The Rosemary Tree: Week 2

Themes & Setting for April Goudge Readalong

The US edition of The Rosemary Tree on my Goudge bookcase with the other books we are reading together this year!

“The gulls are here, Harriet,” he said. "That means a storm before night.”

"I knew there was a change coming when I woke this morning" said Harriet. "And not only in the weather."

"Change for us all?" asked John. "How do you know these things, Harriet?"

"I couldn't rightly say,” said Harriet. "But don't you feel it yourself? The pause. The shuttle goes backwards and forwards, much the same year after year, and then the pause, like a new color being threaded in for a new pattern."

Elizabeth Goudge, The Rosemary Tree

Scenes & Themes

We will be doing a quick but deep dive into the themes in first four chapters of The Rosemary Tree today, and then will discuss them more as the month goes on.

Also, I will throw in some more photos of the novels setting—Devon. What a beautiful place! Enjoy!

If you are catching up this week, begin here:

Intro to The Rosemary Tree

Is this John talking with Mary O’Hara in his car at Oaklands? Who knows, but it is lovely illustration by C Walter Hodges, who also illustrated The Little White Horse for Goudge.

Themes in The Rosemary Tree:

Darkness and Color working together:

While many of the themes in The Rosemary Tree are played against each other for contrast, this pair of seemingly conflicting terms is working together. You can see this theme begin in the quote at the top, where Harriet says that the fresh wind of the spirit is coming in “like a new color being threaded in for a new pattern." ch 1