Customer Reviews

Snow Goose

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have always loved Paul Gallico as a writer, and this short story is one of my favorites of his work. It is a beautiful story that children may like, but adults will love. The story is about a lonely artist, Philip Rhyader, who retreats from society due to a hunchback and deformed hand. He lives in a lighthouse where he creates his works of art and tends to injured animals.

One day a young girl named Frith brings him a snow goose that has been injured. (I loved the book so much that I named my oldest daughter Fritha.) Although she is at first scared of Rhyader, a friendship develops between them as they tend the goose. After the goose is healed, it flies away but returns every year to stay with Rhyader for the season. The girl, Frith, returns each year when the snow goose returns. Rhyader falls in love with her but she does not realize it.

The book ends with the battle of Dunkirk when the British troops are trapped on the beach. Rhyader, who was unable to fight in the war because of his deformities, takes his small sailboat and crosses the channel several times, delivering the British soldiers to safety. On each trip he is accompanied by the beautiful snow goose.

I'll give you fair warning, the ending of the book is one of the saddest you will ever read. However, the message of love and friendship and hope conveyed in the book will make you want to return and read it over and over again.

I first heard of this book through an English rock band named "Camel". I bought an album titled "Camel - A Live Record" about 1980 (it is also on a wonderful studio album titled "The Snow Goose" by Camel). After listening to the album many times, it slowly grew on me to be one of my favorites. It was a 2 album set and one of the albums was completely instrumental in nature and told the story of "The Snow Goose" (it is also interesting to note that this recording of "The Snow Goose" was done with the London Symphony Orchestra and in front of the Queen of England). After a few years as a favorite album of mine, I played it for a friend who recognized the story as being from a movie and a short book. He started telling me the story as the music played and knew I had to read the book. I found the book shortly after that and fell in love with it. I have read it many times and often read it at the same time as I play the music, the two are so much in sync with each other and flow through the moods together in such a powerful way. The story centers around a deformed lighthouse keeper in England who is kept at a distance by the locals, but only has love in his heart. He is befriended by a young girl Fritha who brings to him a rare Canadian snow goose injured by hunters. The snow goose and young girl become friends and companions to Rhayader until a time of war when Rhayader must leave to help his fellow man. Rhayader single handedly saves many lives of the soldiers at the battle of Dunkirk as he sails his small boat with the guidance of the snow goose through the lead flying all around. Sadly, I have never seen the movie, though I hear it is often played on the television near Christmas time in England. I have given perhaps two dozen copies of this book away as gifts. And it is always a joy and well received.

Paul Gallico is not a novelist. His talent lies in his ability to tell beautiful and inspiring short stories that are a joy to read. The Snow Goose is one of my favorites and I have read and re-read it many times over my lifetime, each time gaining new insight into the author and his characters. At the risk of being accused of blasphemy, it is my opinion that The Snow Goose could have appeared as one of the parables told in the New Testament. It is a short story, a mere 6O or so pages, and tells the story of a physically deformed artist in his late 20's named Rhayader who has retreated from the world and taken up residence in an abandoned lighthouse near a marsh where he attempts to capture the beauty of his surroundings on canvas as well as provide sanctuary to the birds who seek shelter there over the winter months.

One day, a girl of about 12 named Frith, comes to him with an injured snow goose. Although frightened by his outward appearance, she overcomes her trepidation because she has heard of his desire to help the creatures of the marsh. Together they nurse the injured goose until it is able to fly north in spring. The following year the goose returns as does the young Frith. Over several years this cycle continues and the annual return of the bird acts as a catalyst in the developing relationship between the artist and the young woman. We see a lonely young man whose repugnant physical countenance has alienated him from society as he is slowly transformed by the restorative power of friendship and love. Over the years the birds' visits extend for longer periods and by the spring of 1940 it becomes apparent that the bird will remain at the lighthouse. World War II comes to the quiet marsh in a most unusual way and the story takes a different tack.

Although this book may be perceived as "chic-lit" it poses questions about the human spirit and the need for companionship that can be educational to all ages and both sexes. This small little book packs a great big wallop to the readers psyche and I heartily recommend it.

Paul Gallico is an immensely talented writer, and all his skills are at the fore in this magnificent war story that is really a tale of loneliness and friendship, and how beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I think however, that the reader must be warned that this is a completely gut wrenching story. I can never read it without dissolving into tears (it is quite therapeutic if you need a good cry), but it is not a "mushy" story as such. It is profoundly moving, and you will not forget it in a hurry.

Everyone should read this beautiful story. It is a powerful portrayal of the horrors of war and the bravery of men, and a touching story of love and friendship against the odds.

Was it pure coincidence that a Canadian snowgoose plummeted from a stormy sky near the lonely lighthouse on Britain's pre-war shores? Wounded and exhausted from its transatlantic ordeal, this unique bird proves the focal point of compassion for two unlikely humans, whose only bond is its care and nurture.

Philip Rhayader keeps aloof from critical society which looks askance at his misshapen body; yet a twisted back often belies hidden personal integrity and human dignity. In his isolated lighthouse studio he paints Nature's wild marshland to ease his own loneliness. Shunned by civilization, he feels a special tenderness for the free-spirited waterfowl of his chosen habitat.

Then a girl named Frith--part fey herself-- enters his restricted world, hesitantly bringing a wounded snow goose to the respected but feared artist-doctor. Will he help her, who represents the Society which has banned him from its warmth; rather, will he care for this helpless creature from another continent, which will surely die without his tender skill? The girl seems just another wild creature, yet she cherishes a forlorn hope that this storm-buffeted bird can survive.

In time the snow goose bestows her loyalty on the man who gave her new life--demonstrating her devotion even under fire. Meanwhile Frith emerges into young womanhood--too late realizing that she has developed deep feelings for this strange and unappreciated man, himself too shy to confess his love. But as World War II rages at Dunkirk, he discovers a way in which even a military reject can serve his fellow man, unselfishly performing his patriotic duty.

This is a story of compassion, love and sacrifice told honestly and simply, with incredible tenderness for all wild things. Some argue that it may be a contemporary fable or a lyrical love story. Each reader must decide for himself, but regardless of your literary judgment, Gallico's SNOW GOOSE wil provide a gentle tug at your heartstrings. I consider this short story a timeless classic.

It's funny how the simplest of stories oftentimes have the most meaning. Paul Gallico's The Snow Goose is a beautifully moving story that touches on several of man's deepest emotions. It can be considered a children's story, but I think adults alone can truly appreciate the poignancy and depth of it. It's a tale of loneliness, love, war, and death. It's somewhat depressing yet life-affirming at the same time.

Philip Rhayader is a man of great warmth and affection, but his physical deformities (a hunched back and a clawed hand) make him an outcast in society. So it is that he moves to a remote lighthouse on the Essex coast, takes up painting, and cares for the local wildlife - especially the birds, who become his only real visitors or friends over the course of their annual migrations. One day, a shy little girl named Fritha arrives at his door carrying a wounded bird - her compassion for the creature overcoming her innate fear of the misshapen Rhayader. The bird is in fact a Canadian snow goose that somehow ended up on the eastern side of the Atlantic. Thanks to Philip's ministrations, the goose recovers and becomes a yearly visitor. Fritha often comes to visit the goose, and she and Philip develop a special bond of friendship. Time passes, hurtling toward the beginning of World War II. When Philip hears the call for any and all boats to help rescue the beached men at Dunkirk, he jumps at the chance to finally play an important part in society.

There's much more to the story from that point on, but in the end the snow goose comes to symbolize many things, including love and sacrifice. It is a romantic story, albeit an unconventional one, and your heart cannot help but be touched by the story of a special creature of nature and the profound effect his presence had on two human souls.

Paul Gallico is a master of words. The Snow Goose is a study what a person will do to help others, even if the one of the others is a goose. A girl finds the injured goose and takes it to the person she hopes will heal the goose. The man she takes the goose to, is in his own way just as injured. He has a disability, but he is willing to help. From there, he goes on in his small boat, to rescue victims of war. I won't spoil the ending. The book is short, less than 100 pages.
Read it, enjoy it.

Mystery Writer

The 7th grade grapevine said a substitute would come in for this reading every year because the teacher always cried. Oh brother!

I'm glad it happened. It is now my favorite short story.(classified as such back then). It is a heartwarming/rending story about loyalty, friendships, kindnesses, unimagined bravery and love. Each experienced by a girl, a man and a beautiful snowgoose. Recommended for both sexes, and anyone old enough to read.

I too, would love to get my hands on the cassette tape, and the movie. PBS ran it about 20 years ago. Please help!

I read this book as a teenager and it has stayed in my heart ever since. It is a masterpiece. Not a word too long or too short, and the language and imagery absolutely sing.

I recently read it to a class of middle-schoolers. Not being a teacher, and knowing that the events of WW2 are even more distant for them than for me, I was a little concerned about how they would receive it.

I needn't have worried--they were spellbound; I'm not sure that anyone actually breathed. They were fascinated to learn about Dunkirk and the extraordinary flotilla of little boats that bravely sailed the Channel to fetch the soldiers, and they loved the yearning tenderness of the story. The discussion afterwards was thoughtful beyond anything I could have imagined.

There are a few books that I buy over and over again as gifts. This is one of them.

There are some books a person reads, or movies that he sees, that are best described as "beautiful." That is how I feel about this book. I read it after seeing the movie as a child. (It was a Hallmark type movie, starring Richard Burton, I think...) The book is, of course, deeper, much more complex. I can't explain exactly why, but over 35 years later, I still love it, and frequently re-read it!