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lilac hill
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I have been enjoying this read.
As a non-Englander I had to search out descriptions of the lime trees and Twiglets.
The trees look beautiful, imposing, and grand. Especially as our own trees come into full leaf.
The Twiglets sound like an acquired taste--the description talks of a burnt aroma and a taste of burnt cheese? 
Viv
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Viv
Wife to Rick (7/83), Mom to dd#1(6/87), dd#2(1/90), and dd#3(6/94) in central PA.
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Chari
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Thanks, Viv, for the comment. I have been wanting to comment for weeks........but I ended up out of town unexpectedly for a week............them my phone line was messed up......and then company........and now I have worked today......and I am pooped! 
So, I will try to write tomorrow, if I do not work.
Please, does anyone else have any comments about the book?
Did you like it? Any favorite quotes? Wanna discuss a character???
zzzzzzzzzzzz.........night,
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Chari...Take Up & Read
Dh Marty 27yrs...3 lovely maidens: Anne 24, Sarah 20 & Maddelyn 17 and 3 chivalrous sons: Matthew 22, Garrett 16 & Malachy 11
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Kathryn UK
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Chari wrote:
Please, does anyone else have any comments about the book?
Did you like it? Any favorite quotes? Wanna discuss a character???
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I love this book. And I love twiglets  But then I grew up on them, so I never had to acquire the taste. Think thin knobbly sticks of wholewheat cracker, flavoured with yeast extract and cheese powder.
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Kathryn
Dh Michael,  Rachel(3/95) Hannah(8/98) Naomi(6/06)  (11/07)
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teachingmom
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I finished the book earlier this week. It was overdue and I was unable to renew it, so I unfortunately had to return it. (Anyone in this group from Fairfax County and have that book on reserve?!) That means that I will be doing my commenting from memory, without the book to refer back to.
I loved it. It was my 5th Elizabeth Goudge book. After finishing, I went online and ordered used copies of 3 more of her books from half.com. (My libraries have very few of her works.  )
I loved the story of Paul and Val. It was a really beautiful part of the book. I cried over the scene in which Paul takes his pillow, walks into Val's bedroom and says something like, "Shove over, Val." (I realize that my description of that scene must sound really strange to those of you who haven't yet read the book, but trust me, it was really beautiful!)
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Mare
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I finished up this book and also enjoyed it. I think what spoke to me was when Mary read her aunt's diary and learned how much her aunt was preparing the house for Mary even before Mary was born. In essence, Mary's aunt loved Mary before she knew her.
It reminded me of my children. When I was teaching during my single days, I would buy books in anticipation of sharing them with my own children. I loved them before I knew them.
That is how God is with us. The Bible tells us that God knew us and loved us before we were formed in our mother's womb. For some reason, I finally "got it" when I read this book.
Peace,
Mare
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jdostalik
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I read this book on vacation in Colorado and loved it...Elizabeth Goudge can write so descriptively about human nature...I actually thought one of the most moving parts of the book was when Charles, the ne'er-do-well son to Col. and Mrs. Adamas, spends the entire 60 pounds that Paul gives him to buy his parents a present... It almost made me boo-hoo, it was so poignant...Goudge's characters defy stereotypes...That's what I love about her books...They are so TRUE!
I could write more but the baby calls...
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Jennifer in TX
wife to Bill, mom to six here on earth and eight in heaven.
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teachingmom
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jdostalik wrote:
| I actually thought one of the most moving parts of the book was when Charles, the ne'er-do-well son to Col. and Mrs. Adamas, spends the entire 60 pounds that Paul gives him to buy his parents a present... ...Goudge's characters defy stereotypes...That's what I love about her books...They are so TRUE! |
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I completely agree about her insight into human nature. Goudge really shows the beauty in each soul, even those characters who are not so easy to love, like Charles mentioned above.
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Natalia
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I really liked the book. I kept feeling a sense of the supernatural all through the book: in the ways that little events would happen - "coincidences", encounter, words chosen,etc-; in the way that the past and the present were connected. It seems that there was a Presence in that village. I love the way that people took care of one another, the way the kept up with each others lives but not in a gossipy way but just out of interest.
Mary's character surprised me. She seemed to be one way in the city and a complete different person in the country. It seems that her potential for caring and loving was hidden inside her and her surroundings in the village just unlocked this potential. I wonder if there is something to be said for life in the country vs life in th city. I have never lived in a country so I wouldn't know...
The book made me think about the difference of living in the Old World vs the New World. I wonder what is it like to be able to live in a house that can stretch its past so far back. I wonder if the sense of history and how the past is connected to your present is different in parts of the world with a long past. I thought it was beautiful how Mary and her cousin could both feel the blessings coming from the monks that have been there centuries ago.
What other books by her have you read?
Natalia
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teachingmom
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Natalia wrote:
| I thought it was beautiful how Mary and her cousin could both feel the blessings coming from the monks that have been there centuries ago. |
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That theme is also evident in Goudge's book Pilgrim's Inn (also known as Herb of Grace).
It reminds me of the story of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. It's an evangelical Protestant seminary in New England. The school used to be a Catholic boys' school run by Carmelites, for the purpose of producing vocations for the Church. The Carmelites prayed for vocations without obvious success, and eventually had to sell the school. Over the years quite a few of the Protestant pastors who were trained at Gordon Conwell have converted to Roman Catholicism, including Scott Hahn, Steve Wood, and Marcus Grodi. I understand that there is the sense that all the prayers of those faithful Catholic religious of the past came to fruition in some way in these modern conversions.
Natalia wrote:
What other books by her have you read?
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I've read the Damerosehay trilogy:
The Bird in the Tree
Pilgrim's Inn
The Heart of the Family
I've also read The Dean's Watch.
All four of those books are wonderful and similarly inspiring.
I found a link to a list of Goudge's books a minute ago when I wanted to check the order of the trilogy titles.
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~Irene (Mom to 6 girls, ages 7-19)
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Kathryn UK
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Natalia wrote:
| The book made me think about the difference of living in the Old World vs the New World. I wonder what is it like to be able to live in a house that can stretch its past so far back. I wonder if the sense of history and how the past is connected to your present is different in parts of the world with a long past. |
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Even in the Old World living in a house with such a sense of history is rare. I grew up in a 17th century farmhouse, but the sense of connection wasn't there because we had no idea of the history of the house or of the people who lived there. And even here very few people live in very old houses. However, Elizabeth Goudge is writing out of her own experience. Her father was the head of two Anglican theological colleges, both in ancient cathedral cities, and then professor of theology at Oxford University. Each of these posts came with a historic house attached. The three cities and the houses themselves are all used, in whole or in part, in her books. She describes them in her autobiography, The Joy of the Snow.
Natalia wrote:
What other books by her have you read?
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Lots  . One that I think is good to read after The Scent of Water is The Rosemary Tree, as it has a strong theme of redemption and conversion - echoes of Val and Charles in The Scent of Water, only more so. My absolute favourites are the Damerosehay Trilogy: The Bird in the Tree, The Herb of Grace (American title Pilgrim's Inn?) and a third book the title of which I've forgotten! A City of Bells is another favourite.
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Kathryn
Dh Michael, Rachel(3/95) Hannah(8/98) Naomi(6/06) (11/07)
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4Real Forums : Book Club
Topic: The Scent of Water
