The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey is a tale set in 1920s Alaska, following a childless couple, Mabel and Jack, who find a new chance at family when a mysterious young girl, Faina, appears in the snowy wilderness. The novel beautifully blends magical realism with themes of love, loss, and hope, drawing inspiration from Russian folklore to create a captivating and emotional narrative. Ivey's writing style is described as poetic and dreamlike, evoking the harsh yet enchanting Alaskan landscape while delving into the characters' inner struggles and desires.

Characters:

The characters are deeply developed, with Mabel representing vulnerability and longing, Jack embodying perseverance and love, and Faina adding an air of mystery and enchantment to their lives.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is characterized by expressive and lyrical prose, richly descriptive of the Alaskan wilderness, seamlessly blending realism with magical elements.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot revolves around a childless couple who build a snow child, leading to the mysterious and magical appearance of a girl named Faina in their lives, intertwining elements of love, loss, and hope.

Setting:

The setting is primarily in the Alaskan wilderness during the 1920s, depicted with vivid imagery that enhances the themes of isolation and struggle.

Pacing:

The pacing of the story varies, with a slow build-up in the beginning that gradually unfolds into deeper emotional narratives and relationships.

Mabel was too long at the window. The raven had since flown away above the treetops. The sun had slipped behind a mountain, and the light had fallen flat. The branches were bare, the grass yellowed gr...

Notes:

The Snow Child is set in 1920s Alaska, showcasing the harsh realities of homesteading.

The story revolves around a childless couple, Jack and Mabel, who move to Alaska to escape their grief over losing a child.

The narrative blends elements of magical realism with a fairy tale, drawing inspiration from the Russian folk tale Snegurochka (The Snow Maiden).

Faina, the snow child, appears to be both a magical entity and a real girl, creating ambiguity about her existence throughout the novel.

The novel explores themes of love, loss, and the struggle for connection amidst isolation.

Eowyn Ivey's writing is richly descriptive, evoking the beauty and brutality of Alaskan winters.

The characters of Jack and Mabel develop deeply over the course of the novel, reflecting the impact of their environment and experiences on their relationship.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings for The Snow Child include themes of grief, childlessness, and a brief mention of animal violence which may disturb sensitive readers.

Has Romance?

While romance is not the central focus, the deepening love between Mabel and Jack is portrayed as they navigate their grief and yearning for a family, punctuated by moments of tenderness and intimacy.

From The Publisher:

In this magical debut, a couple's lives are changed forever by the arrival of a little girl, wild and secretive, on their snowy doorstep.

Alaska, 1920: a brutal place to homestead, and especially tough for recent arrivals Jack and Mabel. Childless, they are drifting apart - he breaking under the weight of the work of the farm; she crumbling from loneliness and despair. In a moment of levity during the season's first snowfall, they build a child out of snow. The next morning the snow child is gone - but they glimpse a young, blonde-haired girl running through the trees.

This little girl, who calls herself Faina, seems to be a child of the woods. She hunts with a red fox at her side, skims lightly across the snow, and somehow survives alone in the Alaskan wilderness. As Jack and Mabel struggle to understand this child who could have stepped from the pages of a fairy tale, they come to love her as their own daughter. But in this beautiful, violent place things are rarely as they appear, and what they eventually learn about Faina will transform all of them.

Ratings (57)

Incredible (12)
Loved It (22)
Liked It (13)
It Was OK (8)
Did Not Like (2)

Reader Stats (148):

Read It (57)
Want To Read (75)
Did Not Finish (3)
Not Interested (13)

2 comment(s)

Pallavi

Loved It

5 months

****4.0****

Jack and Mabel are childless couple. They have come to Alaskan wilderness to escape the bustle of the town and do farming in peace. Once when the snow falls, they decide to make a snowman. A little snow girl. Next day, the snow girl is gone but they catch glimpses of a girl who seems to be running around the forest all alone.Then follows a strange mesmerizing tale of Faina, the snow girl and a new turn in Jack & Mabel's dull life.

A strange tale which hovers between magic and reality. I heard the Audio book version of it and loved the narration of cold Alaskan beauty. A wonderful magical tale.

Happy reading!!!

ncltup375

Liked It

8 months

A well written book, just not my taste

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The Snow Child

Eowyn Ivey