Rating: 
Summary: Great followup
Review: This was a great followup to Snow Falling on Cedars. If you like your books to portray the landscape and people accurately--take it from an Eastern Washington native--Guterson does this extremely well. Well worth the read.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable book
Review: I think reviews are most effective if you compare the book in question to others that most of us have read, so prospective readers have something to measure it against. East of the Mountains could be best described as a novel of courage and dedication--with the emotional power of The Triumph and the Glory or Stones from the River, the literary charisma of Grisham at his best, and a theme worthy of the tradition of Snow Falling on Cedars.
Rating: 
Summary: A meditation on life and death
Review: I read this book in two long sittings. I was captivated by the writing--wandering, wondering descriptions of the geography of my home state. They were accurate enough to evoke memories of my own trips through the passes and the areas east of the mountains, but this was no travelogue--there was a certain dreamscape quality to the descriptions, also. I thought Ben's ruminations on his life, his impending death, and his attempts to control the timing of his death were compelling and kept me glued to the page. If you're looking for a book with a ton of action, best to look elsewhere. But if you don't mind going for a long drive through some pretty lonely country, where the questions are big and the answers are incomplete, then this may be the book for you.
Rating:
Summary: Inspiring
Review: I am surprised some people did not like this book. I could hardly put it down. I don't usually stand for much description, but in this book it just flowed naturally as part of the action. I really cared about Ben and kept reading to find out what happened to him. This book has a lot to say about life and death. Read it!
Rating: 
Summary: Even the title is drab.
Review: Echoing the sentiments of the other reviewers, I had a hard time finishing and liking this book. True, it did have great descriptions regarding the various landscapes of Washington, but this did not make me care for or care about any of the characters. We were supposed to feel the great love between Ben & Rachel? I felt nothing. There was something lacking in the war references as well - I could not seem to find in Ben any real feelings - for someone to be struggling with as much as he was. Hating to not finish a book, no matter how bad it is, I read until the end - hoping that something would spark & make me care but that didn't happen. I just kept muttering all the way through - "I can't believe he wrote such a lame follow up to Snow Falling On Cedars". You can definitely tell that it was riding on the coat tails of his first. Since I tend to read books by the same author a lot, I am sure I will pick up whatever his next may be and hope that he reels me back in with his storytelling abilities that were highly evident in Snow Falling...but were definitely lacking in East of the Mountain.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I've read in over a year.
Review: A thought provoking, well written book. Done without explicit sex and violence, which is rare in today's fiction. Should appeal to any mature individual who has depth enough to have a feel for what is written.
Rating:
Summary: Zzzzzzzz....
Review: After 'Snow Falling in Cedars', I was ready for a new book by Guterson. By page 67, I knew I was in trouble because I had managed to find time to read two other novels while getting to page 67. I guess I persevered through the whole book because I kept thinking, 'something has to change, it has to get better - thats what the blurb on the back of the book promises'. But alas, no. The book rambles on and as you get closer and closer to the end (with many a hopeful flick to the last page - "only 30 more pages to go!"), the plot disintegrates and the storyline really does become a aimless, directioneless romp through east Washington State. I wonder if this book would have been published if it had been his first? The only thing it has going for it is very nice language decribing Washington, but with no storyline, I wouldn't never have bothered to read another book by him. Ah well, I await the film for Snow Falling on Cedars instead.
Rating: 
Summary: The emotional stuff was great, too many details of the war.
Review: Ben's reflections of his wife, mother, father and brother were very moving. I am a nurse and really appreciated the descriptions of what others see as the dedication medical people must have to do their work. I'm glad in the end Ben decided to go home, to the other side of the mountain.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing.
Review: After reading 'Snow Falling on Cedars' I was ready to rip into David Guterson's next book. I wasn't ready for the hopelessness of Dr. Givens and his intent to control even this last act of his life. I kept saying....why am I reading this? I got tired of all the rambling. There is some good that comes out of all of it....Dr. Givens finally gets the point and changes his course. But it took a long while to get there. Not the great that 'Snow....' was. Sorry.
Rating: 
Summary: Stilted narration makes this a real snoozer
Review: I, who grew up in the very towns Guterson described, looked forward to reading this book with great anticipation. What a disappointment! The narrative was stiflingly slow. Guterson seemed intent on poetically describing, in minute detail, every windswept road, tumbleweed and piece of sagebrush from Vantage to Wenatchee. The book literally reeked with graphic descriptions of wounds to dogs, birds and humans. The purpose of these descriptions seemed intended solely to shock the reader. The ponderous descriptions drew the focus so far from the main character that he seemed like an afterthought. The main character's flashbacks to his youth -- which could have brought him to life -- fell flat, simply overshadowed by Guterson's obsession with creating a backdrop for this character. Hunters, veterans or doctors MAY manage to find some redeeming value in this book, but it's doubtful. Don't waste your time on this one, folks.
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