Pilgrim's Inn

One of my favorite novels to read for the feeling of comfort it gives me. Goudge has a way of presenting families which shows the interdependence of family members. Goudge is not so well know in the US as in England, but I discovered her by accident years ago and have searched out her novels for my collection. This one is my all-around favorite, but I also really love The Scent of Water. There is a bittersweet edge to her novels which makes it possible to reread them and get something new from them another time. I highly recommend that you give a Goudge novel a try, especially if you like the Virago publishing series of women authors (of which she is not one).

Second in the Eliot family chronicles, this story focuses on the healing properties of the old Pilgrim Inn, the Herb of Grace which are balm to the spirits and bodies of those worn out by the second world war. Although full of her idiosyncratic spirituality the book is neither religious nor sentimental. I do like this book but will take a little break from Elizabeth Goudge for a while as she is rather rich fare and is best taken in modest doses. Don't be put off by the hideous cover of this edition!

This is a lovely novel of Christian House-holding, Conversion, and Family Interdependence After World War II
Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2018
Format: Hardcover
Elizabeth Goudge's 1948 novel, set in the aftermath of World War II, unfolds an English parable of peace and healing through creative house-holding, family interdependence, splendors of nature, and adherence to cultural traditions of place. Three women not in love with their husbands find peace in their marriages. The image of a radiant white deer, Pisanello's painting of St. Eustace, and cruciform architecture inform the book's religious dimensions. Returning home is a major theme.

Second in the 'Eliots of Damerosehay' series.

Lucilla persuades her son George to buy an old inn, the Herb of Grace, despite his wife being less than impressed. Discoveries are made, lessons are learned, and new people are woven into the Eliot tapestry of life.

A lovely book that leaves a good feeling at the end. But it's not fast-moving at all; it's descriptive and gentle.

Very much worth re-reading every few years; best to read after 'A Bird in the Tree' although it stands alone.

Pilgrim's Inn by Elizabeth Goudge (2008)

Familiegeschiedenis over een oude herberg in Hampshire.