A Guide to the Complete Works of British author Elizabeth Goudge

Elizabeth Goudge (1900–1984) is perhaps the greatest "unknown" writer of the 20th century. Though her books were both popular and critically acclaimed and during her lifetime, most have fallen out of print. Thankfully, they are now being brought back into print by the Elizabeth Goudge Classics series (see the covers below).


As a novelist, Goudge wrote beautifully and constructed suspenseful, page-turning plots. Her Green Dolphin Street was adapted into a movie starring Lana Turner. Goudge's ability to craft memorable characters and her insights into different human personalities are worthy of comparison to Charles Dickens and Jane Austen.


As a children's author, Goudge won the UK's highest honor, the Carnegie Medal, for The Little White Horse. That book was an inspiration for the Chronicles of Narnia and was also the favorite childhood book of Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling, putting Goudge in the company of the greatest authors for young readers.


As an inspirational author and theological thinker, Goudge was on par with C. S. Lewis, though with a distinctly feminine voice and vision. She wove her faith into the fabric of her stories rather than writing abstract theology. Her biography of Jesus, God So Loved the World, is outstanding in its genre.


This webpage is dedicated to preserving and promoting Ms. Goudge's legacy, by hosting a reader's circle (closed temporarily due to excessive spam) and offering links to her complete works—including the newly available Elizabeth Goudge Classics series.

 

 

----

 

N O V E L S

The Middle Window
Set in the Scottish Highlands, The Middle Window is a both a romance and a paranormal thriller. Elizabeth Goudge's most unusual novel, it is the story three people so linked together that time--and even death--is powerless to separate them from each other.

Green Dolphin Street
Elizabeth Goudge’s most famous novel for adults, Green Dolphin Street won a Literary Guild award and was adapted into a movie starring Lana Turner. A romance like no other, it is a saga of human and divine love spanning decades and the globe—from the Channel Islands to New Zealand. The Times of London praised it as “a story of ultimate love, determination, devotion and forgiveness, powerfully and yet beautifully written.”

 

The Scent of Water

Reading The Scent of Water is like taking a retreat in an English cottage. “This gentle and light-filled narrative, beginning with a death and ending with a birth in the tiny village of Appleshaw, weaves the enchanting story of the people in the village and their respective paths. Mary Lindsay, a handsome spinster, comes to Appleshaw to live the country life ‘before it and I disappear from the English scene.’ In discovering this life, she finds her capacities for maternity, love, friendship, and respect blossoming, along with a strong and sweet faith in a God she has forgotten. The other characters are as beautifully rendered as Mary herself. A book with deep roots in truth, whose unchanging message has made me stronger.” —Amazon.com customer review

Island Magic
Island Magic, a beautiful story of the Channel Islands in the nineteenth century, was Elizabeth Goudge's first novel and stands as one of her finest. It tells of Rachel and Andre du Froq and their exuberant children, and the mysterious stranger who washes up from the sea and becomes entwined in their lives. Sunshine, shipwrecks, romance, death, and second sight all have their part in this drama of fascinating human beings. Newly available afrer decades out-of-print, this is a literary gem ready to be rediscovered.

Make-Believe
 In Make-Believe, we rejoin Andre and Rachel du Frocq and their five children, the delightful family from Elizabeth Goudge's first novel, Island Magic. Few authors have captured the spirit of childhood as Goudge does in these stories. This new edition of the long out-of-print book includes the original illustrations by Walter Hodges.

--

The Eliot Trilogy

This series, Elizabeth Goudge's personal favorite among her creations, centers on the warm and wise presence of matriarch Lucilla Eliot and the sheltering spirit of her home, Damerosehay. In the first book, The Bird in the Tree, beautiful and strong-willed Nadine is torn between passion and duty when she must choose between two Eliot brothers. Book two, The Herb of Grace, paints a vivid picture of post-World-War-II life in an old English inn, as the Eliots and their guests grapple with old loves and dark secrets, struggling to break free from the past and embrace new lives. In final volume, The Heart of the Family, the youngest generation of Eliots discovers romance, while the older generation reaches deeper levels of love.

 

 

Y O U N G - A D U L T
The Little White Horse

The Little White Horse is Elizabeth Goudge's best-loved book for young readers. It tells the story of Maria, an orphan who goes to live in the old manor-house of Moonacre, where she discovers a world of delightful people and enchanted creatures. But the Kingdom of Moonacre has fallen under a dark cloud, and only a new Moon Princess can restore its ancient glory. The Little White Horse won the Carnegie Award for being the outstanding children's book of 1946. An instant classic, it influenced The Chronicles of Narnia and was J. K. Rowling's favorite childhood book. Later this year, The Little White Horse will become a major motion picture, titled The Secret of Moonacre and starring Dakota Blue Richards (who also played the lead girl in The Golden Compass).

 

-


C H R I S T M A S
The Well of the Star

The Well of the Star, one of Elizabeth Goudge's most delightful Christmas stories, tells how the three Wise Men lost sight of the star on their way to Bethlehem. Then, they met a young shepherd boy named David beside a mysterious well. . . . Perfect for reading aloud on a cold winter's night, this tale will become part of your Christmas tradition.


The Sister of the Angels

In The Sister of the Angels, Elizabeth Goudge takes us back to the City of Bells, and tells an enchanting story about Henrietta, a young girl in love with every nook and cranny of her grandfather's cathedral. This is a perfect story for the holiday season, and, because of its peace and charm, a book to cherish all the year round.

 

 

 

I N S P I R A T I O N A L
God So Loved the World
In God So Loved the World, one of the 20th century's greatest storytellers retells the greatest story ever told. Unlike other fictional versions of the Gospels that reduce Jesus to a mere human, Elizabeth Goudge portrays Christ as the ultimate self-humbling of God. The result is a riveting, inspiring read.

 
AddThis Social Bookmark Button