Customer Reviews

Snow Ball: A Novel By April L. Hamilton

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The author, April Hamilton has a delightfully twisted sense of humor. She also does a great job of capturing regional accents in text, I could quite literally hear the characters voices inside my head as I read the dialog. This was a fun book, and darn near impossible to put down once I started. I really cared about the characters. I look forward to reading more from this author.

I bought the book to see what it was like - after the author mentioned it on the Kindle forum. I liked it! The characters caught me, the plot was a wee bit convoluted, but not so much as to lose me. The twists and turns in it were fun and interesting. Even the bizarre events were believable. If you like a fun, dark comedy, that reads more like an adventuresome mystery - buy it!

I bought this book as the first that I would read on my Kindle by a recommendation from a friend. What a fun read - dark comedy that will remind you of Elmore Leonard, Carl Hiassen and Jennifer Crusie at their best. Do not get this book unless you have the time to read it - I read the whole thing in ONE sitting. Turns out you can cook dinner with your right hand and cradle the Kindle in your left! Read this book and brag to your friends that you've discovered the "Next Big Thing" in fiction. Kudos to April Hamilton. I can't wait to read her next one.

Just finished reading Snow Ball by April Hamilton. Found the book on the Kindle Fouum. To me it was a funny book. Kept my interest and once the plot was made, one mistake kept leading to another. Kept thinking this would make a good movie. Kind of like the 3 stooges or Weekend at Bernie's. you wanted to keep reading just to see what was going to happen next. Did not expect the ending. At one point, the reader thinks they have it all figured out. Wrong. The author was able to twist the plot around and made a series of catastrophies seem like the logical solution. Left you with a smile and shaking your head at the same time. Easy to visualize. Thanks for a fun read. I like this author and immediately downloaded Adelaide Einstein. Looking forward to reading it.Snow Ball: A Novel By April L. Hamilton

snowball
verb: To increase or expand suddenly, rapidly, or without control: explode, mushroom.
v.intr.: To grow rapidly in significance, importance, or size: "problems that snowballed by the hour."

In this highly entertaining novel by April Hamilton, the reader is drawn into a story that begins quietly, without fanfare. Once it gets rolling, however, there's no stopping it. The clever chapter titles ("The Winter Games," "Flakes") are consistent with the tone of the novel, which manages to present the most bizarre goings-on in a matter-of-fact manner.

Hamilton's descriptions of how various TV shows would cover the story are hilarious and her observations about human nature are spot on. This is a fun read that also gives pause for thought in the most unexpected places.

To my taste, this novel is nowhere near as good as her second one, "Adelaide Einstein," which I would give five stars. It's almost as though "Snow Ball" and "Adelaide Einstein" were written by two different authors. I not only found it easy to put this novel back on the shelf, so-to-speak, but I just kept hoping the story would hurry up and end. I gave the novel three stars, rather than merely two, because the author used clever dialogue at times and gave evidence of having researched several topics more than superficially.

April Hamilton's "Snow Ball" is just one more reason checking out indie ebook writers is a must. I downloaded this one hoping for something that would get my mind off the everyday stuff, and I ended up having a blast. Hamilton's writing style is fresh, intelligent, punchy, and laugh-out-loud funny. I will most definitely be reading more from this author.

This novel had a very unique premise, and managed to expertly weave three distinct plot lines (all involving strong female characters) together to create an ending that is surprising and satisfying. The reader will likely be kept guessing as to how all the loose ends will be tied up and a dark version of justice will be served, but never fear--the ending is great.

The writing was superb, well edited (a major bonus in independently produced books), and the characters are likeable and well developed. The story is a bit fantastic with a whole "weekend at Bernie's" motiff but it makes for a great, fun read. I read the whole book in 3.5 hours because I couldn't put it down, and now it has earned a spot in my "Favorites" section of my Kindle. Well worth the 99 cent price tag.

After recently reading 2 Kindle books by indie authors I really was about to throw in the towel. Overuse of the 'simile' was getting on my last nerve! Glad I found this book. It was original, refreshing, cleverly written and a really fun read. I loved the whole idea of showing how an innocent set of circumstances can 'snow ball' out of control when people make assumptions or try to re-invent the facts to fit their own aspirations. I was drawn in at the very first sentence because the women were meeting in Sheboygan, WI which happens to be my hometown. Great book! Renewed my interest in indie authors....I just have to be a bit more picky. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

Clever writing and a quick pace made this book hard to put down. The setting is very believable, the characters are engaging, and the regional accents were spot-on. I'm looking forward to more from this author!