The Snows

by Sharelle Byars Moranville

Sometimes, when you're sixteen, your concerns don't go beyond the parameters of your immediate world.

It's 1931 in Jefferson, Iowa, and what's important to Jim Snow are the flavors served in the local ice-cream parlor, the location of the apostrophe key on his typewriter, and the girl he loves. But the ties of family bind him in a way that's beyond his control, shaping not only his life but the lives of future Snows.

Jim, Cathy, Jill, and Mona Snow all come of age in different eras (1931, 1942, 1969, 2006), but for each of them, sixteen is a departure point--a time when they become aware of the complications that will alter the course of their lives.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, High School, Realistic Fiction

240 pages, Hardcover

First published August 7, 2007

About the author

When I was a kid, I wanted to be an engineer--and some days still do. But I love being a writer and teacher of creative writing. I live on a small acreage with my husband in the midwest and am devoted to gardens and grandchildren. I spend most of my time helping things grow: ideas into stories; seeds into flowers; grandbabies into miracles.

Reviews

[Jan Blazanin · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE SNOWS gives a fascinating look at four generations. The characters are well-drawn and portrayed with sensitivity and insight. Their stories drew me in immediately and kept me turning pages to find out what would happen to them next. Moranville's lyrical writing style is a delight to read. Although marketed as young adult, THE SNOWS is equally suitable for adult readers.

[Meritt · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is about the snow family, told from the point of view of four different people. In each of the four sections there is a problem. In the first one, Jim Snow is forced to move from his beloved town of Jefferson, Iowa. In the second one, Jim's little sister Cathy has a baby before she is married. In the third section, Jill is influenced by her friends, and luckily she wasn't there when they got in an accident. In the fourth section, mona goes to jefferson, and finds out about the family she never knew.
it is a pretty good book, and gets waaaaay better after the first section.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

This really did give little snapshots of four different times in history. I would have liked it to be longer and more involved, but it was really good.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Covering four generations is an interesting idea for a book, but I just never warmed up much to any of the characters. The segment where Jill was at Kent State during the shootings on campus was very believable.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moranville writes for young adults, but her books are rewarding reads for adults of all ages. The Snows shows the lives of Jim, Cathy, Jill and Mona Snow—three generations of one family in four historical periodsÚ 1931, 1942, 1969, and 2006. Moranville is a calm, quiet writer whose voice makes me smile with the warmth of her characters and the strength of their bonds. And her recounting of history is dead-on.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Snows is a fresh historical fiction novel. Setting Iowa. It begins by telling the story of Jim Snow at age 16 in 1947 during the dust bowl. Part 2 is about Cathy who falls in love with a boy who goes to training for WW II - they were planning to be wed.
Part 3 is Jill, Jim's daughter by a 2nd marriage. In 1969 Jill is up to the teen age antics of the 60's - parties include pot. Jim sends her to Ohio to live with her older sister who works at Kent State. You can predict where the story will go. The last Snow is Mona whose mom is a reporter for the Trib covering Afghanistan. Her 16th summer is disrupted when they have to return to Iowa for a funeral - bringing a wrap to the Snow family's story.

Connection - what about having a class write their families history in connection to the events of the decade?

[Tracie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This look at a family through the eyes of one member of successive generations doesn't spare the controversies of some eras from an unwed mother in the 40s to drugs in the sixties. I appreciated the snapshot of each generation but never felt that I really got to know the characters.

[Chris Shepherd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fabulous historical fiction of special interest to me as an Ohioan that some of the story takes place at Kent State. Fascinating to watch Jim age and see him weave in and out of the story line and the lives of the other characters.

[Karin · Rating 4 out of 5]

snapshots of four generations of snow family members at age 16 (jim in '31, cathy in '42, jill in '69 and mona in '96). affecting.

[Zarmyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

i think its a nice story

[Sierra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reminded me a little of Forrest Gump.