Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #114492 in Books
• Published on: 2005-03-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

AMAZON.CO.UK
Best-selling author Anita Shreve has chosen as her latest protagonist a 12-year-old girl, whose life has not just been touched by tragedy, but blown apart by it. Nicky and her father have moved to a remote house on the outskirts of a remote village somewhere in New Hampshire, following a road accident which has wiped out the rest of their family. Nicky¹s father would like to live like a hermit, but recognises, even through his intense grief, that 12-year-olds need many things the world has to offer.

And then, one afternoon, just as the light is beginning to fade, a brief walk in the snow-swept woods surrounding their home ­ and a chance encounter ­ brings father and daughter unexpectedly together. United in their shock at finding a newborn baby wrapped in a bloody sleeping bag, they move heaven and earth to save her life. They manage to get the infant to hospital, yet despite an outpouring of emotion, the pair soon start to fall back into their old ways; tiptoeing carefully around each other, fearing to speak the name of their grief, pretending at normality. Until, that is, a pretty young woman comes knocking on their door and all three are forced to question their motives and look into each other¹s hearts.

Light on Snow is a beautifully sad reflection on life and loss, grief and hope and recognising the time in our lives to forgive others ­ and ourselves ­ and move forward. Anita Shreve has proved once again that she is a gifted exponent of the human psyche and the dual frailty and immense strength of the human spirit.

--Carey Green

Review
'Shreve's style is fluent and unpretentious, with an irresistible rhythmic and narrative impetus that keeps you up, reading ever faster, all night...Perceptive, gripping and ultimately exhilarating, this is a very fine book indeed' Sue Gaisford, INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY *'This is Shreve at her poised best, and her controlled, crisply understated prose makes her emotive subject all the more affecting' DAILY MAIL * 'In a world teeming with novels which do not live up to their hype, it is a treat to read one whose emotional depth belies its simple- seeming exterior. LIGHT ON SNOW is a gem of a book by the daintiest of storytellers' Max Davidson, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *'Full of emotional depth, it's not a comfortable read but one that will stay with you a long time' Star Choice, DAILY MIRROR *'Emotionally rich...it's the literary equivalent of a snuggly blanket on a snowy night' MARIE CLAIRE *'Shreve delivers a skilled and very readable book' SUNDAY TRIBUNE (IRELAND).

MARIE CLAIRE
'Emotionally rich . . . it’s the literary equivalent of a snuggly blanket on a snowy night'

Customer Reviews

Sensitive & Well Written
A very touching story of a father and daughter finding a newborn baby left to freeze in the snow and the baby's mother later turning up on their doorstep. Relationship problems all round make a touching and enjoyable story. This was not Anita Shreve's usual style of writing (usually writes over a three period time span or jumps forwards and back in time) as this was written as one short stretch of time. She has an unusual way of writing, not always excellent stories but there is always great intrigue there to make you carry on and want to read another of hers. Her very best are The Pilot's Wife and Fortune's Rock, both excellent books.

Classic Anita Shreve
Another classic anita shreve novel. It starts slowly & draws you into the characters and their emotions and feelings. Nothing much happens but you grow to appreciate the characters and understand their outlook on life as you try and guess the exact circumstances of the baby being abandoned. A good book that manages to keep your interest despite an overriding stillness.

Shreve fans will not be disappointed
I actually went to the book-signing event to meet Anita and hear her talking about this book. She said that this book had more "depth" to it than her previous novels but I'm such a huge fan that I just felt that it was true to her usual style because all her novels have depth. So much more is unsaid than is said - her descriptions are brilliant but not over the top and her endings are always surprising. It's true to say that I'm a huge fan so when recommending this book I feel that I only have to say "read it" and I'm sure anyone would be hooked but that's not much help in reality!! What I can say is that she is an excellent writer. She never includes graphic details but there's always some sort of romance in her novels. She usually writes in the first person and mostly from a woman's point of view. She covers a huge range of emotions and her novels often leave you thinking about them after you've finished the last page. This latest novel is told from a twelve year-old's perspective. She lives with her father and they find a baby that was abandoned by its mother and the story takes off from there. It's not an "action" novel; it's more about exploring feelings and reactions to circumstances. I don't want to give too much away about the story line as it would spoil it but it's very moving and very typical of Anita Shreve.