The Snow Child in Pick-a-Shelf

Mar 29, 2014 Nancy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: still-owned, fairy-tales, magical-realism

I was only going to give this book 3 stars for the first part, but it definitely got better towards the end. There is no doubt it was beautiful - the descriptions of Alaska were amazing, and you were never quite sure whether Faina was real, or whether she really was the snow child from the fairy tale. But I felt the book was too long and I also found myself getting really irritated with the character of Mabel, at least until the final section. However, it finished really well and overall I reall ...more

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Oct 21, 2012 Sunflower rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: e-books, fiction-read-2012

Skating between reality and fantasy, and based on a Russian fairy tale that I'm sure I remember reading as a child, this is a gentle but sad story. Cold, too- the Alaskan wilderness, the hardships of starting a homestead and farm there,animals in the wild, and snow, lots of snow, feature throughout. The relationships between the people who work the land there form the major part of the story, but the location is a story itself. As others have commented, I think the ending is a little abrupt. ...more

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Nov 05, 2014 Rachel N. rated it liked it · review of another edition

Mabel and Jack are a childless couple who have moved to Alaska to homestead and to have a fresh start after a miscarriage. During the first snow of the season they build a snow child. The next day the snow child is gone and they begin seeing a young girl in the woods.The descriptions of Alaska were beautiful. The story is pretty vague about whether or not Faina, the snow child, is magical or not. I found the ending to be rather odd and not very satisfying.

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Feb 20, 2024 Lorna rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction-literary, fiction-historical, pulitzer-prize, retold-fairytales, books-i-own, ebn-challenge-24

Historical fiction combined with magical realism. It was a beautiful story with overtones of sadness. I was affected emotionally as a mother and grandmother. The descriptions of Alaska were magical and awe-inspiring. EBN24 Category: A book you own but haven't read yet ...more

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Jul 10, 2013 Melinda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio

I read this in audio format:

I did enjoy this book. It is written very beautifully about a barren place. The author describes bland things like snow, quiet, boredom, water very, very well. I wish I hadn't seen the ending coming for miles...but if you enjoy good writing, it's a good book~~especially for commuting since each chapter is a short bite... something like 53 chapters in about 11 hours. No real violence, so it could be a good YA read as it has just enough fantasy to satisfy a teen. I did ...more

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Feb 05, 2012 Tara rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: busy-bee, 2012-favorites

I really loved being transported into the lives of Jack and Mabel and their Alaskan homestead. The story, a retold story based on the Russian fairy tale "The Snow Maiden", was wonderfully retold in the white wilderness of Alaska. New to the Wilderness, Jack and Mabel were lonely, barely surviving, and depressed. Although they always wanted a child, they were still haunted by a child that was still born and buried back in their old life in Pennsylvania.
Just when I wondered how they were going to ...more

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Jun 26, 2018 Cora rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, kindle, magical-realism, historical-fiction, fairy-tales, 20th-century, alaska, cover-blue, woman-author, american-author

This story is based on the fairy tale of the Snow Child. Set in the wilds of Alaska in the early twentieth century, a childless couple meet a young girl who seems to be living on her own. I really liked this book. The descriptions of living in the Alaskan wilderness were wonderful. It really came alive for me, as did the feeling of the main characters, Jack and Mable. The story itself was very well done. I liked the ambiguity of the possibility of magic even in the face of reasonable explanation ...more

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