Sign in with Facebook
Jennifer Welsh's Reviews > Snow
Snow (St. John Strafford, #2)
by
by
3.5. The journey was so much fun, the destination cliche with a gooseberry on top, meaning a twist that felt too deliberate and didn’t make much of a difference in the end.
Banville is a good writer - I want to read him again. He’s funny, he immerses you in a time and place, and his characters are wonderfully eccentric.
The story is anti-Catholic-Church outside Dublin in 1957, while poking fun at Irish Protestants. It’s a murder mystery, that for the first half feels like an escape. Then comes a flashback to 1947, from the victim’s POV, and suddenly the violence feels horrifically real, yet the story feels cheapened. 4-stars until then
Thank you to Hanover Square Press and Barnes & Noble for the ARC.
Banville is a good writer - I want to read him again. He’s funny, he immerses you in a time and place, and his characters are wonderfully eccentric.
The story is anti-Catholic-Church outside Dublin in 1957, while poking fun at Irish Protestants. It’s a murder mystery, that for the first half feels like an escape. Then comes a flashback to 1947, from the victim’s POV, and suddenly the violence feels horrifically real, yet the story feels cheapened. 4-stars until then
Thank you to Hanover Square Press and Barnes & Noble for the ARC.
Sign into Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ to see if any of your friends have read
Snow.
Sign In »
Reading Progress
September 12, 2020
– Shelved as:
to-read
September 12, 2020
– Shelved
September 26, 2020
–
Started Reading
September 28, 2020
– Shelved as:
crime-fiction-thriller-mystery
September 28, 2020
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-20 of 20 (20 new)
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
Bianca
(new)
-
rated it 4 stars
Sep 28, 2020 06:08PM
Great review, Jennifer. I'm partial to Banville, I'm more into the atmosphere and the characters than the actual mystery solving aspects.
reply
|
flag
Thank you, Bianca. I’m excited to read more of him. Looking at The Blue Guitar, The Sea, and his first Benjamin Black. Any favorites?
I'm a big fan of Banville as well, but only 3 stars..I'll wait for his next one LOL. Great review Jennifer
Thank you, Barbara. It was so much fun for 2/3 of it, you might like it. And, I found it to be a quick read.
Fine review, Jennifer :)) I found the juxtopposition of Catholic vs Protestant truly interesting, and the way the Church's mills operated then ...
Thank you, Beata. Yes, I loved that, and a lot of good humor came from it as well - perfect for releasing that underlying tension.
I was curious about this book. Not sure now.
Fran, I definitely recommend reading him, but I bet he has better books. He completely absorbed me for around 2/3rds of this one, though.
The Blue Guitar was my first taste of his writing and it's my favourite. The Sea is great as well and his most well known on account of winning the Booker Prize.
Bianca wrote: "The Blue Guitar was my first taste of his writing and it's my favourite. The Sea is great as well and his most well known on account of winning the Booker Prize."Thanks, Bianca, this is very helpful. The Blue Guitar looks the most intriguing to me, I'm so glad that was your favorite. That will be my next of his.
Great review Jennifer, I was eyeing this one but may try one of his others first 📚
Thanks, Jennifer! I think it depends on what you want from your read. This is definitely worth reading. He also writes mysteries under Benjamin Black, which I haven’t read, yet. Let me know which of his you decide on... 😊
I agree. Atmospheric and fairly well-written, but you immediately know the story line since it's a murder involving a priest. Sigh.
Pamela wrote: "I agree. Atmospheric and fairly well-written, but you immediately know the story line since it's a murder involving a priest. Sigh."Ha, yes Pamela - exactly!
This captures exactly how I felt about the book. The shift in tone half way through made it feel like another book entirely. It was very well written though. I will read more of his books.
I agree, Heather! I got an ARC of April in Spain, but haven’t read it yet due to this experience. But I also got myself a copy of The Blue Guitar, since it was highly recommended by Bianca.
Spot on! The atmosphere was wonderful and the writing elegantly simple. Then, that Interlude� But I did think Strafford an interesting character. I wonder if there’s more of Marguerite in another in the series.
Good question, Nancy! I did love his characters, and the man can write. I’m not sure why he chose a theme that’s been overdone at this point for a mystery 😂. Have you read others of his?
Great review, Jen, I too could have done without the 'let's view the world through the eyes of a rapist' segment. Yuck.
Thanks, Justin. Did you find this worth reading? I’ll have to hop to your review�
