Snow Island

Snow Island #1

by Katherine Towler

Tells the story of sixteen-year-old Alice Daggett, haunted by the death of her father and the responsibility of running the family store, and the other inhabitants of a remote island in Narragansett Bay off the New England coast during World War II. Reader's Guide available. Reprint.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Contemporary, Literary Fiction

285 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Katherine Towler is author of The Penny Poet of Portsmouth: A Memoir of Place, Solitude, and Friendship and the novels Snow Island, Evening Ferry,and Island Light. This literary trilogy is set on a fictional New England island and takes place between the early 1940s and early 1990s, chronicling the lives of two generations in two island families and the impact of war on the island community. Katherine is also co-editor with Ilya Kaminsky of A God in the House: Poets Talk About Faith, a collection of conversations with poets. All three of her novels were Indiebound selected titles. Snow Island was also chosen as a Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers title. Katherine grew up in New York City and attended the University of Michigan, Johns Hopkins, and the Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College. She teaches in the MFA Program in Writing at Southern New Hampshire University. She is happy to hear from book groups and to arrange Skype visits.

Reviews

[Tree · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the most part an enjoyable read. Being from New England, I thought the author did well evoking a sense of place. I also liked the main character, Alice, although her taciturn nature was at times frustrating.
I could certainly relate to the sense of loss that permeates the story. But the ending. Oof.
Painful, and I don’t mean that in a good way. It was rushed and jumbled with yet another tragedy thrown in that quite honestly angered me. I just don’t understand why, after the author maintained a lovely pace throughout the book, she had to end it that way.

[Marika Gillis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alice Daggett lives on Snow Island with her mother and younger brother. Since her father's death five years ago, 16-year-old Alice has helped her mother run the island's small store.

George Tibbits grew up on Snow Island in the well-known "twin houses" with his two aunts. Years earlier, he left to serve in the army and returned to the island in 1919 to find both the women who cared for him dead in their respective homes. Now, he returns to the island every summer in an effort to reconcile their deaths.

Snow Island is a quiet novel that unfolds during three summers on the fictional island in the early 1940s. As the United States is pulled into World War II, the islanders are affected by the conflict in ways they never could have expected, and George and Alice learn hard lessons about love and life during a tumultuous time in history.

This simple novel was beautifully written. The romantic island setting provides the perfect backdrop for the despondent characters as they sort through their relationships with one another and watch as the war changes life on the island. An irresistible melancholy permeates this novel and it's characters have stayed with me even after finishing the book. Snow Island is the first of a trilogy about the island (although Towler is still writing the third book) and after finishing it, I will definitely seek out the next book, Evening Ferry, to find out what happens to Alice and George and their island life.

[Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

The hand written inscription in the front of this book to a friend "Carolyn" states that she hopes her friend "falls under the spell of the island" the way she did. Well, as I bought this piece garbage from the dollar clearance section, I suppose Carolyn felt the same way I did. Not worth the read.

[Margi · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read about life on a small island during WWII. The characters are all really well written and I definitely got a sense of life on Snow Island. It was interesting to see how drastically life changed after Pearl Harbor. There is a true sense of place in this novel. Even while people are away, the island is always in the back of their minds.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quiet, slow paced novel. Very fitting for the quaint New England island it chronicles . Without spoiling anything, I will say that if a happy ending is what you're wanting, this really isn't your book.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is set on a small island off the Rhode Island coast. While World War II hovers in the background, it is not the main story line. Alice, a 16-year-old, who runs the local store since her father died few years earlier, and George Tibbets, a man in his 40s who returns to Snow Island each year in remembrance of the two women who raised him on the island are the focus of this novel. George is trying to make peace with his troubled past, while Alice befriends the 26-year-old who tends the island lighthouse and both characters learn what it means to love.

As America get drawn into World War II, Alice and George find that fate intervenes with events occurring far from their small Rhode Island community and shapes them in ways they never would have imagined.

[Wendy Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outwardly about small town life on an isolated island, this book explores the wide-raging tragedies of war. Not only are soldiers themselves maimed and killed in war, but their loved ones are forever scarred by loss and heartache. This novel hits home more painfully as we watch the horrors unfolding in Ukraine, seeing families reduced to living in basements or torn apart as they attempt to make their way to safety, leaving their young men behind to fight. Towler gives us a broad perspective from the viewpoint of an old solider to that of a young islander, and her words will stay with you a long time after you turn the last page.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the sort of book I read and loved when I was quite young. The characterizations were good enough that I cared about most of the people, but it was entirely predictable and immature as a piece of literature. Not that there isn't a place for this, but I have no interest in reading the rest of the series.

[Erikka Durdle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t really express how much I loved this book. It was so wonderful. I lived in the pages. It broke my heart. It filled me with a nostalgia for life before my time. I slowed down my usually reading pace to savor every word, every scene. I haven’t cried at the end of a book in so long.
I’m so incredibly grateful for this book.

[Les · Rating 2 out of 5]

Original Review (2002):

Disappointing. One-dimensional characters. Simplistic plot. Predictable. Reads like a YA romance novel. Probably won't read more by this author.

Current Thoughts:

I don't remember reading this book. Even the cover art is unfamiliar to me. I wonder what prompted me to read it. Was it an ARC? Recommended by a friend? Who knows!

[Nanci Andersen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quiet novel about a quaint town on Snow Island and how the war affects the characters. Slow moving but nice pace so the reader can get to know the characters. Mostly about Alice and the hard lessons she learns about love, friendship and family responsibility.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an engaging story with an interesting setting. I just wish the opening character, George Tibbets, had been more developed. Also the ending wasn't satisfying. Yet, I still enjoyed reading it.

[Marianne Evans · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm the type of girl (0ld lady) who likes to leave the Broadway show at intermission and go for a walk outside. So, I didn't let the ending bother me. This book reads like a sweet movie, needing an underscore of sentimental music to push it along.

[Melody Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars- Overall loved the pace of the story and the ebb and flow. Ending was a bit abrupt and loose ends left dangling.

[Jennifer Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel was written by my high school creative writing teacher. Our class helped edit it. Years later I found it in a little bookstore and was thrilled to read it. Great story!

[Tammy · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the most depressing books I've ever read. Only finished it because I kept expecting it to get better. It never did.

[Christine O'Brien-Dyckman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being from new England it caught my interest to read, it was ok not my favorite read but still interesting

[MaryGina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this triology

[Suzka · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel bad for giving this book only two stars. It might merit a third, but in the world of everything I've ever read, I don't think I can legitimately go higher. It's not something that I would have picked up on my own, and in the first few pages, I was having trouble maintaining interest in the dreary picture painted. As I continued, however, I felt myself drawn to the characters and life on the island. So by the end, when ferry brought Alice back to the island AND THAT WAS IT I felt really let down.

To be fair, that ending was probably truer to life, though. It wasn't that I was looking for a Cinderella turnout. I just didn't find myself feeling anything but despondent and sad. It probably doesn't help that we've had the grayest and rainiest summer in something like the last four hundred years, but even on a sunny day, the emptiness of the island and the ravages of war and the irony of losing Pete after taking him for granted all that time would just not be particularly appealing. (And poor Pete. His death was in the cards from the gates, wasn't it? It kinda had to happen, but of all the people, I felt he deserved a happy life the most.) I get the whole unsung-beauty-of-the-tapestry-of-small-community bit, and I appreciate the image at the end of how those who have come before continue to be present in some way, but it wasn't enough to really love this book.

By the way, the moment I felt the worst for Alice was when the nurse wouldn't let her hold the baby before taking him away.

Sorry, Katherine Towler. If I ever write a novel, I will understand if it disappoints you. I really wanted to like this more. Maybe with a little time, I will realize that I enjoyed this more than I think I do now.

[Chris Spiegel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Snow Island Trilogy by Katherine Towler follows the lives of a tightly knit community off the coast of Rhode Island. With the backdrop of war; World War II, the Vietnam War, and the Gulf War, we follow the community members, whom we come to deeply understand, as they deal with the ramifications of those wars. War isn't the star of these books however, the characters are, and Towler is a master of character development. Second to the memorable characters, is the rich formation of the island itself. Towler has created a geographic place that becomes a multi-sensory reality for the reader. While reading these three books, and even long after you have finished, you will feel as if you could step off the ferry and be met by friends. You will walk together with them toward Alice's store to pick up provisions for your stay, as you hear the ferry blow its horn signaling its return to a far-off mainland. You will be happy to visit Snow Island and I can promise you that you won't want to leave too soon.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was assigned this book to read for a book discussion group and wasn't sure about it, but I fell in love with 16 year old Alice as I followed her life on Snow Island. Beautifully written with descriptions that make you feel like you are there. You can picture the landscape of the island and you also can feel the isolation and quiet of life on the island. Then there is the life of George Tibbits, who returns to the island every summer at exactly the same time and int he same way year after year....reliving his return home after the great war. This is a story of love and loss, of becoming stagnant or moving on.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up for a buck on the used book rack of the Moultonborough, NH library on vacation. Sometimes you just get lucky! I ordered the second book of the trilogy when I was only halfway though this, and if all goes well it will greet me when I come home next week. This novel is set before and during WW II, on a tiny island in New England (presumably off the coast of Rhode Island, although the author never specifies). The author's style is clear and direct, and I got a vivid picture of both life on the island and the characters as the story progressed. Book #3 comes out next year.

[Lauren Glowacky · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was OK. The characterizations were good. The book was about people who lived on a small New England Island before and during WWII. All the people in my bookclub, myself included, assumed it was an Island in Maine. It took us til we were 3/4 of the way through, to realize that it was off the coast of Rhode Island! The characters were boring, quiet people, who had their quirks. The main character, Alice, kept having bad things happen to her. I got to the end of the book and I was like: Are you kidding me? THIS is how it's going to end? Totally did not like the ending.

[Barb Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book , although I though the story dragged a bit at times. It is the first of a trilogy......(I read the second book first and thought it was better and gave it a better rating too. ....."Evening Ferry"). The 3rd in the series is still being written and published. I like books about islands and island people....they are rather romantic. I will be waiting for book #3. Hopefully this author will get better and better.

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Katherine Towler's debut novel is a beautifully written coming of age story. Set in a small island off the coast of New England, it takes place before and during World War II. Brimming with wonderfully drawn characters and sense of place, Snow Island was a wonderful read. I was sorry to see it end. This is the first book of a trilogy. Ms. Towler is a very talented writer and I am looking forward to reading "Evening Ferry".

[Mich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Started this for the second time- the first chpt didn't catch me at first but my mood must have been right this time! Wow. What a great story i can't wait to read more and to tell people to read this! The setting is an island I'd love to visit and the characters are people I'd love to know. Added to it all it's the 1940's and it's a perfect time even If it's wartime. I am SOOOOO glad I picked this up again!

[Diane16 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel was a thoroughly enjoyable story of a group of islanders living off the coast of Rhode Island as WWII was starting. Alice, the main character, is a strong girl who must face her womanhood early. I loved her character and will be keeping this book on my shelf for my own daughter when she is in her late teens. Although the story was not always happy, it rang true to me. I'm looking forward to reading Towler's next book about Snow Island.

[Delissca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written coming of age story. I don't usually give 4 stars to a novel about teenagers, but this one was very different. The place, Snow Island, kept me engrossed. The towns people, the way the writer described the island. It took place just prior to WWII. It only took me a couple of days to read and that is how I know a book has kept my interest.

Katherine Towler went on to write two more stories after this one about the same island. I have already ordered "Evening Ferry".

[Margo Brooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a quiet and lovely novel about life on an island in Narragansett Bay between the wars. Even such an isolated place is touched dramatically by world events and in this coming of age story, young Alice's life is profoundly changed by the United States' entrance into World War II. It is a novel with no neatly wrapped up ends, but one that will stay with you, and make you wish that you had such a special place in your life as well.

[Betty]

The first in a trilolgy that begins in 1941 during World War II on a fictional island
off the coast of Rhode island. The cast of characters make their way into your heart as you follow them through the dailyness of their lives. The war catches up with the people on Snow Island
as the young enlist and those left behind deal with an everchanging environmen.