Goudge reader: Gina House
A “Share your Goudge Collection” Interview
“Reading an Elizabeth Goudge book brings a bright spiritual element to my life that I don’t receive from any other place. It’s a similar (though not exactly the same) feeling that I had the moment that I held each of my babies in my arms—wonder, lightness of spirit and awe…”
Gina House on reading Elizabeth Goudge
Goudge reader interview
Today we are kicking off a new series: interviews with readers about their own Elizabeth Goudge collections. I’m very excited to begin with this wonderful interview with a Goudge friend I have had for many years now via Instagram, Gina House.
Gina lives in New Hampshire, US with her husband Ian and a large and ever-growing collection of the cozy vintage books she loves. Gina is such a generous soul, sharing the goodness of bookmarks and beautiful stationary with her book friends, and she has also begun sharing her reading journey on a new blog, Babs Beloved Books.
Julie: Welcome Gina! Thank you for sharing your Goudge collections with us today. When did you first find Goudge? Which Goudge book did you read first?
Gina: Thank you so much, Julie! I am honored (and thrilled!) to be sharing my Elizabeth Goudge reading experiences with you and all EG fans. I can’t tell you what this means to me :)
I finished my very first Elizabeth Goudge book in June 2020 and it was The Little White Horse. After that, I was hooked!
I’d never read a book quite like this before. I was completely enchanted by her choice of words and sparkling phrases. After finishing the book, I felt incredibly sad that I’d never heard of her books when I was young. I know I would have loved it even more (if that’s possible!) if I’d read The Little White Horse in my childhood. But, this story utterly captured my heart even as an adult, which is such a gift.
I feel embarrassed to say that no matter how much I love her books, they are sometimes a challenge for me to read. I think it’s because each of her sentences is like a four course meal of all of your favorite foods and I feel “stuffed” or saturated quickly. Does that make sense?
The ideal time for me to read EG books are at night, all snuggled up in my bed with the warm glow of my salt lamp illuminating the room and making me feel cozy and comfortable. I can concentrate much better that way. I also need complete quiet, a large tin of book darts, a lazy stream of powdery incense wafting across my vision and a steaming cup of herbal tea to complete the picture. If I have the energy to get all things in place (though, sadly, this doesn’t happen as often as I’d like), it’s a heavenly—and very soothing—experience!
I’ve only read 23 of her books so far, but I can’t wait to read the rest of the books in my collection. Thank goodness for you and the Elizabeth Goudge Club for encouraging me to reread my favorites! I’m really excited for The Joy of Snow to be republished by Girls Gone By Publishers - yay!
Julie: That sounds like the best way to read Goudge! I really enjoy winding down the day with reading her as well. I can feel my stress levels lowering as I read a little before bed. And yes, I do think slower and more thoughtful reading is better for her as she does write in those longer, Victorian sentences! She has moments of real punchy-ness in her writing, but much of her nature and character descriptions are rich and worth savoring like fine chocolate.
Julie: Which Goudge book is your favorite vintage edition? What year and is it a UK or US edition?
Gina: My all-time favorite edition is the Coward McCann 1960s US edition of The Dean’s Watch. Not only is it my absolute favorite book, but I just love the cover illustration. Especially since it features the Dean, Issac, and sweet little Bella on the front. I could just look at this cover all day long and find new things. I wish that you could buy a poster sized version that I could keep on the wall of my little library.
My next favorite is the 1957 Hodder and Stoughton edition of The Eilots of Damerosehay. It took years for me to find a decent and affordable edition with a dust jacket. But, now that I have it on my shelves, I’m so happy. This is another example of a vintage book that just has just the perfect illustration on the cover. The Heart of the Family is the story that really touches my heart out of the three books in the series. I’m not sure why.
Final favorites (sorry to share so many!) are my vintage Dell Yearling editions of Linnets and Valerians, The Little White Horse and I Saw Three Ships. They’re just adorable. I grew up reading primarily Dell Yearling editions in the 1980s and they have a lovely nostalgic feel for me. If only I had known about Elizabeth Goudge back then! (So sad)
Julie: Which modern edition is your favorite out of the new Goudge reprints by Hodder, Hendrickson, Penguin, Girls Gone By Publishers, etc?
Gina: Hmm…that’s a good question! Although I think any publisher who reprints anything by Elizabeth Goudge deserves a medal (lol!), I definitely lean more towards the Girls Gone By editions. The convenient size of the books and the fact that they always add extra (or new) information to a by-gone classic is wonderful! I only wish I had an easier time holding the book open while reading so that I wouldn’t have to break the lovely spine. That kills me.
I also have a special place in my heart for The Folio Society’s edition of The Little White Horse. It’s so gorgeous and it was the very first EG book that I read. I still love it!
Julie: Is there a scene from one of Elizabeth Goudge’s books that sticks with you? What moments in life makes you think of it? And which book is it from?
Gina: Oh, there are so many! But, there are a few that always seem to stick in my memory. The first is from The Dean’s Watch. It’s the part right after the Dean buys little Bella an umbrella at Miss Throstle’s shop:
“He bowed to her, replaced his hat and went out into the gathering dust with the little umbrella tucked under his arm. Fifteen minutes later, still carrying it, he was in Miss Montague’s drawing room. He had not been there since that day when they had talked of the nature of love. The lamp was lighted and the curtains drawn against the chill mist, the lovely room warm and sweet-scented with chrysanthemums and burning apple logs. The two friends greeted each other with delight and satisfaction, for to both it seemed a long time since they had been together.”
And, another of Issac the Clockmaker at the beginning of the book:
“…but tonight he remembered only the warm rooms and the faces of men and women bent over their bowls of steaming soup, and the children already asleep in their beds. He felt for them all a profound love, and he glowed. The moment of his loving was in the world of time merely sixty seconds ticked out by his watch, but in another dimension it was an arc of light encircling the city and leaving not one heart within it untouched by blessedness.”
Finally, I love this passage from The Heart of the Family when Sebastian is shown the kitchen by Jose. I get the coziest feeling from this simple domestic description!
“ ‘It is a beautiful kitchen,’ he said, looking round at the shining pots and pans, the huge scrubbed kitchen table, the gay china on the dresser, and the view of the orchard seen between the Scarlett curtains at the window. The back door, set wide open today, opened into a porch almost as large as a little room, with seats in it, and outside doves strutted on the cobbles of the yard. ‘It’s nice and bright,’ agreed Jose.”
Julie: What do you love most about Goudge’s writing?
Gina: I love that her writing encourages me to be more mindful of reading slowly and savoring every line of description in her work. I’m not a very fast reader, but I tend to rush through books if I’m anxious to know the ending. With EG, you would miss so much beauty and “ah-ha” moments if you rush. I tend to live more in the future in my normal life, but I’m really grateful to Elizabeth Goudge’s books because they encourage me to slow down, be mindful and enjoy every moment.
The elements that I find so appealing about her writing are the lyrical descriptions of nature, the intimate connections between her characters, the way she is able to make you look deeper into a person for positive qualities and, maybe most importantly, her ability to add a spark of magic into her stories without it feeling silly or over-the-top.
Reading an Elizabeth Goudge book brings a bright spiritual element to my life that I don’t receive from any other place. It’s a similar (though not exactly the same) feeling that I had the moment that I held each of my babies in my arms—wonder, lightness of spirit and awe. It’s pretty special when an author can do that for their reading audience.
Julie: Which authors would you say are most similar to Elizabeth Goudge?
Gina: It’s hard for me to pick authors that are similar to Elizabeth Goudge because she is so unique in so many ways. I don’t know if I have a wide enough experience of other authors to compare to EG because I only started reading her books four years ago. But, if I had to choose authors that give me the same positive and uplifting feeling after reading their books, these are the ones I would choose:
Gladys Taber (Stillmeadow Series)
Miss Read (Particularly her Christmas books and Thrush Green series)
Elizabeth von Arnim (Especially The Enchanted April, Solitary Summer and All the Dogs of My Life)
Frances Hodgson Burnett (The Little Princess and The Secret Garden)
When I read books by these authors, I always keep a jar of book darts nearby so that I can mark all of the beautiful passages that I want to go back to. I’ve gone through more than (4) 125-count jars in 4 years…lol!
Julie: Where can we find out more about you and what you are reading these days?
Gina: You can usually find me on Instagram @babsbelovedbooks but, just to warn you, I’m not so prompt at checking my messages.
I would love to see new visitors on my (new!) Babs Beloved Books blog and it’s always awesome to have new friends on Goodreads. If you’re also interested in knitting patterns and designs, I have both pdfs and books available on my website (free and to purchase). I love making new friends, so please keep in touch!
Julie, thank you for this absolutely lovely Elizabeth Goudge chat! It was so much fun sharing my thoughts and favorite books/editions/authors. I am extremely grateful to you for all that you do with the Elizabeth Goudge Book Club. For the past four years, I’ve adored your Instagram posts, helpful information, and extra photos of locations, plants, flowers and people. You truly inspire me to dive more deeply into all things EG and I am so happy that we met. Thank you!! 🥰❤️
Julie: Thanks for sharing your Goudge collection and so much about your reading with us today, Gina! It’s is so fun to learn some more things about you, and to hear you talk about what Goudge’s writing has meant to you. Thank you for sharing all of the peace and joy you have found!
Do you have a favorite book in Gina’s collection? Love to hear!
And if you would be interested in sharing your collection, or even just one of your favorite editions, let me know! I am looking for more Goudge readers to feature here in our Goudge community.
That is a simply gorgeous collection of books, Gina! It must bring you joy every day just to look at those shelves. I did not know about the Girls Gone By editions--they're lovely, and I'm glad I know about them now. :) Thank you!
This was lovely, it was so nice to have a look around your beautiful collection Gina and hear all about your Elizabeth Goudge insights. I was nodding veraciously throughout, because there is something extra special that Goudge brings to her books.