I have loved all Sebastian Faulks' books and Snow Country is no exception. Faulks has an ability to draw the reader in gradually, stealthily almost, until they are transported to another time, another place.

The writing in Snow Country is languid, unhurried, and beautiful. Slowly slowly you become more invested in the story of Lena and Anton. Two broken souls finding their way to one another. Finding acceptance. Closing the book on the past.

With themes of political unrest and the seemingly inescapable march towards war, this is a spotlight on the human condition.

Another triumph.

It was like we had not been away from the Austrian clinic that is the focus of this novel. Human Traces originally introduced us to the challenges of love, life, mental illness, psychiatric innovation and war. These themes return. There is an air of melancholy in the book describing the life of the key characters from the first world War through to the 1930s. However Sebastian Faulks' writing is so absorbing and evocative. Through his vocabulary and descriptive language the reader can picture each scene and feel the emotions of all the key players in the story. An epic in his inimitable style.

Sebastian Faulkes never fails to write an engaging, interesting novel. and once again he has excelled. Covering familiar themes from previous novels : the horrors of the first world war, class warfare, and the development of psychoanalysis. . The plot cleverly weaves the stories of 3 very different people in Austria over the space of 20 years or so. I was engaged throughout, wonderful descriptions of time and place. and I was delighted with the ending. Thank you Netgalley and random house for the e-copy.

This is the second book by Faulks that I have read, the first being “Birdsong”, and yet again I find I am unable to relate to it, despite Snow Country being full of subjects I find interesting such as politics, psychoanalysis and love. There are three main characters in this story, Anton, a journalist, Lena, a maid, and Rudolph, a lawyer. Their lives intersect at the Schloss Seeblick, a sanatorium in Austria.
Essentially a love story, I just couldn’t connect with it and I find Faulks’s writing devoid of emotional resonance. I want to be immersed or riveted by a story and although it was sufficiently well written enough to keep me reading, there wasn’t enough to involve me.

Anton, a successful journalist has never recovered from the great war and losing Delphine, for whom he is still searching. Lena has never been successful or happy but remembers one man from a night as a sex worker in Vienna. They meet again at the Schloss, a psychiatric hospital where she is working, she instantly recognises him and she reminds him of Delphine but nothing else. The hospital proves to be the place where he finds his true self. Brilliantly written, taking the reader back to those dark days post war ,and leading up to WW2.

This is the first novel I have read by author Sebastian Faulks. I know he is a highly regarded, well established author, so I was very interested to read this book.

The novel, Snow Country, is set in Austria in the early 20th century. The first part introduces you to the character Anton, an aspiring journalist/writer. We meet him first as a child, follow his education and first attempts at writing and then he travels, first to write about the building of the Panama Canal. He falls in love with a French woman Delphine but she disappears whilst he is in the Army, during the war, fighting the French.

The next section is all about Lena. She has a difficult childhood with a drunken mother and as a young adult is a bit lost and very much alone.

I found part one a bit slow if I'm honest. I was getting a bit fed up with Anton! But then you turn the page and start Lena's story and I felt so engaged in her backstory and was willing her a good future. Alongside this, you have to wonder how the two main characters will ever meet and interact. Of course they do, eventually and by that stage, I was totally absorbed in the story and ploughing through the brilliantly written text.

This is part love story, written against an accurate (as far as I know) historical backdrop. There is great hardship, a fabulous sense of place and a very interesting set of characters which bring the story alive. I loved it in the end - I just found part one a bit of a plod.

Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a loose follow up to Human Traces and a trilogy is planned. As ever, the writing is beguiling. It is a story of the workings of the human mind and cognisance, focussing on relationships and bound by the confluence of major world events.

The novel starts in the early 20th Century and moves through the first couple of decades. Soon WW1 is looming. Anton Heideck meets Frenchwoman Delphine and their relationship develops into a deep love. However, the French are on the opposite side and Delphine disappears, ironically whilst he is in Paris, leaving him distraught. After a stint in the army during the war, he develops into a writer of some note, and he next pops up in Carinthia (Kärnten) when the war is but a distant memory. He is at Schloss Seeblick, a lakeside building that is a sanatorium, and it first featured in Human Traces.

We follow the story not only of Anton, but of Lena, who has not had an easy childhood and her experience of men has really not been positive. She is desperate to connect with her absent father, and ultimately ends up working in the sanatorium, where her mother also once worked. How life can come full circle! It is the circularity of human life that is one of the themes of the novel, the wars come and go, countries teeter, go to the brink and come back, whilst knowledge, like the wheels on a vehicle, continues to move on.

As political and societal changes ensue, the characters have to adapt and develop. There are historical touchstones which anchor the storytelling, but the people can often be far removed from the world maelstrom, simply just trying to live their lives. All the main characters, including Martha (who runs the sanatorium and happens to be the daughter of one of the founders) and Rudolf (an activist, whose ideology is in stark contrast to the ruling party), slide in and out of the narrative, pass through, perhaps leave their mark, but it is the psychological nature of humanity that has clearly gripped the author.

By the 1930s things have changed significantly in the study of mental health but Freud's hypothesising is still a major cornerstone. The culture at Schloss Seeblick now needs considerable adjustment. This is not a plot driven novel but it is telling of ideas and exchanges, with history and psychology adding a rich dimension.

The book hovers around in the first half, I would say, and then gets into its stride as it moves through the years; and of course, before long, political tumult is unfolding in a neighbouring country. The writing, as anctipated, is exquisite and the story at some levels can quite demanding of the reader.

Yet another brilliant novel from Sebastian Faulks . Set in Austria early in the 20th century it follows the life of Lana , the daughter of a drunken mother . It has the usual romance and interesting storyline expected from this author.

Delighted to have the opportunity to read the latest from Sebastian Faulks as a review copy. As alway, he gets inside the heart of the characters, and the story twists and winds in epic fashion through politics, wars, fashions, science and explorations. Highly impressive.

Sorry but I'm struggling to get into this book - I've had three attempts but going to have to mark it as a DNF

Although I didn't read the earlier sequel to this book, I found it could be read in its own right. It covered a broad span of history stretching from before the first world war to the start of the second and managed to evoke a sense of the period, particularly in Vienna. Although some of the historical aspects felt rather intrusive at times, slowing down the pace of the novel in places, I found the mood and events authentic and interesting on the whole. I particularly liked Faulks' writing style, as in his previous novels, which seems unshowy and understated, but sucessfully holds the attention throughout. An enjoyable read.

Incredibly interesting and moving book. Sebastian Faulks is great at drawing you into the story and setting the scene beautifully and this didn't disappoint.

A beautiful story. I love Sebastian Faulks’ writing and was very much looking forward to reading this new book. It says it is second of a trilogy but you definitely don’t have to have read the first one. It’s set in the early part of the twentieth century in Austria and follows the lives of Anton, a journalist and Lena a poor girl. Their lives coincide when they are both working at a psychological clinic. The description of the times, setting and people is so absorbing. Just a wonderful book.

*A big thank-you to Sebastian Faulks, Random House UK, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
I love historical fiction with characters who feel isolated, suffer from losses or misunderstanding and seek to understand themselves. No wonder the latest novel by Mr Faulks was a gem to read. Lena, Anton and Rudolph are not characters I felt attached to but drawn to them, yes, I was. Complicated past exprience, gains and losses make them feel real. The historical background, beginning before the WW1 and spanning over twenty years, allows for their development.
I enjoyed this novel so much that I already purchased Human Traces. Mr Faulks is a new author for me and I am happy to have discovered him.

⭐️ 2.5 ⭐️
Rounded up to 3 stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC, in exchange for an honest unbiased review.

Snow Country is a well-written, well researched character-driven novel. Although this is a sequel, it can be easily read as a standalone.

Unfortunately I didn’t really connect with any of the characters and found some of them very similar and one dimensional, I had to keep recapping just to make sure who they were.

The pace is slow and often monotonous, with a lot of unnecessary dialogue.

Not one of my favourite reads by Sebastian Faulks.

A well written, professionally researched book. It is as we expect from Sebastian Faulks. While Snow country does not have a plot as such, we follow the lives of Lena a simple uneducated girl, and Anton, a journalist, against a backdrop of Vienna in the first 30 years of the twentieth century. Essentially a love story, but also about the development of human consciousness. A worthy read.

Having loved Birdsong I was excited to read Sebastian Faulks’ latest novel “Snow Country”. It’s the second book in a trilogy which began with Human Traces which I haven’t read. However, this didn’t spoil my enjoyment of this book in any way and it can be read as a standalone book. This novel covers a turbulent period in Austria’s history from 1914 to 1933 and focuses on a privileged young man Anton who yearns to be a successful journalist and embarks on an ill fated romance with a French woman Delphine. Later in the story we are introduced to Lena an ill educated young woman, with a drunken mother living in impoverished circumstances in a small town. An encounter with a lawyer Rudolf results in her moving to cosmopolitan Vienna - which proves to be ultimately disappointing for her. Eventually Lena finds herself employed at the Schloss Seeblick where she encounters Anton again after a brief liaison in Vienna. This encounter will have a profound effect on both their lives.
I loved this book and found it overwhelmingly sad in places, Anton’s anguish over his romance with Delphine, his best friend’s death during WW1, Lena’s yearning for her absent father - all movingly depicted. Throughout their journey Anton and Lena encounter love, kindness and hope despite enduring a lonely existence and come to realise that life is worth living. This book contains a large list of characters and I found myself wanting to know more about the sisters Martha and Charlotte Midwinter. The description of daily life at the Schloss Seeblick were a fascinating insight into neurosis and the treatment offered at the time.
Overall this is a fascinating and timeless novel which I’m happy to recommend.
With thanks to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Snow Country is another engaging novel from the very talented Sebastian Faulks. Set in the first part of the 1900’s, the book follows three people, their relationships and their lives before and after the First World War.
Anton Heideck is working as a journalist in Vienna. He meets and falls in love with Delphine, a French woman living in the city, but the onset of the war separates them.
Lena is a teenager living with an absent, alcoholic mother. She is encouraged to move to Vienna by Rudolf Plischke who is also passionate about The Rebirth Party.
Moving forward, Anton and Lena meet at Schloss Seeblick hospital and both find help with their individual problems from Martha who is developing talking therapies at a time where more radical treatments are being used.
This book isn’t easy reading at times, but Sebastian Faulks engaging writing style and well researched storyline pull you in and leave you pondering the characters long after finishing the last page.

Snow Country' is a sequel to Faulks' novel 'Human Traces' but it can be read as a stand-alone as the books are loosely connected rather than featuring the same characters.

After the prologue featuring a very graphic description of surgery, the book begins in 1914 when a young aspiring journalist, Anton Heideck arrives in Vienna to begin work. To supplement his income he does some private tutoring and meets Delphine, the French woman who becomes his first love.

Meanwhile, we meet Lena, the illiterate daughter of a drunk mother living an impoverished life in a coastal town. She meets a young idealistic lawyer, Rudolf, who encourages her to move to Vienna and seek a better life for herself. Lena finds a job as a servant at the Schloss Seeblick, the sanatorium featured in Human Traces and now run by Martha Midwinter, the daughter of one of the founders.

The advent of World War 1 interrupts and upon Anton’s return he finds Delphine gone and his harrowing experiences have left him traumatised. Fate intervenes and the lives of Anton, Lena and Rudolf connect in the sanatorium.

This is an impressive narrative, character driven, pulling on one’s emotions, it’s a poignant love story, lyrically written, full of well researched historical detail and definitely thought provoking.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. My only reservation is it’s rather slow and heavy going in places and I confess to skip reading some of the detailed psychotherapy sessions with Martha.

I would like to thank the publisher Random House U.K., Cornerstone and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Love, loss and war are familiar themes for Sebastian Faulks and in that vein Birdsong ranks amongst my most favourite books. I was very excited to read Snow Country even though I had missed the prequel Human Traces although I understand both are standalone reads. The writing is, of course, beautiful with the descriptions of the Austrian Schloss particularly entrancing. The main female character, Lena, is for me the most well rounded. Her struggle with her alcoholic mother and her bid to forge a relationship with her presumed father is, at times, heartbreaking to read. Ultimately though I struggled with the two male characters Anton and, especially, Rudolf who I found shadowy and weak. In contrast Martha and her twin Charlotte were interesting characters who I would have liked to read more about. The book has been described as a love story but I struggled to identify it as such. Perhaps the analysis of relationships detracted from the notion of love too much for me.