Best Selling Books by Elizabeth Goudge

A captivating story filled with English charm, luminous wisdom, and astonishing spiritual insight. Mary Lindsay is a born and bred Londoner who has enjoyed her city life—a prestigious job, and friends with whom she takes in the city pleasures of theatre, art and music. But fleeting memories of a childhood visit to her father’s elderly cousin out in the country are revived with the news that the woman has willed her home, the Laurels, to Mary. She makes an uncharacteristically sudden and life-changing decision to leave London for the country. The gradual unfolding of her understanding of herself, of the now-deceased woman who has bequeathed her home to Mary, and of the people of Appleshaw, all weave together in a most memorable story of love’s redemptive power.

A Christmas Book contains nine different Christmas stories. Elizabeth Goudge captues what she regards as the essenial spirit of Christmas-a Christmas free of commercialism, false sophistication, and forced good spirits.

This beloved Christmas story is set in an old English seaport town, where a little girl hopes for a visit from the Wise Men. She gets and equally magical surprise instead when three ships sail into the harbor. Pen-and-ink illustrations throughout.

For a fleeting instant Maria thought she saw a little white horse with a flowing mane and tail, head raised, poised, halted in mid-flight, as though it had seen her and was glad.'' The beautiful valley of Moonacre is shadowed by the memory of the Moon Princess and the mysterious little white horse. When Maria Merryweather comes there on a visit she finds herself involved with an ancient feud. She is determined to restore peace and happiness to the whole of Moonacre Valley. And Maria usually gets her own way.

An impossible choice . . . and a lifetime of care and nurture could vanish in a moment. Matriarch of the family, Lucilla has spent a lifetime making the Hampshire estate of Damerosehay a haven for the Eliots. When her favorite grandson, David, falls in love with a woman who belongs to another, Lucilla sees her most cherished ambitions put at risk. But can she persuade David and Nadine to put duty before love?

A compelling saga of an unlikely friendship threaded together by redemption and grace The setting is a remote mid-nineteenth-century town in England and its grand cathedral. The cathedral Dean, Adam Ayscough, holds a deep love for his parishioners and townspeople, but he is held captive by an irrational shyness and intimidating manner. The Dean and Isaac Peabody, an obscure watchmaker who does not think he or God have anything in common, strike up an unlikely friendship. This leads to an unusual spiritual awakening that touches the entire community. A richly imaginative and inspiring story with appealing and unique characters, this novel is a favorite of Goudge s fans. "

First published in 1944, ''Green Dolphin Country'' is a magnificent epic of love, courage and selfless devotion, set in the Channel Islands and New Zealand in the nineteenth century, written with Elizabeth Goudge''s inimitable feeling for the intricacies of human emotions. Though the book is fiction, and the characters not portraits, it is based on fact. A stunning tale of loss and self-sacrifice, it is truly one of the most memorable love stories of the last century.

Amidst the beauty of the Channel Islands in 1888, Rachell and Andre du Frocq and their five rambunctious children struggle to keep their rundown farm. Their hope is revived when they take in Ranulph, a shipwreck survivor. Is he an answer to prayer? A heartwarming story of commitment, perseverance, and family devotion!

In the raw aftermath of World War II, this is the story of the Wentworth family. It is the story of John Wentworth—vicar of a church in Devon, England—and his wife, Daphne, who feels trapped in the vicarage. While John’s great-aunt lives in the dilapidated family manor house, their three daughters attend a dysfunctional school, captive among embattled staff and their headmistress. It is only Harriet, John’s aging former nanny, who holds the family together through her love and empathy. But when Michael Stone returns to town, recently released from prison and now searching for his former love, Daphne, he is a disruption to the lives of all—including his own—helping to free them from their prisons, both physical and metaphorical.

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The War had left him a shattered man, but its toll was not nearly so great as losing the love of his life. Few understand Elliot’s anguish at losing Nadine. He came back from the War a shattered and lonely man. But his return to the Eliot family refuge on England’s Hampshire coast is gradually pushing back the dark waters of soul and spirit. Nadine and her husband have settled with their children in a wonderful old inn not far away. Surrounded by a wild and mysterious wood, the guesthouse seems to be able to mend minds and bodies. Pilgrims from the past—and new ones now finding their way to this healing comforting oasis—sweep readers into a story of intertwining destinies. Of love lost . . . and love forever gained.

A collection of all-new Christmas stories.

Story of a picnic in Torminster, at which each guest makes a wish.

Unable to bear the prospect of a life at sea, young Anthony O''Connell deserts his ship at Torquay and escapes into the Devonshire countryside under a new name. When Stella Sprigg, adopted daughter of a local farmer, encounters ''Zachary'', the pair instantly know they are destined to be together. Intertwined with the local legend of St. Michael''s Chapel, Stella and Zachary''s story takes them from the secluded Devonshire valley to the perilous Mediterranean seas and finally to the poverty and squalor of eighteenth-century London.

A little girl is the central figure of an unfinished fresco on the walls of a cathedral chapel.

Against the pomp and pageantry of turbulent seventeenth-century England, Elizabeth Goudge weaves the poignant tale of Lucy Walter, the proud and beautiful secret wife of Charles II. Here is a subtle portrait of a deeply good and fascinating woman. From her early childhood in a castle by the sea in Wales evoked as only Elizabeth Goudge can evoke the joys and pangs of childhood to her tragic estrangement from the king and her death in Paris at the age of twenty-eight, Lucy Walter lived to the full a life of intense joy and equally intense drama. Miss Goudge portrays brilliantly a young love almost too ecstatic to bear. Equally moving is her characterization of Lucy a spirited woman caught up in the cataclysmic wars and disruptive revolution of a tumultuous era. London at the time of the Great Fire, Paris when British royalty fled to the sanctuary of the Louvre, Brussels and The Hague against this rich panoramic background a master storyteller traces the life and loves of an extraordinary woman. "The Child from the Sea" is a superbly colorful and romantic historical novel alive with brilliant cameos and infused with a spiritual essence rare in our times."

It''s late 16th-century London and awkward teenager Faithful travels to Oxford to study in England''s great university. When Canon Leigh takes him in, Faithful enters into a family as exciting and educational as the university itself. Woven into the narratives of Faithful and the canon''s daughter Joyeuce is a coming-of-age tale of young love and hope!

The captivating story of the world''s favorite saint is now retold for a modern audience by one of the great novelists of our time. Perhaps more than any other figure in Christian history since Jesus Christ, Saint Francis of Assisi has captured our imagination, for his is a story of extreme self-sacrifice, of love to God and man. How could this wealthy, handsome youth cast away all the advantages that were his by birth and choose instead a career of poverty and humility? How could he attract members of all strata of society to his mission? And how, when his order became established throughout Europe, could he renounce great personal power and humbly continue his life''s work? Here is Francis, from his twelfth-century boyhood to his life as a missionary roaming the very boundaries of the known world. Here too are the men and women who followed him--Bernard de Quintavalle, the rich businessman; Peter Cathanii, the lawyer; Brother Giles, the farmer''s son; Lady Clare; and so many others--all drawn together by the personal magnetism and humble faith of their leader, all re-created by bestselling novelist Elizabeth Goudge against a rich medieval canvas.

This charming, magical story from award-winning author Elizabeth Goudge beautifully depicts early twentieth century English country life while conjuring an air of magical adventure. Written by the author who inspired J.K. Rowling, it is full of vivid characters, battles between good and evil and wonderful spell-binding moments. Locked away in separate rooms as punishment by their ruthless grandmother, Nan, Robert, Timothy and Betsy decide to make their escape ? out of the house, out of the garden and into the village. Commandeering a pony and trap, the children and their dog are led away as the pony makes his way nonchalantly home. The ponyOCOs destination happens to be a house that belongs to the childrenOCOs uncle Ambrose. Gruff but loveable Uncle Ambrose agrees to take them under his wing, letting the children have free reign in his sprawling manor house and surrounding countryside. Befriending the motley collection of house guests including an owl, a giant cat and a servant who converses with bees, and getting to know the miscellaneous inhabitants of the village, the four siblings discover a life in which magic and reality are curiously intermingled and evil and tragedy lurk never far away. Winner of Hesperus PressOCO ?Uncover a ChildrenOCOs Classic CompetitionOCO, The Runaways is a truly charming story from a bygone era."

Bored with the distractions of London, Judy Cameron insists on taking herself, her parents and her fiance to remote Glen Suilag in the Scottish Highlands. Leaving behind the busy whirl of the capital, she becomes absorbed in an unknown and yet strangely familiar world. As Judy explores the house and glen, secrets begin to unravel and questions arise that she must find the answers to. Why does the strange house feel so familiar? How does she know the laird, Ian Macdonald? Why does she feel so terrified of the middle window in the parlour? And who is the mysterious Judith who haunts her dreams?

Left in the care of their strict grandmother, the four Linnet children still have a happy summer with Uncle Ambrose, his one-legged gardener, and the people of a small English village.

Tells about adventures of five charming children and a naughty little Jane, accompanied by their wonderful dogs and a wicked donkey Matilda, as they meet some smugglers, free traders and a spy who bewitches the countryside with marvelous music.

Elizabeth Goudge (1900-1984) was a prolific British author of novels, children''s fantasies, and inspirational works. She is widely loved for her elegant prose, profound insight into human personalities, and vivid descriptions of beauty.Green Dolphin Street (1944) is Elizabeth Goudge''s most famous novel for adults, winner of a Literary Guild award and adapted into a movie starring Lana Turner. A romance like no other, it is a saga of human and divine love spanning decades and the globe--from the Channel Islands to New Zealand. The Times of London praised the book as "a story of ultimate love, determination, devotion and forgiveness, powerfully and yet beautifully written." This new edition is part of the Elizabeth Goudge Classics series.

The Herb of Grace (1948) is the second book in Elizabeth Goudge''s Eliot family trilogy. This series, Goudge''s personal favorite among her creations, centers on the warm and wise presence of matriarch Lucilla Eliot and the sheltering spirit of her home, Damerosehay. The Herb of Grace paints a vivid picture of post-World-War-II life in an old English inn, as the Eliots and their guests grapple with old loves and dark secrets, struggling to break free from the past and embrace new lives. [This novel was also published under the title Pilgrim''s Inn. Also available in this series: The Bird in the Tree (Book One), and The Heart of the Family (Book Three).]

In Make-Believe, we rejoin Andre and Rachel du Frocq and their five children, the delightful family from Elizabeth Goudge''s first novel, Island Magic. Few authors have captured the spirit of childhood as Goudge does in these stories. This new edition of the long out-of-print book includes the original illustrations by Walter Hodges.

When best friends Jay, Franny, Emerson and Stevie reunite at their fifteen year college reunion, they catch up on their accomplishments and goals and learn the importance of friendship and acceptance.