Scent of Water [Paperback]

Elizabeth Goudge (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Pyramid Books (1976)
• ASIN: B0018ZTNRW
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A story of beauty, hope and human potential., July 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Scent of Water (Hardcover)

I have read this book numerous times and I never grow tired of it. It is one that I pick up whenever I am stressed or depressed and it never fails to uplift me. The story deals with a middle-aged woman who inherits a house in rural England shortly after WWII. She leaves her career and her beloved London to take up residence in her new home because she wants to experience life in the country before it is too late. As she becomes accustomed to her new life and acquainted with her new neighbors, she also gets to know herself and her cousin. The descriptions of both the countryside and the house are wonderful and the reader gets to know and care about the people just as Mary does. This is not a story of great drama but it is one of the most uplifting books I have ever read. If you loved The Secret Garden as a child, I believe that you will love this book.

43 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Luminous, enchanting, quintessentially English, July 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Scent of Water (Hardcover)

This gentle and light-filled narrative, beginning with a death and ending with a birth in the tiny village of Appleshaw, weaves the enchanting story of the people in the village and their respective paths. Mary Lindsay, a handsome spinster, comes to Appleshaw to live the country life "before it and I disappear from the English scene." In discovering this life, she finds her capacities for maternity, love, friendship, and respect blossoming, along with a strong and sweet faith in a God she has forgotten. The other characters are as beautifully rendered as Mary herself. A book with deep roots in truth, whose unchanging message has made me stronger.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Wonderful, March 29, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Scent of Water (Hardcover)

Others have described the book quite well, so I won't elaborate further, except to say that this is without a doubt my favorite book. It is a wonderful story that kept me reading non-stop and taught me so many things about life. I am not a person who re-reads books, but this is one that I feel the need to read again on a regular basis. I wish this would be published again so I could share it with more people. Just reading the book felt like someone had given me a special gift.