This novel got rave reviews but it wasn't at all what I expected. Much of it seemed like thinly veiled life lessons conveyed by scenes forced to fit together. ( )

Join the narrator as he takes a snow day off from work, calling in on impulse as his wife and two young children have snow days off from school and work. He is feeling worried and down about himself since the factory where he has worked since high school is likely to close. As he spends his unplanned snow day doing errands and spending time with his children he learns quite a few lessons which will lift his spirits. At first the chapters seemed like short stories but soon they flowed together into one narrative. He meets a loving senior couple in the store; she is badly scarred by burns and he limps, and their devotion to each other is evident. He notices Eleanor, another senior who lives in his neighborhood and who is lonely, and he befriends her. His kids contribute to his day as Sara asks “Daddy? What’s a bad day?” and he answers “A bad day is when people don’t realize what God has given them.” He is even inspired to apply for a job that day, before his factory job disappears. This book may be fun to read more than once. ( )

Horrible, didn't finish ( )

This fictional story of faith starts and ends (except for the epilogue) on one snowy December day in a small town in Virginia, USA. The reader gets to live that day through the eyes and life of one man, Peter Boyd. Peter is a family man and factory worker whose life has been going along as usual, except that when we meet him he has grave concerns for his future. Because of the unstable economic climate there is rumour of possible upcoming lay-offs, and he is worried about his job. The decision he makes to take the day off work on a stormy winter day just before Christmas is a decision that changes his life. Through Peter’s wanderings and ponderings, God subtly teaches him things that give him a fresh new outlook and a deeper understanding of his own faith.

I was drawn in as, chapter by chapter, Billy Coffey took me on a journey with his main character. Each chapter tells its own story from the comedic to the heart-wrenching. In Peter’s neighbourhood and the lives of the people he encounters in it, and through his interactions with his young family, God brings to his attention lessons he has to learn. We get to observe through Peter’s eyes other people’s struggles and conflicts, how they deal with them, and the impact they unknowingly have on Peter.

I am quite a visual person, so as I was reading I could see each scene as Billy creatively described it. He writes in a very descriptive manner, including natural conversations between the characters, making this a pleasant and thought-provoking read.

Snow Day is a first novel for Billy Coffey, but one can hope it will not be his last. I encourage you to look for this book and make it an addition to your personal library. ( )

An enjoyable book that shows you to take a day and really take the time to appreciate others. Taking a day off on a day that the snow has continuously fallen, Peter Boyd take a day off work and is volunteered by his wife to go get some bread and milk. His trip to the store is more than what he expects. Things as they appear are not always the way he sees it. Take a day and read this short novel that will stay with you after you read it. ( )