Sign up for our newsletters to receive our Best of 2024 ezine!

What do readers think of Snowdrops by A.D. Miller? Write your own review.

Summary | Reviews | More Information | More Books

Snowdrops by A.D. Miller

Snowdrops

A Novel

by A.D. Miller

  • Critics' Consensus (3):
  • Readers' Rating (21):
  • Published:
  • Feb 2011, 272 pages
  • Rate this book

About this book

Reviews

Page 2 of 3
There are currently 21 reader reviews for Snowdrops
Order Reviews by:

Write your own review!

Donna N. (High Rolls, NM)

one big snow job
I enjoyed this book, reading it in 2 sittings. you get a good flavor of present day Russia and business dealings. characters are well developed and interesting.-one complaint: the narrator is telling this story to a third party, and I found references to this person annoying, as well as interrupting the narrative flow. On the whole, though, this is a good read, with lots of twists and turns.
Cynthia A. (Grand Rapids, MI)

One for the favorite list!
Snowdrops is a thrilling, suspenseful, can't-put-it-down read! Although the subject is not the same, I experienced the same anticipation and emotions as when I saw A BEAUTIFUL MIND at the theater. I could not put this book down! This book would be enjoyed by book clubs with both men and women readers. I LOVED this book and look forward to reading more by this author.
Judith B. (N Chelmsford, MA)

Snowdrops by A.D. Miller
Nick Platt seems such a sad sort. We never find out about his past or his future. The book is written as a letter to his fiancee about a time in his life when he lived and practiced law in Moscow. It portrays an eye-opening awareness of modern day Russia and the struggles of citizens who want to create a better world but are continued to be drawn into the corrupt world of their past. Moscow is a city of "hedonism and desperation, corruption and kindness..." The book is an easy read, but I found it imbalanced by portraying just a capsule of the bigger picture of the characters
Janice M. (Holland, MI)

Snowdrops
Twists and turns galore and a feeling of foreboding flow through the pages of Snowdrops. It has an Alfred Hitchcock feel to it - as the reader, you know that things are not what they seem. Unfortunately, the main character, Nick Platt, is taken in by the city and the friends he makes and he continues his relationship with them even when he realizes he is being used. A quick read with an interesting plot and location. I can see this being a good pick for a book club because of the characters and their many flaws.
Duane F. (Cape Girardeau, MO)

Snowdrops
I finished this book and have mulled it over and yet I still find myself unable to decide whether it was a hit or a miss. This is a story of the underbelly of Russian life It plays on your, emotions, pushes your buttons and left me puzzled as to what I wanted from it. It was hard to relate to any of the characters. This alone should have made me put it down, but it did not. From the start the Nick Platt, the lead character, lets us know that there is a deep secret he is going to try and explain and use to justify his actions. His motive seems suspect from the start. This is his confession. He then takes the reader on a ride of intrigue, lust, passion and betrayal.

It is fast paced and believable, yet I came away disappointed. I wanted stronger characters, a real hero... I wanted someone to measure up to my standards for fictional characters. Yet these characters seem like real people and behave like real people and have flaws like real people, just like me. They made selfish choices, deceived the vulnerable and took advantage of a system which set them up to fail rather than flourish... sounds like real life. Was it just a story based on what we believe could only happen in Russia or was it in fact a look too real at what happens to us when we only view the surface and act on immediate impulses?

Perhaps what this book really has to offer is a look at human nature stripped down its basic essence of what we want verses what we need.

What do we want from a book? This one left me with a chill as deep as the Russian cold, looking over my shoulder and looking deeper into the eyes of strangers. Having given us Nick's confession, the author has delivered up a tale with none of the usual suspects, much less the usual outcome.
Jen S. (Marple Public Library, Broomall, PA)

A Dark Russian Thriller: Snowdrops by A.D. Miller
"Snowdrops" is a dark Russian thriller, with tricky characters I was never sure I could trust. Written in the first person, the narrator, Nick Platt is a British lawyer living in Moscow. His voice seems sincere, relating his Russian experiences to his fiance, but is his story believable, or is he just trying to justify his actions? There's a strong sense of foreboding right from the beginning, and it continues throughout the story, with failed financial dealings, broken families and missing neighbors. While I was able to predict the ending, I enjoyed the time I spent with Nick. "Snowdrops" will appeal to readers who enjoy business-thrillers with a European twist.
Joanne H. (Waconia, MN)

Enter the emptiness of the hollow man (men)
If you want to visit Russia during its early experimentation with capitalism, Snow Drops could be a tourist guide to a bleak social realm, although much of the emptiness comes from an expatriate British lawyer who is the protagonist.
The setting and ambiance were unusually effective,the plot satisfactory, and character development disturbing. I frequently found myself remembering lines from The Hollow Men as I read, and thinking this was a novel about them.
Despite all the gloom, I would quite strongly recommend this book for the discomfiting experience it provides.
Christine P. (Pleasanton, CA)

Snowdrops
At the beginning I found this book compelling. I found the descriptions of Moscow and its inhabitants in the early days of capitalism fascinating but dismal at the same time. As I read further, I was put off by the greed and decadence and lack of caring by and for its main character, Nick Platt. I found Nick to be as cold as a Moscow winter. The writing is well done but to classify it as a psychological drama will lead more readers to be disappointed then not. I was hoping for some dramatic ending and felt it fell flat and like Nick Platt longing for something that I just wasn’t going to get.
  • Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3

More Information

Read-Alikes

Top Picks

  • Book Jacket
    The Frozen River
    by Ariel Lawhon
    "I cannot say why it is so important that I make this daily record. Perhaps because I have been ...
  • Book Jacket
    Prophet Song
    by Paul Lynch
    Paul Lynch's 2023 Booker Prize–winning Prophet Song is a speedboat of a novel that hurtles...
  • Book Jacket: The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern
    The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern
    by Lynda Cohen Loigman
    Lynda Cohen Loigman's delightful novel The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern opens in 1987. The titular ...
  • Book Jacket: Small Rain
    Small Rain
    by Garth Greenwell
    At the beginning of Garth Greenwell's novel Small Rain, the protagonist, an unnamed poet in his ...

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket
The Rose Arbor
by Rhys Bowen
An investigation into a girl's disappearance uncovers a mystery dating back to World War II in a haunting novel of suspense.
Book Jacket
In Our Midst
by Nancy Jensen
In Our Midst follows a German immigrant family’s fight for freedom after their internment post–Pearl Harbor.
Who Said...

Censorship, like charity, should begin at home: but unlike charity, it should end there.

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Big Holiday Wordplay 2024

Enter Now

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.