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Smoky-House
Spring had come again to Faraway, and the men and women and children of the village, as they went about their business, were singing this song that the merry young Squire had written to welcome the spring.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1940
About the author
Elizabeth Goudge
79 books931 followersElizabeth Goudge was an English author of novels, short stories and children's books.
Elizabeth de Beauchamp Goudge was born on 24 April 1900 in Wells, Somerset, in Tower House close by the cathedral in an area known as The Liberty, Her father, the Reverend Henry Leighton Goudge, taught in the cathedral school. Her mother was Miss Ida Collenette from the Channel Isles. Elizabeth was an only child. The family moved to Ely for a Canonry as Principal of the theological college. Later, when her father was made Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford, they moved to Christ Church, Oxford.
She went to boarding school during WWI and later to Arts College, presumably at Reading College. She made a small living as teacher, and continued to live with her parents. During this time, she wrote a few plays, and was encouraged to write novels by a publisher. As her writing career took off, she began to travel to other nations. Unfortunately, she suffered from depression for much of her life. She had great empathy for people and a talent for finding the comic side of things, displayed to great effect in her writing.
Goudge's first book, The Fairies' Baby and Other Stories (1919), was a failure and it was several years before she authored Island Magic (1934), which is based on Channel Island stories, many of which she had learned from her mother, who was from Guernsey. After the death of her father, Goudge and her mother went to Devon, and eventually wound up living there in a small cottage. There, she wrote prolifically and was happy.
After the death of her mother, and at the wishes of Goudge's family who wished her to live closer to them, she found a companion who moved with her to Rose Cottage in Reading. She lived out her life there, and had many dogs in her life. Goudge loved dogs, and much preferred their company to that of humans. She continued to write until shortly before her death, when ill health, successive falls, and cataracts hindered her ability to write. She was much loved.
Goudge was awarded the Carnegie Medal for The Little White Horse (1946), the book which J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter stories, has said was her favorite as a child. The television mini-series Moonacre was based on The Little White Horse. Her Green Dolphin Country (1944) was made into a film (under its American title, Green Dolphin Street) which won the Academy Award for Special Effects in 1948.
A Diary of Prayer (1966) was one of Goudge's last works. She spent her last years in her cottage on Peppard Common, just outside Henley-on-Thames, where a blue plaque was unveiled in 2008.
Elizabeth de Beauchamp Goudge was born on 24 April 1900 in Wells, Somerset, in Tower House close by the cathedral in an area known as The Liberty, Her father, the Reverend Henry Leighton Goudge, taught in the cathedral school. Her mother was Miss Ida Collenette from the Channel Isles. Elizabeth was an only child. The family moved to Ely for a Canonry as Principal of the theological college. Later, when her father was made Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford, they moved to Christ Church, Oxford.
She went to boarding school during WWI and later to Arts College, presumably at Reading College. She made a small living as teacher, and continued to live with her parents. During this time, she wrote a few plays, and was encouraged to write novels by a publisher. As her writing career took off, she began to travel to other nations. Unfortunately, she suffered from depression for much of her life. She had great empathy for people and a talent for finding the comic side of things, displayed to great effect in her writing.
Goudge's first book, The Fairies' Baby and Other Stories (1919), was a failure and it was several years before she authored Island Magic (1934), which is based on Channel Island stories, many of which she had learned from her mother, who was from Guernsey. After the death of her father, Goudge and her mother went to Devon, and eventually wound up living there in a small cottage. There, she wrote prolifically and was happy.
After the death of her mother, and at the wishes of Goudge's family who wished her to live closer to them, she found a companion who moved with her to Rose Cottage in Reading. She lived out her life there, and had many dogs in her life. Goudge loved dogs, and much preferred their company to that of humans. She continued to write until shortly before her death, when ill health, successive falls, and cataracts hindered her ability to write. She was much loved.
Goudge was awarded the Carnegie Medal for The Little White Horse (1946), the book which J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter stories, has said was her favorite as a child. The television mini-series Moonacre was based on The Little White Horse. Her Green Dolphin Country (1944) was made into a film (under its American title, Green Dolphin Street) which won the Academy Award for Special Effects in 1948.
A Diary of Prayer (1966) was one of Goudge's last works. She spent her last years in her cottage on Peppard Common, just outside Henley-on-Thames, where a blue plaque was unveiled in 2008.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
March 29, 2024
2026 Review
Still wonderful to read--a story about being good that does not preach but shows how wonderful being good is to children. A treasure.
2024 Review
A lovely fairy tale, romantic, enchanted, with a good heart and attention to beauty. This is my first venture into Goudge's children's fiction and I couldn't be more pleased! The same things I love in her adult writing are present (good theology, vivid characters, memorable/enjoyable setting) but with even more humor, fairies, and those little narrative comments that make midcentury British children's novels so fun, even as an adult. I know I would have loved this as a child, because even the suspenseful moments are "safe" in a way, and there is a nice long denouement, which I always craved. I loved how Goudge gave poor adultified Jessamine a childish corner of her soul that kept her from being too grown-up. And the "Angel-of-the-Left-Hand-Back-Bedpost" is simply my favorite thing. Plus the dogs! Oh my word. There's just so much to love about this little book! Eager to venture further into Goudge's work for children.
Still wonderful to read--a story about being good that does not preach but shows how wonderful being good is to children. A treasure.
2024 Review
A lovely fairy tale, romantic, enchanted, with a good heart and attention to beauty. This is my first venture into Goudge's children's fiction and I couldn't be more pleased! The same things I love in her adult writing are present (good theology, vivid characters, memorable/enjoyable setting) but with even more humor, fairies, and those little narrative comments that make midcentury British children's novels so fun, even as an adult. I know I would have loved this as a child, because even the suspenseful moments are "safe" in a way, and there is a nice long denouement, which I always craved. I loved how Goudge gave poor adultified Jessamine a childish corner of her soul that kept her from being too grown-up. And the "Angel-of-the-Left-Hand-Back-Bedpost" is simply my favorite thing. Plus the dogs! Oh my word. There's just so much to love about this little book! Eager to venture further into Goudge's work for children.
November 27, 2020
4.5 stars
Another Elizabeth Goudge book that I've fallen in love with! 🥰
While this is definitely more a children's book, I still enjoyed it immensely, and got a lot out of it, as I always do with Goudge's books.
The whole Man-with-the-Red-Handkerchief really drove me crazy till I had it figured out! 😂 All the characters were wonderful, like always...except Jane...but I adored all the others! The kidney pudding really made me laugh - I'd never heard of that before! 😳😂 The ending was really sweet.
I think this would be a great book to read to young children - it's definitely one I will read again!
*And thanks to a best friend who blessed me with this book 💗
Another Elizabeth Goudge book that I've fallen in love with! 🥰
While this is definitely more a children's book, I still enjoyed it immensely, and got a lot out of it, as I always do with Goudge's books.
The whole Man-with-the-Red-Handkerchief really drove me crazy till I had it figured out! 😂 All the characters were wonderful, like always...except Jane...but I adored all the others! The kidney pudding really made me laugh - I'd never heard of that before! 😳😂 The ending was really sweet.
I think this would be a great book to read to young children - it's definitely one I will read again!
*And thanks to a best friend who blessed me with this book 💗
May 1, 2022
4.5 This book convinces me more than ever that Elizabeth Goudge and LM Montgomery are soul sisters. I wonder if Elizabeth read Montgomery since she lived 40ish years longer than Maud. This fairy tale-ish story is a delight. It’s winsome and charming, funny and adventurous. There are memorable children and animals, the Good People, and the magic of spring over and in everything. I think an older child would enjoy reading this. It has a big dose of Goudge’s characteristic wonder and her magical, sacramental view of the world.
August 6, 2015
A delightful fantasy set in Devon in 1820. An innkeeper’s family get involved with local smugglers and discover a spy. They are helped along the way by some very intelligent animals and the fairies. The outstanding character is Jane, the youngest member of the family, whose wicked ways contrast with her more virtuous siblings. The recent reissue by Girls Gone By has the charming original illustrations by C. Walter Hodges. It also has a very grim introduction which sternly explains that life in Devon in 1820 was not really like that, poor people had a very hard time etc. Oh really? It surprised me that the introduction didn’t also explain that fairies and talking animals are probably not real either. My advice would be to skip the introduction and just enjoy this joyful fantasy.
November 1, 2020
What if Jamaica Inn was pro-smuggling and also had talking dogs and mer-people in it?
July 6, 2026
A rollicking romp, quite fun. Definitely for children.
August 31, 2015
I just finished reading this wonderful book aloud to my daughter, and we both loved it.. The descriptions make you feel like you are right there in the 'West Country where everyone is always happy' and we just loved the characters! Who wouldn't love crazy little Jane, the boys who are always getting kicked in the shins by Jane, Genefer the good, and practical, motherly Jessamine who takes care of them all.. And who couldn't love even more the talking animals (if only the humans they take care of could understand them!) - Sausage and Spot the wonderful dogs and Matilda the irritable-yet-lovable donkey! And let's not forget the 'Good People' who live beneath the roots in the ground, who come to help at various times and even let one of the talking animals into their realm.. The plot is of course full of fun twists and developments, and the middle part of the book was so fun and exciting we read seven chapters straight just wanting to see what happened. And of course there is a guaranteed happy ending that just makes you feel all is right and well in the world, and that love wins out and even those who are villains will be healed by love in the end! How delicious this story is..If you can find a copy, may you enjoy it just as we did..it is everything a book is supposed to be in my opinion - a wonderful story with great descriptions and lovable characters, a happy ending and a sense of the world being a wonderful place to live, with a bit of magic around the edges to make sure things work out fine..
November 3, 2020
A sweet little story, definitely more childish than The Little White Horse, but I still really liked it a lot. What I like most about Elizabeth Goudge's writing is that no matter how terrible some characters are you always end up loving everybody in the end. In most cases, anyway! And I think that it's especially important in a children's book that the evil turn from evil and become good.
August 15, 2024
One would think that in the hierarchy of Romantic Illegal Activities smuggling would be pretty high up, right after robbing the rich and being a highwayman. And so you’d think that it would be a very For Claire activity and book premise. So why was this book ho-hum to me?
I think part of it was the presentation. It’s a story for children and the portion of plot not about smuggling has quite a lot to do with the Good People (also a For Claire thing, you would think) and intelligent animals. But the smuggling portion is framed as “we are all good people and there is nothing really wrong with smuggling and you are very wicked to try to arrest us.” Because this is a book for children.
However, the forward is very much like “yeah smugglers were really dangerous people actually” (as it should) and this is set after the napoleonic wars! Lots of spies came over with smugglers! It was just hard to buy. And I think I prefer when badness is acknowledged and leaned into. Be unrepentantly villainous! Take some people hostage! Shoot someone! It’s not fun if you don’t commit to the bit!! How do we redemption-arc a character if they aren’t doing anything wrong?
I think part of it was the presentation. It’s a story for children and the portion of plot not about smuggling has quite a lot to do with the Good People (also a For Claire thing, you would think) and intelligent animals. But the smuggling portion is framed as “we are all good people and there is nothing really wrong with smuggling and you are very wicked to try to arrest us.” Because this is a book for children.
However, the forward is very much like “yeah smugglers were really dangerous people actually” (as it should) and this is set after the napoleonic wars! Lots of spies came over with smugglers! It was just hard to buy. And I think I prefer when badness is acknowledged and leaned into. Be unrepentantly villainous! Take some people hostage! Shoot someone! It’s not fun if you don’t commit to the bit!! How do we redemption-arc a character if they aren’t doing anything wrong?
April 13, 2022
A lively and fantastical story about a quaint and happy town in Devon and the everyday (but also adventurous) life of Treguddick Family. The level of magic in this book is similar to The Little White Horse.
Each family member is unique, memorable, and likable. The animals in the family do their best to help and keep the family safe, while feeling frustrated that none of the Treguddick family can understand their language.
Though not my favorite Elizabeth Goudge children’s story, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I would read it again. If you like elements of old magic, smugglers, remote little villages and interesting families, this book is for you.
Each family member is unique, memorable, and likable. The animals in the family do their best to help and keep the family safe, while feeling frustrated that none of the Treguddick family can understand their language.
Though not my favorite Elizabeth Goudge children’s story, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I would read it again. If you like elements of old magic, smugglers, remote little villages and interesting families, this book is for you.
April 8, 2018
The thing with Elizabeth Goudge books it that you never know what to expect. This was charming as usual, but also political and adventurous... which felt a little jarring at first, because I was expecting a cozier story, but then I came to quite enjoy it.
September 21, 2021
Vintage Elizabeth Goudge with a large dollop of fairy people helping humans and animals coming to the aid of humans as well.
Dankie Andrea!
Dankie Andrea!
October 5, 2011
This rare, rather hard-to-find children's book by Elizabeth Goudge is a story full of smugglers, fairy-folk, mermaids, angels, talking animals, and unlikely circumstances. However quaint and old-fashioned it's also quite charming.
January 8, 2026
I delightful short read written in the beautiful old-fashioned prose of long ago. The main characters are children plus a donkey and two dogs. The setting is Devon. Smugglers and the Good People (mermaids and elves, etc) prominently feature in the fun of exciting escapades. It’s a book about good versus evil where what is good and what is evil continually shifts. It’s also a book that deals with childhood and growing up and expectations. A very satisfying read with some beautiful quotes inside.
April 23, 2025
As a kid, I remember that the discussion of brownies, fairies, and the other little people was not encouraged, per se, but was assumed in a lot of ways. At least in a literary way. This book captures this feeling, and the story interacts with the English folk tales very well. Read for the Elizabeth Goudge book club
July 21, 2023
3.5 stars
This is a simple children’s story about a family that lives in an inn, Smoky House. They believe in Good People (like fairies) that help with things around the house if you only believe in them. Some of it was a little heavy handed about praying but still a fun little story.
This is a simple children’s story about a family that lives in an inn, Smoky House. They believe in Good People (like fairies) that help with things around the house if you only believe in them. Some of it was a little heavy handed about praying but still a fun little story.
August 11, 2023
This was way more political than I was expecting. Robin Hood type free trading, no justice or repentance for sins except one’s attitude change. Jessamine seems to have a bit of sense out of everyone. However, Goudge’s writing was sweet and playful.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 12, 2023
Sweet, funny, slightly fantastical ~ all in all a lovely read.
March 1, 2025
A street library find! A long time since I have read Elizabeth Goudge. A children’s book but with sophisticated themes. Cute, quirky and fun 3.5 stars.
April 23, 2025
This is a fairytale feeding my inner childhood heart when You could see Fairies 😍
May 21, 2026
Charming and tender, as is always the case with Goudge.
August 2, 2010
I don't know how this woman comes up with her stories. This one was so strange, and it spent way too much time justifying bad behavior. Why did she love the Free Traders so much? Were they her ancestors? I liked Spot and Sausage, but everything and everyone else were too much.
January 6, 2008
I was disappointed by this book as I had heard it was one of Goudge's best. It was obnoxious with its value judgments- they seemed to take priority over the story.
April 12, 2025
Another delightful children’s fantasy story by Elizabeth Goudge complete with talking animals, fairies, smugglers, and a handful of spirited children. A very enjoyable spring time read.
May 10, 2018
I love Elizabeth Goudge books!!
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews