tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773539610706998068.post7715874909916400565..comments2024-03-28T10:33:47.385+11:00Comments on Kate Constable's Blog: Green Dolphin CountryA latte beckonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12967372772145537800noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773539610706998068.post-11199399813769789672019-03-26T13:04:09.459+11:002019-03-26T13:04:09.459+11:00I'm sure I've read The Scent of Water -- t...I'm sure I've read The Scent of Water -- they do sort of blur together, to be honest! I think comfort is definitely the right word for Elizabeth Goudge. I do enjoy her emphasis on those old-fashioned virtues! A latte beckonshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12967372772145537800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773539610706998068.post-50827647324576189292019-03-24T16:24:12.923+11:002019-03-24T16:24:12.923+11:00I recently found a late (1963) Elizabeth Goudge ad...I recently found a late (1963) Elizabeth Goudge adult novel in a second-hand bookshop. "The Scent of Water" deals with all the usual Goudge themes - marriages, happy and not; childhood; the past alive in the present; the joy and solace of the natural world; old fashioned virtues such as restraint, patience and duty. It's not one of her best, but there's a lot of comfort to be had from it.Susan Greenhttp://www.veritysparks.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773539610706998068.post-43948180150900925932019-03-15T07:35:33.932+11:002019-03-15T07:35:33.932+11:00The Little White Horse is a classic of course, and...The Little White Horse is a classic of course, and will probably be the book of hers that survives beyond all the others. I reread that from time to time and still enjoy it.Ann Phillipshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12155763589367151482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773539610706998068.post-66126863028141835492019-03-14T10:18:42.062+11:002019-03-14T10:18:42.062+11:00I don't think I ever read The Valley of Song, ...I don't think I ever read The Valley of Song, so I have no treasured memories to risk! My favourite was always The Little White Horse -- I read that over and over. It will be interesting to see if The Valley of Song sparks the same magic.A latte beckonshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12967372772145537800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773539610706998068.post-59499043770305148232019-03-14T04:23:27.745+11:002019-03-14T04:23:27.745+11:00The Valley Of Song rang a bell for me, so I just g...The Valley Of Song rang a bell for me, so I just googled it and the memories came flooding back. I only read it once and never found it again (must have been an old library copy) but I absolutely adored it aged about nine. It was utterly fantastical and magical. But I have a horrible feeling that I couldn't possibly reread it as an adult, and if I tried it would spoil my memory of it!Ann Phillipshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12155763589367151482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773539610706998068.post-45701615531477269542019-03-13T13:03:57.044+11:002019-03-13T13:03:57.044+11:00I also read my mother's adult Elizabeth Goudge...I also read my mother's adult Elizabeth Goudges, like The Rosemary Tree. (Just this morning, Mum picked up a Girls Gone By catalogue which came wiht my copy of The Valley of Song, and said, 'Remember Elizabeth Goudge?') Nothing unsuitable for children in them, though :)<br />Yes, Marianne realised she and Tai Haruru (based on the man who wrote the NZ memoir, apparently) loved each other JUST before they were parted forever... Very convenient!<br />I think the innocence and sexlessness was part of what appealed to me about Elizabeth Goudge -- nice and safe and none of those messy passions. Lots of feelings but not much action.A latte beckonshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12967372772145537800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773539610706998068.post-16015416115826411082019-03-13T09:04:15.396+11:002019-03-13T09:04:15.396+11:00How fascinating that the muddle over the name was ...How fascinating that the muddle over the name was based on a true story! <br />I read a lot of Elizabeth Goudge as a child because as an avid bookworm I constantly ran out of books and had to read what I could on my mother's shelves. I remember this one chiefly for the mistake with the names which I found unbelievable. I didn't entirely buy the idea of the left-behind sister ending up a contented nun either- a bit too Pollyanna-ish for me. And didn't the sister who went also have a love affair with someone else but it was very pure and sexless? All very innocent but unlikely.Ann Phillipshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12155763589367151482noreply@blogger.com