Rumer Godden’s birthday is on the 10th December. To celebrate I will be hosting Rumer Godden Reading Week from Saturday 4th December to Sunday 12th December 2021.
Joining in #RumerGoddenReadingWeek2021 is easy.
Simply read and review one of the many books written by Rumer Godden and leave your link here (for a mini bio, full book list plus links to previous blogger reviews please see my previous post).
If you are feeling inspired, we’d love to hear about your love of Rumer Godden – tell us how you discovered her books for the first time, your favourite titles, do you reread them, and have you seen any movie versions? Or will this be your first foray into the land of Godden?
I will create a progressive list to keep track of all your posts.
Fiction:
- Black Narcissus | 1939 – reviewed by Mary @Bibliographic Manifestations &
- Passage à l’Est! (in French, but Google translate will help you out)
- Cathy @746 Books
- Breakfast with the Nikolides | 1942 – reviewed by Lisa @ANZ Lit Lovers
- The River | 1946 – reviewed by Lisa @ANZ Lit Lovers
- Kingfishers Catch Fire | 1953 – reviewed by Carol @Journey & Destination
- An Episode of Sparrows | 1955 – reviewed by Mallika @Literary Potpourri
- China Court | 1961 – reviewed by Kaye @What Me Read
- Coromandel Sea Change | 1991 – my review
Translations:
- Prieres Dans L’Archen (Prayers from the Ark) | Carmen Bernos de Gasztold | 1947 – my review
- The Creatures’ Choir | Carmen Bernos de Gasztold | 1965 – my review
Non-fiction:
- Summer Diary: The Herbogowan – my review
- Hans Christian Anderson | 1955 – reviewed by Mary @Bibliographic Manifestations
Related Posts:
- A Look Back at 3 Novels | Ali @Heaven Ali
- Reflections on reading Godden as a child | Nancy @Stories and Other Bookish Pursuits
Rumer Godden’s writing was informed by her life experience. Or as Matthew Dennison more eloquently said,
Throughout her life she relied on reality to inspire her fiction until the two overlapped and blurred: reality lost its sting, the imaginary gained piquancy.
She wrote adult fiction, non-fiction, autobiography, poetry, children’s books and translated the works of others. I will be reading her 1991 novel, Coromandel Sea Change. What will you be reading this week?
| This post was written on the traditional land of the Wangal clan, one of the 29 clans of the Eora Nation within the Sydney basin. This Reading Life acknowledges that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are our first storytellers, and the traditional custodians of the lands, seas, and skies on which we live and work. |
This Reading Life 
Have Black Narcissus lined up!
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I was going to read my lovely Virago Modern Classic designer series edition of that book, but wanted one that was easier to pop in my day pack in the end, so I’m reading one of my paperback choices.
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Really looking forward to this! I’m hoping to get to the same two novels that Lisa has reviewed.
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Fabulous! I’m hoping to have time for a second book as well.
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I had never read (or heard of) Rumer Godden until I read your post about this. Since then I read Pippa Passes and last night I started Black Narcissus. Excited to discover a new author!
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So glad you’re joining us and I look forward to hearing what you think about both books.
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Who is Rumer Godden? Have you written a post about her that I have missed? I don’t believe that before last month I had ever even seen her name.
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I hope you clicked the bio link in this post to find out a little more. She’s quite fascinating in her own right.
Childhood in India, unhappy first marriage, as an adult ‘suddenly’ seeing what British rule had done to India, converting to Catholicism later in life, remarrying, kept writing until she died in her 90’s.
The Greengage Summer is her best known story & given to lots of teen girls. I came to her late, but had known about her thanks to friends….who had got THS as teens & loved it and her.
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Thank you for answering. I went back and read/paid attention to the bio in your first post. I don’t think I’ve heard of The Greengage Summer either. I’m afraid ‘converted to Catholicism for the “certainty”‘ puts me off more than a bit.
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Me too. I’m less keen to read her nun books as a result. But I think I understand from her earlier life, things could be chaotic or out of her control. Perhaps she found the ritual & certainty comforting after all that.
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I like her books but don’t have any TBR so will have to bow out of this one, but hope it goes well!
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Thanks Liz 🙂
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Here’s mine, a little hurriedly written https://potpourri2015.wordpress.com/2021/12/06/book-review-an-episode-of-sparrows-by-rumer-godden-rumergoddenreadingweek2021/
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I know what you mean Mallika. At this time of the year it can be hard to find unhurried time to write/blog. I’ve been trying to finish my review for Coromandel Sea Change since Sunday night!
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I see it’s up now; heading over to have a look
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I finished my first book for the week: http://bibliographicmanifestations.blogspot.com/2021/12/black-narcissus.html
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You’ve certainly tempted me to try Black Narcissus soon – ‘the flowering of the snows’ sounds beautiful.
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Hello Brona, I’m here “because of” Lisa who prompted me to read again Rumer Godden, having not read her since I was a teenager. I suppose I was one of those teen girls to whom TGS was given, although I’m pretty sure I read In this House of Brede first, possibly after having watched Black Narcissus (two or even three very different stories!). Anyway, here’s my short review (in French) of Black Narcissus: https://passagealest.wordpress.com/2021/12/07/lectures-desorientation-9-cinq-soeurs-dans-lhimalaya-et-trois-soeurs-a-oman/. I’ll keep an eye on others’ reviews as they come in!
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Lisa has done a wonderful job of spreading the news! And thank you for your thoughts on Black Narcissus. I’m saving that one for next year’s reading week.
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Oops! I left my link on the wrong page. Here it is: China Court: https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2021/12/09/review-1766-china-court/
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Thanks Kaye 🙂
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I finished a second book for the week, this one a biography of Hans Christian Andersen. http://bibliographicmanifestations.blogspot.com/2021/12/hans-christian-andersen.html
Thank you for hosting this! It sounds from some posts like you may do it again next year and I will be happy to read along.
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Thanks for helping to show how diverse Godden’s non-fiction work is. I remember watching an old movie bio about Hans Christian Andersen as a child (I think with Gene Wilder as Hans?) that was quite romantic & nostalgic. I’ve often wondered how true to life it really was.
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Oh I forgot to say, that yes I will be hosting this again next year. I’ve had too much this week & I may have acquired a few more Godden’s thanks to tempting reviews!!
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