Rating: 
Summary: Do Not Read This Book During Summer!
Review: The snow...the ice...the cold...all are wonderfully described in this beautifully written novel. I bought this book in the summertime, but knowing it's winter Danish setting wisely held off from reading it till the winter -- reading this in summer heat just wouldn't be right!At its most basic, this is a great whodunnit. Smilla, with her Greenlander ability to "read" tracks and forms in the snow (hence the title), knows that her little boy neighbour did not simply trip and fall from the snow-topped roof of their building...The tracks tell Smilla something more sinister, and she is determined to get to the root of it. Smilla herself is a wonderful character, sometimes appearing sympathetic and warm, other times cold and distant. In other words, she is entirely convincing. READ THIS BOOK! It had me on the edge of my seat and was a thrilling page turner.
Rating: 
Summary: A cracking yarn.
Review: This is a compelling and intelligent novel, slightly let down by a dissapointing ending. The book concerns Smilla, a native Greenlander living in Copehnhagen, and how the footprints a neighbours child left in snow before falling to his death lead her on a voyage of dicovery, into the depths of her own psyche and memories of childhood, as well as unravelling the circumstances surrounding the death. As a straightforward adventure/mystery story, the book works remarkably well. Peter Hoeg teases us and keeps us turning the pages, witholds information and throws us scraps concerning the mystery at the novels heart, then builds our expectations towards a final scene of revelation and confrontation on a glacial island near Greenland. The novel has real depth as well: Smilla's character is sympathetically drawn, and she is prone to questioning and insecurity of the sort we all face. She is convincing and likeable, at times despicable, the cold in her heart reflecting the icy wastes of her birth, at times warmingly sensitive. Hoeg has also clearly researched the novel very carefully- the sections on board ship as Smilla travels to Greenland are wholly convincing, while Smillas regular allusions to the works of great mathematicians and scientists she has studied are welcome and intriguing,lending the novel a technical edge I found necessary, as it imbues the central mystery with more credibility. Peripheral characters are cleverly drawn too: the interaction between Smilla and the mechanic is subtle and gentle.
What Hoeg creates with this novel is an adventure yarn in the grand tradition, with all the intrigue and occasional scenes of violence and disaster this suggests. Yet beneath the surface of the novel lies a telling piece of classic literature: Smillas life, her thoughts and insecurities draw us in utterly, while her musings on the plight of the Greenlander in Denmark, and of Greenland in general, are both educational and emotive.
My only gripe with the novel was the ending, which felt as though Hoeg had built us into such a frenzy of excitement and anticipation no revelation, at the last, would suffice to satiate our desire.
Despite this, the novel is highly recommended, as a story and as a telling social document and insightful character study.
Well worth the time.
Rating:
Summary: Miss Smilla has a feel for more than snow.
Review: This is a quite brilliant read. I read the original translation from Dutch and even though it was a translation, the style of the writing made it a very easy read. The main character (Smilla Jasperson) is a sometimes likeable, sometimes cold character, but overall makes you want to know her better because of her complexity. The main plot revolves around her investigations into the death of a young boy (Isiah) that she had befriended in her apartment block, which goes far beyond what she could have ever expected. Well recommended if you're looking for a good whodunnit, and I hope we see Ms Jasperson again some day.
Rating:
Summary: Smilla -
Review: We are introduced to a foreboding and insular character on the very first page of this marvellous story. Smilla, half Inuit, half Danish sets the mood for the novel brilliantly. Her only friend in the world, an eight year old inuit boy, falls from a rooftop in snow covered Copenhagen. - No mystery there. Except he had a phobia about heights, and Smilla can read snow. The story moves quickly along and Smilla uncovers a web of lies and coverups. The narritave is laced with Smilla's technical knowledge of snow and ice. She is a world expert in the formation of ice, which lends even more credibility to this fantastic adventure.
Smilla is resourceful, bitter, intelligent, snide, brave and lonely. She is one of the most memorable characters you will ever come in contact with. Her interaction with other characters in the book are fascinating. Hoeg shows a deep understanding of human pschyology and what makes people tick. Notably her affair with the mechanic is so honest and real that is almost brutal. The ending seems a terrible anti climax to the gripping dectetive story and Smilla's ability to stay alive in the face of overwhelming desire to quieten her for good. On a 2nd reading, it seems that you are left to draw your own conclusion. Does she die as she goes into the ice, or will her knowledge of Greenland, Ice and Water keep her alive. You decide. Unmissable, Unputdownable. A deep and sensitive thriller.
Rating: 
Summary: What's all the fuss?
Review: What is all the fuss about this book? I found the geographical setting an interesting idea and was totally up for being enthralled. Hoeg does write beautifully about snow and ice-clad settings, but a good novelist he is not, in my opinion. I found the pace of the plot turgid and dull, dull, dull. I was not particularly interested in any of the characters and didn't much care what happened to any of them. Although some of his descriptive narrative is extremely beautiful and different, much of it went on for far too long, and as a result, I forgot what I was supposed to be reading about. I'm a bit annoyed that a novel which seemed to captivate many of my friends, quite frankly left me cold.
Rating:
Summary: Miss Smilla's Feeling For Snow
Review: When a young boy falls to his death off a snow-covered rooftop in Denmark, the police rule it a tragic accident. Not so, says his friend Smilla Jasperson, a Greenlander, who can read the marks left in the snow. Smilla is resourceful, cynical, fierce, and determined not to let her young friend down. When the case is closed, she takes it upon herself to hunt down Isiah's killer. "Miss Smilla's Feeling For Snow" is a rivetting read and a literary masterpiece, with all the makings of a modern classic.
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