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Rumer Godden (1907–1998)

Author of In This House of Brede

Includes the names: Godden Rumer, Rumer Godden, Rumer Godden, Rumer Godden etc., Margret Rumer Godden

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Margaret Rumer Godden was born Dec. 10, 1907, in Sussex, England. She was nine months old when her family moved to India, where her father ran a shipping line. She returned to London at age 20 to learn how to teach dance to children, and opened a school back in India. Returning to England while she was pregnant, she wrote her first book, "Chinese Puzzle," published in 1936. Her marriage to a stockbroker, Laurence Sinclair Foster, ended in 1941, leaving her penniless. In an effort to pay off her former husband's debts, Godden moved her family into a mountain cottage where she ran a school, made herbal teas for sale, and wrote books. Another novel of India, "The River," published in 1949, was one of her most acclaimed books and was made into a film by Jean Renoir in 1951. She returned to England to stay in 1945. Rumer Godden was the author of more than 60 books, including novels, short story collections, poetry, plays and non-fiction. She published her 21st novel, "Cromartie vs. the God Shiva," in 1997. Rumer Godden died a year later on November 8, 1998, in Thornhill, Scotland, at the age of 90. (Bowker Author Biography) — biography from In This House of Brede… (more)
Disambiguation Notice


Please don't combine this author with her sister Jon Godden.

In This House of Brede 1,351 copies, 30 reviews
The Story of Holly and Ivy 1,175 copies, 18 reviews
The Greengage Summer 695 copies, 15 reviews
An Episode of Sparrows 631 copies, 6 reviews
The Dolls' House 617 copies, 6 reviews
Black Narcissus 520 copies, 15 reviews
The Diddakoi 444 copies, 8 reviews
Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy 376 copies, 13 reviews
Miss Happiness and Miss Flower 375 copies, 8 reviews
Kingfishers Catch Fire 322 copies, 5 reviews
The Peacock Spring 313 copies, 8 reviews
Two Under the Indian Sun 311 copies, 5 reviews
The Battle of the Villa Fiorita 309 copies, 6 reviews
The Kitchen Madonna 307 copies, 5 reviews
Little Plum 301 copies, 4 reviews
The River 288 copies, 4 reviews
A Time to Dance, No Time to Weep 205 copies, 9 reviews
Thursday's Children 196 copies, 5 reviews
The Mousewife 185 copies, 5 reviews
A Candle for St. Jude 161 copies, 3 reviews
Coromandel Sea Change 161 copies, 3 reviews
Mouse House 160 copies, 4 reviews
A House with Four Rooms 143 copies, 3 reviews
Breakfast with the Nikolides 135 copies, 5 reviews
Listen to the Nightingale 131 copies, 2 reviews
Impunity Jane 125 copies, 2 reviews
Cromartie vs the God Shiva 123 copies, 4 reviews
Four Dolls 109 copies
A Breath of Air 108 copies, 2 reviews
The Dragon of Og 105 copies, 2 reviews
The Fairy Doll 104 copies, 2 reviews
The Dark Horse 104 copies, 5 reviews
The Rocking Horse Secret 100 copies, 2 reviews
Pippa Passes 85 copies, 5 reviews
The Lady and the Unicorn 70 copies, 1 review
Candy Floss 69 copies, 1 review
St. Jerome and the Lion 56 copies, 1 review
Great Grandfather's House 54 copies, 1 review
Fu-Dog 47 copies, 1 review
Mr. McFadden's Hallowe'en 43 copies, 1 review
Gulbadan 42 copies, 2 reviews
Thus Far and No Further 38 copies, 2 reviews
Candy Floss / Impunity Jane 36 copies, 1 review
Gypsy, Gypsy 36 copies
The River [1951 film] (Screenwriter/Original novel) 33 copies, 3 reviews
The Valiant Chatti-Maker 30 copies, 1 review
Shiva's Pigeons 27 copies
In Noah's Ark 12 copies
Loss of Innocence [1961 film] (Screenplay) 1 copy
Il fiume 1 copy
The Little Bookroom (Afterword, some editions) 546 copies, 9 reviews
Prayers from the Ark (Translator, some editions) 299 copies, 5 reviews
Prayers from the Ark and The Creatures' Choir (Translator, some editions) 133 copies, 1 review
Read With Me (Contributor) 125 copies, 2 reviews
Reader's Digest Great Biographies 01 (Contributor) 117 copies
Black Narcissus [1947 film] (Original novel) 90 copies, 2 reviews
The Creatures' Choir (Translator, some editions) 53 copies
Love Stories (Contributor) 18 copies
Mrs. Manders' cook book (Editor) 16 copies
In This House of Brede [1975 film] (Original book) 15 copies
Enchantment [1948 film] (Original book) 3 copies, 1 review
Black Narcissus [2020 miniseries] (Original book) 2 copies
20th century (97) animals (70) autobiography (93) ballet (85) biography (80) British (125) British literature (75) children (193) children's (403) children's fiction (171) children's literature (146) Christmas (248) coming of age (64) dollhouses (56) dolls (230) England (240) English (67) family (94) fantasy (101) fiction (2,039) France (80) Godden (176) historical fiction (92) India (374) juvenile (68) Kindle (61) literature (83) memoir (112) non-fiction (84) novel (240) nuns (152) orphans (65) own (60) picture book (102) poetry (118) read (142) religion (100) Rumer Godden (85) short stories (130) to-read (384)
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Short biography
Rumer Godden wrote some 60 works, including novels, children's books, biographies, and poetry, a number of them drawing on her experiences of life growing up in British India and then working there as an adult. Her portrayals of the secret thoughts and confusions of childhood are especially noteworthy.
Disambiguation notice

Please don't combine this author with her sister Jon Godden.

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