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Snow-blind 1921 [Hardcover]
eng, Pages 201. Reprinted in 2015 with the help of original edition published long back[1921]. This book is in black & white, Hardcover, sewing binding for longer life with Matt laminated multi-Colour Dust Cover, Printed on high quality Paper, re-sized as per Current standards, professionally processed without changing its contents. As these are old books, there may be some pages which are blur or missing or black spots. If it is multi volume set, then it is only single volume. We expect that you will understand our compulsion in these books. We found this book important for the readers who want to know more about our old treasure so we brought it back to the shelves. (Customisation is possible). Hope you will like it and give your comments and suggestions.Original Snow-blind 1921 [Hardcover] Burt, Katharine Newlin,
- GenresShort Stories
186 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1921
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11 people want to read
About the author
Katharine Newlin Burt
42 books2 followersKatharine Burt married writer Maxwell Struthers Burt in 1912.
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
With him, she homesteaded the Bar BC Ranch near Moose, Wyoming. She lived in Jackson Hole most of her life, spending summers there after her retirement to Southern Pines, North Carolina.
She was the mother of writer Nathaniel Burt. https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
With him, she homesteaded the Bar BC Ranch near Moose, Wyoming. She lived in Jackson Hole most of her life, spending summers there after her retirement to Southern Pines, North Carolina.
She was the mother of writer Nathaniel Burt. https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 14, 2015
Hugh has been hiding in the wilderness for fifteen years, with his younger brother Pete and a woman who had been their neighbor and took young Pete to Hugh. Fifteen years of being afraid to go to the trading post: Pete has to take the pelts and bring home supplies. But one day after a tense and foolish argument, Hugh decides to go himself. On the trail he finds Sylvie, a young lady lost in the forest and blinded by the snow. And this is where the drama truly begins.
What happens in this little cabin in the wilderness after Sylvie arrives and needs to be nursed back to health? What tensions arise between these four people and how are they resolved?
I was impressed by this story, there are some lovely images here, such as the description of Pete out sawing wood in a field of snow, the only bit of color in the country. I also liked Burt's use of The Lady Or The Tiger type of ending: what will happen to two of the four people after all the drama is over? Each reader gets to decide for themselves what fate they deserve. I chose....well, if you read this book, write and ask me and we'll see if we agree.
What happens in this little cabin in the wilderness after Sylvie arrives and needs to be nursed back to health? What tensions arise between these four people and how are they resolved?
I was impressed by this story, there are some lovely images here, such as the description of Pete out sawing wood in a field of snow, the only bit of color in the country. I also liked Burt's use of The Lady Or The Tiger type of ending: what will happen to two of the four people after all the drama is over? Each reader gets to decide for themselves what fate they deserve. I chose....well, if you read this book, write and ask me and we'll see if we agree.
April 29, 2015
"But, you know, he used to like strangers best - to talk to, I mean."
Bella assented, bitterly. She had begun to clear the table of its almost untouched meal. "Because he could put it over better with a stranger. It isn't the truth Hugh likes - about himself, or others."
Hugh Garth is on the run from the law for murdering a man. He has been hiding out, living in a cabin for 15 years in the frozen, harsh wilderness of ... I don't know where. He is about 47. He lives with his younger brother, Pete, (21/22) and "cousin" Bella, who's about 35 or so.
Hugh has a hot temper and is an abusive man. He smacks his little brother around and hurts him, and the vibrant, sweet, intelligent Bella goes dim every time he enters a room. This "dimming down" thing is a hallmark of abuse.
The author tells us that the reason Hugh treats these loved ones so poorly is because they know his true nature and who he really is. He hates himself and hates having other people look at him while knowing the truth about his nature and his violent tendencies. He is a self-centered liar with a bad temper.
One day, he recklessly decides to go to town even though there's a bounty on his head. Before he can even get there, he finds a freezing, starving snow-blind girl stumbling through the snow. This is Sylvie, age 17. He takes her home to get her warm.
She is so grateful to him for saving her that he seizes this opportunity to get what he always wanted - an adoring, worshipful, lovingdog audience which will worship him as a god. He is kind and sweet with Sylvie, because with she has no idea of who or what he really is. She's blind to him - literally and metaphorically.
And having this woman in the house means that Pete and Bella have to become part of Hugh's enormous lies...
...
This book is well-written. Not only is it well-written, but it is very deep and meaningful. It has layers and it has meaning. It's the kind of book they'd make you read and analyze in school. (This is a compliment from me - not a dis.)
It was as if a soul had seen itself in a crooked mirror and had fashioned a form to match the distorted image.
I mean, wow, right? Here's another amazing quote:
"In my experience, it's the cowards and the fools that kill, and they do it because they're lower down, closer to the beast, or perhaps to an uncontrolled child, than most of us."
Excellent.
But then we've got shit like this:
"Don't go away, please," she pleaded in a sweet trickle of voice. "I'm scared to feel you gone. You're so warm. You're so strong. Will you talk to me again, please? Your voice is so comforting, so beautiful."
Oh, God. Spare me. Or this:
"You're safe now, and warm," Hugh was murmuring. "No need to be scared, no need. I'll take care of you. Go to sleep. I'm strong enough to keep off anything. You're safe and snug as a little bird in its nest. That's right. Go to sleep."
Where's a fork? I need to stab my eyes out.
"Please call me Hugh," he murmured, taking her hand in his. "I feel in a way that you belong to me now - I saved you from dying alone there in the cold and brought you back to my home. I've got jettison rights, Sylvie."
Never mind, I've suddenly thought of a much better use for this fork. Come closer, Hugh.
So why the low rating, Carmen?
Well, the low rating is because basically I found everyone in this book to be pretty despicable - even the "good" characters that I know I was supposed to be rooting for.
Tl;dr - Nice writing, and good layered storytelling. Horrible characters that will make you gnash your teeth.
Her eyes flamed in her pale, tense face. "We've got to stop it, Pete," she said. "It's horrible."
I completely agree with Bella on this. We were both watching the unfolding events with growing horror.
Bella assented, bitterly. She had begun to clear the table of its almost untouched meal. "Because he could put it over better with a stranger. It isn't the truth Hugh likes - about himself, or others."
Hugh Garth is on the run from the law for murdering a man. He has been hiding out, living in a cabin for 15 years in the frozen, harsh wilderness of ... I don't know where. He is about 47. He lives with his younger brother, Pete, (21/22) and "cousin" Bella, who's about 35 or so.
Hugh has a hot temper and is an abusive man. He smacks his little brother around and hurts him, and the vibrant, sweet, intelligent Bella goes dim every time he enters a room. This "dimming down" thing is a hallmark of abuse.
The author tells us that the reason Hugh treats these loved ones so poorly is because they know his true nature and who he really is. He hates himself and hates having other people look at him while knowing the truth about his nature and his violent tendencies. He is a self-centered liar with a bad temper.
One day, he recklessly decides to go to town even though there's a bounty on his head. Before he can even get there, he finds a freezing, starving snow-blind girl stumbling through the snow. This is Sylvie, age 17. He takes her home to get her warm.
She is so grateful to him for saving her that he seizes this opportunity to get what he always wanted - an adoring, worshipful, loving
And having this woman in the house means that Pete and Bella have to become part of Hugh's enormous lies...
...
This book is well-written. Not only is it well-written, but it is very deep and meaningful. It has layers and it has meaning. It's the kind of book they'd make you read and analyze in school. (This is a compliment from me - not a dis.)
It was as if a soul had seen itself in a crooked mirror and had fashioned a form to match the distorted image.
I mean, wow, right? Here's another amazing quote:
"In my experience, it's the cowards and the fools that kill, and they do it because they're lower down, closer to the beast, or perhaps to an uncontrolled child, than most of us."
Excellent.
But then we've got shit like this:
"Don't go away, please," she pleaded in a sweet trickle of voice. "I'm scared to feel you gone. You're so warm. You're so strong. Will you talk to me again, please? Your voice is so comforting, so beautiful."
Oh, God. Spare me. Or this:
"You're safe now, and warm," Hugh was murmuring. "No need to be scared, no need. I'll take care of you. Go to sleep. I'm strong enough to keep off anything. You're safe and snug as a little bird in its nest. That's right. Go to sleep."
Where's a fork? I need to stab my eyes out.
"Please call me Hugh," he murmured, taking her hand in his. "I feel in a way that you belong to me now - I saved you from dying alone there in the cold and brought you back to my home. I've got jettison rights, Sylvie."
Never mind, I've suddenly thought of a much better use for this fork. Come closer, Hugh.
So why the low rating, Carmen?
Well, the low rating is because basically I found everyone in this book to be pretty despicable - even the "good" characters that I know I was supposed to be rooting for.
Tl;dr - Nice writing, and good layered storytelling. Horrible characters that will make you gnash your teeth.
Her eyes flamed in her pale, tense face. "We've got to stop it, Pete," she said. "It's horrible."
I completely agree with Bella on this. We were both watching the unfolding events with growing horror.
March 5, 2015
3.5 Stars
What an intriguing short story! I'm still trying to process it and I'm not sure what I think. So maybe writing a review will help.
Two brothers and a female cousin(?) are living in a remote cabin, trapping for a living. The oldest brother is hiding from the law because of murder, and since his looks are too obvious to ever be seen in public, his younger brother has to do the trading in town.
But one day, while Hugh (the convict) leaves the cabin in a huff, he comes upon a girl who is sun blind and lost. He takes her home, hopelessly infatuated, and spins her tall tales, making himself into a Godlike creature. She swallows everything and thinks she loves her rescuer who is so marvelous.
Meanwhile, the younger brother Pete, is falling in love with the girl but must keep his feelings, and the truth, hidden...
What will happen if and when Sylvie gets her sight back? Will all be revealed, and will there be a happy ever after in store for anyone?
The writing is good. The story is told in almost a Grimm's fairytale fashion that makes you settle back and suck your thumb so to speak. Of all the characters (and there's only four, with two or three very minor characters) Sylvie was the least realistic to me. She was supposedly 18 but acted like a child of 8. She improved later in the story but never felt as real as the others. More like a "Dora" character in David Copperfield. Fluffy, sweet, but without substance. The others were not like this and that is really my only complaint.
The ending leaves questions but is not disappointing. It just means we can choose to think what we will. So I will. I'm an optimist. :)
What an intriguing short story! I'm still trying to process it and I'm not sure what I think. So maybe writing a review will help.
Two brothers and a female cousin(?) are living in a remote cabin, trapping for a living. The oldest brother is hiding from the law because of murder, and since his looks are too obvious to ever be seen in public, his younger brother has to do the trading in town.
But one day, while Hugh (the convict) leaves the cabin in a huff, he comes upon a girl who is sun blind and lost. He takes her home, hopelessly infatuated, and spins her tall tales, making himself into a Godlike creature. She swallows everything and thinks she loves her rescuer who is so marvelous.
Meanwhile, the younger brother Pete, is falling in love with the girl but must keep his feelings, and the truth, hidden...
What will happen if and when Sylvie gets her sight back? Will all be revealed, and will there be a happy ever after in store for anyone?
The writing is good. The story is told in almost a Grimm's fairytale fashion that makes you settle back and suck your thumb so to speak. Of all the characters (and there's only four, with two or three very minor characters) Sylvie was the least realistic to me. She was supposedly 18 but acted like a child of 8. She improved later in the story but never felt as real as the others. More like a "Dora" character in David Copperfield. Fluffy, sweet, but without substance. The others were not like this and that is really my only complaint.
The ending leaves questions but is not disappointing. It just means we can choose to think what we will. So I will. I'm an optimist. :)
May 17, 2011
Hugh is living in hiding in a cabin deep within the wilderness of an unnamed American mountain range. His quick temper dominates the two who live with him: his younger brother Pete and his cousin Bella. When Hugh brings a blinded young lady in from the snow, life in the little cabin is sure to change. The author writes with great familiarity about the mountains and scores some interesting insights into how our perception of ourselves differs from how others see us. I had zero expectations for this book and was pleasantly surprised.
For full review and to get the free audiobook, visit my blog, Free Listens
For full review and to get the free audiobook, visit my blog, Free Listens
March 8, 2015
It was a bit like reading an old fashioned folk tale. The relationships and behaviour between the characters was interesting. I kept reading to see what would happen, but I expected something more dramatic.The cabin in the snow definitely added atmosphere.
August 2, 2018
An interesting read about a dysfunctional family, all subject to the emotional ups and downs of the head of the family who is hiding off in the snowbound wilderness to escape prosecution for murder. He stumbles upon a young woman, lost from her traveling party, who has become snow-blind and close to death, and he carries her back to their hidden home. Her presence affects each family member in different ways, as she develops misconceptions (mostly due to her blindness and downright lies from from the family head,) about who they are and what they are like.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews