October 2024 read along pick: The Dean's Watch by Elizabeth Goudge
Because there just isn't anything quite like a good Goudge
Readers, I think I may have found the most quintessential fall read.
I’ve only just begun to taste the richness of an Elizabeth Goudge novel, but with the Eliot family trilogy and a couple stand-alone novels under my belt, I know I can expect deep, contemplative writing paired with flawed, believable characters that readers feel (effortlessly) close to.
You’ll find that I try to read seasonally when possible—because it only makes the experience that much more immersive. And thanks to my saint of a husband, who purchased this 1960s gem for me via eBay for my birthday many months back, I’ve had this one shelved and waiting for the first golden leaf to fall.
“Autumn was a strange paradoxical time of the year. It was the season when he was happiest and yet it was the season when he was most vulnerable and most aware, and that was not always a happiness. Yet he liked autumn.”
-The Dean’s Watch, by Elizabeth Goudge
Is this not the most accurate way to describe what one experiences in autumn? It’s the season that signals change most starkly, and yet we’re captivated by its beauty. The veil between the seen and the unseen world begins to thin, and the crisp air paired with vibrantly warm color gifts us a clarity of mind we don’t typically possess throughout the year. (Or is this just me?)
Often inspired by the cathedral cities in which she lived, (Wells, Ely, and Oxford), Goudge took it upon herself to base The Dean’s Watch on her most beloved cathedral city, Ely.
Taking place in a remote 1870s cathedral city in England, this novel weaves themes of brokenness, courage, loss, craftsmanship, and redemption through the story of an unlikely friendship between Isaac Peabody, the clockmaker, and Adam Ayscough, the Dean of the Cathedral. A handful of secondary characters will also have significant parts to play, as well as the dean’s pocket watch and the cathedral itself.
Admittedly, this might be a difficult book to track down if you are looking for a copy within your library system, (and hardbacks might especially be hard to come by), but there are paperbacks via Amazon and Kindle editions available.
At the end of October, I expect I’ll be gushing about this autumnal read—and I hope you will, too.
Happy, happy reading!
A lovely post about a lovely book! I have read this, and many of Elizabeth Goudge's other works. I actually own a copy of this book (not as beautiful as your hardcover) in paperback, which I found at the thrift store. If anyone is on the fence about reading this, you won't be disappointed! (I'd reread it now if I didn't already have a gazillion other books going.) I agree with this sentiment that you share here, April: "I know I can expect deep, contemplative writing paired with flawed, believable characters that readers feel (effortlessly) close to." I would add that readers will be treated to wise spiritual insights and immersed in gentle pastoral settings that will remain with you for a long time. Happy reading!