What do You think about The Snow Goose (2001)?
I'm not sure what to call this--a 20th century fable? It's a short tale of Philip Rhayader, a kind and artistic soul with a deformed body. In his twenties, he moves to the English seacoast to live in seclusion, away from the repulsive looks and attitudes of "normal" people. He spends his time painting, sailing his boat and caring for the birds that take up residence in his property. He finds peace in this lifestyle, but one day a young girl from the nearby village brings a injured snow goose to him. As she helps him care for the bird, a tenuous relationship develops. It's a short, quiet, emotional tale in which love and fear, beauty and ugliness mix together to give a brief peek into reality.
—The other John
*Minor spoilers*When I was a little girl there was a very popular radio show called the ‘1080 Club’. It played short stories and had fun stuff for children, like your name being read out on the radio on your birthday, and they had days out, etc. I loved it and listened religiously every Sunday morning in my bed or snuggled up in some makeshift ‘hut’ I’d made out of sheets and blankets. I know this makes me sound like an old fart, with the radio and all, but it wasn’t all THAT long ago!!! ;-)Anyway, the hosts played a selection of short stories, such as ‘Diana and The Golden Apple’, ‘Little Toot’, ‘Bad Jelly The Witch’ read by Spike Milligan (my absolute favourite) and others, which included ‘The Snow Goose’.Now, I didn’t understand some of this story, as it has some very broad Essex accents in it, so when it was recorded and I heard it, I couldn’t make out most of what people were saying! However, I still got the main gist of the tale, which is a hauntingly-beautiful, stark and heart-wrenching story about an artist called Phillip who lives a reclusive life, mainly due to his hunchback, and lives in an abandoned lighthouse on the Essex coastline in the 1930-1940s. He is a kind man and cares for animals, particularly birds, and one day a young girl brings a wounded snow goose to him to heal. A lovely friendship blossoms and the man enjoys the hours spent with the girl and the animals. Over the next ten years, the snow goose leaves with the other birds for their annual migration, but returns each Autumn to the lighthouse. The girl, Frith, only visits the lighthouse when the snow goose returns. When WWII breaks out, the man leaves in his small fishing boat to help the soldiers stranded on the shores at Dunkirk and the girl, now a woman, realises that she in fact, loves him.It is only a short story, but within those handful of pages, Gallico paints a haunting tale set within the stark Essex coastline and mud lands, full of birds and tidal pools. He conveys the utter loneliness of the characters and their growing friendship. It is a stunning story, so eloquently told, so honest and brutal. It is heart-breaking and one of my favourite stories. ‘The Small Miracle’ is the second tale in this book. It deals with a small orphan boy Pepino and his friend, the donkey Violetta, and their daily struggle for survival in Assisi, Italy. When Violetta grows ill, Pepino wants to take her to the tomb of St. Francis of Assisi to pray for her health. It is a warm little tale about hope and sheer determination in the face of adversity and poverty.So, I recommend these tales if you like animal stories, tales of humanity, honesty and warmth. They will make you tear up and make your heart feel ‘fuzzy’! Lovely stories for readers of all ages.
—TheWellReadLady
Most novels with World War II playing a significant part in it are usually about concentration camps, Jews and the Nazis, and mainly Nazis. This one has the Dunkirk Evacuation. One reason to read this.Gallico has gorgeous, poetic prose. His descriptions breathe and flow smooth as silk. You only know the characters for about fifty pages, yet feel for them and feel their loss by the end of the book. The story is sentimental, melodramatic, and soggy with readers' (and perhaps the writer's) saltwater tears, and Gallico pulls it off masterfully. Its lesson is harsh and unapologetically tragic, with no compromise and no trying to make it easier for the reader to take. More reasons to read it.A lumbering yeti could cry because of this book. If Elsa read this book, she wouldn't have had trouble with her powers. It melts frozen hearts.Awwwww... Yes, it's good. I actually read part of this story before in Michael Morpugo's "Animal Stories" collection. Because it was an excerpt, the part introducing Rhayader was cut out. That made me think he was literally an ogre. Well, he's not. He's a human. He's a very good human.
—Onysha
