"This slim, quick read has been a sentimental favorite for decades (and dramatized several times in video). The child Frith brings an injured snow goose to a reclusive, middle-aged, hunchbacked artist named Philip Rhayader, who lives on the edge of the marshes and sea and nurses the wounded bird. The two very different persons become friends, watch each other age and change, and seasons turn. The world goes to war, and Britain's soldiers barely escape the Nazis at Dunkirk. Gallico writes sweet and allusive prose, sensitive to human feelings and to nature."
David Loftus, Resident Scholar
"This story is about a man named Philip Rhayader, a disabled man. He is a hero because he has coped with his crippled arm, bent at the rest, like a claw. Rhayader makes friends with a young girl named Frith. This book is physically emotional. The reader feels sympathy for Rhayader and that also makes him a hero. This book was fantastic because it deals with everyday life. I enjoyed so much i read it every year. The reason why it is called 'The Snow Goose' is because Frith bought the snow goose, who was injured, to Rhayader, thus forming a vital role in the story. This is because the snow goose is the reason the two characters met. I would recommend this book to anyone!!!"
LiL-B-Ro, Resident Scholar
"In a remote corner of England, Philip Rhayader has established a remote home for himself. In his sanctuary, he is free from the society that taunts or pities him for his misshapen form. He stays by his lighthouse and paints birds, eventually developing a type of bird sanctuary on his land. One November day, a young girl, Frith, arrives at the lighthouse with an injured Canadian snow goose in her arms. Philip cares for the goose, and the girl visits the bird each day, until a friendship springs up between Philip and Frith. Each year, as the goose returns to the English lighthouse, Frith also returns to Philip's land to look at the snow goose. The outbreak of the war brings fresh tragedy, as Philip leaves to help in the war effort and Frith returns to lighthouse to look for Philip, not the snow goose. The snow goose, Frith, and Philip seem entangled in a destiny linked to the brutality of the war. "
A. Antonow, Resident Scholar
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Review Analysis of The Snow Goose
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- upbeat
Time/era of story
- 1930's-1950's
Romance/Romance Problems
Yes
Animal story
Yes
Kind of animal:
- bird
Life of a profession:
- artist
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
War/Revolt/Disaster on civilians
Yes
Job/Profession/Status story
Yes
Conflict:
- War, WW II
Lover is
- much younger/older
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- unemployed
Age:
- 40's-50's
Eccentric/Mental
Yes
Eccentric:
- eccentric
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 5 (an average amount)
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
Water?
Yes
Small town?
Yes
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Amount of dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
