The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey is the story of a middle-aged couple named Jack and Mabel, who move to a remote part of Alaska in the 1920s to escape the heartbreak of their past and to attempt to build a new life for themselves. Both my Mum and my sister read this book over the Christmas holidays and absolutely loved it, so when I was passed their copy to read, I was already anticipating a really good read. The problem with anticipation, of course, is that there is also that small fear that something that you expect to love will turn out to be disappointing. Fortunately, that is not the case with 'The Snow Child' - this is a story that pulled me in right from the very ...  Read the complete review

When childless couple Jack and Mabel decide to move to a homestead in the brutal landscape of 1920's Alaska, their aim is to put their heartache behind them, start a new life and save their marriage. But life is tougher than either of them imagines and as they run into financial difficulties and extreme isolation it looks like they have no option but to move back to civilisation and accept the experience as another unfulfilled dream. Then one cold night during a heavy snowfall, Mabel and Jack enjoy a moment of playfulness and joy and together they craft a child out of the snow, Mabel even going so far as to dress it in a warm hat and mittens. The next morning ...  Read the complete review

I'm not normally a huge fan of fantasy style novels, preferring my books to be slightly more rooted in day to day reality. My Mum, however, passed on her copy of the Snow Child after being totally engrossed in the story for a few weeks and urged me to read it. Snow Child is, quite simply, a modern day fairy tale for adults. Everything, from the haunting front cover to the story hidden within, is beautiful and a delight to uncover. The author Eowyn Ivey, at the end of this, her debut novel, openly acknowledges that the story borrows heavily from a traditional Russian fairy tale and this is frequently referred to during the story. This magical and ...  Read the complete review

One book that I've been enjoying recently recently is The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. It was given to me as a birthday present in May because people who know me, know that I really love reading and the person who bought it me had a gut feeling that I would love this book. The events in the novel are set in 1920 in Alaska, now. I've never been to Alaska before, but I've heard about the place. So reading the novel gave me a very vivid description of what Alaska looked like. The story is also based on a fairy tale under the same name, I hadn't read the Russian fairy tale until after I read the book and having read the original fairy tale I believe that it is a ...  Read the complete review