Snow

From Publishers Weekly
Fermine meditates on poetry, love and art in this elegant love story-cum-parable set in Japan in the late 19th century. Delicate, sensitive Yuko Akita informs his father that he wishes to become a poet so that he can "learn to watch the passing of time." Despite his father's skepticism, Akita is soon writing beautiful haiku based on his obsession with snow. Seeking to help advance the boy's career, his father invites the imperial court poet to evaluate Yuko's work; after acknowledging the boy's talent, the poet tells Akita that he needs to study other art forms. Akita embarks on a journey to study with master artist Soseki; along the way he comes upon a strikingly beautiful European woman frozen into a massive chunk of ice. The elderly Soseki begins teaching Akita, and the narrative shifts to focus on the older artist, a former samurai who left the military after being wounded and married a beautiful French tightrope walker named Snow. The happy couple had a daughter, but after raising the girl Snow grew restless. She went back to tightrope walking, and died in an accident while performing. Fermine's pristine prose shimmers in English translation, and the deceptively simple story flows smoothly. The final twist involving Akita and Snow's daughter is predictable, but the ethereal prose and Fermine's graceful delivery of bits of wisdom make this brief fiction a memorable read.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
French author Fermine's concise romantic tale emulates the airiness and grace of haiku, the form of poetry 17-year-old Yuko Akita, a meditative soul drawn to the quiet beauty of snow, wants to devote himself to writing. The year is 1884, the setting is northern Japan, and the conflict is with Yuko's father, who is not pleased with his son's obsessions with snow and the color white, or his decision to become a poet. He is, therefore, gratified when the Imperial Poet recommends the master Soseki, an artist who, he assures the aspiring young poet, will teach him about color. Yuko sets out on an arduous journey, in the classic fairy-tale mode, and nearly dies in a blizzard but is saved by a vision of a beautiful white woman in a coffin of ice. He is puzzled to find that the man who is to teach him about color is blind, and astonished to learn that Soseki has long been mourning the death of his wife, a beautiful European tightrope walker. Fermine's ethereal, Zen-like fable is exquisite. Simply lovely. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
Le Figaro Litteraire A beautiful debut, a tale of mysterious clarity, like the poetry which inspired it.

Notizia Oggi A literary sensation, praised by readers and critics alike.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"In nineteenth-century Japan, a young haiku poet named Yuko journeys through snow-covered mountains on a quest for art and finds love instead." Yuko has all the makings of greatness, but must learn to reach beyond the silent starkness of snow, his ultimate inspiration, to find the color pulsing through life. Color enhanced by love, without which he will remain invisible to the world. On his journey to enlightenment he learns how fragile the balance of life can be through the tragic story of his blind master, Soseki, and the love of his life, a French tightrope walker named Snow. Love and art finally converge in a most startling and exquisite way when a special young woman opens Yuko's heart to the purest of color and light.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Fermine meditates on poetry, love and art in this elegant love story-cum-parable set in Japan in the late 19th century. Delicate, sensitive Yuko Akita informs his father that he wishes to become a poet so that he can "learn to watch the passing of time." Despite his father's skepticism, Akita is soon writing beautiful haiku based on his obsession with snow. Seeking to help advance the boy's career, his father invites the imperial court poet to evaluate Yuko's work; after acknowledging the boy's talent, the poet tells Akita that he needs to study other art forms. Akita embarks on a journey to study with master artist Soseki; along the way he comes upon a strikingly beautiful European woman frozen into a massive chunk of ice. The elderly Soseki begins teaching Akita, and the narrative shifts to focus on the older artist, a former samurai who left the military after being wounded and married a beautiful French tightrope walker named Snow. The happy couple had a daughter, but after raising the girl Snow grew restless. She went back to tightrope walking, and died in an accident while performing. Fermine's pristine prose shimmers in English translation, and the deceptively simple story flows smoothly. The final twist involving Akita and Snow's daughter is predictable, but the ethereal prose and Fermine's graceful delivery of bits of wisdom make this brief fiction a memorable read. (Jan.) Forecast: This novel was a bestseller in France, and may cross over better than many imports, particularly if it gets a holiday boost. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews