A little treasure

UNQUESTIONABLY a good many readers will be lifted to honest heights of emotion by Paul Gallico’s inspirational little story about an anxious and thoughtful snowflake. Born in the heart of a cold, gray cloud, Snowflake falls to the earth, where her adventures begin.

NYT (October 11, 1953, Section BR, Page 4)

My thoughts

The life of Snowflake from the cloud she falls from through good times and bad is perhaps a little sentimental and simple in it’s telling yet it captivates keeping the reader interested in what she encounters next in the twists and turns of her life. It is a story that enchants the reader. Written for children it can also be read by adults who may compare Snowflakes journey with that of a humans journey through life. Especially as Snowflake is given a voice and is the storyteller. Snowflake is a questioning entity whose own purpose she is not sure of but she believes in a greater being and by the end she will come to terms with what her purpose in life has been.

I really enjoyed reading Snowflake and even though it is of its time when the Christian faith was the primary religion and now the western world has become more multi faith and often appears to be a less religious society this little tale still has the ability to delight. Snowflake is no longer in print but it is still possible to buy a second hand copy (see links below). This is my only read for the 1952 Classic Club week and I am so pleased to have come across it. It’s a very short book, which will stay with me for some time and that for me shows how well Gallico writes.

Information

Published: Michael Joseph | 59pp | October 1952 | 1st Impression January 1953, 2nd Impression August 1953, 4th Impression November 1953

Buy: Out of print available second hand from various sources: Abe Books | Amazon | You might find a copy on other online sources or possibly in your local library

Author: Gallico was born as Paul William Gallico on July 26, 1897, in New York City, New York, United States. His death occurred on July 15, 1976, at the age of 78. His father was a concert pianist, music teacher, and composer from Italy named Paolo Gallico. His mother was an Austrian citizen named Hortense Erlich. Gallico’s parents had emigrated to New York City in 1895. Author Gallico completed his graduation from the Columbia University in the year 1919. He gained attention for the first time during the 1920s as a sports columnist, sports editor, and sportswriter, writing columns about sports activities in the New York Daily News. His career was launched during an interview with a boxer named Jack Dempsey. Gallico asked Jack to spar with him then wrote about how he felt after the heavyweight champion knocked him out. Gallico followed this up with other incidents such as playing golf with Bobby Jones and catching ball with Dizzy Dean. In the next few years, Gallico became a highly paid sportswriter in the US. He went on to lay the foundation of an amateur boxing contest called Golden Gloves. One of author Gallico’s books, Lou Gehrig : Pride of the Yankees, was developed into a Hollywood movie in 1942, which starred Teresa Wright and Gary Cooper in the lead roles. It brought him a nomination for an Academy Award in best writing, original story.

When Gallico resigned from the Daily News after deciding to become a full time writer of fiction novels, he moved from New York to Salcombe a small village in Devonshire, England.

During the late 1930s, author Gallico decided to give up sports writing to write fiction. The first story he wrote was in the form of an essay and was called Farewell to Sport. It was based on his change of career path. In the next few years, Gallico became a popular short story writer for magazines. A number of his stories appeared in the Saturday Evening Post. Gallico’s novella, The Snow Goose, and several of his other works are extended versions of these magazine stories.

Gallico had once made a confession to the New York Magazine that he was a rotten novelist and not literary at all. He simply liked to tell stories. In 1939, another successful book was released, Adventures of the Hiram Holliday. This book is particularly well known for its TV adaptation.

Paul Gallico wrote children’s books, novels, short stories and sports stories. A number of his books have been adapted in the form of motion pictures. He was particularly well known for writing the Mrs.’Arris series but is perhaps best remembered for writing The Snow Goose. It is this novel that has been Gallico’s main, perhaps only, critical success. A second novel The Poseidon Adventure, also brought him recognition yet is better remembered through its 1972 movie adaptation.

In 1955, author Gallico had taken an automobile tour of America sponsored by the Readers Digest in which he had traveled around 10,000 miles. Gallico enjoyed the tour with a great excitement and enthusiasm. He resided in numerous places including Monaco, Lichtenstein and Mexico. His last years of were spent in Antibes, France, where he died and was cremated.

Books

Publication Order of Mrs. ‘Arris Books

Paul Gallico wrote the Mrs. ‘Arris series. This series is comprised of a total of 4 books, released between the years 1958 and 1974. All the books of this series depict the lead character in the form of a woman named Mrs. Harris, who lives in London. She earns her livelihood by cleaning the houses of rich people at home and abroad. The first novel of this series is entitled ‘Mrs. ‘Arris Goes To Paris’. It was released by the International Polygonics in the year 1989, after its initial release in 1958.

Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Paris (1958)

Flowers For Mrs. Harris (1958)

Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to New York (1960)

Mrs. ‘Arris Goes To Parliament / Mrs. Harris MP (1965)

Mrs. Harris Goes To Moscow (1974)

Publication Order of Hiram Holliday Books

The Adventures of Hiram Holliday (1939)

The Secret Front (2020)

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

The Snow Goose (1941)

The Lonely (1944)

Jennie / The Abandoned (1950)

The Small Miracle (1951)

Snowflake (1952)

Trial by Terror (1952)

The Foolish Immortals (1953)

Love of Seven Dolls (1954)

Ludmila (1954)

Thomasina / The Three Lives of Thomasina (1957)

Too Many Ghosts (1959)

Scruffy (1962)

Coronation (1962)

The Day the Guinea-Pig Talked (1963)

Love, Let Me Not Hunger (1963)

The Adventures of Jean-Pierre (1964)

The Hand of Mary Constable (1964)

The Day Jean-Pierre Was Pignapped (1964)

The Day Jean-Pierre Joined The Circus (1965)

The Man Who Was Magic (1966)

The Story of Silent Night‎ (1967)

Manxmouse (1968)

The Poseidon Adventure (1969)

Matilda (1970)

The Zoo Gang (1971)

Miracle in the Wilderness (1975)

The Boy Who Invented the Bubble Gun (1975)

Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1978)

The House That Wouldn’t Go Away (1979)

Publication Order of Short Story Collections

Honorable Cat (1972)

The Snow Goose and Other Stories (1985)

Love Is A Gimmick And Other Short Stories (1987)

The Best of Paul Gallico (1988)

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

The Hurricane Story (1959)

The Silent Miaow (1964)

Confessions of a story-teller (1966)

Farewell to Sport (1970)

Lou Gehrig: Pride of the Yankees (2015)

Publication Order of New York Review Children’s Collection Books

Jennie / The Abandoned (1950)

Thomasina The Cat Who Thought She was a God (1950)