The Snow

by Hugh Walpole

A famous short story

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Audiobook, British Literature, Classics

Audiobook

First published January 1, 1933

About the author

Sir Hugh Seymour Walpole was an English novelist. A prolific writer, he published thirty-six novels, five volumes of short stories, two plays and three volumes of memoirs. His skill at scene-setting, his vivid plots, his high profile as a lecturer and his driving ambition brought him a large readership in the United Kingdom and North America. A best-selling author in the 1920s and 1930s, his works have been neglected since his death.

Reviews

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully well written classic gothic ghost story with a snowy ice-cold setting sending shivers down one's spine. The ghost of the jealous first wife (Elinor) has ice cold revenge in her heart with her incessant haunting of the younger second wife (Alice) and we all know how revenge is best served. Don Corleone in The Godfather said “Revenge is a dish that tastes best when it is cold”, and in Star Trek II, The Wrath of Kahn Ricardo Montalbán's memorable scene when Khan informs Kirk, "Kirk old friend, do you know the Klingon proverb, Revenge is a dish best served cold?”
The origin of the expression comes from French author Eugène Sue and his novel, Memoirs of Matilda. The English translation of the work by D. G. Osbourne, published in 1846, has the phrase appear as follows. “And then revenge is very good eaten cold, as the vulgar say.” And in Walpole's ghost story he also has a unique way of Elinor serving up her cold revenge to Alice.

[Kath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last year I did a 6 week ghost story writing workshop, and during that course, in one of the workshops, the opening lines of this story were featured. It's quite the opening. And it tells us rather a lot just in this first few sentences - "The second Mrs. Ryder was a young woman not easily frightened, but now she stood in the dusk of the passage leaning back against the wall, her hand on her heart, looking at the grey-faced window beyond which the snow was steadily falling against the lamplight."

We know already that in order for there to be a second Mrs Ryder, there must have been a first Mrs Ryder. And we know that something, outside in the snow, has frightened her.

When I started listening to a recording of the story on the Classic Ghost Stories Podcast, I didn't immediately remember that this opening had featured in the workshops I'd taken last year, but on hearing the opening lines, I was immediately hooked.

I'd wanted to know more when I'd seen this opener in the workshop, but then hadn't written down the title or author of the story, and so had utterly forgotten it until the reading began.

I'm pleased to say that the rest of the story didn't let me down. And it reminded me in several parts of the novel Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. Told from the perspective of the second Mrs Ryder, like that story is told from the perspective of the second Mrs De Winter - a woman who much like our Mrs Ryder, feels like she can't ever escape the shadow of the previous wife.

I won't spoil whether Mrs Ryder manages it or not, or what is in The Snow of the title that has her so frightened, but what I will say is that this is a chilling tale in more ways than one.

[Tihana · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5
I quite like Walpole's writing style, I'll have to check out more of his works. Stumbled upon this work accidentally in the form of a podcast reading, and I'm glad I gave it a chance.

[Tony Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic, clever well-observed Christmas ghost story. Wonderfully written with great style.

[Arimi Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an interesting short story, I loved the reading of it by Tony Walker on Youtube, plus the background history of the author. Interesting.

Eleanor, well that's an interesting character. I wasn't sure if he was writing about a woman who is manic. If it is Eleanor, if it was our main character. Maybe it was Herbert. Do we ever know? No. But I think it was interesting.

[Richard Dominguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

A couple living in a cathedral close watch the snow fall. They are unhappy. She is haunted. She looks for help, but can she escape her doom?

A very good story that makes you wonder if the evil is really the ghost or just the character of the protagonist.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a dark ghost story about an unusual love triangle where one of the participants happens to be dead. It is really well written, setting up for the final scene. Read by Tony Walker from his podcast.

[Forked Radish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great writing—a termagant gets a gift for Xmas.

[gio]

Wtf

[Macky · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️3.5/4⭐️ You tube audio podcast: classic ghost stories Tony Walker

[Janete on hiatus due health issues · Rating 5 out of 5]

SYNOPSIS: "“The Snow” is a multilayered ghost story in which the phantom of a jealous and vindictive first wife seems to haunt the new young bride of her husband. As the cracks in their relationship widen, the malevolent ghost tightens her evil grip on the second wife." (www.kobo.com)

[K Tickle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad but way too short, it just got good then ended.
A brief story of the difficulty faced in a relationship when one partner is suffering mental health battles. That's my take on it anyway.