Most helpful customer reviews
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5.0 out of 5 stars
A beautiful, moving story, Aug 6 2006
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.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
The snow goose, Jul 19 2002
Paul Gallico is an immensely talented writer, and all his skills are shown in this brilliant story of the snow goose
The plot where Fritha saw a snow goose and it was injured so Fritha took it to a old man called Rhayader. He was a bit of a independent man with a big hunch back.
I missed most of the story as I was on holiday at the time the class was reading the book. But what I heard of the story it was really interesting and the ending definitely sounded good. By Oliver Pratt ...
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5.0 out of 5 stars
The Taming of Two Wild Creatures, April 30 2001
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.
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