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The Joy of the Snow
Childhood in the cathedral city of Wells, summer holidays in Guernsey, and reminiscences of Edwardian clothes, nannies and aunts mark this autobiography by the popular novelist and writer of children's book and short stories.
319 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1974
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About the author
Elizabeth Goudge
64 books895 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
January 25, 2019
I have a friend, Jeannette, who gives me gifts especially picked out for me and of course, they are always books. Two Christmases ago she gave me this memoir by Elizabeth Goudge. I knew it would be wonderful and it was. The picturesque tour of Elizabeth's different homes in England was so much fun. Some of her opinions are bizarre and yet, I enjoyed hearing them. This is a really lovely book.
4.5
Favorite quotes:
"But it seems as though the tragedy of the young today, and so the tragedy of the whole world, is that in their compassionate anger they care more about pulling down than about building up, and without the discipline which they refuse they are like men trying to cross and abyss on a narrow plank which has no handrail."
"I used my handicraft training for such a short while that from the point of view of earning a living it appeared sheer waste. Yet looking back I see what an excellent thing it was for a writer. It taught me to observe things in minute detail; the shape of a petal, the sheen on a bird's wing. It taught me the balance of pattern. Above all it stimulated imagination. I think now that every writer should have a period of work at an Art School as part of his training."
4.5
Favorite quotes:
"But it seems as though the tragedy of the young today, and so the tragedy of the whole world, is that in their compassionate anger they care more about pulling down than about building up, and without the discipline which they refuse they are like men trying to cross and abyss on a narrow plank which has no handrail."
"I used my handicraft training for such a short while that from the point of view of earning a living it appeared sheer waste. Yet looking back I see what an excellent thing it was for a writer. It taught me to observe things in minute detail; the shape of a petal, the sheen on a bird's wing. It taught me the balance of pattern. Above all it stimulated imagination. I think now that every writer should have a period of work at an Art School as part of his training."
January 19, 2025
Glorious!! A new favorite memoir!
I adore memoirs and autobiographies generally, but reading this book by one of my very favorite authors really touched my heart. I always worry that I might not find the author as personally appealing as their stories, but I needn't have worried about Elizabeth Goudge.
Reading about her thoughts, feelings and impressions of life growing up in England just made me love her even more! She is definitely a person I wish I could have met and spoken to in my lifetime...even for a few minutes.
When I finally met Susan Branch (another fav author of mine) for the first time, I was SO happy because I also liked her as much (or more!) in person as I do by reading her books. I think I would have felt the same way meeting Elizabeth Goudge...if only I could go back in time!
I loved every single chapter of the book, especially the ESP section (which was fascinating)! After finishing the book, I felt a strong feeling of protectiveness for Elizabeth Goudge and her sensitive nature. I'm also a highly sensitive person and I could truly sympathize with some of her challenges or difficulties.
But, overall, the book gave me such a sense of hope, peace and love for others—which is a feeling I usually have when I finish one of her fiction novels. I am so grateful to Julie and the Elizabeth Goudge Book Club for bringing so much more joy in my life through EG's heartfelt, magical and wonderful novels and children's books.
Much thanks and love to my dearest friend, Caro, for inspiring me to read this memoir and for buddy reading with me.
[Other memoirs/autobiographies I've loved include Susan Branch's trilogy (especially 'A Fine Romance'), 'All the Dogs of My Life' by Elizabeth von Arnim, 'My Life in France' by Julia Child, 'A Fortunate Grandchild' by Miss Read and 'Home' by Julie Andrews Edwards]
I adore memoirs and autobiographies generally, but reading this book by one of my very favorite authors really touched my heart. I always worry that I might not find the author as personally appealing as their stories, but I needn't have worried about Elizabeth Goudge.
Reading about her thoughts, feelings and impressions of life growing up in England just made me love her even more! She is definitely a person I wish I could have met and spoken to in my lifetime...even for a few minutes.
When I finally met Susan Branch (another fav author of mine) for the first time, I was SO happy because I also liked her as much (or more!) in person as I do by reading her books. I think I would have felt the same way meeting Elizabeth Goudge...if only I could go back in time!
I loved every single chapter of the book, especially the ESP section (which was fascinating)! After finishing the book, I felt a strong feeling of protectiveness for Elizabeth Goudge and her sensitive nature. I'm also a highly sensitive person and I could truly sympathize with some of her challenges or difficulties.
But, overall, the book gave me such a sense of hope, peace and love for others—which is a feeling I usually have when I finish one of her fiction novels. I am so grateful to Julie and the Elizabeth Goudge Book Club for bringing so much more joy in my life through EG's heartfelt, magical and wonderful novels and children's books.
Much thanks and love to my dearest friend, Caro, for inspiring me to read this memoir and for buddy reading with me.
[Other memoirs/autobiographies I've loved include Susan Branch's trilogy (especially 'A Fine Romance'), 'All the Dogs of My Life' by Elizabeth von Arnim, 'My Life in France' by Julia Child, 'A Fortunate Grandchild' by Miss Read and 'Home' by Julie Andrews Edwards]
September 7, 2022
I’m so glad Elizabeth Goudge wrote this, even though she was reluctant to do so. It has so many wonderful details about her life, and I love hearing her narrative voice about her own life. She is self deprecating but nevertheless manages to be as insightful here as in her novels. Her childhood in the magical worlds of Wells, Ely, and Guernsey is so fun to read about. I love that she brings to life the Edwardian days post-Victoria and pre-world war. It’s such a fascinating sliver of life before so many things became common later in Goudge’s life and in ours, like radio, TV, cars, etc.
I also enjoyed getting to know her father and mother, who were both strong, eccentric, and good-hearted characters. Her mother’s chronic illness was such a big part of Elizabeth’s life. It’s interesting to think how that created space for Elizabeth to write since she needed to be home with her mother and hadn’t been trained much for any sort of career.
It’s easy to trace in this how she became the writer she was and yet there’s always a magic about a beloved writer’s work. It’s not a simple equation as to how someone becomes a writer. There’s mystery and Goudge is great on mystery.
I can easily see this as a book I dip in and out of. Goudge does mention her own favorite of her novels at the end: The Valley of Song, The Dean’s Watch, and The White Witch. None of these is a particular favorite of mine, which is so interesting. I’m thankful for the incredible variety of characters and settings and subject matter in her novels. Good fruit from a good life.
I also enjoyed getting to know her father and mother, who were both strong, eccentric, and good-hearted characters. Her mother’s chronic illness was such a big part of Elizabeth’s life. It’s interesting to think how that created space for Elizabeth to write since she needed to be home with her mother and hadn’t been trained much for any sort of career.
It’s easy to trace in this how she became the writer she was and yet there’s always a magic about a beloved writer’s work. It’s not a simple equation as to how someone becomes a writer. There’s mystery and Goudge is great on mystery.
I can easily see this as a book I dip in and out of. Goudge does mention her own favorite of her novels at the end: The Valley of Song, The Dean’s Watch, and The White Witch. None of these is a particular favorite of mine, which is so interesting. I’m thankful for the incredible variety of characters and settings and subject matter in her novels. Good fruit from a good life.
April 20, 2012
Elizabeth Goudge is one of those authors who can really impact your life. Not by teaching you anything or by forcing you to learn what she's got to say, but, if you're listening, you'll hear a gentle, wise voice sharing her story with you. And this, her autobiography, runs true to form. She never insists upon anything. Although she's a firm, committed Christian she never, never thinks she's got it all. Her humility isn't that smarmy, annoying "Oh, li'l ol' me doesn't know a thing" kind, but a deeply rooted sense of her human limitations. Oh, if only we all had that within how much kinder this world would be!
But more than just a sweet soul, she's also a powerful writer. I don't think I've ever read anyone with a better grasp of what it means to be a child. Or a dog. Her descriptive powers are enough to make you smell the sea, see those gulls flying and hear them screeching. She has a knack of pulling you right into wherever she is. And I dearly love her for that.
But more than just a sweet soul, she's also a powerful writer. I don't think I've ever read anyone with a better grasp of what it means to be a child. Or a dog. Her descriptive powers are enough to make you smell the sea, see those gulls flying and hear them screeching. She has a knack of pulling you right into wherever she is. And I dearly love her for that.
December 9, 2022
Beautifully written and impossible to put down, even though I don't usually like autobiographies - but that's Goudge for you! I have no fault with her writing!
But I do find fault with her beliefs, which do not align with Christianity. Her statements implied that she was a Universalist, that she did not believe in Hell, and she also had a bit of reincarnation fallacy to flavor her Heaven. She also had a very long chapter about ESP that was so disturbing I skipped over most of it. Her placid acceptance of ghosts and demons and literal hauntings and possession make me wonder about her claims to faith. True Christianity casts out demons and does not tolerate such placid acceptance of dark forces.
While there was some enjoyable bits, I have to admit I was disappointed with Goudge herself. I shall approach her fiction with more open eyes in the future.
But I do find fault with her beliefs, which do not align with Christianity. Her statements implied that she was a Universalist, that she did not believe in Hell, and she also had a bit of reincarnation fallacy to flavor her Heaven. She also had a very long chapter about ESP that was so disturbing I skipped over most of it. Her placid acceptance of ghosts and demons and literal hauntings and possession make me wonder about her claims to faith. True Christianity casts out demons and does not tolerate such placid acceptance of dark forces.
While there was some enjoyable bits, I have to admit I was disappointed with Goudge herself. I shall approach her fiction with more open eyes in the future.
January 7, 2015
Any lover of Elizabeth Goudge will pretty much know what to expect from her autobiography, and indeed it is a gentle, beautiful book. But it is always a mistake with EG to take her joy in life or her serious attention to the small concerns of children as mere whimsy. She saw the beauty of ordinary things with a detail that most of us miss, and that attention to detail also meant that she could see and analyse the human heart pretty accurately. Her love for her father comes through very clearly, but also that he was a demanding man to live with, giving much of his spiritual and material wealth to others, often to the cost of his family. Her recollections of her mother's grief at leaving Wells, and of her lifelong physical suffering, are painful to read.
EG has a small but determined following and it is well-deserved. She can seem sentimental to the modern mind (and some of her books do cross the line from insight into mushiness) because her unashamed Christianity is of that unfashionable self-sacrificial kind that can very easily be mistaken for weakness. In fact her best heroines are anything but weak, they identify and defeat their character flaws with courage and at personal cost. They understand the truth that we are able to change only ourselves.
The insights EG displays in her fiction she learned from her life. She describes her self as a spoilt child, who grew into a poorly-educated woman who was always dependent on others for the practical things of life. She lived a quiet, secluded life, caring for her mother after her father's death, content to stay at home. But what marks her out, what brought her to popular attention and bestseller status, is her ability to make even the most outwardly ordinary life significant. She wrote about the inner life, and she makes us understand that what seems insignificant to the world is of great and ultimate significance, because God sees it and understands.
EG has a small but determined following and it is well-deserved. She can seem sentimental to the modern mind (and some of her books do cross the line from insight into mushiness) because her unashamed Christianity is of that unfashionable self-sacrificial kind that can very easily be mistaken for weakness. In fact her best heroines are anything but weak, they identify and defeat their character flaws with courage and at personal cost. They understand the truth that we are able to change only ourselves.
The insights EG displays in her fiction she learned from her life. She describes her self as a spoilt child, who grew into a poorly-educated woman who was always dependent on others for the practical things of life. She lived a quiet, secluded life, caring for her mother after her father's death, content to stay at home. But what marks her out, what brought her to popular attention and bestseller status, is her ability to make even the most outwardly ordinary life significant. She wrote about the inner life, and she makes us understand that what seems insignificant to the world is of great and ultimate significance, because God sees it and understands.
November 14, 2014
Do not read The Joy of the Snow unless you are already a huge fan of Elizabeth Goudge. If you do, you may be tempted to dismiss her as "strange" and never open one of her marvelous books. I struggled to like this book because Goudge is honest about her beliefs and eccentricities to a fault. Goudge is this self-deprecating throughout her entire autobiography.
My least favorite Goudge book is Middle Window. But after reading Joy of Snow, I at least understand what compelled her to write it: her strong belief that love is stronger than death. This theme is too sentimental for a common sense girl like me, but time and life experience may change my opinion.
Though I had to come to grips with the fact that Goudge and I don’t share the same theological views, I still believe she’s one of the best fiction writers out there. Her characters grapple with real issues and don’t always come up with neat and tidy solutions. YET, they often recognize their need to make tough decisions based on their growing understanding of who God is.
Interestingly, Goudge insists that she always set out to write a good story rather than a religious one and that faith-related themes came into the books quite unconsciously.
My least favorite Goudge book is Middle Window. But after reading Joy of Snow, I at least understand what compelled her to write it: her strong belief that love is stronger than death. This theme is too sentimental for a common sense girl like me, but time and life experience may change my opinion.
Though I had to come to grips with the fact that Goudge and I don’t share the same theological views, I still believe she’s one of the best fiction writers out there. Her characters grapple with real issues and don’t always come up with neat and tidy solutions. YET, they often recognize their need to make tough decisions based on their growing understanding of who God is.
Interestingly, Goudge insists that she always set out to write a good story rather than a religious one and that faith-related themes came into the books quite unconsciously.
July 7, 2025
Read for the Elizabeth Goudge Book club her autobiography was an interesting read. It reminds you of the absolute devastation of the first World War and how it wiped out a generation of men, leaving a lot of spinsters in the wake (this happened in Russia during the Second World War and had the same effect.) Realizing this, Goudge decided to become a writer to make her way in the world. It is a lot about gardens, family, caring for her ill mother, and home. Read while brushing my teeth
August 10, 2013
I have read and re-read this book several times over the years. Each time I read it, I get something new and fresh from it!
I picked it up again today, thinking, "I must know it all by now, I'm familiar with E. Goudge's life and I don't have any expectations any more" and found that I enjoyed it and appreciated her wisdom and perspective once again!
I greatly enjoyed her reminisces of childhood and later life, and later on, the story of looking for a place to live in Devon and suddenly discovering an old neighbor in a village shop, who actually ended up building a cottage for them.
The struggles she went through with her family through the war years and the resilience she learned also added to my appreciation of this author. It is true that some of her writing, as many have pointed out, is 'sentimental', but I also think that is partly due to the experiences she lived out and the value she placed upon the lessons she learned in them.
E. Goudge has a gift for description of country scenes and nature, and also for characterization. It was interesting reading about her journey to publication and beyond.
"Usually my characters manipulate me, not I them, but now they suddenly went dead as dormice. I could see no way through, and nothing that could possibly happen next.
So many people say that mental problems are solved in sleep, but that had never yet happened to me. But why shouldn't it? In desperation I prayed that I might dream the rest of the book, and I did."
I picked it up again today, thinking, "I must know it all by now, I'm familiar with E. Goudge's life and I don't have any expectations any more" and found that I enjoyed it and appreciated her wisdom and perspective once again!
I greatly enjoyed her reminisces of childhood and later life, and later on, the story of looking for a place to live in Devon and suddenly discovering an old neighbor in a village shop, who actually ended up building a cottage for them.
The struggles she went through with her family through the war years and the resilience she learned also added to my appreciation of this author. It is true that some of her writing, as many have pointed out, is 'sentimental', but I also think that is partly due to the experiences she lived out and the value she placed upon the lessons she learned in them.
E. Goudge has a gift for description of country scenes and nature, and also for characterization. It was interesting reading about her journey to publication and beyond.
"Usually my characters manipulate me, not I them, but now they suddenly went dead as dormice. I could see no way through, and nothing that could possibly happen next.
So many people say that mental problems are solved in sleep, but that had never yet happened to me. But why shouldn't it? In desperation I prayed that I might dream the rest of the book, and I did."
February 19, 2020
The memoir of a beautiful mind who got to live in the beautiful places of old England. It was a treat to visit them through her eyes and to glimpse the stories behind her books. Sometimes she seems to love the perceived beauties of her imagination more than the truth itself, or at least seems to be always struggling to conform the revelation of God to her ideal of Him. She says it all so beautifully but this way lies danger, and of this I took caution.
November 17, 2014
A wonderful telling of her childhood and growing up years in England, the prose is magical in itself. I didn't care much for the ESP chapter but it doesn't detract from the book as a whole.
January 9, 2016
This is a book I return to periodically for inspiration, reflection, and a reminder of a world that has gone forever... And the challenge that faces each of us as we build the world of the future.
September 8, 2025
This book is best suited to Goudge enthusiasts.
Because: she is ALL over the map. She writes beautifully about the life of a reader — A book begins with falling in love. She clearly conveys Christian truths, then states more than once that she doesn't believe in hell. I skipped her chapter on ESP. She self-identifies as a socialist.
Reading this reminds me of when I read Rebecca West's epic book, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon. About page 850 she trashes atonement. Rubs her heel in it. I read three pages to my husband. He wondered why I was so anguished: So, she got that wrong, he said. ~ But I love her! I wailed.
Goudge gets so many things right — the way she acknowledges the mysteries and complications and delights and disappointments of life. No cliches. When I read The Dean's Watch I bought six copies to give to people who were struggling along their journey. It's time for a reread.
A favorite glimpse of the literary life of Elizabeth Goudge:
Because: she is ALL over the map. She writes beautifully about the life of a reader — A book begins with falling in love. She clearly conveys Christian truths, then states more than once that she doesn't believe in hell. I skipped her chapter on ESP. She self-identifies as a socialist.
Reading this reminds me of when I read Rebecca West's epic book, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon. About page 850 she trashes atonement. Rubs her heel in it. I read three pages to my husband. He wondered why I was so anguished: So, she got that wrong, he said. ~ But I love her! I wailed.
Goudge gets so many things right — the way she acknowledges the mysteries and complications and delights and disappointments of life. No cliches. When I read The Dean's Watch I bought six copies to give to people who were struggling along their journey. It's time for a reread.
A favorite glimpse of the literary life of Elizabeth Goudge:
Flat on my stomach I read the Andrew Lang fairy books, the Waverly novels and Dickens, and later in an upright position much of Thackeray and Trollope and the Brontës, and last of all Jane Austen. I read them in that order, an order prescribed by my father. I read as children do, by suction.Goudge struggled and came up with an answer to explain why God allows bad things to happen.
I had thought up the heresy of Manicheism [...] It was hard to let go of my lovely heresy, but my father had no mercy on it. A God who is not Almighty is not God.
November 15, 2012
I read this book because her novel, The Scent of Water, affected me profoundly when I read it in my early twenties. It is one of the few novels in my 'permanent' collection. I also loved her Green Dolphin Street which started me on reading Elizabeth Goudge and only because a friend said a character in the book was very much like me. During several trips to England that encompassed the places she lived, her book confirmed what I felt during my trips, namely that there are deep mystic, historical and spiritual roots wherever you go that can be felt even by those of a less sensitive nature. She was a product of her time and I enjoyed the journey to Edwadian England.
October 19, 2009
MCL.
"...my hope for this book is that it will be a good beside book, and keep nobody awake."
"...my hope for this book is that it will be a good beside book, and keep nobody awake."
Read
July 19, 2023🕯 How can you rate a person's life, and especially of one of your favourite authors? I enjoyed reading about her life, knowing her a bit more (though her fiction speaks volumes of the kind of person she was) though I would have appreciated her writing more about her fiction, her reading life and her creative process. However, I did not enjoy reading all parts of her book, and whole pages about ghosts and spirits I decided to do without and skipped, and yet it took me almost half a year to finish it. It is not light reading and neither a very exciting one that keeps you on the edge of your seat. It is slow, profound, like the pit-pat of a long, peaceful rainy day devoid of wind, thunder or changing in intensity.
📖While reading I could not help thinking that had I read her autobiography first I don't think I would have picked up her fiction as readily. It is a book for lovers of her fiction, already familiar with some of her more eccentric ideas and philosophies.
👒I would recommend you reading it after you've already read most of her books and got a taste of her writing and themes of her book. Or you could read her fiction and enjoy it to the fullest and not be bothered if you'll never read her autobiography.
📖While reading I could not help thinking that had I read her autobiography first I don't think I would have picked up her fiction as readily. It is a book for lovers of her fiction, already familiar with some of her more eccentric ideas and philosophies.
👒I would recommend you reading it after you've already read most of her books and got a taste of her writing and themes of her book. Or you could read her fiction and enjoy it to the fullest and not be bothered if you'll never read her autobiography.
September 3, 2024
this book made every Goudge novel I read make so much more sense. I don't really agree with a lot of her, but I appreciate the honesty and insight into her life. Also, some of the houses she lived in were sublime. she has some good things to say. It really helped me get into her head and understand the way she thinks
April 27, 2019
I loved reading Elizabeth Goudge's perspective on her life. As she said herself, she mostly dwelt on happy events and cast almost everything in a positive light, so I know there is a lot more to her life than she mentioned. But what she thought was important to share with her readers says a lot about who she is. I enjoyed how she pointed out the lessons she learned from her circumstances and when she talked about her books. I wish she had described all of them! I'd like to know what she thought about each of her "babies." It was interesting to discover the important people and places in her life and how many of her character and plot ideas came from family members and their stories.
Although she was a devout Christian, I admit a few of her unorthodox beliefs surprised me, but her essential beliefs about love, devotion to Christ, and so on are inspirational. She sounds like a lovely person I wish I'd known.
Favorite quotes:
"I think it is a part of our gratitude that, perhaps unconsciously, and without knowing it, we want to share our faith and what it has done for us and to make contact with those who think as we do. I say unconsciously because in my own case when a book comes into my mind it comes simply as a story; personal belief is something that comes in apparently without my knowledge or contriving. But I think it is this latter unintended thing that makes the strongest link between reader and writer. We all hold our faith with a certain amount of fear and trembling (even Blake wrote, 'My hand trembles exceedingly upon the Rock of Ages.') and to find that others share our faith has a steadying influence, especially in these days when the Rock of Ages himself is for ever being prodded and sounded to see if he is still there. To those of us who think the tapping hammers would not sound so loudly if he was not there the likemindedness is a very special joy."
"Nothing surprising happened to me on Dartmoor; at least nothing more surprising than the sense of being lifted up into another world, enclosed in its own mystery and belonging to itself alone, and that happens to all of us when we climb up to the mountains or the moors. The keen air is like wine and we are not our valley selves as we watch the cloud shadows passing along the flanks of the hills, and listen to the sound of falling streams and the crying of the curlews. The whisper of wind stirring the grasses has a distinct voice, insistent at the door of our hearing, and behind it all the vast silence and stillness of this world of the heights seems like the stillness and silence of eternity itself."
"It taught me that no apparently dead end is ever a dead end, but a new beginning. Also that perhaps no true beginning is possible until you seem to be standing with a shut door facing you."
Although she was a devout Christian, I admit a few of her unorthodox beliefs surprised me, but her essential beliefs about love, devotion to Christ, and so on are inspirational. She sounds like a lovely person I wish I'd known.
Favorite quotes:
"I think it is a part of our gratitude that, perhaps unconsciously, and without knowing it, we want to share our faith and what it has done for us and to make contact with those who think as we do. I say unconsciously because in my own case when a book comes into my mind it comes simply as a story; personal belief is something that comes in apparently without my knowledge or contriving. But I think it is this latter unintended thing that makes the strongest link between reader and writer. We all hold our faith with a certain amount of fear and trembling (even Blake wrote, 'My hand trembles exceedingly upon the Rock of Ages.') and to find that others share our faith has a steadying influence, especially in these days when the Rock of Ages himself is for ever being prodded and sounded to see if he is still there. To those of us who think the tapping hammers would not sound so loudly if he was not there the likemindedness is a very special joy."
"Nothing surprising happened to me on Dartmoor; at least nothing more surprising than the sense of being lifted up into another world, enclosed in its own mystery and belonging to itself alone, and that happens to all of us when we climb up to the mountains or the moors. The keen air is like wine and we are not our valley selves as we watch the cloud shadows passing along the flanks of the hills, and listen to the sound of falling streams and the crying of the curlews. The whisper of wind stirring the grasses has a distinct voice, insistent at the door of our hearing, and behind it all the vast silence and stillness of this world of the heights seems like the stillness and silence of eternity itself."
"It taught me that no apparently dead end is ever a dead end, but a new beginning. Also that perhaps no true beginning is possible until you seem to be standing with a shut door facing you."
May 1, 2017
The Joy of the Snow is the autobiography of Elizabeth Goudge. She is one of my favorite fiction authors, if not THE favorite. Her autobiography contains wisps of her novels but, being a nonfiction book, is a different animal.
She writes self-deprecatingly, which is somewhat endearing and encouraging, but sometimes her humble attitude backfires and focuses the reader's attention more, not less, on her and her abilities.
Ms. Goudge held Christian beliefs, yet with added beliefs in ghosts, hauntings, visions and extra-sensory perceptions.
Perhaps she had some extraordinary experiences. I don't presume to contradict her events, but undoubtedly she had the vivid and lively imagination of an only child left to entertain herself while surrounded by an invalid mother and preoccupied father.
Her novels continue to amaze me in their humor and descriptive powers of nature and human nature. I admire her craft. Her autobiography merely shrunk my esteem to reasonable, human levels.
She writes self-deprecatingly, which is somewhat endearing and encouraging, but sometimes her humble attitude backfires and focuses the reader's attention more, not less, on her and her abilities.
Ms. Goudge held Christian beliefs, yet with added beliefs in ghosts, hauntings, visions and extra-sensory perceptions.
Perhaps she had some extraordinary experiences. I don't presume to contradict her events, but undoubtedly she had the vivid and lively imagination of an only child left to entertain herself while surrounded by an invalid mother and preoccupied father.
Her novels continue to amaze me in their humor and descriptive powers of nature and human nature. I admire her craft. Her autobiography merely shrunk my esteem to reasonable, human levels.
August 16, 2022
Ok so I got through it. It was a little muddy in some areas and Goudge goes off on a tangent here and there. Yes I know it's an autobiography;). She seemed like a lonely little girl, but happy, but fearful at times. Her mother and father were distant in their own ways from what I summarized. I get the whole ESP thing she interjected in there as she ultimately felt that was an important part of her early life. I skipped it because I have mixed thoughts on ESP. I was thrown by when she mentioned her mom "levitating" ! OK! Also, reincarnation...uh no thank you. I was raised Catholic, but haven't practiced their theology in over 20 years. I do now and have always believed in God and practiced Christianity. The big difference is that since I've been around 20 I became a born again Christian.
Furthermore, I haven't read any of her fiction yet. I am very much interested in her writing still and hope to tackle City of Bells soon. Waiting on my library to get it in.
Furthermore, I haven't read any of her fiction yet. I am very much interested in her writing still and hope to tackle City of Bells soon. Waiting on my library to get it in.
September 13, 2010
I have read this out of print book before. I love the beauty of the authors writing and her sense of humor. One could become a lover of the earth just from reading her beautiful descriptions of her childhood homes and gardens. She was so honest in sharing her life and struggles on paper. Her own personal integrity shines throughout this book. I consider this one of my absolute favorites.
December 31, 2009
This is an autobiography of the famous author. I have enjoyed many of her books in the past and found it very interesting to hear her thoughts about her life. Rahter old-fashioned and not for everyone, but I really liked it.
August 1, 2018
This was a fascinating look into the life of one of my favorite authors. Since she wrote it herself I felt she was speaking to me personally. It gave me some insight as to how and why she wrote her books.
October 15, 2020
Elizabeth Goudge's autobiography. I enjoyed this book. I wasn't very familiar with Goudge's work when I read this, but I enjoyed reading about her upbringing. Her grandparents lived on an island, and her father died while she was young. Nice read.
April 10, 2025
Although Goudge is a favorite author of mine, simply because of the wonderful descriptions, characters, and depth to her stories, this autobiography gave me more insight into her personal faith beliefs. Sadly, I believe it revealed many discrepancies between Goudge's beliefs and what scripture teaches ("have nothing to do with divination/omens/spiritists" etc.-Lev. 19:26,31- being one point ). It also shed more light on why some of her books such as The Middle Window, Linnets and Valerians, and The White Witch contain more spirutual elements and mysticism. She also apparently did not believe in hell, and felt that everyone would eventually be accepted by God. Consequently, I will continue to enjoy her works of fiction, but I will likely skip her non-fiction religious writings.
May 23, 2024
Thoughtful autobiography by a lovely, thoughtful lady! EG wrote what have been some of my favorite books of adulthood. I wish I had known her "Little White Horse" and "Henrietta's House" as a child, too.
She never married or had children. She experienced depression and grief. But her life was beautiful and I am grateful for it! I loved this glimpse into her childhood, her parents and grandparents, and the homes she lived in. Also what was happening in her life as she wrote the books I love.
Her final chapter on faith and what her real feelings were about God was so vulnerable I felt like we were speaking face to face.
Happy to have my own copy of this to revisit someday!
She never married or had children. She experienced depression and grief. But her life was beautiful and I am grateful for it! I loved this glimpse into her childhood, her parents and grandparents, and the homes she lived in. Also what was happening in her life as she wrote the books I love.
Her final chapter on faith and what her real feelings were about God was so vulnerable I felt like we were speaking face to face.
Happy to have my own copy of this to revisit someday!
December 8, 2021
This book is the memoir of Elizabeth Goudge who was born at the turn of the last century. She grew up in a world that is now much changed. Her description of her visits to Guernsey before the outbreak of the First World War are most interesting as are the very old houses she lived in over the years. As a devout Christian she shares this with her readers as we travel through her life to old age.
January 24, 2019
Wonderful, but then I already loved her novels.
October 27, 2019
Autobiography of an author with a keen sensitivity to place.
May 31, 2024
A gentle autobiography by an accomplished writer.
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