The other

Guterson writes with such eloquence, and intellectual awareness without losing the readers. The Other is very different from his first book, "Snow Falling on Cedars," and better. I like a writer who can write a story so different from his other work, but yet still maintain his original voice. Great read! This is a thought provoking book about death, and Guterson presents a situation...more

Guterson writes with such eloquence, and intellectual awareness without losing the readers. The Other is very different from his first book, "Snow Falling on Cedars," and better. I like a writer who can write a story so different from his other work, but yet still maintain his original voice. Great read! This is a thought provoking book about death, and Guterson presents a situation here that takes one on a journey of the soul and of the mind. Great read.   hide

Very simple.

Great book! Couldn't sleep last night until I finished it.

Getting ready for a trip to Seattle, this couldn't be a finer celebration of the people that are shaped by the PNW weather and topography. Enjoying every finely crafted sentence!

I couldn't finish reading this book. It was so boring and it never seemed to go anywhere.....

Not nearly as masterful as Guterson's earlier efforts. However, an interesting premice that was unfortunately undermined by the narrative approach chosen. Narratives distance you from the characters. As such, I found it difficult to relate to the main characters of this novel. Only towards the end did it become really interesting: you gain insight as to why "The Hermit of the Hoh"...more

Not nearly as masterful as Guterson's earlier efforts. However, an interesting premice that was unfortunately undermined by the narrative approach chosen. Narratives distance you from the characters. As such, I found it difficult to relate to the main characters of this novel. Only towards the end did it become really interesting: you gain insight as to why "The Hermit of the Hoh" became who he was. One reviewer describes Guterson's prose as writing with "intellectual awareness"...perhaps this is the very reason why the Other falls short of my expectation for this novel. This story demanded greater attention to the characters and their developmetn and less so on the crafting of each individual sentence.   hide

Not nearly as good as his masterpiece Snow Falling on Cedars,. Disappointed..too wordy and not much plot or insight

I really liked Snow Falling on Cedars, so I picked this up. I found the narrator convincing and likeable, and related strongly to him. I think this book will appeal to a narrower readership than Snow Falling, but I enjoyed it very much. It might make a good companion to Chris McCandless' story, Into the Wild. Maybe that needs to be my next book. (I saw the movie.)

I purchased this book because Barnes & Noble's great new writers section had recommended it, and I had enjoyed Guterson's other work. In reading this it is clear that he has a great talent for formulating beautiful prose. The problem is that he's trying for this in every sentence. The abundance of purple prose makes the plot drag along and the pretentiousness of the writing...more

I purchased this book because Barnes & Noble's great new writers section had recommended it, and I had enjoyed Guterson's other work. In reading this it is clear that he has a great talent for formulating beautiful prose. The problem is that he's trying for this in every sentence. The abundance of purple prose makes the plot drag along and the pretentiousness of the writing makes me lose interest in the pretentiousness of the characters. I do not recommend this book. It seems as if the author read "Into the Wild" and thought, I can do that and with much more vivid language. Very disappointing.   hide