Light on Snow

By: Anita Shreve

Narrated by: Alyson Silverman

Length: 6 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

Snowshoeing over crusted snow in the woods near their home, 12-year-old Nicky Dillon and her father come upon something shocking. There, in the pristine winter scene, an abandoned baby wails, its survival made possible only by the coincidence of their having chosen this path for their late afternoon outing.

In the days and weeks that follow, Nicky glimpses corners of the adult world that she never dreamed existed. As she follows the fate of the baby girl and talks with the police officers assigned to investigate, Nicky for the first time asks questions about her life's strange shape. Why has her father moved them to this isolated New England farmhouse? How can they come to terms with the tragedy they left behind? And how can she bridge the chasm between his needs and her own growing sense of the world?

Nicky's ideas about life are thrown into stark relief by the arrival of a young woman haunted by her own terrible choices. Together, Nicky, her father, and this woman must work their way through a thicket of decisions, each one seeming to carry equal possibilities of heartbreak or redemption.

With the glorious prose and emotional resonance that have won readers' hearts all over the world, Anita Shreve delivers her deepest and most powerful novel yet, a mesmerizing story of the secrets we keep and the secrets we unearth, and the power of forgiveness to mend even the most battered souls.

©2004 Anita Shreve (P)2004 Time Warner AudioBooks

Critic reviews

"The story shifts brilliantly between childlike visions of a simple world and the growing realization of its cruel ambiguities....Shreve does a skilled job of portraying grief, conflict, and anger while leaving room for hope, redemption, and renewal. Her characters are sympathetic without being pitiable, and her prose remains deceptively simple and eloquent throughout." (Publishers Weekly)

Somewhere between depressing and confused

This is one of those books that you can't stop listening to even though you are really not sure you like....it is intriquing. I found it strange, somewhat depressing. But it had a story, it just lacked something that I can't define. Not a really upbeat book.

Shreve succeeds

I have been ambivalent about Anita Shreve's books. But I really enjoyed Light on Snow. It held my interest and I didn't find it at all boring. The narrator did a good job telling the story as a 12 year old.

A bit slow moving

The story was interesting, told through the eyes of a 112year old girl ministry say it got slow (what really happen ed to the baby? Will the dad ever 1 get his acct together? Kinda sad v2 year old hard t get through

Shreve rocks!

I love all of Anita Shreve's books and this one does not disappoint. Great narration, great story!

Great Story

I listened to this book just after '50 Shades of Grey' which was, let's face it, repetitiously boring with juvenile dialog. This book had a great story line that kept me interested. I couldn't wait to see what happened. Anita Shreve's books are always about human frailties and the situations caused by them. I'm a great fan of hers.

Great story

I love Anita Shreve's books and this was another winner. The story is told from the point of view of a young girl who is wise beyond her years yet still just an innocent child. She gets caught up in a dramatic event that deeply affects her. I wanted to know more about what happened later, but otherwise I found this to be a great listen.

I Liked It

A simple and pleasant story. This was very enjoyable to listen to. The story described a situation that is not well understood and it was not predictable at all. This is definitely worth your money/credit.

This narrator was perfect.

This is a great story. It's well written, with beautiful descriptions of people and places. I highly enjoyed it, the enjoyment, I am sure, was enhanced by the perfect narration. The narrator's voice is soft and young sounding, much like I would have imagined the character's voice would be. This is one book that is probably better listened to than read.

Light on Snow

I loved this book. It moved me to tears many times. It was raw with emotion and you felt their pain. It was interesting from the beginning and I did not want it to end.

Light on Snow

I liked this book. It was not earthshaking. It was not a nail biter--Just a very good listen. I really liked the main character and her dad. I found my self laughing out loud at her very young logic.