Whiter Than Snow

Another great book from Sandra Dallas..

I've read all of Ms. Dallas's books, and have loved every one of them. 'Whiter Than Snow' is a great story about some of the folks of Swandyke, CO...a mining town at what feels like the top of the world. The story begins with an avalanche that buries nine children who were walking home from school, killing five of them. We don't find out which four survive till the very end. The following chapters are about each of the parents of the nine children, and their individual stories; how they came to end up in Swandyke, and the shameful secrets they harbor. Ms. Dallas has such a talent for developing her characters and making you care about them. Once you hear the stories of each parent, it's heartbreaking to know some of them will have lost their children...children who, for some, are the only thing keeping them going each day. The ending was a fine one. I hesitate to say 'good', or 'satisfactory', since so many little lives were lost, but for being such a sad tale, she ending it with a glimmer of hope. **As for the Kindle version, it was terrible. I'm sure this is not Ms. Dallas's doing, which is why I'm not deducting stars for it, but there were so many errors! And what's worse, this book was $11.99! Not the normal $9.99 that most Kindle books are. I would think if a publisher was going to charge more for a Kindle format, they would at least make sure it was translated properly. For instance...every time the word 'off' appeared, an 'f' was missing. EVERY...SINGLE...TIME, throughout the WHOLE book. 'Off' read as 'Of'. Not the end of the world, but annoying nonetheless. Also, there was a LOT of punctuation missing, and there would be huge gaps in the middle of a word, mainly longer words. Overall, NOT a pleasant Kindle experience...especially not for $11.99** That said, I absolutely recommend this book...in hardcover. It's a great story (albeit a sad one), and will be very difficult to put down once started. As always, I look forward to whatever comes next for Ms. Dallas...she never fails to please!

I, too, now preorder Sandra Dallas' books, and each is a special treat I eagerly await. While the early books were often playful, most recent books have been more serious in subject and tone. Perhaps as a result, Ms Dallas' hallmark easy-flowing narrative style, distinctive natural dialogue, and haunting character development have now been polished to perfection. You can read the plot from the publisher better than I can re-tell it. Compellingly blending the life-stories of all the diverse characters from this period in American history so they logically end up together in the same mining town during the tragic avalanche is what great story telling is all about. This makes for highly moving and engaging reading. With Whiter than Snow, Sandra Dallas is at the top of her game.

This was absolutely one of the best human interest books I have ever read. Every character was beautifully developed and interesting. The story unfolded gently and the ending left you wanting just one more chapter. If you love books that teach you something,i.e., life in a mining town and American history, Civil War and family values, then please read WHITER THAN SNOW.

Yes, I am an admitted Sandra Dallas fan and yes, I did have her newest book pre-ordered just because that's what I do. Needless to say, she does not let her legion of fans down with this sad, sad story. It made for some tearful reading and yet, I had to know what made these characters all end up in that high mountain town and experience the tragedy that befalls them. I found myself in such places as the Civil War, the New York tenement district,a poor Iowa farmstead-just to name a few locations that were all described as if you were, in fact, there. I would recommend this story to anyone who will not be too haunted by the heartbreaking outcome.

In April 1920, the Swandyke Avalanche came down Jubilee Mountain in Colorado killing twenty schools kids; only four survived. The parents wait anxiously as everyone digs frantically. Age, race, religion, gender and occupation no longer are dividers. Estranged sisters Lucy and Dolly pray for their five kids between them to be safe while the former's husband Henry takes charge and the latter's Tom gets drunk. Black widower Joe fears for his beloved Jane. Jim and Grace also worry about their offspring. Elderly Minder keeps the Civil War cemetery clean, but now fears for his grandson Emmett. Essie is a popular French hooker who is actually a New York Jew; she hopes one day to be a real mom to her Sophie raised by a nanny. All share in common their fear that their child may be dead. The ensemble cast seems genuine before and during the disaster; especially poignant is the reaction of panicked parents as race and occupation no longer matter. Time and place come across as key elements. Although the first abrupt change in whose background story is told comes out of nowhere, readers will adapt to the switching perspectives that enable fans to know how the cast will react to the tragedy. Harriet Klausner