story that could easily be finished in a few hours.

In all, The Snowflake is a great read, one I would suggest to readers out there looking for a book to put them in the holiday mood.

Grade: B+(less)

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Feb 12, 2011 Katie rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Snowflake took me by surprise. From the cover of the book, it looked like a sweet book about giving and having the Christmas spirit. However, only a few pages into this book and you discovered that it is far from this. Its 1897 and Ellen has been all but forced by her brother to journey with him to Alaska during the goldrush. When their ship becomes frozen in the waters, Ellen and her brother set out with a handful of others to trek across the territory to reach Dowson City. Buck Lewis, a ma...more The Snowflake took me by surprise. From the cover of the book, it looked like a sweet book about giving and having the Christmas spirit. However, only a few pages into this book and you discovered that it is far from this. Its 1897 and Ellen has been all but forced by her brother to journey with him to Alaska during the goldrush. When their ship becomes frozen in the waters, Ellen and her brother set out with a handful of others to trek across the territory to reach Dowson City. Buck Lewis, a man who has guilt riding firmly on his shoulders, heads the expedition. With Ellen the only female among them, he decides to keep an eye out for her along the way. But Ellen perseveres and pushes on right along with the men to reach Dawson before hunger and the cold claim her.

This is a sweet story about a young woman’s trek across Alaska soil and of her survival once she reaches Dawson City. I was instantly drawn into the story with Jamie’s descriptive writing. My heart when out to Ellen, trapped in a life of caring for a brother who scared, harmed, and degraded her at every turn. And once she reached Dawson City, her troubles were far from over.

There is almost nothing that I need to point out. At one time along the trek to Alaska, Buck holds Ellen close against him near the fire after she almost died that day. When the men all huddled together to stay warm that night, she remained beside Buck and shared his blanket. Nothing inappropriate happened and when you are cold to the point of nearly being frozen, propriety and proper behavior is thrown at the window – its stay warm or die. Once she reached Dawson City she ends up staying in a brothel until she regains her strength. She was sick for days after reaching the settlement so didn’t notice. But as soon as she did, she left the brothel. She ends up being a dance-hall girl, but of respectable character – all she was paid to do was dance with the men who came into the parlor for drinks. Jamie did a great job of writing these touchy subjects and keeping the book clean.

The love story between Ellen and Buck was rather sweet, if a little hurried. Since the novella is so short, I can understand why it went so quickly. Buck’s promise to Ellen and the way he keeps it is so touching and sweet. Ellen knew she had found a diamond in the rough when he kept his promise to her, even though it had cost him a lot to do so. The characters in The Snowflake were developed very well and I enjoyed learning about the characters throughout the book. If you want to snuggle close to the fire for a few hours and read a sweet story full of depth and love, then this is just the book for you!(less)

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Oct 30, 2010 Clockstein Lockstein rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Snowflake by Jamie Carie is a short novella perfect for the Christmas season. Ellen Pierce has spent most of her life caring for her brother Jonah, trying to protect him from the world while keeping herself safe from him. His obsession with her has kept them moving often to keep her away from any man who may be attracted to her, but there's nowhere to run from Buck Lewis when they are all on a ship trapped in the ice on the way to Alaska. Buck leads a group through the icy winter snows to Da...more

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Mar 20, 2013 Allen L. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, drama, romance

A quick book, that was an easy read. A woman who is charged with her emotionally unstable brother travel to Alaska in order to find Gold. The brother dies, & she realises she has never lived for herself, but the Lord shows her the way and eventually everything turns out the way God wanted it. She struggled with her faith but finds a deeper relationship with God...GOOD BOOK.-RECOMMEND0

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Oct 07, 2012 Bonnie Mentel rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was a quick read. I love historical fiction and really enjoyed the characters. Even though it is almost summer where I am, I was freezing with the characters in Alaska as I read this! It was a cute romantic novella and I plan to read the rest of Jamie Carrie's books. Thoroughly entertaining and with a nice, Christian message.

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Nov 01, 2010 Jenn O'Brien rated it 2 of 5 stars

The basic idea behind the story was okay, but the execution was a little poor. It was a Christian novel trying to make it's way into a Yukon gold rush story. The combination didn't come off. I never could figure out how the title tied in with the story as a whole.

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Apr 10, 2013 Kathy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: inspirational-fiction, historical

I really liked this book. Ellen and her brother Jonah are headed to Alaska to stake a gold claim when the ship they are on, freezes up and they can't continue. Her brother, who suffers from some sort of mental illness, decides they will walk the several hundred miles with others from the ship, to Dawson, a gold mine town just over the border in Canada. The journey is not for the faint hearted and several die. Jonah refuses to let them turn back, but when he too dies, Ellen can only thing to cont...more

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Feb 20, 2011 Ginnie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Jamie Carie Succeeded in packing a lot into a little novella.

Ellen is traveling with her brother Jonah to the Klondike Gold rush.

Their ship gets stuck in ice and winter is coming on so they have two choice. Stay on the ship with few provisions all winter, or hike into Dawson City.

The climax had some suprises and was well written. The emotions and the Christian walk are also portraited well.

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Oct 19, 2010 Regina Spiker rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: gold-fiction-inspirational-alask

Quick romance and inspirational read - fiction mixed with historical facts. Ready for holds @ http://www.alleganycountylibrary.info

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Dec 24, 2011 Jill M. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Beautiful story! Great idea for the Christmas Season. A chaste love story of the rural Alaskan and Canadian west during the gold rush.

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Nov 21, 2010 Linda rated it 4 of 5 stars

I love ready corny Christmas love stories around the Holidays ;)

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Jan 11, 2013 Jill rated it 2 of 5 stars

A poorly written Christmas romance.

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Aug 14, 2012 Awjtf rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian-books

great book!

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Nov 07, 2011 Juju (Tales of Whimsy.com) rated it 5 of 5 stars

When I wasn't holding my breath I was smiling. I declare The Snowflake to be the perfect 5-star holiday read for any fan of Christian Fiction. I would tell you more, but I don't want to give anything away. One thing is for sure, I will be looking for more books by Jamie Carie.

Review Copyright © of Tales of Whimsy.com

To read my review in full please visit: http://www.talesofwhimsy.com/2011/12/...

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Dec 01, 2010 Stephanie C rated it 5 of 5 stars

great mind candy.. easy and fun to read

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Sep 04, 2010 Ronie rated it 3 of 5 stars

This novella by Jamie Carie was a very sweet, heart-tugging story. Carie accomplished in a few pages what many authors do not accomplish in an entire full-length book! I really liked Buck and appreciated the ending Carie fashioned.

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About Jamie Carie

Born and raised in Vincennes, Indiana, Jamie is a preacher’s daughter. Road trips with her dad—to and from Bible studies across Indiana—were filled with talks of things beyond earth’s bounds – creation and the fall, God and Jesus and the rapture, the earthly walk compared to the spiritual walk, and how we are born for more than what we can see or touch. The highlight of those nights was stopping a...more

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Books by Jamie Carie

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The Forgiven Duke (Forgotten Castles #2)

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