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    Whiter Than Snow
    Whiter Than Snow
    Whiter Than Snow
    Audiobook8 hours

    Whiter Than Snow

    Written by Sandra Dallas

    Narrated by Ali Ahn

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    From the New York Times bestselling author of Prayers for Sale comes a powerful novel about the intersection of redemption, forgiveness, and love....On a spring afternoon in 1920, Swandyke-a small town near Colorado's Tenmile Range-is changed forever. Just moments after four o'clock, a large split of snow separates from Jubilee Mountain high above the tiny hamlet and hurtles down the rocky slope, enveloping everything in its path. Meet the residents whose lives this tragedy touches: Lucy and Dolly Patch, two sisters long estranged by a shocking betrayal. Joe Cobb, Swandyke's only black resident, whose love for his daughter forces him to flee Alabama. Then there's Grace Foote, who hides secrets and scandal that belie her genteel facade. And Minder Evans, a Civil War veteran who considers cowardice his greatest sin. Finally, there's Essie Snowball, born Esther Schnable to conservative Jewish parents, who now works as a prostitute and hides her child's parentage from the world. Fate, chance, and perhaps divine providence all collide in the everyday lives of these people. And ultimately, no one is without sin, no one's soul is whiter than snow, and no one is without the need for forgiveness. A quintessential American voice and a writer of exquisite historical detail, Sandra Dallas illuminates the resilience of the human spirit in her newest novel.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateMar 30, 2010
    ISBN9781440792564
    Whiter Than Snow
    Author

    Sandra Dallas

    SANDRA DALLAS, dubbed “a quintessential American voice” by Jane Smiley in Vogue Magazine, is the author of over a dozen novels, including Little Souls and Where Coyotes Howl, many translated into a dozen languages and optioned for films. Six-time winner of the Willa Award and four-time winner of the Spur Award, Dallas was a Business Week reporter for 35 years, and began writing fiction in 1990. She has two daughters and lives with her husband in Denver and Georgetown, Colorado.

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    Reviews for Whiter Than Snow

    4/5

    130 ratings23 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Sandra Dallas always writes interesting books, and this one is no exception. An avalanche hits the mining town of Swandyke, Colorado sweeping away several children on their way home from school in the first chapter. In subsequent chapters, Dallas explores the stories of each of the children's families. In the final few chapters, she returns to the avalanche, recounting the search for bodies and telling us who lived and who died. Some details is also given concerning the survivors of the dead children. Dallas is an author whose books are not to be missed.
    • 4/5
      Reason for Reading: I've always wanted to read a Sandra Dallas book and the plot of this one was particularly intriguing.This is a beautiful story. It's what I call a light read. I picked the book up one evening and when it was time to turn out the light saw I had read three-quarters of the book. The story is simple and quite straight-forward but Dallas has written it in such a manner that the reader becomes emotionally involved in the characters by the time the already mentioned tragedy unfolds. She brings to her characters redemption, love, forgiveness and perhaps a look into God's mysterious way.The story opens with an avalanche on top of a mountain in a tiny mining village and nine children coming home from school are caught in the slide. We are told four survived. Then each of the following chapters focuses on a child's or siblings' parents or in some cases parent. These historical vignettes can go as far back as the grandparents but most concentrate on the parent(s) and the one great or many small sins they have hidden in their lives. Each ends with the birth of the children or sometime in their early life. So we never really get to know the children, only through how they are thought of by others. Then comes a point when the story picks up with the avalanche and we watch the town come together to deal with the rescue and tragedy that is their fate.The reader is in a position now to know how each family will react if it is their child(ren) that die and the reader is also vested in who could best handle the situation and perhaps who most needs redemption through the experience of death. Each person with a buried child has a reason to think they are being punished for their past sins and each also has reason to be forgiven. How it works out for the families in the end is very satisfying both for those who lost their children and those whose children lived. A beautiful story and a page-turner. I will certainly be adding Sandra Dallas to my list of authors to read.
    • 3/5
      What is this ??and it sucks a lot more than the one that i lisin to
    • 4/5
      In 1920, an avalanche hit the mining town of Swandyke, Colorado, just as school let out. There were kids on the street, just heading home, as the snow came tumbling down... The book starts by letting us know this, then backs up to find out about the lives of some of the parents (and one grandparent) of those children. Then, the book leads up to the avalanche itself. There was no historical/author’s note, so I had to look this up to see if it really happened. It appears that Swandyke was a real town; now it’s a ghost town with some items and buildings, but I couldn’t find any mention of an avalanche that buried children there. However, this is a really good story. It was easy to get the characters mixed up a bit, as there were so many, and with one chapter on each family’s history, it took a minute when they were mentioned again to remember who was who. Even still, I enjoyed all of those families’ stories, though one stood out a bit more than the others for me (the black man working at the mine who had a young daughter).
    • 5/5
      Whiter Than Snow opens in 1920, on a spring afternoon in Swandyke, a small town near Colorado’s Tenmile Range. Just moments after four o’clock, a large split of snow separates from Jubilee Mountain high above the tiny hamlet and hurtles down the rocky slope, enveloping everything in its path including nine young children who are walking home from school. But only four children survive. Whiter Than Snow takes you into the lives of each of these families: There’s Lucy and Dolly Patch—two sisters, long estranged by a shocking betrayal. Joe Cobb, Swandyke’s only black resident, whose love for his daughter Jane forces him to flee Alabama. There’s Grace Foote, who hides secrets and scandal that belies her genteel façade. And Minder Evans, a civil war veteran who considers his cowardice his greatest sin. Finally, there’s Essie Snowball, born Esther Schnable to conservative Jewish parents, but who now works as a prostitute and hides her child’s parentage from all the world. Ultimately, each story serves as an allegory to the greater theme of the novel by echoing that fate, chance, and perhaps even divine providence, are all woven into the fabric of everyday life. And it’s through each character’s defining moment in his or her past that the reader understands how each child has become its parent’s purpose for living. In the end, it’s a novel of forgiveness, redemption, survival, faith and family.
    • 3/5
      3.5***

      Just after four o’clock on a spring afternoon in 1920, the Colorado mining town of Swandyke is changed forever. An avalanche hurtles down the rocky slope above the town, burying nine children on their way home from school. The disaster cut across social class, religious and racial differences and affects everyone in the town from the owner of the Fourth of July Mine to the Jewish prostitute to the only Negro mine worker.

      Dallas tells us about the disaster early, and we know right away the names of the nine children engulfed in the huge mass of snow, ice and rock. Then she backtracks and tells us the stories of these families and how they came to live in Swandyke. Along the way we learn of the horrors of the Civil War and Andersonville, the treatment of newly freed slaves after the war, and the life of Jewish immigrants in the tenements of New York. We visit wealthy homes and impoverished ones. Hard lives are eased with education, or made harder by lack of same. In this way we come to understand these men and women whose lives will be changed by events of that spring day. Despite already knowing what will happen, Dallas has the events of that fateful day unfold in a way that builds suspense and dread. The reader is just as anxious as the parents of the buried children, as men from the mine frantically dig with every available shovel, pick and tool to uncover them. Every resident, whether their children were caught in the slide or not, will feel the anguish of that day. United in grief, people forgive past hurts and exercise compassion. The final scene is heartbreaking, but leaves the reader with a sense of hope.
    • 4/5
      I was almost immediately reminded of the book from way back in 1927---The Bridge of San Luis Rey---where the victims died in the collapse of a rope bridge---how did they get there---why them and who were they? In this book, the victims are children and we are seeing the lives of their parents and guardians more than the actual children in their interactions leading up to the avalanche and beyond---how do they cope. I enjoyed the CD, read by Ali Ahn.
    • 3/5
      First and foremost I read Sandra Dallas because she is such a great storyteller. In Whiter Than Snow she tells the story of a small mining town in Colorado where, on an April day in 1920, an avalanche roars down the mountain and across the road where nine schoolchildren are on their way home. As the anxious people start to dig, the reader is taken on a backward journey into the lives of each of the mothers and fathers that are so desperately hoping that their children will be saved.These back stories are varied and include estranged sisters, a troubled civil war veteran, a prostitute, a wife of the mine manager and a black man. Unfortunately, I felt the characters were a little contrived and the stories weren’t as fresh or original as I would have liked. It was very clear from the first chapter that only some of the children would survive and my curiosity was aroused to see which family would see their loved one restored.I would say Whiter Than Snow was a solid story, but I have learned to expect a little more from this author, so I felt this one wasn’t equal to her best work. This is a story of love, redemption, and forgiveness but somehow I didn’t quite feel the sense of connection and empathy that I usually do with this author’s characters.
    • 5/5
      Whiter Than Snow by Sandra Dallas is one of those books that will stay with me over time. Her characters are believable; the scenarios she creates seem real. I laughed. I cried. I wished the best for various characters, and the worst for others. Wonderful book, in my opinion. I look forward to reading more of her work.
    • 3/5
      It is 1920 and springtime in Swandyke, Colorado. The gold mining town is beautiful to some and ugly to others. This book introduces us to several of the towns residents. One afternoon while the children are wlking home from school, there is an avalanche, which kills many of the children. The story is well written but there ar too many characters which makes it difficult to remember their relationships. The book jumps back and forth fom past to present, telling the story of each character. While it is good to know their backgrounds, it can at times be onfusing.
    • 3/5
      Sandra Dallas has the ability to sculpt the events of an everyday life into something compelling. Though this book has at its heart a cataclysmic event for a small town in Colorado, the book is primarily made up of the back-stories of some of the people caught up in the terrible events of a spring afternoon in 1920, when nine children, headed home from school, were buried by an avalanche. The town of Swandyke responds, but not before the reader has been taken into the past to learn the history of six of the parents. Avalanches are strange and mysterious beasts -- it's hard to appreciate the magnitude of their power until to actually see what they can leave in their wake. I've only known of avalanche rescue in current times. To read about the valiant efforts in the time of the book was sobering. The image of one of the fathers digging for his child is one that will haunt me.
    • 5/5
      I am a long-abiding fan of Sandra Dallas' work. I once wrote to her to say that waiting for her book to come in the mail was like waiting for my best friend to come visit. I still feel that way. I am not one for such sad topics as this novel was about, but after a few pages I could not put this book down until I had reached the end. Sandra has touched my heart again and there were even tears at the end. So if you have never read a book of hers, ever, you should definitely go out and get them all! They are treasures to be looked at again and again. As precious as a good friend.
    • 4/5
      great chilling but goodWhen an avalanche thundered down the mountain housing the Fourth of July Mine in Swandyke, Colorado, that bright April afternoon in 1920, it carried death and destruction but also provided the seeds for forgiveness and redemption. Grace Foote, the mine manager’s wife, sees the children on their way home from school. Joe Cobb, the only black man in town, is one of the first to dig for them. Sisters Lucy and Dolly, estranged for years, unite now in the face of shared tragedy. Essie Schnabel, from New York City and Jewish and working in a brothel, stands vigil, as does Minder Evans, a crusty Civil War veteran raising his grandson. Dallas presents another historical novel about the hardscrabble mining communities of Colorado, set just down the road from her best-selling Prayers for Sale (2009), creating a patchwork of individuals whose lives had not intersected until this singular, transformative event.
    • 3/5
      Sandra Dallas started her career in journalism. She began writing nonfiction while still working for "Business Week" magazine. She has written 9 fiction books and 2 nonfiction."Whiter Than Snow" is about an avalanche in a small Colorado mining town that sweeps down the mountain taking 9 children, walking home from school, with it. The books starts with the avalanche and then goes into the background of the town and the families affected when their children are caught in the path of the avalanche. The bigger part of the book centers on telling the reader about the families, how and why they came to the small town and their interaction/relationship to the others in the town. The author shows the problems between families, friends and newcomers and how tragedy can bring people together and change the whole dynamic of the town.I listened to this book on CD,narrated by Ali Ahn. I must admit that even though this book has a wonderful overall message, I found it to be slow to build and fast to end. I think I would have been still reading if I had actually had to read it.
    • 4/5
      Whiter Than Snow by Sandra DallasPublished by St. Martin's PressISBN 978-0-312-60015-0At the request of Authors On The Web, a HC copy was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion. Synopsis (from book's jacket): On a spring afternoon in 1920, Swandyke-a small town near Colorado's Tenmile Range-is changed forever. Just moments after four o'clock, a large split of snow separates from Jubilee Mountain high above the tiny hamlet and hurtles down the rocky slope, enveloping everything in its path. Meet the residents whose lives this tragedy touches: Lucy and Dolly Patch, two sisters long estranged by a shocking betrayal. Joe Cobb, Swandyke's only black resident, whose love for his daughter forces him to flee Alabama. Then there's Grace Foote who hides secrets and scandal that belie her genteel facade. And Minder Evans, a Civil War veteran who considers cowardice his greatest sin. Finally, there's Essie Snowball, born Esther Schnable to conservative Jewish parents but who now works as a prostitute and hides her child's parentage from the world. Fate, chance, and perhaps divine providence all collide in the everyday lives to these people. And ultimately, no one is without sin, no ones's soul is whiter than snow, and no one is without the need for forgiveness. My Thoughts and Opinion: This is the first novel by Sandra Dallas that I have read, and in my opinion, is a gifted storyteller. The first chapter grips you with a glimpse of what is to come. It begins on that fateful day, April 20th 1920 when the avalanche roars through Swandyke, Colorado. Subsequent chapters follow the lives of six (6) residents prior to that fateful day and then returns, once again to 1920 bringing the story full circle. The author's writing style, one word, exceptional. While reading this novel, for me, was like watching a movie in my imagination. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the history, the fashion or lack of, the housing, professions, morals, racism, inter caste system and beliefs of the 1920's and before, on a personal level, because my grandmother was born in 1900. And a profound underlying message that forgiveness comes within and is a gift to one's self and that no one's soul is whiter than snow. This moving and emotional tale was truly a treasure to read. My Rating: 4/5
    • 4/5
      In "Whiter Than Snow," Sandra Dallas offers another look at life in Colorado's gold mining towns during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a time when the hardiest, most adventurous (or, perhaps, most desperate) souls were willing to risk their lives for a steady job in a company town. Swandyke, near Tenmile Range, is filled with people who have come to the cold little town for a variety of reasons. Some are in hiding from creditors or the law; some just kept moving westward, failing in one move after the other, until they ended up in Colorado; and its lone black resident is here because he struck a white man and had to run for his life in the middle of the night.Swandyke is a town in which the privacy of others is respected. Those who want to keep to themselves can do so for years. The men, many of whom are of the hard-drinking variety, work the mine; the women stay home and raise their children, teach in the town schoolhouse, or work in the local brothel. Life in Swandyke, especially in the wintertime, is tough but, by the spring of 1920, life there has become routine for most of its residents.That will change, though, at 4:10 p.m. on April 20, 1920 when an avalanche gobbles up nine Swandyke school children as they make their way home form their little schoolhouse. Five of the avalanche victims are the children of two estranged sisters, one is the son of the mine manager, one is the only black child in the town, one is the daughter of a prostitute, and the other is being raised by his Civil War veteran grandfather.The author remarks in the book's very first chapter that only four of the nine children will survive. The rest of "Whiter Than Snow" deals with who the nine children are and how their families came to be in Swandyke, Colorado, working for the big Fourth of July mine. Dallas tells their story in a series of flashbacks and backstories involving each of the six families that have had children snatched away by the avalanche. The reader learns of the strengths, weaknesses, hopes and dreams of each parent, a group of people with very little in common other than their work at the mine and their love for their children. Suddenly, though these people have hardly interacted before, they come together in a wave of mutual support that will help the most unfortunate of them survive the five terrible losses just ahead.As the book's main characters are being developed, the novel is steadily building to a dramatic climax during which the reader will finally learn which children survive and which do not. The townspeople know they have less than twenty minutes to dig survivors from beneath the snow - and, one-by-one, they will bring children to the surface in their race against the clock. For five children, it is too late. If you begin this book, you will not quit reading until you find out which five.Rated at: 4.0
    • 4/5
      On a spring afternoon in 1920, a small town in Colorado is changed forever. Meet the residents whose lives this tragedy touches. Good story about people pulling together after tragedy.
    • 4/5
      Whiter Than Snow is a historical novel about the Colorado mining towns of the early 1900s. Sandra Dallas is known for her compelling western dramas, well research and so realistic you can feel the grit in your teeth and the cold in your bones. In her latest novel the town of Swandyke has suffered an avalanche and nine children have been buried. As the town frantically works to dig the children out, Dallas takes us through the lives of each family affected, detailing their histories and heartbreaks.I became easily engrossed in this book as with all of Sandra Dallas's novels. However I did find Whiter Than Snow to be darker and more somber than her others. I can usually count on Dallas for a few good laughs, but this was stronger on the social commentary and probably more realistic. I recommend this book if you like Western American literature like Plainsong and Peace Like a River.
    • 5/5
      April 20, 1920, was a day no one in Swandyke, Colorado would ever forget. An avalanche rushed down the mountainside at the same time the children were walking home from school. Grace (the wife of the mine manager), two estranged sisters--Lucy and Dolly, Essie (a prostitute), Minder (a Civil War veteran), and Joe--the only Negro in town--would have their lives and relationships with the other residents changed in a way in which they could never have anticipated. They can no longer hide behind their pasts and fears as they are forced to come together and forgive each other and themselves. Each of the characters in this piece of historical fiction will work their way into the reader's heart as they struggle with becoming "whiter than snow."
    • 5/5
      Ms. Dallas hasn't disappointed yet - I love her novels. Like her last novel ("Prayers for Sale"), this one is set in a mining town in Colorado Rockies. In a bit of a departure, Ms. Dallas intertwines the stories of a number of characters, bringing them together in the tragedy that befalls the small town of Swandyke. I loved the way the characters find grace in the midst of sorrow.
    • 2/5
      I was disappointed with this book. I had heard that Sandra Dallas was a great author but this book did not show her skill. It only talked about the avalanche in the beginning of the book and the end,the whole rest of the book gave overly detailed descriptions of the family memebers effected by the avalanche. It really dragged on!
    • 4/5
      I have read two other of Sandra Dallas's books, and I enjoyed this as much as Tallgrass. I found Prayers For Sale to be a little slow. Whiter Than Snow is set in a mining town, as is Prayers For Sale. An avalanche falls in April 1920, in a small mining town in Colorado and buries nine young school children. The story begins with the avalanche and then quickly turns to describe the life of each parent or caregiver of the nine children. In the various stories are two sisters who have not spoken to one another in years, a Jewish prostitute saving money to open a dress making shop, an old Civil War veteran fighting with guilt, the mine manager and his wife, and the only Negro in the town-a single black man with a 6 year old daughter. As usual in Dallas's stories are the multitude of human emotions and existence; and the secrets that people hide. The story ends with the community coming together to dig for the children in hopes of finding survivors; as the reader waits to learn the fate of each of the nine children.
    • 5/5
      Sandra Dallas always writes interesting books, and this one is no exception. An avalanche hits the mining town of Swandyke, Colorado sweeping away several children on their way home from school in the first chapter. In subsequent chapters, Dallas explores the stories of each of the children's families. In the final few chapters, she returns to the avalanche, recounting the search for bodies and telling us who lived and who died. Some details is also given concerning the survivors of the dead children. Dallas is an author whose books are not to be missed.