The Scent of Water

"A captivating story filled with English charm, luminous wisdom, and astounding spiritual insight"

Goudge's singular gift is the depth and insight she brings to her characters. 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, show more and of the people of Appleshaw, all weave together in a most memorable story of love's redemptive power. show less

Re-read. I love this book with my whole heart. It's not at all the sort of thing you'd think I'd adore, inasmuch as it's not only steeped in Christianity, it's actually a proselytizing vehicle. Still, it's one of my all-time favorites.

The writing is stellar, the characters are compelling, the setting (a small English village) is my dream home. Even the religion is tolerable as it's not the Christianity with which I'm familiar, rather it's a luminous love that transforms everything into a distillation of joy.

The story unfolds as Mary Lindsay is left a cottage by her aunt, moves to the cottage and reads her aunt's diaries while becoming part and parcel of the village. Involving studies of various inhabitants and their conflicts ensue. show more There's redemption and love infusing every paragraph. A delight. show less

On re-reading, I enjoyed this much more than I remembered years ago. The sweetness of her stories is underlaid by real suffering, compassion for those who are often misunderstood as failures, and a sense of what really matters. The deciding factor in keeping my charity shop copy was of course the "little things", the tiny objects so well described you can almost see them.

A dreamy, understated sketch of village life in England with an old-fashioned way of life. Characterisations are strongly drawn but the narrative rather frequently lacked enough tension to hold my interest.

While there were a few shining moments in this book, overall it failed to hold my attention due to its tendency to keep the reader at arm's length from many of the scenes. Instead of taking me through a scene and allowing me to experience it with the characters, there was often just a summing-up of an afternoon or evening's events.
I enjoyed the setting and the premise, but it grew way too contemplative and, dare I say, even metaphysical. I wasn't totally on board with all of it, though I wanted to like it.

And Goodreads strikes again--- somehow deleting a perfectly good review.

As usual, Goudge does a wonderful job at traveling through different classes(which definitely existed in this time period and location), relationships, mental illness, and ages. I loved her focus and exploration of reconciliation, perspective and healing here, though I never was interested in the journal entries. Possibly because I knew the outcome of that particular story?

I also loved the last line. A lovely little metaphor that sends you out into the world with something to ruminate about during the quiet moments.

I am very sorry for this to end. It was really wonderful. I'm not sure who I would recommend this to. It is very sweet and old fashioned with a spiritual atmosphere, but it really touched me. Elizabeth Goudge has some great insights and several quotes that I don't want to forget. I read an old library copy and actually liked some of the notations that were written by a previous borrower. I may need to own this one.

I see the paperback reprint has the subtitle... "A Captivating Story Filled With English Charm, Luminous Wisdom, and Astonishing Spiritual Insight" which says it nicely. Amazon thinks Miss Read lovers would enjoy it. I think there is more depth to this book than in Miss Read's writing, though I love her too. More soul show more searching in the characters than I remember in Miss Read. I'll have to read another Thrush Green book next and see. show less