Light on Snow

by Anita Shreve

Paperback, 2005

Status

Available

Call number

813.54

Genres

General Fiction

All Topics

Fiction

Collection

Your library

Publication

Back Bay Books (2005), 336 pages

Description

When a father and his daughter find an abandoned infant in the snow, the event forever alters the 11-year-old's understanding of the world.

User reviews

LibraryThing member JuneCat

I was in a discount store over the holidays, A Dollar General, I think. I was perusing the aisles and came to a section with some books. I've never paid much attention to books in these stores because I'm usually disappointed. They often carry some odd, esoteric non-fiction stuff I have no interest

in. This time I noticed novels, so I perked up.

I saw some romance novels, a few paranormals-you know, the more interesting reads! And then I saw Light on Snow by Anita Shreve. I read the blurb on the back and it sounded interesting, so I took a chance and bought it. Boy am I glad I did.

I devoured this little gem. Though it is actually not so little at 305 pages. I don't believe this book was classified officially as a Young Adult book, but it certainly reads that way. The protaganist, Nicky is thirty when she recounts the story, but the novel's action all takes place when she is 12 years old and is told from that perspective. This story explores love, loss and the effects of death and grief on the young and not so young.

The summary on the back of the book says it all, so with that being said:

What makes a family? That's what twelve-year-old Nicky Dillion wonders after she and her widowed father discover a wailing abandoned baby in the snow-filled woods near their New Hampshire home. Through the days that follow, the Dillions and the unexpected visitor who soon turns up at their door-a young woman evidently haunted by her own terrible choices-face a thicket of decisions, each seeming to carry equal possibilities of heartbreak or redemption.

This story was filled with suspense and a real page turner. I hated to put it down. It keeps you guessing right to the last moment, answering your questions one by one until the end. Excellent!

As a little aside for the aspiring novelist: This book is a great example of writing craft. It exemplifies the power of starting your story with the inciting incident and the effective skill of weaving in backstory/flashbacks. When I was trying to decide whether to buy the book, I saw that the author started with the focus of the story-the abandoned baby-pretty quickly, so I knew I didn't have to wade through dry, boring material to get to something interesting. That clenched it and I bought the book. She also gave a sense of who Nicky and her father were right away, so you connected with them early on.

This book is a great read and a good example of how to write a novel. I highly recommend it on both counts.

Show Less

24 more

LibraryThing member lit_chick

"In my mind I see a small stone dislodged in a wall, one stone shoved forward until it falls. The other stones shift and settle and try to fill in the space, but still there is a hole through which water, in the form of memory, begins to seep." (51)

Reeling from unspeakable tragedy, Robert Dillon

recedes from life. Leaving behind family home and a successful career in architecture in New York, he uproots his twelve-year-old daughter, Nicky, and relocates to remote New Hampshire. On a December afternoon, the two discover an abandoned newborn wrapped in a bloody towel in the snow. Nicky, about to come of age, is jarred into the adult world; and, not surprisingly, she struggles with her understanding of that world and the adults who inhabit it. Simultaneously, a young woman must live the consequences of the terrible choices she has made. And a canny Detective demonstrates his sense of justice.

Light on Snow, effectively written from the point of view of thirty-year-old Nicky, is a story of tragedy and redemption, and of love and courage. I’ve now read several Shreve novels; I pick them up for easy reading and escape. This one did not disappoint.

"I thought about how one tiny decision can change a life. A decision that takes only a split second to make." (151)

Show Less

LibraryThing member Appliquetion

12 yr old Nicky was taking a walk in the forest with her father when they heard the cry that would change their lives. The cry of a baby abandoned in the snow. Follow the events which cause the shadows and questions that laid still and quiet since the death of Nicky's mom and little sister surface,

as does the mother of the abandoned child. Discover the choices which lead each person to be where they are and the little details which enable them to grow to be who they destined to become.

I found this book to be completely engrossing and could not put it down until the last page was turned. I could feel the emotions emanating from the characters. I was impressed with the vividness in which Anita Shreve was able to bring them to life. I found myself on a wild emotional roller coaster ride as I turned the pages. A must read.

Show Less

LibraryThing member aaaviku

Anita Shreve is one of those authors that makes me shiver. Partly with anticipation (a new title of hers is always exciting), and partly from fear. She touches on sensitive topics, and more than once I have put one of her books down for months, because I thought I wasn't strong enough to handle

that particular topic at that time. But this power she has, is a real strength. I mean, how can she affect me more closely, more realistically, and more thoroughly than watching the news? Her characters are always real and compelling, and there are always more sides to the story than you thought at first. She leaves you thinking about what else might be going on behind the scenes.
Light on Snow is lighter than some other offerings, but as a result, there was nothing stopping me from diving in fully, and reading this book until it was done. And then re-reading some of the bits to make sure I ate up the whole thing. I loved all of the characters, (that's rare; usually there's someone that you can't stand in a book; but this one was full of friends). This would be a good book in which to become familiar with Anita Shreve. Very enjoyable, if a little lighter than others (if finding a baby; abandoned to die, in the snow, can be called "lighter" than other topics).

Show Less

LibraryThing member Carolfoasia

I liked this book written in the first person from the perspective of a pre-teen who, with her father, finds a baby in the snow. Sweetly written.

LibraryThing member CrestBaptistChurch

This book was really good. It's a very nice story about a little girl and an exciting few days she has. It's an easy read. Enjoy! Sally

LibraryThing member heidialice

Twelve-year-old Nicky and her father discover an abandoned baby in the woods outside their New Hampshire home. This novel deals with their loss of half their family to an accident, and also with the journey of the infant's mother who enters into their lives.

Shreve is a competent writer, but her

characters never quite come to life, and their interactions seem forced. Light on Snow has an interesting premise, and she's plotted it decently, but she just doesn't exhibit the skill (or editing?) to make this the classic it has the potential to be.

Show Less

LibraryThing member hockeycrew

A beautiful story set in Central New Hampshire. After the death of her mother and baby sister, the narrator moves from New York to a small New Hampshire town. After having saved a baby abandonned in the woods to die, the story follows the aftermath and the visit of a mysterious young woman.

LibraryThing member rayski

Father and daughter find an abandon new born in the snow in the woods. They find a lot more about themselves too. Book could have been good but written at the 3rd grade level.

LibraryThing member jewelryladypam

This was a quick read but definitely not the most thought-provoking or heartfelt I've ever read.

It is about one family's struggle to overcome a tragic past and their need to move forward into a healed future. Their need - whether they know it or not - for redemption.

Some points to consider while

reading this book are:
What IS a family? What makes up a family? What about the "precise intersections" that occur in our lives - are they truly 'random'?

I would've given this book a higher rating had it not been for the ending. I felt that the ending was weak and found that the book didn't 'sit well' with me because of it. There were several plausible endings from what I could figure, none of which the author chose.

A fairly good read that proved to be disappointing in the end.

Show Less

LibraryThing member nagtzaam

not one of my favorite books by Shreve but still a page turner.

LibraryThing member madams

A good quick read which makes you think about what comprises a family.

LibraryThing member wmandersslis

Anita Shreve weaves a tale of suspense through the eyes of an 11 year old girl who finds an abandoned baby in the snow. Her father, recovering from a haunted past, takes in a young woman who develops a friendship with the girl. However, the secrets that are revealed threaten to blow this father and

daughter forever apart.

Show Less

LibraryThing member tloeffler

One of the few books I've read more than once. I really liked this book. I thought the characters were developed well, and though I wanted a different ending, I thought her ending was appropriate for the situation.

LibraryThing member sharlene_w

Twelve-year-old Nicky Dillon and her father, out for an afternoon hike in the snow, happened upon a crying newborn wrapped in a sleeping bag and left to die alone in the cold. Their rescue of this helpless infant is the catalyst for helping Nicky (and her father) come to terms with the sudden and

tragic loss of her mother and baby sister two years earlier near Christmastime.

Nicky and her father have grieved separately, but the quest to answer questions about this baby and the parents who abandoned it bring them closer together. Engaging and entertaining characters with a believable storyline. Recommended.

Show Less

LibraryThing member Kathy89

Lonely 12 yr old girl, missing her mother, finds abandoned baby while walking in the woods. Page turner. Interestingly told from the point of view of a 12 yr old lonely girl

LibraryThing member bobbieharv

A nice fast-moving interesting story. Not as deep or well-plotted as some of her books, but better than Sea Glass. From the point of view of a 12 year old girl whose mother and little sister were killed.

LibraryThing member RPerritt

I really loved this book. Nicky sure has lots of responsibilities to be a twelve year old girl. She is also a big support for her sad, depressed father. I wish that the Dillon's could have kept the baby girl, but that did not happen. I felt sorry for Charlotte. I wish she would have been able to

live with the Dillon's and everyone would live happily ever after. I think that it still ended pretty good anyway.

Show Less

LibraryThing member bnbookgirl

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were all someone I would like to get to know. It was interesting to watch the family dynamics after the arrival of the baby and then Charlotte. The father is so dependent on Nicky in the beginning, but then breaks out of his comfort zone to save the

abandoned child. It reassured my belief in "right place, right time".

Show Less

LibraryThing member bookmindful

Just awful. Maybe I will get rid of that one star.

LibraryThing member lovelything

I choose this book as I believed it would have an interesting suspensful story line. Although at first it was intruiging to read on, my expectations were never fulfilled.

LibraryThing member MarysGirl

I really enjoyed this book. Simply written but deeply felt, it's a story about a wounded family being dragged from their isolation by another tragedy.

LibraryThing member bakersfieldbarbara

A baby is found in a snow-filed woods in New Hampshire by a man and his 12 year old daughter. A young woman shows up at their home later, and then each of them face decisions that will change their futures forever. Shreve's writing is spare, neat and crisp, yet the principal characters are fully

formed, and their lives worth caring about. This is a book that is engrossing and will keep you thinking long after you have laid it down. A must read than will linger in your mind for days.

Show Less

LibraryThing member GJbean

An after-school stroll leads to a life-altering event for widower Robert Dillon and his 12-year-old daughter, Nicky, in this delicate new novel by acclaimed author Shreve (All He Ever Wanted,etc.). In the woods surrounding their secluded home in Shepherd, N.H., Robert and Nicky make a startling

discovery—a baby abandoned and left to die in the snow. The infant survives, but the incident leaves its mark. Still recovering from the painful loss of her mother and infant sister two years earlier, and readjusting to the shock of a sudden move from suburban Westchester to rural Shepherd, Nicky struggles to reconcile her innocent notions of adult integrity with the bleak reality of their discovery. The tenuous sense of normalcy Robert manages to sustain is broken with the appearance of Charlotte, the baby's young mother, on his doorstep. Retold 18 years later by an adult Nicky but written in the present tense, the story shifts brilliantly between childlike visions of a simple world and the growing realization of its cruel ambiguities. Aside from a few saccharine moments and a rather pat ending, Shreve does a skilled job of portraying grief, conflict and anger while leaving room for hope, redemption and renewal. Her characters are sympathetic without being pitiable, and her prose remains deceptively simple and eloquent throughout.

Show Less

LibraryThing member nocto

I've found some of Anita Shreve's books to be dense and involved reads but this one was exceptionally light. The story concerns the emotional fall out after a newborn baby is found wrapped in a sleeping bag in the snow. The narrator is Nicky, the 12 year old who found the baby along with her dad

while walking in the woods. It's mentioned that she's looking back on the events from the age of 30, but this doesn't really make much sense as apart from talking about things that would have embarrassed a 12 year old there's nothing added by this device and we don't find out anything that happened to the cast of characters after the week of the story.
Not my favourite of Shreve's books.

Show Less

Fewer