⭐⭐⭐✨✨(3.75/5)

TW: alcoholism, rape

Edith lives in a village dominated by men; her father, a drunk, controlls her life, and the village elders, all men, control the village. One day, Edith meets a shephard and falls in love. The shephard promises to return to the village to marry Edith after he has tended to his flock, but Edith’s father has made other arrangements which tie Edith to the butcher. Will Edith’s life always be controlled by the men of the village, or will she find the power she needs to take control of her own life?

When I began listening to this, I was unsure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised and was soon lost in the narrative. The story feels like a modern folk tale and Gardner wonderfully weaves intrigue, strong characters, and powerful themes together.

At the heart of this story is a patriarchal village that is stuck in its traditions, but Gardner demonstrates the power that people hold to make change. In this case, we are shown both the power of silence and the power of words and I found this really interesting. Sometimes, you can achieve a lot through actions or listening, without the need for words.

There are a variety of characters in The Snow Song, and they all have their own stories (and secrets). Getting to know the characters and uncovering more layers of the story had me hooked and I had to keep listening.

This narrative is full of interesting themes and ideas and I think that Gardner explores them really well.

The end of the story wrapped everything up nicely, and I was left feeling emotional, but satisfied.

There is so much to this story and so much to delve into, and I definitely recommend checking it out.

Lastly, a quote that I noted down because it stood out to me and also says a lot about this narrative:

‘the one thing men fear most is the freedom of a woman to be herself’.