Intro to Sister of the Angels

Our Goudge Readalong for December

The Girls Gone By Publishers edition of Sister of the Angels by Elizabeth Goudge.

“The Cathedral city of Torminster looked very lovely under its mantle of snow…

🌟Elizabeth Goudge, Sister of the Angels

Welcome to our December Goudge Readalong!

This month we are continuing the Torminster series, though you can jump in at any time! The Torminster books began with Goudge’s third novel, A City of Bells, and continues with the Christmas story, Sister of the Angels. We will finish by reading the third book, Henrietta’s House, together in February.

If you still need a copy of the book, find out where to buy one here.

Inspiration for Torminster

Goudge was born in Wells, UK and spent a happy eleven years there before her family moved for her father’s new position at Ely Cathedral. Goudge began a series on her beloved Wells, renaming the cathedral city Torminster:

“Tor” means a hill or rocky peak.

“Minster” means a large or important church, typically one of cathedral status in the north of England that was built as part of a monastery.

Goudge coined “Torminster” as the perfect setting for her series based around the grand cathedral church set like “a city on a hill,” and ringed with the blue hills and countryside.

Goudge was so enchanted by the adopted children in her full length Torminster novel, A City of Bells, that she began almost immediately to write more about them. She published Sister of the Angels in 1939, and then Henrietta’s House (also titled The Blue Hills) during the war in 1942. We find out in the first paragraph that we are reading this book at the right time of year—one month before Christmas:

“The moment she woke up Henrietta was conscious that she was happy, unusually, deliciously happy... She had three causes for it: the first snow of the year was lying thick and white over the world, it was a month to Christmas, and today her father was coming on a long visit.” ch 1

We will take a look today at the location of Wells, UK, which inspired Torminster, Goudge’s difficulties in 1939, and father/daughter moments.

Hope you can join us!

Snowy scene of Wells Cathedral. (Photo from Wells Cathedral)

“…The crowning glory was the Cathedral itself. It rose up like some great enchanted mountain, its three towers soaring up into the sky as though they did not mean to stop until they had pierced the crystal dome and come face to face with the rainbow encircled throne that was built above it.

Every ledge and pinnacle, every carved angel and saint and demon, was outlined with frosted snow, and the Virgin and Child over the west door were so covered with it that it looked as though an armful of Christmas roses had been dropped over them, the blossoms lodging in the folds of the Virgin's robe and the outstretched hands of the Child…”

🌟Elizabeth Goudge, Sister of the Angels

The Madonna and Christ child over the door of Wells Cathedral. Photo by Tenth Medieval