Rating: 
Summary: A Short Story/Travel Commentary fluffed to Novel proportions
Review: Weak storyline, an ending that could not be justified in this short novel. Check this one out of the library.
Rating:
Summary: Good writing, bad story.
Review: Guterson's use of a pack of wild Irish Wolfhound is just plain absurd. Irish Wolfhounds are the most docile of dog breeds. They are lazy, if anything. They are very independent-minded and I doubt if any "pack mentality" in the way Guterson suggests would occur.The author plainly used wolfhounds because of their size. Equally as plain: he never met one. Otherwise the book was good writing about implausible events.
Rating: 
Summary: Too wordy. Would edit to a good short story
Review: This does not compare with 'Snow Falling on Cedars" The first two chapters are good , but after that the book becomes tedious and too repetitious of scenery, weather, etc. The conversations are stilted. It almost seems that the author ran out of things to say in the last chapters.
Rating: 
Summary: A tone poem for the West...
Review: Any author that can find the opportunity to use the word "limn" has my undying respect. A hauntingly lyrical ode to the parents, alive or dead, of all of us over forty-five.
Rating: 
Summary: a major disappointment
Review: I'd read Guterson's first novel (and recommended it to several friends), his book of short stories, and his book on homeschooling (which I endorsed to my unschooling group), and I really looked forward to reading this new novel. But even three pages into it, I was sooooo disappointed. I did read the whole thing, just to be fair, but the prose is bloated and awkward, some of the characters are not consistently drawn, and the novel as written is just not good. The story itself has promise, but the manner of its telling kills it. It's coldly drawn, amateurishly written. Ironic, since at a recent reading on the tour for this book, Guterson spoke dismissively of his previous work, speaking instead of how his work in this new book demonstrated his growth as a writer. Hmmm. Since I so admired his earlier work, I should've taken that as fair warning. But I'd already advance-ordered the book through Amazon. Buyer beware! Wait til the October book sales at your local libraries!
Rating:
Summary: Well-styled, but disappointing
Review: I loved Snow Falling on Cedars, and being a hunter and a doctor who happens to own two male Brittanies (one old and one young, though both orange and white--I have never seen a brown and white Brit--liver and white, perhaps?), I found the book jacket summary of the book enticing and looked forward to the read. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed. The hunting scenes, while not really incorrect, just did not ring true. I noted the author thanked everyone for their insights and expertise except when it came to hunting...he could have used someone to point out when one hunts quail (not in July...the offspring are still the size of sparrows). Also, I am not sure when the gun suddenly became evil (and I am for gun control)...it seemed a disjointed and abrupt way to end that storyline. What the author really knows, he describes beautifully. I just had the uncomfortable sensation that he wasn't comfortable with the hunting side of the story. I think I was mainly disappointed because there was the hint of a great story here, and I kept expecting more.
Rating:
Summary: This book was so poorly written that I could not finish it.
Review: I had high hopes for this book when I began reading it, however, these hopes were dashed right away. Mr. Guterson could not create a believable main character and when this man began to have "experiences" with other characters this story became so predictable that I gave up in disgust. It was obvious that each character was meant to impart some bit of wisdom and then vanish forever. How trite and hackneyed. To go from "Snow Falling on Cedars" to this is a disgrace. The only explanation I can imagine is that Mr. Guterson wrote this book just to fulfill his contract with the publisher. I won't be so quick to pick up the next book he writes.
Rating:
Summary: If you want a good cry, read this book!
Review: David Guterson is a very talented writer, although I wouldn't classify this book in the same category as Snow Falling on Cedars. Be prepared for a depressing read if you should get your hands on East of the Mountains. It has, of course, a very sad premise - man dying of cancer, setting off to commit suicide - we all know how things are probably going to turn out. However, by the end of the book I didn't feel the better person for having read it and was glad when the final page came and went. I am looking forward to reading more from this author, however. He is a great writer, as evidenced by his previous works.
Rating:
Summary: I liked this one better than "Snow Falling on Cedars"...
Review: I was hooked after reading the first chapter. I thought the book was beautifully twritten. As in "Snow Falling...", there are beautiful descriptions of the landscape. Also, like "Snow...", the protagonist's feelings are carefully depicted. Ben's feelings of grief, loss, and of being adrift in the world were quite powerful. In the scenes where Ben's dogs are attacked by a pack of wolfhounds and in the description of the field hospital in Italy, the author shows he can convey drama in a convincing way. On the whole, I liked it better than "Snow Falling...". I found Ben Givens to be a character I could identify more closely with than Ishmael in "Snow..."
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing follow-up to Snow Falling On Cedars
Review: After all the hype from the reviewers, I was set to stay up all night reading, as I did with Guterson's debut novel. Boy, was I disappointed. The book is not bad...but it is not good either. The rich character development I was expecting from "Snow" was all but gone, and I found it hard to care about the protagonist. This book was a definite disappointment.
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