I would give this small book to any nature enthusiast as a cautionary tale of how the most experienced hikes can become indistinguishable when snow flurries erupt. Frustrating and terrifying as an older brother leads his little sister getting deeper into glaciers with no clear way down. The calm courage of the children with pauses to reflect on the dangerous beauty of it all, in addition to spirit of community come together for this Christmas tale. This novella is from 1845, so it is hard to compare it with most of the things I read. It is a thread of incident embroidered with beautiful description -- and the description truly is beautiful, the fine focus on the colours of the ice, the shapes of the rock, the beauty of a glacier made all the more unearthly because it is seen through the eyes of children. A love-story to a glacier, perhaps, and ironic to read now, of this ice that will last as long as the world, which may already have begun to melt.
A perfect read for this miserable winterday. Beautiful geographical description.
—Hunter
A very fast, short read, interesting mostly for a unique writing style.
—14tcarmi
Drunk...will write more tomorrow...cleansing novel
—Jay
Loved, loved, loved it!
—Liss
reread 12/25/2013.
—cookielovee
