The Eloquence of the Snow Queen

The Snow Queen by Michael Cunningham is his latest novel.  Thank you to St. Martins for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.  Mr. Cunningham is a new author for me.  Let’s see what I thought about this latest effort?

Synopsis: 

Barrett one night sees a light as he walks through Central Park.  He is getting over the latest breakup.   Meanwhile back at the apartment his brother Tyler and his fiancée Beth.  She is fighting cancer and trying to go on living her life.  Tyler wants to write her the best song ever.   He also has an addiction to coke.   Will his struggle with drugs help or hinder his efforts?  Will Barrett also find the love he is looking for?  

My Thoughts: 

This novel is very descriptive and brings the characters alive within the story.    The author is great at setting the scene in such a way that keeps the reader’s interest.  This led to great narration by Claire Danes in her reading and interpretation of this novel.  The story also involved great emotion from the struggles of each character.  The author did a great job of developing his characters and sharing their journey.

The novel is set in New York City area and the story begins back in 2004 and goes through 2008.   The vision is seen in the snow in Grand Central Park.  The snow queen is not really mentioned within the story, but is more figurative. 

I was not a fan of some of the subject matter discussed in the story.  The story is very descriptive and creates a vivid picture in your head of the characters and the setting.   Readers who enjoy Jodi Picoult or other authors like her will truly enjoy this story.

Rating:

3.75/5

Please visit Michael Cunningham on Facebook or his Website.