What do you think?
Rate this book
The Avalanche
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.
235 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 16, 2012
23 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
Gertrude Atherton
223 books61 followersGertrude Franklin Horn Atherton (October 30, 1857 – June 14, 1948) was a prominent and prolific American author. Many of her novels are set in her home state of California. Her bestseller Black Oxen (1923) was made into a silent movie of the same name. In addition to novels, she wrote short stories, essays, and articles for magazines and newspapers on such issues as feminism, politics, and war. She was strong-willed, independent-minded, and sometimes controversial.
She wrote using the pen names Asmodeus and Frank Lin, a play on her middle name.
She wrote using the pen names Asmodeus and Frank Lin, a play on her middle name.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 5, 2016
I freely admit that I knew nothing about Gertrude Atherton or her work before starting this book. I chose it for my Someday Lists because of the title, expecting to read something about the Far North or the Alps or some other mountainous region. I mean, after all, that is where an avalanche generally happens, right? I shifted the title to a challenge list when I needed a book published in 1919, so here we are and guess what? No mountains in sight!
This is the story of Price Ruyler and his marriage. Set in San Francisco in the years immediately following the 1906 earthquake, we see Price working hard to reconstruct the California branch of the family business. He is part of New York society....I guess that should be Society....and has standards up the kazoo and ways of thinking about the world and about women that had me detesting him almost from the beginning.
When Price meets beautiful young Helene, he falls in love and is married in less than a month. Everything goes along swimmingly until about a year and a half later, when he notices a strange shadowy fog growing between them. Well, yeah, I would think it would, since he is always involved in his business and leaves Helene on her own most of the time. What is she supposed to do with herself? As a Society Lady, she claims she has few options, none of which seem to appeal to her at this point in her life.
Then one day Price sees his mother-in-law being spoken to by a shady character and his doubts begin. Who is she, really? Who is Helene? Has he been the victim of some sort of horrid charade? Once he allows these thoughts, they multiply until it seems everything bad is happening to him at once, just like....you guessed it, an avalanche.
Now personally, I was hoping he would be fleeced royally, because he was just so annoying. He cared more for his business and what his father might think than he did about anything else. But at one point he does admit this to himself: "He had never regretted his marriage for a moment, not even since this avalanche of mystery and portending scandal had descended upon him; if possible he loved his troubled young wife more than ever—with a sudden instinct that worse was to come he vowed that nothing should ever make him love her less. I had to give him one brownie point for that, anyway. Besides, I was then able to say "Ah, hence the title!"
There was some preaching for Socialism later in the story, and it sounded odd coming from Helene, who in a way had been very much in the background throughout the book, even though she herself was a main part of The Mystery. To go from barely speaking to suddenly spouting near rants about Socialism seemed contrived. And I was not entirely satisfied with the ending. It just did not ring true to the way either character had behaved throughout the story.
But I still would like to read more of Atherton's work. At least next time I think I will know not to expect high mountains and the Great Outdoors. You never know though, she just might surprise me again.
This is the story of Price Ruyler and his marriage. Set in San Francisco in the years immediately following the 1906 earthquake, we see Price working hard to reconstruct the California branch of the family business. He is part of New York society....I guess that should be Society....and has standards up the kazoo and ways of thinking about the world and about women that had me detesting him almost from the beginning.
When Price meets beautiful young Helene, he falls in love and is married in less than a month. Everything goes along swimmingly until about a year and a half later, when he notices a strange shadowy fog growing between them. Well, yeah, I would think it would, since he is always involved in his business and leaves Helene on her own most of the time. What is she supposed to do with herself? As a Society Lady, she claims she has few options, none of which seem to appeal to her at this point in her life.
Then one day Price sees his mother-in-law being spoken to by a shady character and his doubts begin. Who is she, really? Who is Helene? Has he been the victim of some sort of horrid charade? Once he allows these thoughts, they multiply until it seems everything bad is happening to him at once, just like....you guessed it, an avalanche.
Now personally, I was hoping he would be fleeced royally, because he was just so annoying. He cared more for his business and what his father might think than he did about anything else. But at one point he does admit this to himself: "He had never regretted his marriage for a moment, not even since this avalanche of mystery and portending scandal had descended upon him; if possible he loved his troubled young wife more than ever—with a sudden instinct that worse was to come he vowed that nothing should ever make him love her less. I had to give him one brownie point for that, anyway. Besides, I was then able to say "Ah, hence the title!"
There was some preaching for Socialism later in the story, and it sounded odd coming from Helene, who in a way had been very much in the background throughout the book, even though she herself was a main part of The Mystery. To go from barely speaking to suddenly spouting near rants about Socialism seemed contrived. And I was not entirely satisfied with the ending. It just did not ring true to the way either character had behaved throughout the story.
But I still would like to read more of Atherton's work. At least next time I think I will know not to expect high mountains and the Great Outdoors. You never know though, she just might surprise me again.
March 21, 2013
“The Avalanche: A Mystery” by Gertrude Atherton
I decided to read this short novel after downloading a kajillion free e-books from Amazon.
What supposedly is a mystery story is actually so much more. It is also a love story and a peek into the life of high society of a different time and place.
Set in the early part of 20th century post earthquake San Francisco, the story revolves around the marriage of wealthy American businessman Price Ruyler and Helene Perrin, an eighteen year old girl from Rouen, France.
Price meets Helene at a society function and immediately falls in love. They are married shortly thereafter. Problems begin to arise when the young Helene is left alone with nothing to do to fill her time while Price is busy at work earning his millions. Many young women in Helene’s position found themselves passing the time drinking, gambling and having affairs.
Add to this boredom the constant presence of the MOTHER-IN-LAW, Madame Delano.
Price is not so sure about this unusual woman (MIL) and his suspicions are confirmed when he per chance overhears her conversation with a low life character on the cable cars. This is when the mystery begins and a private detective is hired.
The descriptions of lavish parties, servants, mansions, European vacations give a wonderful glimpse into the life of luxury of the upper class at the time.
I really enjoyed this story but found that the end was a little bit rushed and too neatly tied up. A little more mystery would have made this story much more exciting.
I decided to read this short novel after downloading a kajillion free e-books from Amazon.
What supposedly is a mystery story is actually so much more. It is also a love story and a peek into the life of high society of a different time and place.
Set in the early part of 20th century post earthquake San Francisco, the story revolves around the marriage of wealthy American businessman Price Ruyler and Helene Perrin, an eighteen year old girl from Rouen, France.
Price meets Helene at a society function and immediately falls in love. They are married shortly thereafter. Problems begin to arise when the young Helene is left alone with nothing to do to fill her time while Price is busy at work earning his millions. Many young women in Helene’s position found themselves passing the time drinking, gambling and having affairs.
Add to this boredom the constant presence of the MOTHER-IN-LAW, Madame Delano.
Price is not so sure about this unusual woman (MIL) and his suspicions are confirmed when he per chance overhears her conversation with a low life character on the cable cars. This is when the mystery begins and a private detective is hired.
The descriptions of lavish parties, servants, mansions, European vacations give a wonderful glimpse into the life of luxury of the upper class at the time.
I really enjoyed this story but found that the end was a little bit rushed and too neatly tied up. A little more mystery would have made this story much more exciting.
February 7, 2018
Interesting characters and plot with a unique twist near the end. Kept me glued to the audiobook. Loses one star for the sappy conclusion, though!
March 27, 2021
Nem lesz kedvenc írom Atherton, de az biztos, hogy ez a regény sokkal jobban megfogott az A Daughter of the Vine-nál. Kezdem észrevenni magamnál, hogy amíg nem ismerem nagyjából a szereplőgárdát és nem helyezkedem bele az aktuális történetbe, addig nagyon nehezen figyelek a hangoskönyvre. Úgyhogy az első 10-20 oldalt mindenből vagy utánaolvasom írott formában is, vagy párhuzamosan művelem ugyanezt. Itt ezt a lépést kihagytam, cserébe az első harmadában kicsit el voltam veszve, hogy mi is történik és kivel.
A regény valamiféle nyomozós történetként van „eladva”. Egy fiatal lány, akit elvesz egy viszonylag tehetős és kb. 10-15 évvel idősebb amerikai üzletember – eddig semmi extra. A lány múltja kicsit homályos, még saját magának is. Az immár feleség sokat jár gardedámmal szórakozni, a férje még akkor sem nagyon táncol vele, ha éppen vele megy – ez nekem furcsa, de hát nem igazán tudom, milyen volt a 20. század eleji amerikai normalitás. Egy ponton elkezd féltékeny lenni a férj, és nyomozót állít a feleségére, illetve egyúttal az anyós történetére is szeretne fényt deríteni. Meg kell mondanom, hogy a nyomozó „jelentései” voltak számomra a legizgalmasabbak. Ahogy ássák elő az anyós múltjából a lehetséges darabkákat, és azon gondolkodnak, vajon hogyan áll ebből össze az egész történet, ami természetesen megválaszolná az ifjú feleség múltjának kérdéseit is.
Persze van ebben egy jóadag rózsaszín is, főleg a megoldásban.
A legnagyobb bajom Athertonnal, hogy olyan semmilyenek a karakterei. Megragad egy-egy problémát, de a karakterei nem hús-vér emberek, és emiatt az egész kicsit üres.
A másik problémám pedig, hogy mivel Atherton egyáltalán nem ismert író, így a LibriVoxon szinte minden művét, ami fent van, Lynne Thompson olvassa fel, aki továbbra is legjobb esetben középszerű, de inkább csak szenvtelen hangú. Most egy kicsit könnyebben figyeltem, mint az előző körben, de ez szerintem annak köszönhető, hogy maga a történet jobb volt. Elképzelhető, hogy ez megpecsételte a sorsomat Athertonnal…
September 23, 2016
A very enjoyable short novel; I found it on Project Gutenberg.
It's San Francisco, maybe a decade after the 1906 earthquake and fire, when many records were lost. Busy businessman Price Ruyler has been happy in his marriage to the much younger Hélène, a woman of US birth but French ancestry, who spent much of her youth in Rouen. But for the past few months Price has been aware that there's a cloud hanging over Hélène; something is wrong, and she won't tell him what. An affair? Or is she being blackmailed? But, if the latter, over what?
As Price and the private eye he hires, Spaulding, dig deeper they come across evidence of what appears to be a scandalous past lived in the San Francisco area by Hélène's mother, Marie Delano. Yet much of that evidence, on closer examination, evaporates. Even so, could there still be enough there to provide fuel to the putative blackmailer?
The secret, when Price and Spaulding finally unravel it, is not nearly so sensational as it might have seemed to genteel society in 1919, when this book was first published but, for all that, the finale works just fine. What's interesting about the novel, though, is the snapshot it reveals of the milieu in which the tale is set. On the one hand there's a sort of Pre-Code sensibility, which acknowledges that unmarried people do sleep together without the pillars of the earth crumbling to dust; on the other, there's Price's own attitude toward Hélène, whom he regards as essentially a child in a red-hot woman's body. The strength of the book is that we see this attitude of his changing -- even as, ironically, it's revealed that Hélène has been guilty of a childish folly. Yet she manages to make it clear to Price that her mind is not a child's; she spells out to him that, working all hours and frequently away on business, he's essentially condemning her to a prison of frivolity among her chattering, flirting peers. She wants the freedom to take a job, or at least to do something useful with her life. And, although this isn't spelled out in the book's conclusion, it looks as though Price may grant her this wish.
Atherton was a very stylish writer, and so the tale rolls along smoothly, even if it's perhaps a tad slow-paced by today's standards. I've made a mental note to try others of her novels.
It's San Francisco, maybe a decade after the 1906 earthquake and fire, when many records were lost. Busy businessman Price Ruyler has been happy in his marriage to the much younger Hélène, a woman of US birth but French ancestry, who spent much of her youth in Rouen. But for the past few months Price has been aware that there's a cloud hanging over Hélène; something is wrong, and she won't tell him what. An affair? Or is she being blackmailed? But, if the latter, over what?
As Price and the private eye he hires, Spaulding, dig deeper they come across evidence of what appears to be a scandalous past lived in the San Francisco area by Hélène's mother, Marie Delano. Yet much of that evidence, on closer examination, evaporates. Even so, could there still be enough there to provide fuel to the putative blackmailer?
The secret, when Price and Spaulding finally unravel it, is not nearly so sensational as it might have seemed to genteel society in 1919, when this book was first published but, for all that, the finale works just fine. What's interesting about the novel, though, is the snapshot it reveals of the milieu in which the tale is set. On the one hand there's a sort of Pre-Code sensibility, which acknowledges that unmarried people do sleep together without the pillars of the earth crumbling to dust; on the other, there's Price's own attitude toward Hélène, whom he regards as essentially a child in a red-hot woman's body. The strength of the book is that we see this attitude of his changing -- even as, ironically, it's revealed that Hélène has been guilty of a childish folly. Yet she manages to make it clear to Price that her mind is not a child's; she spells out to him that, working all hours and frequently away on business, he's essentially condemning her to a prison of frivolity among her chattering, flirting peers. She wants the freedom to take a job, or at least to do something useful with her life. And, although this isn't spelled out in the book's conclusion, it looks as though Price may grant her this wish.
Atherton was a very stylish writer, and so the tale rolls along smoothly, even if it's perhaps a tad slow-paced by today's standards. I've made a mental note to try others of her novels.
April 19, 2019
I've read quite a few of Atherton's works now and I definitely like her overall. This book was a fun read, though the subtitle "a mystery", is a little misleading. It's not a traditional mystery, per se, but more of a husband finding out things about his wife that he didn't know. It's a short book and the characters are well drawn, as are most of Atherton's characters. There were a few characters whom I would have loved to know more about but overall, worth the read.
October 11, 2017
This was a very simple mystery. Set in San Francisco after the fire and earthquake.
December 11, 2025
There was some interest in the description of early 20th c. California Society (the capital S type), but the plot...
The subtitle is "a mystery story". A wealthy businessman from a stuffy family marries a sweet young thing from a rather hazy background. He discovers her mother knows some shady characters. He hires a detective, who unravels the mystery through unknown means and presents the solution.
The main mystery is why the author, presumably a professional author, believes any virtuous woman is helpless and clueless without a man's direction.
The subtitle is "a mystery story". A wealthy businessman from a stuffy family marries a sweet young thing from a rather hazy background. He discovers her mother knows some shady characters. He hires a detective, who unravels the mystery through unknown means and presents the solution.
The main mystery is why the author, presumably a professional author, believes any virtuous woman is helpless and clueless without a man's direction.
February 17, 2019
A gem of a mystery set in San Francisco soon after the1906 earthquake. I came upon this author, now almost forgotten, by happenstance—which is why reading is such a pleasure
July 21, 2021
Almost like a Sherlock Holmes mystery.
I had to finish it to find out what the mystery was, but the wording was rather strange and hard to follow
I had to finish it to find out what the mystery was, but the wording was rather strange and hard to follow
February 15, 2025
The mystery is buried beneath its wordy 1919-speak, but it has some pretty good tension regardless.
6/10
6/10
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews