When a young Englishman visits Cold War Leipzig with a group of students, he meets an East German girl who is only just beginning to wake up to the way her society is governed. He wants to help, but her situation makes him nervour. He ends up in denial about his feelings for the girl until one day, with Germany now united, he sets out to find her. But he has no idea where to start - all he knows of her identity is the nickname he gave to her - Snowleg.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Snowleg
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Review
"Already my bet for this year's Booker Prize. A superbly achieved and moving novel."
--Giles Fodden, "Guardian"
"Snowleg is his finest book yet. Beautifully written, rich in character, it displays all the courage for which its hero so desperately wants to be recognized."
--"Economist"
"This novel is one of the finest attempts in English to convey something of two very strange places which no longer appear on the map of Europe... Shakespeare has told a very skillful story."
--"Evening Standard"
--Giles Fodden, "Guardian"
"Snowleg is his finest book yet. Beautifully written, rich in character, it displays all the courage for which its hero so desperately wants to be recognized."
--"Economist"
"This novel is one of the finest attempts in English to convey something of two very strange places which no longer appear on the map of Europe... Shakespeare has told a very skillful story."
--"Evening Standard"
"From the Trade Paperback edition." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Book Description
'A superbly achieved and moving novel' Giles Foden (20040315)
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
In one of the most elegantly written and carefully constructed love stories in recent memory, Nicholas Shakespeare introduces Peter Hithersay, who, on his sixteenth birthday, learns that "Daddy" is not his father. In Leipzig, East Germany, for a vocal competition, his mother had met and loved his biological father very briefly, only to see him arrested, and taken away forever. Curious about Germany, Peter spends his gap year in Hamburg and applies for and is accepted to its medical school, where he lives for the next six years. Eventually, Peter makes a trip to Leipzig, where he, now twenty-two, falls passionately in love with a young East German, whose Icelandic nickname, "Snjolaug," sounds to him like "Snowleg." When he has to leave, he is unable to forget her.
Peter's search for Snowleg, and secondarily, for his father, is told through flashbacks and memories, and the nature of their relationship unfolds in detail. The role of the secret police in their separation and the conflicts between the original ideal of communism and its later implementation are shown through Uwe and Hesse, two secret policemen, who appear in the prologue and in the conclusion and provide fresh perspective on the action, elevating this novel above the typical love story.
The vibrancy of Shakespeare's prose makes every page of this novel a delight to read. Filled with irony and, often, humor, the dialogue comes alive. Unforgettable descriptions, especially of the darkness, cold, and soot in Leipzig, reveal feelings as well as convey information. To Peter, listening to the radio, a love song "had red eyes and ran furtively across his mind...It was a rat dressed up as a promise." Repeating motifs--a van with a fish painted on it, a dying deer, the story of Sir Bedevere, a fur coat, and the bones of a muskrat--echo throughout the novel and connect scenes symbolically. Like most romances, the story relies on coincidence and fortuitous accident, but Shakespeare's writing is so strong and the story is so exciting that even the most jaded reader will willingly accept the implausibilities. Mary Whipple
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Sefton
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Nicholas Shakespeare is the best novelist writing in English who still uses a recognisable narrative structure and tells a moving story with delicacy and verasity. Please write more!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By G. L. Haggett
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
A story of love and longing which takes us into Eastern Germany past and present.
In common with other reviewers I found Shakespeare very convincing at evoking atmosphere and a sense of time and place. Less convincing, however, is the manner in which every loose end is tied up all too neatly at the end.
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3.8 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not satisfactory
The plot is definitely far-fetched, none of the characters is very convincing and they all look shallow (except Peter, that is). Read more
Published on 13 Oct 2010 by A. Costa
2.0 out of 5 stars
Too many coincidences
A name like the author's is a heavy burden, and, as far as style goes, this Shakespeare here does quite well. Read more
Published on 13 Jan 2008 by Joachimski
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable tale of long lost love...
The concept of lost love isn't anything new and you can probably work out how it will end, but you're still likely to be drawn into the intricate stories of the main... Read more
Published on 29 Jan 2007 by BB999
2.0 out of 5 stars
Could not appreciate this book.
Despite the praise that has been heaped on this book, I can't say that I liked it much. The author seems well acquainted with East Germany both before and after reunification, and... Read more
Published on 17 Mar 2005 by Ralph Blumenau
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