Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel (PEN/Faulkner Award)

by David Guterson

Book Overview

Winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award

American Booksellers Association Book of the Year Award

San Piedro Island, north of Puget Sound, is a place so isolated that no one who lives there can afford to make enemies. But in 1954 a local fisherman is found suspiciously drowned, and a Japanese American named Kabuo Miyamoto is charged with his murder. In the course of the ensuing trial, it becomes clear that what is at stake is more than a man's...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 067976402X
• ISBN13: 9780679764021
• Release Date: September 1995
• Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
• Length: 480 Pages
• Weight: 0.91 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.0" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Flawless, Timeless and Moving

It combines racism, tradition, pride, glory, love, hate and justice. This novel sheds light on a small experience in such a colossal war. One can only comprehend the many tragedies of World War II through this in-shoes, personal level. Reading this novel will give you insight on your own cons: racism, hate, injustice and prejudice. It conveys the lack of appreciation one may have for their life... but the utmost gratitude that comes when love is introduced, as "first love never dies", if your first love is dead you may have nothing to appreciate. I do not want to spoil this read for anyone; Snow Falling on Cedars is a riveting work that deserves your attention.

Murder mystery, courtroom drama, war chronicle, romance...

David Guterson has given us an amazing book in Snow Falling on Cedars. It is hard to categorize this novel as it's part murder mystery, part courtroom drama, part war chronicle and part romance. The story begins in 1954 as a Japanese-American fisherman is on trial for murder. Kabuo Miyamoto is the chief suspect in the killing of fellow fisherman Carl Heine, because of a dispute over farm land. The entire book takes place on fictional San Piedro Island in Puget Sound. The inhabitants of this small island tend to be either gill-net fishermen or strawberry farmers. There are a number of Japanese on San Piedro, and there's an uneasy coexistence with the locals. In flashbacks, Guterson takes us to life on the island prior to World War II. Living on the island could be hard, but rewarding. But things changed rapidly with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Many Japanese men were sent to work camps. Soon after, the rest of them were relocated to internment camps. Many of the local boys (Japanese included) enlisted, and the author gives us glimpses of their war experiences. Those who returned home bore the scars of war, and these things set the stage for the murder trial. This novel is so moving on so many levels. I was moved by the love story between Hatsue and Ishmael, two innocent teens who were kept apart by the prejudice of their parents generation. Guterson's love scenes were few, but tender. I was mortified by the ugly chapter in our nations past when American's of Japanese decent were herded into internment camps. Their treatment was deplorable. I was saddened by the continued prejudice toward the Japanese--even well after the war. My heart was also warmed by the heroic deeds performed by unlikely heroes. I was also awed by the beautiful prose that often bordered on poetry. In describing how a wife tried to help her husband recover from the war, Guterson writes "She sat across from him at the kitchen table at three o'clock in the morning, while he stared in silence or talked or wept, and she took when she could a piece of his sorrow and stored it for him in her own heart." It doesn't get much better than this. This year isn't quite halfway over, but I already predict that Snow Falling on Cedars will be one of the best books I read this year.

Wow! You must read this book....from a 14-year-old student

Snow Falling on Cedars is one of those books that when you read it, you will probably never forget it. And when it comes back to you, you will remember the vivid scenes and the quiet, serene beauty that created by the author in this soulful novel. The story takes place in Puget Sound, Washington on a small island called San Piedro, a fishing and strawberry farm town. Much of the population of the area was of Japanese-Americans, many of who worked in the strawberry fields. The story is during the war, and so there was a lot racism and hatred toward the Japanese, and even the Japanese-Americans were targeted. They were barely considered U.S citizens, treated pretty badly as though they were their enemies as well. It is the story of a murder trial, a first love, and the lives of everyday people living in a small town, struggling through hard times, and cherishing the good ones, and the memories that go with them. One of the things I liked most about this book was that it was written in a way where you saw the perspective of different parts of the story through different people. I liked that aspect. While I was reading this book I was brought into the world of the characters and the surroundings. I was there sitting in the courtroom, I was there smelling the cedar trees the sea breeze, I was there in the strawberry fields smelling the warm strawberries and feeling the heat upon my back. You are feeling a pain for Ishmael when he is in pain. I definitely recommend this book. I hope that you will agree with me that the wonderfully detailed and heart stopping moments make this a unforgettable book. p.s-the movie is also pretty good!

Snow Falling on Cedars was the most amazing novel I've read.

I've read so many books throughout my studies, however none has captured my attention and heart as this one. From the moment I picked it up, I did not want to put it down. David Guterson definitely has a way with words. The story makes you feel compassion for the Japanese and the suffering they went through. There's definitely a twist in the end that's superb. This was one of the greatest books of all time.

Great Eye Opener

I read this book with a heavy heart. I was asked to read it by a friend. I lost my dad in Vietnam and I've had a prejudice against Asian-Americans. But, this book went a long way in showing me how wrong I am to be so quick to judge someone. The descriptions of the interment camp, and the thoughts & feelings of the characters on being judged just because of their heritage was amazing. I didn't realize that I fit into the 'judger' catagory until I finished the book. I came to like the Japanese-Americans characters a great deal. I've opened my eyes to the world around me, and I'm trying to be more open-minded in my life. Thank you, Mr. Guterson.