A House with Four Rooms (Ulverscroft Large Print Series) [Large Print] [Library Binding]

Rumer Godden (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In her second volume of memoirs, following a A Time to Dance, No Time to Weep , Godden provides a lively, engaging view of postwar literary and publishing trends as a backdrop to her own personal and creative development. In 1945, her marriage over, she returned home to England from India with two children and few possessions; however, with an unwavering commitment to her writing, she embarked on a career which brought international recognition and acclaim for her adult and children's books. She speaks lovingly of those who encouraged her over the years, including her sister Jon, London agent Spencer Curtis Brown, Viking publishing president Ben Huebsch (her "literary father"), and the late James Haynes-Dixon, with whom she enjoyed a sturdy second marriage. She also recounts in colorful detail her collaboration with French director Jean Renoir during the filming of her novel The River in California and on location in India. We part company with her in the late 1970s as she moves to Scotland. Godden's travels and experiences are related with warmth and insight, and she offers an interesting perspective on the major publishing figures of our time. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Library Binding: 663 pages
• Publisher: Ulverscroft Large Print (October 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0708925170
• ISBN-13: 978-0708925171
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,915,603 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The treasure of Miss Godden's life is in this memoir., August 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A House With Four Rooms (Hardcover)

"A House With Four Rooms," the second and last volume of Rumer Godden's memoirs, is one of the most treasured volumes in my library. Miss Godden writes with a terrible beauty of her life on returning to England, a divorcee with two little girls, her obstinate and ultimately successful struggle to earn a living solely by writing, her second marriage, her conversion to Catholicism, the years at Stanbrook Abbey where she wrote "In This House of Brede," her publishers, the films made from her books, and (of course) her love affairs with houses. She also writes delightfully and with her incomparable irony of the challenges of fame, a lecture tour of the United States, etc. The book nourishes the mind, the soul, the imagination, and the heart. You will be consoled without having realized you were in need of consolation. Enjoy, if you haven't already, the first volume of her memoirs, "A Time to Dance, No Time to Weep."

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an exquisite gift from Rumer Godden, July 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A House With Four Rooms (Hardcover)

"A House With Four Rooms" will delight those new to Rumer Godden as well as those who have read "A Time to Dance, No Time to Weep," the first volume of her memoirs. This second volume tells the story of her life in England after WWII when she returned from India, her getting established as a writer in London, raising Jane and Paula, love affairs with several delightful houses, collaboration with Jean Renoir on the movie "The River," second marriage, lecture tours of America, conversion to Catholicism, link with the Benedictine nuns and writing of "This House of Brede," and a wealth of other charming things. The wine of her life beautifully aged and distilled, this memoir ends with her retirement to Scotland, but its delight goes on long after that. You'll love it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Life of a Fascinating Writer, Rumer Godden, October 30, 2010

By 

Victoria F. Jessop (San Diego, CA. USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A HOUSE WITH FOUR ROOMS (Paperback)

I have read a great many Rumer Godden books, and have always liked her unique style of writing. I have most of the novels I like best, and can read them over and over. The second part of her autobiography was quite fascinating. She led an enormously interesting life in India and in England, and other countries, and her subjects are so varied. In a House with Four Rooms, one could understand where she found her subjects. I was most interested in her novel, In This House of Brede, and enjoyed reading how and why she wrote it in her autobiography.