Getting ready for January!
Gentian Hill by Elizabeth Goudge
“Stella had not drawn the curtains, and outside the window was the deep blue of a winter dusk seen from a candle-lit room—"gentian blue," she said to herself. She could not see Bowerly Hill, but she could picture the old yew tree, the fallen stones, and the sheep lying in the blue dusk as though folded in Our Lady's cloak.
She pictured the Christmas shepherds up there with them. One of them, she thought, was a very holy man. She imagined him sitting on one of the fallen stones, wrapped in his cloak, looking out towards the sea. Because he was a holy man, the sheep had gathered close about him. The Christmas stars were bright over his head, and his shepherd's crook was in his hand.”
🌟 Elizabeth Goudge, Gentian Hill
Countryside ease, High seas & Love’s adventure
I hope you can join us in January for one of my favorite Goudge novels! Gentian Hill was the first Goudge novel that I was able to read a decade ago, as it was one that was available at my local library. It has been one of the most popularly requested books over my past six years of leading Goudge Readalongs, and I know that you will adore it too!
It is set during the Napoleonic Wars, though most of the story takes place in the Spriggs’ cozy kitchen at Weekaborough Farm. Stella is a magical little girl with a keen sight for beauty and also a hunger for adventure. Her love for all of creation, the farm animals and her adopted parents will melt your heart.
Get your copy
You can get a Kindle edition of Gentian Hill from Amazon.
If you are interested in a vintage copy (at reasonable price!), take a look at this search here at Abebooks.
If you are interested in a paperback, then you should order the Hodder edition from Blackwells in the UK. They ship for free to the US!
Coming soon: Goudge Readalong 2025
I will be announcing the full Goudge reading list for 2025 on New Year’s Eve, so look out for that exciting post!
If you have joined us for any Goudge books in 2024, thank you! And I hope you will consider telling a friend, or a group of friends, and inviting them along for the Goudgian-journey with us!! Elizabeth Goudge is an author who deserves to be read and reread. We have heard from several Goudge readers in the past year about how much she has meant to them, and I hope that we can keep giving that gift to others in the coming year who may not know yet what they are missing.
“The orange glow of the lantern, the warm velvety shadows of the stable, the contented purring of the cats and the breathing of the oxen, the smell of the clean beasts and the hay, seemed to weave themselves together and make for Stella a cloak of warm tranquillity. Wrapped in it she lay still, reaching down inside herself for that deep peace in which her being was rooted like a tree. Awareness of that peace gave her the deepest happiness that she knew.”
🌟 Elizabeth Goudge, Gentian Hill
Love to hear if you will be reading with us in January, and if you will be reading for the first time, or rereading!
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*Amazon Affiliate links are included in this newsletter. I make a few cents per recommendation, each of which I hope will be helpful to you! Note: I also include many links which are not affiliates to other sites for other Goudge editions.
I just found you and will be reading this for the first time with you.
Inherited many of her books from my mother who adored her. I’m excited to read this book for the first time. All of her books are new to me.