Podolo: A Ghost Story for Christmas

by L.P. Hartley

Genres: Short Stories, Horror, Christmas

75 pages, Paperback

Published October 29, 2024

About the author

Leslie Poles Hartley (1895-1972) was born in Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire, and educated at Harrow and Balliol College, Oxford. For more than thirty years from 1923 he was an indefatigable fiction reviewer for periodicals including the Spectator and Saturday Review. His first book, Night Fears (1924) was a collection of short stories; but it was not until the publication of Eustace and Hilda (1947), which won the James Tait Black prize, that Hartley gained widespread recognition as an author. His other novels include The Go-Between (1953), which was adapted into an internationally-successful film starring Julie Christie and Alan Bates, and The Hireling (1957), the film version of which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

Reviews

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ending is abrupt and brutal (though off-screen); yet Seth’s illustrations are fun and imaginative.

[John Gilbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leave stray cats alone.

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not sure that its one eerie moment makes up for what happened to the cat.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it’s extremely difficult to write a really good ghost story that is in short story format, because it’s so difficult to build up enough atmosphere and sense of menace in so few pages.

This one is no different in the sense that it likely would have been better if it was longer, but it does a better job than most of getting where it needs to go in a relatively short amount of time without completely sacrificing any sense of foreboding and atmospheric description.

The story has a small clever twist to it, and the tone feels spot on for the material. I liked how this was set up, as well as how it ended.

This was originally written to fulfill the tradition of telling ghost stories at Christmas, though the story doesn’t touch on anything Christmas-themed.

A good choice if you want a quick read that has a bit of creepiness to it.

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

[Cynthia Egbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a "Christmas in July" moment I decided I needed to read some more of Seth's Christmas Ghost Stories. This one came up as my next option. I am not quite certain what to think of this one. If you love cats, you should avoid this one. It is creepy and well-managed given its short length. Many reviewers claim racism but I did not see the frightening creature as human at all so I would not agree with that assessment. I might be way off base but that's how I read it.

[Paige · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was pitched as a fun story to read aloud with the family on Christmas Eve and we did just that. I don’t think my family really loved the story and most of the fun came with people ad libbing bits when it needed a punch up. Wouldn’t recommend as a family read, especially because of the bits of racism and sexism.

[Anne Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Podolo is about a small group who travel by boat to a deserted island for a picnic off the coast of Venice, but while there, spot a tiny malnourished cat. Angela is adamant that they bring the cat home to take care of, but when it proves too difficult to catch, she resolves to kill it instead. Upset by this decision but ultimately not willing to argue with her, her friend and the gondolier who brought them over decide to give her time to chase it, but fall asleep instead. When they awaken they begin their search for Angela as darkness falls, but they spot another person on the island, and their evening gets decidedly worse from there. This was one of my favourites in the series because of the mystery cat, and this feline influence is reflected in the illustrations. You can hear the tale, originally published in 1948 narrated on YouTube, and it’s quite a good version. I loved how spooky this story was – it had an eerie setting that was made worse by the appearance of this poor cat, and Angela’s strange reaction to it. The ending is quite good, but I can’t give away anymore details without spoilers.

To read the rest of my reviews, visit my website: www.ivereadthis.com

[David Abrams · Rating 4 out of 5]

A deserted (or is it?) island off the Venetian coast. A woman with a compassionate heart. A grumbling and reluctant gondolier. A feral cat. A dark dream. A terrible discovery on shore.

L. P. Hartley's "Podolo" is a slim, swift bite of a story. Just wait til it gets its claws in you.

[Ron Kerrigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short, but spooky tale, although the climatic ending is a bit confusing in its abruptness. Probably not a good choice for cat lovers, though. The story takes up 24 short pages, the remainder filled with Seth's minimalist drawings and publisher information.

[Kelsey Noah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great short, scary story - left a lot unsaid but makes the imagination go wild

[Kaitlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely provides what it promises: a quick, chilling story you can read in a night!

[Vera Elwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite so far since we started reading Christmas Eve Ghost Stories! Be warned, however. There is brief description of animal cruelty.

[Carla · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was fine until the menacing otherworldly “negro” showed up. It is so clearly racist that it’s bizarre that it was republished in 2024.

[Sam Crossland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suitably grisly, without the gore.

[Peyton Honeck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clearly L.P. Hartley was writing before Save The Cat! was written 🐈 but this story is kind of an anti-save-the-cat tale. Angela got what was coming to her!

[Drew Canole · Rating 3 out of 5]

A haunted island with a starving kitty. It's a pretty interesting story!

[JA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Venice. Cats. Death.