July Read: Rumer Godden

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July Read: Rumer Godden

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1Soupdragon
Juin 29, 2017, 8:51 am

Share your thoughts and plans here 😊

2LyzzyBee
Juin 30, 2017, 2:54 am

I haven't any Godden on my TBR so I'm going to pass on this one as I have so much to read and review at the moment. But I hope everyone enjoys a good delve into her books!

3kaggsy
Modifié : Juin 30, 2017, 10:34 am

Ditto from me - and I fell off the wagon this month which was annoying, as I just ran out of time. Perhaps I'll get to hop back in during August! :)

4lauralkeet
Modifié : Juin 30, 2017, 6:46 am

>2 LyzzyBee:, >3 kaggsy: We forgive you. Maybe. :)

I have one unread Rumer Godden on my shelves: Breakfast with the Nikolides. I'm a little apprehensive since I DNF'd the only other Godden book I own (Kingfishers Catch Fire). But I figure I should give her another chance.

5Sakerfalcon
Juin 30, 2017, 9:05 am

I have a few unread Goddens that I'll try to read this month, including Gypsy, gypsy, The lady and the unicorn and China Court. I will however be taking a week off to read some Kate O'Brien and Maura Lavery while I'm in Dublin.

6CDVicarage
Juin 30, 2017, 10:57 am

Some of Rumer Godden's books are among my favourites so I may be re-reading. I've got some long journeys coming up - to Surrey, to Cornwall and to the south coast - during July and I've got In this house of Brede, China Court and Miss Happiness and Miss Flower in kindle editions.

7romain
Modifié : Juin 30, 2017, 3:44 pm

Laura - I couldn't get into the Nikolides book but Kingfishers is in my top ten of all time, so go figure!!!! I've read everything she ever wrote and can highly recommend In This House of Brede, Black Narcissus, The River, The Greengage Summer... I've read some of them 5 or 6 times.

8europhile
Juin 30, 2017, 4:53 pm

That's good. On the top of the pile in front of me are The River, Black Narcissus and The Greengage Summer. I also have three others but I want to track down Kingfishers Catch Fire and An Episode of Sparrows, which have been on my wishlist for some time.

9Sakerfalcon
Juil 1, 2017, 5:40 am

>8 europhile: I need to check, but I may have a spare copy of Kingfishers catch fire which I could send you. It might not arrive until after the monthly read is over though, as I believe it would be going all the way to NZ?

10europhile
Modifié : Juil 1, 2017, 5:55 am

>9 Sakerfalcon: Yes, I am in NZ. I'd love to have it if you can spare it. I've heard such good things about it from others in this group.

11lauralkeet
Juil 1, 2017, 6:22 am

>7 romain: I couldn't get into the Nikolides book
That doesn't bode well ... but I started it last night anyway. We'll see how I get on.

12Heaven-Ali
Juil 1, 2017, 8:01 am

I love Rumer Godden and I have The Battle of the Villa Fiorita and Black Narcissus tbr and I may read them both!

>7 romain: I really enjoyed Breakfast with the Nikolides sorry you didn't get on with it.

13romain
Juil 1, 2017, 8:23 am

I have only had trouble with a couple of her books Ali. My great aunt turned me on to her when I was a teen and my first was The Battle of the Villa Fiorita. Godden herself was not PC at all. Slightly to the right of Margaret Thatcher and, despite her divorce and re-marriage, more Catholic than the Pope. And yet her nun books all have nuns who are holding grudges, smoking at the bottom of the garden, and fighting with their egos because another Sister got the promotion they wanted. Fully human, in other words :)

14rainpebble
Modifié : Juil 17, 2017, 1:07 pm

I think I have loved, or at least really liked, anything I have ever read of Godden's. My favorite is perhaps In This House of Brede, one of my all time top reads.
Thank you for what you shared about her, Barbara. It put a smile on my face this morning.

15buriedinprint
Juil 5, 2017, 10:35 am

I loved her children's books The Dolls House and Miss Happiness and Miss Flower when I was a girl, and I was charmed by her mouse tales as an adult revisiting the other two.

The only one of her adult books I've read was In This House of Brede which I found very satisfying, even though many novels about religion do not appeal. I remember admiring the endpapers of the edition I had, with its monochromatic map of the cloister.

I'm intrigued by the ballet stories which are in the public library, and by her autobiographical writing, and gathered a small stack of her books on loan, unsure where to turn, then stumbled into The Greengage Summer because I saw that someone (maybe HeavenAli?) had loved it on GoodReads. The characters are immensely privileged, yes, but the view of childhood crosses all lines in terms of the powerlessness and yearning. Which is all I can say in chapter three.

Have others here seen any of the films done of the books? It seems there are several but not of the books I've read..

16romain
Juil 6, 2017, 8:27 am

I think I've seen them all. Black Narcissus is a truly beautiful movie but of course it was made by the Michael Powell/Emeric Pressburger group who were the Merchant/Ivory of their day. The River was filmed by Jean Renoir (son of Pierre-Auguste) and is another lovely film. An Episode of Sparrows was made into a movie called Innocent Sinners and was good as I remember it (I was about 10 when I saw it). In This House of Brede was filmed for TV and I hated the movie. The Greengage Summer was filmed in the late 50s I think with Kenneth More and I liked the film very much but, again, have not seen it since my early 20s. A Fugue in Time was made into a movie called Enchantment in 1948 with David Niven. I have always thought that this book was published in America as China Court but this review tells me that it is a separate book. I loved the book and I ADORED the movie because I have always adored everything Niven. I am now not sure if I have read China Court because the themes are so similar and I presumed it was the same book under a different title...

http://www.tor.com/2013/03/25/a-lifetime-burning-in-every-moment-rumer-goddens-a...

17romain
Juil 6, 2017, 8:35 am

Trailer for Black Narcissus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZRzcLK1Ar0

And Enchantment - Godden through Hollywood's eyes but you can see how a teen would love it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKv5R4HVayg

18Sakerfalcon
Juil 6, 2017, 8:53 am

>16 romain: I didn't realise so many of Godden's books had been filmed. I haven't seen any of them, but want to rectify that.

I've read The lady and the unicorn and enjoyed it while deciding that it's definitely not top-drawer Godden. The portrait of Calcutta as seen through the eyes of shabby-genteel Anglo-Indians is vivid and sensual, and a forerunner of her later sharp child protagonists is present in the character of Blanche, but Rosa, the lead, is weak and not terribly sympathetic and the plot elements don't quite hang together. As a portrayal of class and social status among the European community in India it is eye-opening though.

I'm currently reading and enjoying China Court, which looks at a much-loved home through five generations of family and their servants.

19lauralkeet
Modifié : Juil 6, 2017, 1:35 pm

I finished Breakfast with the Nikolides the other day, and am happy to say I enjoyed it more than my previous encounter with Rumer Godden. The "English person acting like a jerk in India" trope has been overdone, but of course was fresh when the novel was published. The psychological mother-daughter drama was also well written. Ali wrote a fabulous review that you can find on the book page.

20europhile
Modifié : Juil 10, 2017, 10:31 pm

I like the sound of China Court - will have to get hold of that too. I've been reading The River, a lovely coming-of-age story set in India. Because of the setting and the child's point of view it reminded me somewhat of The Peacock Spring, which I read quite a few years ago after seeing the TV adaptation of the story. I may have to reread that one too, but first I will turn to Black Narcissus, which I've been meaning to read since I saw the very good but quite unusual film at least 15-20 years ago.

21Sakerfalcon
Juil 7, 2017, 3:37 am

I finished China Court last night and very much enjoyed it, although a scene at the very end was ... odd and unpleasant. Otherwise it was a wonderfully immersive journey into the house and the lives of those who lived there through the generations, told not in chronological order but through memories sparked by objects, sounds, smells and so on.

I'm taking a break from Godden now to read some Irish Virago authors on my trip to Dublin.

>20 europhile: The river is one of my favourite of Godden's books. And Kingfishers catch fire is on its way to you!

22CurrerBell
Juil 10, 2017, 9:18 pm

My first for July, Kingfishers Catch Fire (5*****), which reminds me that I should do a reread some time of Black Narcissus (and also rewatch the movie, one of those many Oscar-worthy performances by Deborah Kerr).

Next up, Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy, then The Peacock Spring and The Battle of the Villa Fiorita.

23europhile
Modifié : Juil 10, 2017, 10:31 pm

I enjoyed Black Narcissus. It is an astonishing story in both its setting and the psychological development of its characters. Some parts brought back scenes from the movie to me even though it was many years since I had seen it. I do remember being particularly impressed by Deborah Kerr and Jean Simmons at the time. I think the movie must have been fairly faithful to the book too. Now of course I want to watch it again. Next up for me is The Greengage Summer, which I know nothing at all about.

24CurrerBell
Juil 10, 2017, 11:23 pm

>23 europhile: I think The Greengage Summer was the first Godden I read, and I wasn't that fond of it. I had the sense that Godden didn't know whether she wanted to write a mystery or a coming-of-age story.

==========

For a little Deborah Kerr trivia....

In addition to Black Narcissus, she also played a nun (with Robert Mitchum) in the quite good Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison, which has been described as a "poor man's version of The African Queen," both of them having been directed by John Huston.

And I don't know if anyone else has portrayed governesses more times than Deborah Kerr: The King and I, The Innocents (adaptation of The Turn of the Screw), and The Chalk Garden (with my very first screen crush of over half-a-century ago, Hayley Mills).

==========

Another piece of trivia....

Rumer Godden is the namesake of Rumer Willis, eldest daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore.

25buriedinprint
Juil 12, 2017, 4:35 pm

Having finished The Greengage Summer, I'm not sure now if I'll read another this month. I was tempted both by the ballet stories and by the autobiographies, as well as Anne Chisholm's biography, but the children's stories didn't suit my mood and the others are rather bulky hard covers which aren't very inviting just now either.

Nonetheless, I did enjoy the novel, athough I do understand your feeling, currerbell , about wondering at the turn of events in the story. It makes sense when one realises how much of the novel is actually autobiographical. I dipped into A Time to Dance A Time to Weep (the earliest volume of autobio) and was so surprised by the alignment between experience and fiction that I kept having to check the margins to see if the chapter was actually quoting the novel. But, no, it's actually THAT much drawn from her life, including the characters names (Joss in real life, Jon in fiction - for the older sister, for example).

This makes me wonder, given how many films there have been made of her writings (reallly enjoyed all the comments here about those), just how often the line between fact and fiction is blurred in her work. Anyone else read;been reading her autobiographies or biography, to gain a glimpse of these possibilities?

26CurrerBell
Juil 12, 2017, 11:56 pm

I just finished Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy which I give (maybe generously) 3½*** – the same as I gave In This House of Brede when I read it some time ago. These "convent stories" just aren't my Godden favorites; my liking for Black Narcissus (4½****) is really for the "culture clash" theme, and that's why I loved Kingfishers Catch Fire (5*****).

Anyway, I think next I'll get on to The Peacock Spring and then The Battle of the Villa Fiorita.

27europhile
Modifié : Juil 13, 2017, 4:05 am

One thing about reading books by one author consecutively like this is one can see similar themes cropping up; in Godden's case loss of innocence/a child's perspective/an untrustworthy Englishman/a river!/a shocking event/life changes afterwards (or doesn't). In The Greengage Summer this is is all based on events which happened in northern France to her own family when she was a child, as she explains in the afterword to this edition (taken from an earlier preface dated 1993). This novel was quite suspenseful in that one was prepared for a shocking event right from the beginning but, when it eventually did happen, it was different from what one was expecting. In this sense it was very well done. Also, I liked the setting of a hotel in a French town and how the children handled being left to their own devices much of the time. Some of the circumstances would have seemed a bit far fetched if they hadn't been based on real events. Even the title came from 'real life'.

I would also like to read a biography/memoir by or about Rumer Godden. The only one the library has is Two under the Indian Sun, by both her and her older sister (confusingly named 'Jon'). I will probably get it out but does anybody here recommend it? There is a copy of the Anne Chisholm biography for sale online but I don't think I can justify buying it at the moment.

I'm on to The Battle of the Villa Fiorita next - as the title suggests it's an Italian setting this time.

28kaggsy
Juil 15, 2017, 4:14 pm

Well, I'm back on the wagon and have finished The Greengage Summer!! I enjoyed it very much thought I did find it flawed in places and I very much agree with Mike's comment above. I'll get a review up before the end of the month and will link it, for those who are interested. It's the only Godden I have so I was glad to be able to find it buried in the stacks... :)

29europhile
Modifié : Juil 17, 2017, 3:53 am

I found The Battle of the Villa Fiorita more compelling than The Greengage Summer and stayed awake late to finish it. I liked the setting, a villa by Lake Garda, and the nature of the 'battle', with its twists and turns which made it uncertain who would 'win' or 'lose' until the end. The point of view seemed to change unexpectedly a few times and briefly caused me some confusion, but it was quickly cleared up. Overall a very good read.

The next Godden novel I will attempt is Coromandel Sea Change, which will take me back to an Indian setting.

30Sakerfalcon
Juil 17, 2017, 8:31 am

I'm now reading A time to dance, no time to weep, the first volume of Godden's autobiography. It's very good so far.

31rainpebble
Juil 17, 2017, 1:10 pm

Last night I read Godden's The Kitchen Madonna. I just love this little book so much. Another 5 star read for me.

32Heaven-Ali
Juil 17, 2017, 2:55 pm

Sorry everyone I have neglected LT recently.
I finished reading Black Narcissus on Saturday. I really enjoyed it, rather different to some of her other books I have read. I might get another Godden squeezed in to the end of the month.

33CurrerBell
Juil 19, 2017, 1:08 pm

Is this some kind of record I'm setting? Two ER visits in one weekend?

Had a COPD attack on Saturday, ambulance to the ER, discharged from ER a few hours later with a short-term script for prednisone.

Had another COPD attack on Sunday, ambulance to ER, admitted to the hospital for a three-night stay. Just discharged about an hour-and-a-half ago.

Anyway, keeping priorities straight: finished (on Kindle, though I have a hardcover) The Peacock Spring (4½****) while in the ER. Shorted it to 4½**** only because I think Black Narcissus and Kingfishers Catch Fire are better and because the Peacock Spring ending seems a little bit contrived.

Personally, I prefer Godden's "clash of cultures" theme in India over some of her other work (like In This House of Brede or Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy), though I definitely like An Episode of Sparrows since I'm always a sucker for good coming-of-age stories.

34kaggsy
Juil 19, 2017, 3:57 pm

Goodness, Mike, that sounds awfully dramatic. Hope you're feeling better now!

35CurrerBell
Juil 19, 2017, 5:44 pm

>34 kaggsy: Have an appointment with my gastroenterolgist for August 1 and for a colonoscopy on August 11 – and another with a gastroparesis expert and chair of the Research Division at Temple University Hospital (Philadelpha) for August 17. And I've got to get an esophageal motility study done in the meanwhile. And get an appointment with my pulmonologist, who's going to want me on a CPAP for sleep apnea (which may have triggered these most recent COPD attacks), which I've been resisting in the past but now think is probably necessary.

Just think of all those Viragos in the waiting rooms this August!

36Sakerfalcon
Juil 20, 2017, 6:00 am

>33 CurrerBell:, >35 CurrerBell: That sounds very alarming. I'm relieved that you've got appointments set up so the doctors can check things out. As you say, at least you have plenty of good reading to keep you going!

37romain
Juil 20, 2017, 8:29 am

Yeah Mike, always thinking of you. Health issues are sort of ongoing with us oldies I guess. Best of luck!!!!

38kaggsy
Juil 20, 2017, 8:42 am

>35 CurrerBell: Wonderful that you can put such a positive spin on things, Mike - at least having time to do lots of reading is good. Wishing you well for all the upcoming health checks.

39rainpebble
Juil 20, 2017, 3:00 pm

You have been through so much medically this year, Mike. WOW! What a weekend but your enthusiasm for living (and reading) never seems to waver. Your attitude in the face of adversity is inspiring, to say the least.
It sounds like you are on top of scheduling all of your appointments. We'll wait here to see how all goes for you................and to read your mini-reviews.
Thinking of you with fondness & in prayer,
belva

40Heaven-Ali
Juil 22, 2017, 4:29 pm

I reviewed Black Narcissus the other day.

https://heavenali.wordpress.com/2017/07/19/black-narcissus-rumer-godden-1939/

Hoping to take The Battle of the Villa Fiorita on my coach trip to Paris next weekend.

41europhile
Modifié : Juil 23, 2017, 11:03 pm

I finished both Two Under the Indian Sun and Coromandel Sea Change a few days ago. It was interesting reading them concurrently and seeing where some of the elements of this and the other novels with Indian settings came from. I found it odd that she and her older sister, Jon, referred to themselves in the third person in their joint memoir of their childhood in India, but I got used to it eventually. She obviously loved India and is very successful at conveying its atmosphere in the novels set there. So far I have preferred the 'Indian' novels to the others I have read by her, though they're all well written.

I have now found a copy of Rumer's own first volume of memoir A Time to Dance, No Time to Weep, so will be reading that next, along with Kingfishers Catch Fire, which was kindly sent to me with impressive speed by Claire.

42kaggsy
Juil 27, 2017, 2:12 am

Finally got my review of Greengage done and it's here:

https://kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2017/07/27/a-bitter-sweet-coming-o...

I enjoyed it very much, though I do agree with Mike's comment above!

43Heaven-Ali
Juil 27, 2017, 12:10 pm

I am off on my short trip tomorrow. I am planning on starting The Battle of the Villa Fiorita later today, I hope it keeps me good company on the journey tomorrow.

44CurrerBell
Juil 31, 2017, 11:47 pm

Finished The Battle of the Villa Fiorita just under the wire at twenty minutes before midnight. Got a good bit of Godden done this month:
  1. The Battle of the Villa Fiorita (4****)
  2. Coromandel Sea Change (5*****)
  3. The Peacock Spring(4½****)
  4. Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy (3½***)
  5. Kingfishers Catch Fire (5*****) and possibly my favorite Godden (though I need to reread Black Narcissus and rewatch the movie).
This monthly read program is great for getting some Viragos finished. (I'm not sure if all five of the Goddens I read this month are Virago.)

45Heaven-Ali
Août 1, 2017, 5:31 am

I followed up my reading of Black Narcissus with The Battle of the Villa Fiorita. Rumer Godden was such a good storyteller.

46romain
Août 1, 2017, 8:27 am

I am so pleased that some of you seem to have enjoyed Godden as much as I do. Yay!!! My Great Aunt turned me on to her years and years ago.

47rainpebble
Août 1, 2017, 3:11 pm

Barbara, I am thrilled that we agree on an author/book. BIG YAY!~!
So often we are at logger-heads there. lol

:-)

48CDVicarage
Août 1, 2017, 3:38 pm

Rumer Godden is one of my favourite authors and I have, I think, read nearly all of her books but I did do some re-reading this month: China Court and In This House of Brede.

The first one I ever read - or rather had read to me - was Miss Happiness and Miss Flower when I was in primary school, well over fifty years ago. I have my own lovely hardback copy now and have read it many times since.

49europhile
Modifié : Août 2, 2017, 6:57 pm

I must say it was was rather disconcerting to read A Time to Dance, No Time to Weep and Kingfishers Catch Fire more or less concurrently, as many of the same characters and incidents appear in both (a few of them under different names). Sometimes it was difficult to tell what was fact and what was fiction. I wonder if the author had this difficulty - some of her statements seem to imply that she did. Nevertheless, I enjoyed both, the novel rather more than the memoir (which occasionally seemed rather disjointed). Once again the setting and the characters were very memorable and there was a terrible incident at the centre of it. I particularly liked the ending which was not what it looked like it was going to be (and it would have disappointed me if it it had turned out to be the conventional ending it seemed to be heading for).

Now the only one of Rumer Godden's books I own and have not yet read is In This House of Brede, which I will have to save for another time.

50rainpebble
Août 2, 2017, 12:48 pm

>49 europhile:
Oh my goodness, Grant! I do believe you have saved the best for last. Lucky lad to have that one to look forward to one day.

>48 CDVicarage:
Kerry, it seems like most of us adore Rumer Godden. My library has such a wonderful selection of her children's books and I have loved reading most of them. She was so gifted.

51europhile
Modifié : Août 3, 2017, 3:59 am

Yes, Belva, and I also want to read her second memoir and more of her children's books and novels, so another Rumer Godden month will be necessary!

ETA: I've just returned from the library with no less than eight books by Rumer Godden. Most of them are children's books so the second Rumer Godden monthly read begins now.

52rainpebble
Août 3, 2017, 3:45 pm

Grant, you are indeed an inspiration. Nice to come across so many more readers who love Godden like I do. Her children's books are quite magical. Enjoy. :-)

A 2ND RUMER GODDEN MONTH..........YEA!~!~!~!~!

53rainpebble
Modifié : Août 3, 2017, 3:55 pm

54Sakerfalcon
Août 4, 2017, 2:16 am

I would do a second Godden month! Just give me enough time to find my copy of The battle of the Villa Fiorita which is buried somewhere in my loft!

>49 europhile: I'm glad you enjoyed Kingfishers catch fire; I know you had high expectations of it. I had read it before but read the autobiography for the first time this month and found the parallels between the two fascinating. But yes, the central incident is quite disturbing.

55europhile
Modifié : Août 30, 2017, 5:52 pm

My second Rumer Godden month was reasonably successful. I have just finished An Episode of Sparrows, which I'd been wanting to read for some time. Others completed during this month were: a collection of short stories called Swans & Turtles, one of the stories in which was a kind of precursor to that novel; A Fugue in Time; The Fairy Doll; Impunity Jane; Candy Floss; Mouse House, Little Plum and The Diddakoi. I particularly enjoyed 'The Fairy Doll', 'Little Plum', 'The Diddakoi' and 'An Episode of Sparrows', and have more of her books on hand for next month if needed, including In this House of Brede which I have been saving for a rainy day (like today!).

56rainpebble
Août 31, 2017, 2:16 pm

I went on a Rumor Godden tear a couple of years ago and read all of her older works that I could find. I really enjoyed her children's books. An Episode of Sparrows I thought especially good. It is so nice to see how many others appreciate this wonderful author. I think you will like In this House of Brede.

57europhile
Modifié : Oct 13, 2017, 5:15 pm

In September I read Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy, Cromartie vs the God Shiva and Pippa Passes. All good, particularly the first of these. Next on the list is The Dark Horse, which I don't have such high expectations of, though it is apparently set at least partly in India.