Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow: Amazon.co.uk: Peter Hoeg, Felicity David: Books

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

by Stieg Larsson

4.1 out of 5 stars (169) �3.99

The Quiet Girl

by Peter Hoeg

3.7 out of 5 stars (7) �5.99

The White Tiger

by Aravind Adiga

3.7 out of 5 stars (108) �3.84

The Girl Who Played with Fire

by Stieg Larsson

4.5 out of 5 stars (76) �3.86

Snow Falling on Cedars

by David Guterson

3.8 out of 5 stars (33) �5.99

› Explore similar items

Product Description

Product Description
A little boy falls off a roof in Copenhagen and is killed. Smilla, his neighbour, suspects it is not an accident: she has seen his footsteps in the snow, and, having been brought up by her mother, a Greenlander, she has a feeling for snow.

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

(What's this?)

Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)

mystery(1)

peter hoeg(1)

scandinavian literature(1)

gabriel byrne(1)

gene hackman(1)

julia ormond(1)

Customer Reviews

56 Reviews

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

Average Customer Review

3.8 out of 5 stars (56 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Breathtaking..., 21 Oct 2003

By	Mrs. A. C. Whiteley "AllieW" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow (Paperback)

As one other reviewer has commented, it does take about 200 pages or so to pick up the various strands which constitute the thread of narrative in this marvellous book.

Until I read this novel, I had never considered the multifacetedness of snow and ice. A multifacetnedness, moreover, which is reflected in the nature of our hero, Miss Smilla Jaspersen, by turns kind, generous, giving, understanding, gritty, determined, forthwright, violent, gentle, humorous, intelligent etc etc. She is wholly unique, and just fabulous.

To summarise this as a murder mystery or crime thriller is to do it a severe injustice. So much wisdom is here, so much raw human nature, that it is possible to become a little overwhelmed by it. However, Hoeg steers you through it all, as competently as a seasoned sea captain. And, despite its occasional brutality, on is left with an extraordinary sense of beauty and conscious of the value of human life. We should reflect on these more often, Hoeg appears to be saying, and I cannot help but agree.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A shiver of pleasure, 3 April 2005

By	Sally-Anne "mynameissally" (Leicestershire, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow (Paperback)

Peter H�eg's Smilla is a fairly unique sort of person. Her experiences have made her wise in the ways of snow and ice and cynical and distrustful of people. An Inuit upbringing in the cold climate of Greenland had ill-prepared her for the chilly atmosphere of Danish society when her father took her there after her mother died. At 37 she is single, solitary and unemployed - even though she's one of the world's leading experts on ice and snow. She has just one friend that she loves: a small boy, Isaiah, who is, like her, a Greenlander out of place in Denmark. When Isaiah falls to his death from a rooftop, Smilla knows it cannot have been a simple accident. She can read his footprints in the snow and she knew the child well. The authorities cannot be allowed to write it off as an accidental death so she sets out to discover what really happened.

The feeling of snow and ice: the cold, the motion and gradual stiffening of the sea, the changing quality of the light - are conveyed so that, with a little imagination, it's possible to feel it. I put on an extra jumper and turned the heating up a bit. The description of Smilla's journey from the desolation of the lonely city to the desolation of the ice fields west of Greenland generate strong visual and emotional impressions. The plot is quite complicated to follow and there are a few coincidences that might require the brief suspension of disbelief. It can also be rather a bumpy ride for an English speaking reader because of the many Danish and Greenlandic words and names that can slow you down as you try to puzzle out how they should be pronounced. Even so, it's a splendid book, full of tragic and colourful characters, most of them deeply or slightly flawed (even the goodies) but all of them interesting and plausible.

I highly recommend this book.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Smilla is my all-time favourite literary character, 25 Feb 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow (Paperback)

The original, witty, intelligent, unconventional character of Smilla Jasperson is well drawn and quite unlike any other character I have ever met in life or fiction... and yet, given her background, she just could be real.

Apart from the wonderful Smilla, I was fascinated with the descriptions of Greenland, the people who survive in its hostile climate and its relationship with (a largely unsympathetic) Denmark.

There is also a very exciting and intricate plot which keeps you guessing until the end. Clues are introduced to the reader all the way through and because of this, it is not a book to pick up and put down over a long period of time. In fact I wish I could have had the time to read it in just one or two sessions. I also wish I had made notes on the various characters as they were introduced because you tend to forget where they came in: Partly due to the complex nature of the plot-weaving and partly the unfamiliar Scandinavian names.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 56 customer reviews...

Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Snowblindness
Although the film was dreary and pointless that was no reason to dismiss this book. After all it was Time Magazine's 'Book of the Year'. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Cakeman

2.0 out of 5 stars Will it never end?
This is a poor, forgettable novel with a quite ludicrous ending. Meet Miss Smilla - 'Greenlander de luxe'. That should tell you all you need to know. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Officer Dibble

5.0 out of 5 stars Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow - the making of the film
This commendable book, with excellent illustrations throughout, provides an informative overview of the making of the film of Peter Hoeg's best selling novel. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Paul Turner

5.0 out of 5 stars Miss Smilla Dane and Inuit
This is a fantastic novel, excellently written and translated which I found instructive and totally absorbing. Read more

Published 4 months ago by A. M. Smithwhite

3.0 out of 5 stars Weaves together many influences
Another reviewer is right - it turns into an Alistair Maclean. And an episode of the X Files. And the end of Frankenstein and a story by H.P. Lovecraft. Read more

Published 8 months ago by Ms. L. R. Fisher

2.0 out of 5 stars A struggle from start to finish
I found this book incredibly hard going. It promised a lot from the reviews I had read and I was keen for something a little out of the ordinary. Read more

Published 18 months ago by L. Robinson

4.0 out of 5 stars A book to be read in winter!
This is a complex crime novel. At its heart is Smilla, a feisty independent woman. Her Inuit ancestry makes her very much an outsider in Denmark - the iciness of the winter is... Read more

Published 19 months ago by Wynne Kelly

4.0 out of 5 stars Different and interesting
I liked this because of the descriptions and fine details. Obviously this does not appeal to a lot of people who demand more than that from a thriller. Read more

Published 22 months ago by Secret Squirrel

2.0 out of 5 stars Too confusing for words
I am 3/4 of the way through the book and have decided to give it up. The story started out fine, very intriguing, but soon developed into plots that I couldn't work out what... Read more

Published on 18 Jun 2007 by Page Turner

4.0 out of 5 stars Everything you wanted to know about snow and ice but you were afraid (to ask)
Wow, a unique and unusual novel by virtue of the association with all things freezing cold. Who could imagine that snow and ice were so interesting? Read more

Published on 26 Feb 2007 by Mark Dickens

› See all 56 customer reviews...

Listmania!

Amazing Recent Fiction In A Soundbite: A list by Sunglasses
Summer hummers: A list by Keen reader
Highlights of recent fiction: A list by Heather "HF"

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Books > Crime, Thrillers & Mystery > Mystery
Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > H > Hoeg, Peter
Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > D > David, Peter
Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > P > Peter, David

Feedback

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.

Fun for Everyone

Achieve over 15,000 RPM with our great range of Powerballs.

›Shop the Powerball store

Up to 75% off Shoes

Save up to 75% on shoes for the whole family.

›Shop clearance shoes

Train Hard...Play Hard

Gear up with up to 60% off athletic and outdoor shoes.

›Shop now

Treat Someone

With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

	86% buy the item featured on this page: Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow 3.8 out of 5 stars (56)
	4% buy The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 4.1 out of 5 stars (169) �3.99
	4% buy The Quiet Girl 3.7 out of 5 stars (7) �5.99
	4% buy Smilla's Sense of Snow [DVD] [1997] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC] 3.7 out of 5 stars (12)


Amazon Home

International Sites: United States \| Germany \| France \| Japan \| Canada \| China

Business Programs: Sell on Amazon \| Fulfilment by Amazon \| Join Associates \| Join Advantage

Customer Service \| Help \| View Basket \| Your Account

About Amazon.co.uk \| Careers at Amazon

Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow (Paperback)

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Product details

Product Description

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Customer Reviews

Customer Discussions

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight

Start a new discussion

Listmania!

Look for similar items by category

Feedback

Fun for Everyone

Up to 75% off Shoes

Train Hard...Play Hard

Treat Someone

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History