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The White Witch
Set in 17th-century England, when Cavaliers struggle with Puritans to keep the throne safe for King Charles 1st.
The wise and gentle Froniga Haslewood, is caught between two worlds. Divided between her Puritan family at the Oxfordshire village's manor house and her relatives in the Gypsy community, she works using her skill in healing to help those in need. Her cousin Robert , a local squire, is gripped by the prospect of war. Following his boyhood hero, he leaves his family and travels away to fight for the Parliamentarian cause. While his wife Margaret and their twin children wait in the manor house for news about him. Left behind with her brother, Robert's daughter Jenny grows up under the shadow of conflict, until she encounters mysterious royalist Francis Leyland. While Froniga's gypsy cousins sometimes camp near her, and have befriended Yomen, who conceals a grand past, but is now a tinker and royalist spy. The women must choose between family loyalty and their own heart. As their lives entwine, the villagers struggle to stay true to their beliefs as war threatens to tear their community apart.
The wise and gentle Froniga Haslewood, is caught between two worlds. Divided between her Puritan family at the Oxfordshire village's manor house and her relatives in the Gypsy community, she works using her skill in healing to help those in need. Her cousin Robert , a local squire, is gripped by the prospect of war. Following his boyhood hero, he leaves his family and travels away to fight for the Parliamentarian cause. While his wife Margaret and their twin children wait in the manor house for news about him. Left behind with her brother, Robert's daughter Jenny grows up under the shadow of conflict, until she encounters mysterious royalist Francis Leyland. While Froniga's gypsy cousins sometimes camp near her, and have befriended Yomen, who conceals a grand past, but is now a tinker and royalist spy. The women must choose between family loyalty and their own heart. As their lives entwine, the villagers struggle to stay true to their beliefs as war threatens to tear their community apart.
416 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1952
58 people are currently reading
1428 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Goudge
67 books900 followersElizabeth Goudge was an English author of novels, short stories and children's books.
Elizabeth de Beauchamp Goudge was born on 24 April 1900 in Wells, Somerset, in Tower House close by the cathedral in an area known as The Liberty, Her father, the Reverend Henry Leighton Goudge, taught in the cathedral school. Her mother was Miss Ida Collenette from the Channel Isles. Elizabeth was an only child. The family moved to Ely for a Canonry as Principal of the theological college. Later, when her father was made Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford, they moved to Christ Church, Oxford.
She went to boarding school during WWI and later to Arts College, presumably at Reading College. She made a small living as teacher, and continued to live with her parents. During this time, she wrote a few plays, and was encouraged to write novels by a publisher. As her writing career took off, she began to travel to other nations. Unfortunately, she suffered from depression for much of her life. She had great empathy for people and a talent for finding the comic side of things, displayed to great effect in her writing.
Goudge's first book, The Fairies' Baby and Other Stories (1919), was a failure and it was several years before she authored Island Magic (1934), which is based on Channel Island stories, many of which she had learned from her mother, who was from Guernsey. After the death of her father, Goudge and her mother went to Devon, and eventually wound up living there in a small cottage. There, she wrote prolifically and was happy.
After the death of her mother, and at the wishes of Goudge's family who wished her to live closer to them, she found a companion who moved with her to Rose Cottage in Reading. She lived out her life there, and had many dogs in her life. Goudge loved dogs, and much preferred their company to that of humans. She continued to write until shortly before her death, when ill health, successive falls, and cataracts hindered her ability to write. She was much loved.
Goudge was awarded the Carnegie Medal for The Little White Horse (1946), the book which J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter stories, has said was her favorite as a child. The television mini-series Moonacre was based on The Little White Horse. Her Green Dolphin Country (1944) was made into a film (under its American title, Green Dolphin Street) which won the Academy Award for Special Effects in 1948.
A Diary of Prayer (1966) was one of Goudge's last works. She spent her last years in her cottage on Peppard Common, just outside Henley-on-Thames, where a blue plaque was unveiled in 2008.
Elizabeth de Beauchamp Goudge was born on 24 April 1900 in Wells, Somerset, in Tower House close by the cathedral in an area known as The Liberty, Her father, the Reverend Henry Leighton Goudge, taught in the cathedral school. Her mother was Miss Ida Collenette from the Channel Isles. Elizabeth was an only child. The family moved to Ely for a Canonry as Principal of the theological college. Later, when her father was made Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford, they moved to Christ Church, Oxford.
She went to boarding school during WWI and later to Arts College, presumably at Reading College. She made a small living as teacher, and continued to live with her parents. During this time, she wrote a few plays, and was encouraged to write novels by a publisher. As her writing career took off, she began to travel to other nations. Unfortunately, she suffered from depression for much of her life. She had great empathy for people and a talent for finding the comic side of things, displayed to great effect in her writing.
Goudge's first book, The Fairies' Baby and Other Stories (1919), was a failure and it was several years before she authored Island Magic (1934), which is based on Channel Island stories, many of which she had learned from her mother, who was from Guernsey. After the death of her father, Goudge and her mother went to Devon, and eventually wound up living there in a small cottage. There, she wrote prolifically and was happy.
After the death of her mother, and at the wishes of Goudge's family who wished her to live closer to them, she found a companion who moved with her to Rose Cottage in Reading. She lived out her life there, and had many dogs in her life. Goudge loved dogs, and much preferred their company to that of humans. She continued to write until shortly before her death, when ill health, successive falls, and cataracts hindered her ability to write. She was much loved.
Goudge was awarded the Carnegie Medal for The Little White Horse (1946), the book which J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter stories, has said was her favorite as a child. The television mini-series Moonacre was based on The Little White Horse. Her Green Dolphin Country (1944) was made into a film (under its American title, Green Dolphin Street) which won the Academy Award for Special Effects in 1948.
A Diary of Prayer (1966) was one of Goudge's last works. She spent her last years in her cottage on Peppard Common, just outside Henley-on-Thames, where a blue plaque was unveiled in 2008.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
October 31, 2017
The blurb on the back jacket of my copy threw me for a bit & I enjoyed the book far more when I realised this wasn't a historical romance in the conventional sense of the genre. While many characters have their turn centre stage, the main character is actually Froniga, the "White Witch" of the title. My jacket gives the impression the heroine is Jenny, one of the many magical children that Goudge created over the years.
The start of the story was quite wonderful, if somewhat slow moving, showing a Goudge world with the half Gypsy Froniga, as a central source of comfort for everyone when their worlds spun out of control. I soon stopped looking up the names of plants & other unfamiliar terms and let the beautiful language wash over me. Where the book lost me for a while was when it left the children and depicted some of the Roundhead battles for control of England. But Goudge draws me back in and shows a remarkable ability to make me sympathise with unsympathetic behaviour. I get the feeling that Goudge loved all her character flawed or not and wanted them to succeed on their journey through life. There is a scene of self sacrifice that moved me as much as a similar scene in
.
Just one thing
And Goudge had her own Froniga's well
A beautiful woman.
The start of the story was quite wonderful, if somewhat slow moving, showing a Goudge world with the half Gypsy Froniga, as a central source of comfort for everyone when their worlds spun out of control. I soon stopped looking up the names of plants & other unfamiliar terms and let the beautiful language wash over me. Where the book lost me for a while was when it left the children and depicted some of the Roundhead battles for control of England. But Goudge draws me back in and shows a remarkable ability to make me sympathise with unsympathetic behaviour. I get the feeling that Goudge loved all her character flawed or not and wanted them to succeed on their journey through life. There is a scene of self sacrifice that moved me as much as a similar scene in
.Just one thing
And Goudge had her own Froniga's well
A beautiful woman.
November 16, 2024
As with all Goudge books I have read, this one took me a while to get into. And just like the others it eventually weaved its spell and I couldn’t put it down.
With the backdrop of the English Civil War, we have a simple story of lives twisted and turned by politics and conflict and the confusion they bring.
While this book is not mostly in Oxford, we still get to spend time with that city of bells Elizabeth describes so well making us long for a cottage in the Cotswolds.
With the backdrop of the English Civil War, we have a simple story of lives twisted and turned by politics and conflict and the confusion they bring.
While this book is not mostly in Oxford, we still get to spend time with that city of bells Elizabeth describes so well making us long for a cottage in the Cotswolds.
March 2, 2023
The White Witch is probably one of the most beautiful and unusual books I've ever read. It is not a terribly thrilling story, nor is it a page-turner. It is a very quiet, gentle story with gorgeous prose and phrases that literally delight your senses. I savored each chapter and description, delighting in the author's charming descriptions of an English village before the English Civil War, the beautiful white witch and healer, Froniga, and the gypsy groups in colorful wagons which inhabited the woods. I almost expected to open the book and have the scent of apple wood smoke, lavender, and mint to emanate from the pages! It may not be for everyone, but I think this book will appeal to those who enjoy old-fashioned tales and elegant writing with a nod to Beauty and the Beast.
3.5 stars
3.5 stars
November 25, 2019
What a soul stirring book. I was thoroughly immersed and loved it completely! My edition was 439 pages. Some quotes I loved are as follows.
“Books were living things to those who truly loved them.”
“Prayers...brings you to the feet of those for whom you pray.”
“You give me great wealth, for the gift of a book is a gift of human soul. Men put their souls in their books. When one man gives another a book then three souls are bound together in that most happy thing, a trinity.”
“We all of us need to be toppled off the throne of self, my dear. Perched up there the tears of others are never upon our own cheek.”
“Nothing was so relentless as consequences.”
“My old mother used to say, if you turn your eyes to tomorrow’s darkness you will only stumble in today’s light.”
“Only the potter knows what he is doing with the clay.”
“Brave people always get well sooner than cowards because courage is a good thrower-out of impurities in the body.”
“They say the scent of a flower is its spirit.”
“From the rising of the sun until the going down of the same the name of the Lord is worthy of praise.”
“One is seldom unchanged by the death of those one loves. It gives one a deeper knowledge of them, and so of oneself in regard to
“Books were living things to those who truly loved them.”
“Prayers...brings you to the feet of those for whom you pray.”
“You give me great wealth, for the gift of a book is a gift of human soul. Men put their souls in their books. When one man gives another a book then three souls are bound together in that most happy thing, a trinity.”
“We all of us need to be toppled off the throne of self, my dear. Perched up there the tears of others are never upon our own cheek.”
“Nothing was so relentless as consequences.”
“My old mother used to say, if you turn your eyes to tomorrow’s darkness you will only stumble in today’s light.”
“Only the potter knows what he is doing with the clay.”
“Brave people always get well sooner than cowards because courage is a good thrower-out of impurities in the body.”
“They say the scent of a flower is its spirit.”
“From the rising of the sun until the going down of the same the name of the Lord is worthy of praise.”
“One is seldom unchanged by the death of those one loves. It gives one a deeper knowledge of them, and so of oneself in regard to
November 14, 2019
Every time I read an Elizabeth Goudge novel I wonder what it is about them that I enjoy so much. The White Witch is ostensibly a historical novel, set in the time period of the early years of the English Civil War. The battle at Edgehill (23 October 1642) - considered the ‘first pitched battle of the war’ and basically a draw between the Royalists and Parliamentarians - plays a role in the book, as does the Battle of Chalgrove Field (18 June 1643) in which John Hampden (one of the Puritan leaders) was killed. Yet despite several battle scenes, and the introduction of many of the important characters of the conflict (King Charles I, Oliver Cromwell, Prince Rupert - the leader of the Royalist cavalry), the war is always quite secondary to Goudge’s other narrative concerns. And despite the realistic nature of her subject matter, Goudge manages to give this book the distinct feeling of fantasy. For the first time, it has occurred to me that her books remind me of C.S. Lewis’s Narnia Chronicles: within the structure of fantasy, they are really battles of good vs evil, Christianity vs the dark forces of anomie, and the individual conscience vs seductions of power.
Although this is an ensemble piece, with at least a dozen important characters, the best candidate for protagonist is Froniga Haslewood, the ‘white witch’ of the title. Froniga is the perfect character to express the duality that is at the heart of this book because her very identity is divided. Her mother was a gypsy, part of the ancient wandering Heron clan; her father was a Haslewood, a member of the the landowning gentry. Froniga is a homeowner and an important person in the community, not just because of her close relation to the Haslewoods, but also because of her own gifts for healing. She is an outstanding herbalist, with the added mystical (and supernatural) gifts of her gypsy heritage. Although she has aligned herself with the Parliamentarians, and wears their Puritan garb - following the example of her cousin Robert, the head of the family - she is in the important sense a ‘free agent’, always sensitive to the claims of her gypsy family and her higher calling as a healer. Although the doesn’t have the power of a military leader, she does have a great deal of power nonetheless - also within the realms of life and death - and like all of the important characters in this novel, she must struggle to reconcile her faith (and the higher claims of her God) with her own desires and capabilities.
There are many other important characters in the novel - the most interesting being Yoben (an adopted gypsy with a mysterious past, and the soulmate of Froniga), Madona (aunt to Froniga, and the maternal head of the Heron clan), the painter John Loggin, Jenny Haslewood, the Parson Hawthyn and a ‘black’ witch called Mother Skipton. Although a good amount of the novel is given over to the actual Civil War, it never really commands the interest (for this reader at least) as much as the internal conflicts of individual and community. The idea of civil war - brother against brother, and neighbour against neighbour - is played out between individual characters, and even more importantly in the divided self. While this might sound rather grim, it is elevated (perhaps ‘aerated’ would also apply) by Goudge’s lavish powers of description and her emotional sensitivity and her wisdom about human nature. Her sense of the beauty and mystery of the world permeates all of her work, and touches everything with a kind of magic dust that is usually only found in fantasy.
It’s really quite a strange book in many ways, but undeniably affecting - and perfect for this time of year, when the days abruptly darken and the veil between the known and unknown world seems thinner.
Although this is an ensemble piece, with at least a dozen important characters, the best candidate for protagonist is Froniga Haslewood, the ‘white witch’ of the title. Froniga is the perfect character to express the duality that is at the heart of this book because her very identity is divided. Her mother was a gypsy, part of the ancient wandering Heron clan; her father was a Haslewood, a member of the the landowning gentry. Froniga is a homeowner and an important person in the community, not just because of her close relation to the Haslewoods, but also because of her own gifts for healing. She is an outstanding herbalist, with the added mystical (and supernatural) gifts of her gypsy heritage. Although she has aligned herself with the Parliamentarians, and wears their Puritan garb - following the example of her cousin Robert, the head of the family - she is in the important sense a ‘free agent’, always sensitive to the claims of her gypsy family and her higher calling as a healer. Although the doesn’t have the power of a military leader, she does have a great deal of power nonetheless - also within the realms of life and death - and like all of the important characters in this novel, she must struggle to reconcile her faith (and the higher claims of her God) with her own desires and capabilities.
There are many other important characters in the novel - the most interesting being Yoben (an adopted gypsy with a mysterious past, and the soulmate of Froniga), Madona (aunt to Froniga, and the maternal head of the Heron clan), the painter John Loggin, Jenny Haslewood, the Parson Hawthyn and a ‘black’ witch called Mother Skipton. Although a good amount of the novel is given over to the actual Civil War, it never really commands the interest (for this reader at least) as much as the internal conflicts of individual and community. The idea of civil war - brother against brother, and neighbour against neighbour - is played out between individual characters, and even more importantly in the divided self. While this might sound rather grim, it is elevated (perhaps ‘aerated’ would also apply) by Goudge’s lavish powers of description and her emotional sensitivity and her wisdom about human nature. Her sense of the beauty and mystery of the world permeates all of her work, and touches everything with a kind of magic dust that is usually only found in fantasy.
It’s really quite a strange book in many ways, but undeniably affecting - and perfect for this time of year, when the days abruptly darken and the veil between the known and unknown world seems thinner.
November 8, 2017
Don’t be deceived by the title into thinking this is a spooky Halloween tale; there is nothing Halloween about it. The White Witch is a serious historical novel that addresses weighty spiritual themes. But please don’t get scared off by that description: it is also beautifully written, rich in character and description, and all-around rewarding.
The story is set at the start of the English Civil War and spends quality time with a wide range of characters, ranging from young children through Romany (Gypsies) to an aristocrat-spy. The conflict between the royalists (Anglican and Catholic) and the Parliamentarians (mostly Puritan) has pitted Englishman against Englishman and poisoned human relations at every level, from the government to the village. People who might muddle through life just fine in ordinary times are tested to the limits of their character, with mixed results.
The central family is the Haslewoods, husband, wife, and twin children of eight years, along with their sister-in-law Froniga, the white witch of the title. She is witchly only in the sense of being a village healer steeped in herbal traditions—no enemy to Christianity. She is half Gypsy and in love with a mysterious man, Yoben, from the Gypsy world who cannot marry her but will not say why. He is associated with an itinerant portrait painter who is actually an aristocrat in disguise, spying for the king. The Haslewoods are on the side of Parliament, and it is his job to learn through them what the Parliamentarians are up to. But he finds himself loving the Haslewoods and becomes deeply conflicted about his mission.
The surface story proceeds through military conflicts and the events of village life, but that’s only a pretext for the real subject. The White Witch is a study of Christian spiritual values (in the New Testament sense, not the Evangelical), focusing on questions of mercy, grace, and sacrifice. These themes cut across the warring parties and challenge each character in different ways. It is truly a novel about the spirit and how the ethical challenges of our lives either ennoble or damage us.
I am a huge fan of Elizabeth Goudge, who wrote accessible novels that make you think—precisely the challenge I set myself in my own writing. Her books, written more than fifty years ago, may be dated around the edges, but in the ways that matter they are timeless. This one had its sentimental moments but for me they did not deter from the rich reading experience.
The story is set at the start of the English Civil War and spends quality time with a wide range of characters, ranging from young children through Romany (Gypsies) to an aristocrat-spy. The conflict between the royalists (Anglican and Catholic) and the Parliamentarians (mostly Puritan) has pitted Englishman against Englishman and poisoned human relations at every level, from the government to the village. People who might muddle through life just fine in ordinary times are tested to the limits of their character, with mixed results.
The central family is the Haslewoods, husband, wife, and twin children of eight years, along with their sister-in-law Froniga, the white witch of the title. She is witchly only in the sense of being a village healer steeped in herbal traditions—no enemy to Christianity. She is half Gypsy and in love with a mysterious man, Yoben, from the Gypsy world who cannot marry her but will not say why. He is associated with an itinerant portrait painter who is actually an aristocrat in disguise, spying for the king. The Haslewoods are on the side of Parliament, and it is his job to learn through them what the Parliamentarians are up to. But he finds himself loving the Haslewoods and becomes deeply conflicted about his mission.
The surface story proceeds through military conflicts and the events of village life, but that’s only a pretext for the real subject. The White Witch is a study of Christian spiritual values (in the New Testament sense, not the Evangelical), focusing on questions of mercy, grace, and sacrifice. These themes cut across the warring parties and challenge each character in different ways. It is truly a novel about the spirit and how the ethical challenges of our lives either ennoble or damage us.
I am a huge fan of Elizabeth Goudge, who wrote accessible novels that make you think—precisely the challenge I set myself in my own writing. Her books, written more than fifty years ago, may be dated around the edges, but in the ways that matter they are timeless. This one had its sentimental moments but for me they did not deter from the rich reading experience.
May 25, 2024
I’m completely in awe… Goudge’s writing requires a level of effort and commitment from the reader, but the journey is breathtaking and the payoff at the end is beyond satisfying.
All of Goudge’s trademarks are here—gorgeously descriptive natural settings, astonishingly nuanced and well-developed characters, a complex plot that comes together beautifully at the end, a mythical and quasi-magic-realism quality to her writing that’s utterly spellbinding, and lucid spiritual insights to human relationships and the human condition.
Froniga, Madona, Francis, and Parson Hawthyn are new favourite characters. Each one of them experiences character growth and transformation that leads them to a place in their individual lives where they know with certainty what is truly meaningful and important in life, and freedom from the burden of caring with unnecessary passion for those things that don’t.
The theme of redemption was particularly moving for me. Watching Parson Hawthyn pour himself out for the sake of his “enemy”, Mother Skipton, had me in tears. It was so achingly true in every way, and demonstrative of the way in which I want to live my life sacrificially for others.
The complexities of war were also sensitively handled. Goudge poses some uncomfortable questions to the reader about allegiance, morality, and conscience, and illustrates in powerful and heartbreaking ways what happens when people can’t distinguish between morality and ideology. It’s horrifying and disturbing and all too relevant to our own times, in a nearly prophetic way.
My second Goudge, and definitely a favourite of my reading year so far!
All of Goudge’s trademarks are here—gorgeously descriptive natural settings, astonishingly nuanced and well-developed characters, a complex plot that comes together beautifully at the end, a mythical and quasi-magic-realism quality to her writing that’s utterly spellbinding, and lucid spiritual insights to human relationships and the human condition.
Froniga, Madona, Francis, and Parson Hawthyn are new favourite characters. Each one of them experiences character growth and transformation that leads them to a place in their individual lives where they know with certainty what is truly meaningful and important in life, and freedom from the burden of caring with unnecessary passion for those things that don’t.
The theme of redemption was particularly moving for me. Watching Parson Hawthyn pour himself out for the sake of his “enemy”, Mother Skipton, had me in tears. It was so achingly true in every way, and demonstrative of the way in which I want to live my life sacrificially for others.
The complexities of war were also sensitively handled. Goudge poses some uncomfortable questions to the reader about allegiance, morality, and conscience, and illustrates in powerful and heartbreaking ways what happens when people can’t distinguish between morality and ideology. It’s horrifying and disturbing and all too relevant to our own times, in a nearly prophetic way.
My second Goudge, and definitely a favourite of my reading year so far!
March 22, 2010
This is a beautifully evocative novel that is lyrical in places, contemplative, and altogether lovely. Goudge's sense of place is wonderfully explored through her writing style. Her religious philosophy is laid out with a deft hand, but is never heavy handed. I loved her characters, especially her depiction of the gypsy peoples. Most of her characters were multi-layered, and you always felt like they were more then just black and white, but all the shades of grey that make up the human condition.
I would have rated it 4 stars but for the fact that I felt Goudge got off track with her depictions of battles. Personally, I'm not a fan of reading battle scenes, and I felt that she took the emphasis away from the main story of Froniga when she diverted the plot away from the main character.
Otherwise, a wonderful novel. I will be reading more Goudge.
I would have rated it 4 stars but for the fact that I felt Goudge got off track with her depictions of battles. Personally, I'm not a fan of reading battle scenes, and I felt that she took the emphasis away from the main story of Froniga when she diverted the plot away from the main character.
Otherwise, a wonderful novel. I will be reading more Goudge.
December 21, 2021
Swept off my feet by the story and taken into a world only Elizabeth Goudge could have woven. A book I'm hoping to go back to, to infuse all the herbs of grace from Parson Hawthyn, Yoben, Froniga, Madona. The story is not without its horrors, war of the people, of the mind, of the soul, but it's filled with light that pierces through the clouds like an arrow, straight to the heart.
September 25, 2007
--sigh-- Again, one of the most romantic books I've read in my short life.
For those of you who likes the classy (not to be confused with Tacky) Romance Novels, this is the book for you. Mixing humorous situations with heart warming friendship, this book gives the reader something to actually think about, not just a piece of mindless literature made only to amuse.
One of my most beloved books-- the cover is practically in tatters.
For those of you who likes the classy (not to be confused with Tacky) Romance Novels, this is the book for you. Mixing humorous situations with heart warming friendship, this book gives the reader something to actually think about, not just a piece of mindless literature made only to amuse.
One of my most beloved books-- the cover is practically in tatters.
March 31, 2009
I've been reading this book (almost) yearly since I was sixteen, and it never has lost its magic. Goudge's writing style is simultaneously descriptive and spare, conjuring the intimacy of half-gypsy Froniga's herb-filled cottage, as well as the violent world during the time of Cromwell. To this day, the scent of rose or lavender brings me back to the first time I read the book, and I imagine myself in another life, creating rose-petal conserve, perhaps.
December 29, 2019
My friend Shiloah said it best in her review: "What a soul stirring book!"
This book is gorgeous, thought provoking, fabulous!
The time period in which the story takes place is one in which I only knew the basics before reading this book. As I read, I researched everything that I didn't already know and also needed to understand better. This was a complicated time in English history (17th century English Civil War) and this book illustrates every single aspect of those complexities beautifully.
Some favorite passages- though I highlighted many more than this on my kindle:
"She (Madonna) was one of those people, like Froniga, Yoben and Jenny whose quality can seem to justify the human race."
“These black times go as they come and we do not know how they come or why they go. But we know that God controls them, as he controls the whole vast cobweb of the mystery of things.”
"Now that Yoban had gone out of her life she realized how much the thought of him and been in all she did and was. Anything beautiful or amusing that she had seen or heard she had stored up in her memory so that she might tell him about it."
"Froniga was so happy these wintry days that she felt her joy would never leave her. She knew she had no right to be happy with the country at war and sickness and sorrow all round her, but she had long ago accepted the fact that happiness is like swallows in spring. It may come and nest under your eaves or it may not. You cannot command it. When you expect to be happy, you are not, when you don't expect to be happy there is suddenly Easter in your soul, though it be midwinter. Something, you do not know what, has broken the seal upon the door in the depth of your being that opens upon eternity. It is not yet time for yourself to go out of it but what is beyond comes in and passes into you and through you."
I will read this one again! I am glad that this was my introduction to the writing of Elizabeth Goudge, for I look forward to more of her work.
This book is gorgeous, thought provoking, fabulous!
The time period in which the story takes place is one in which I only knew the basics before reading this book. As I read, I researched everything that I didn't already know and also needed to understand better. This was a complicated time in English history (17th century English Civil War) and this book illustrates every single aspect of those complexities beautifully.
Some favorite passages- though I highlighted many more than this on my kindle:
"She (Madonna) was one of those people, like Froniga, Yoben and Jenny whose quality can seem to justify the human race."
“These black times go as they come and we do not know how they come or why they go. But we know that God controls them, as he controls the whole vast cobweb of the mystery of things.”
"Now that Yoban had gone out of her life she realized how much the thought of him and been in all she did and was. Anything beautiful or amusing that she had seen or heard she had stored up in her memory so that she might tell him about it."
"Froniga was so happy these wintry days that she felt her joy would never leave her. She knew she had no right to be happy with the country at war and sickness and sorrow all round her, but she had long ago accepted the fact that happiness is like swallows in spring. It may come and nest under your eaves or it may not. You cannot command it. When you expect to be happy, you are not, when you don't expect to be happy there is suddenly Easter in your soul, though it be midwinter. Something, you do not know what, has broken the seal upon the door in the depth of your being that opens upon eternity. It is not yet time for yourself to go out of it but what is beyond comes in and passes into you and through you."
I will read this one again! I am glad that this was my introduction to the writing of Elizabeth Goudge, for I look forward to more of her work.
August 4, 2024
Loved it so much, my best book of the year so far. Gouge’s world is enchanting and magical and tragic and lovely.
I’m pretty sure I read this as a child, my Mum reminded me that this was one of her favourites when she was young, and I could remember things like the breeching and the white witch’s herbs and spells. But I don’t remember it being as consuming.
What stood out to me:
The man so certain he has found the right way to live in the more fanatical end of Puritanism who still above all else wants his children to love him.
The recognition that people can do evil but they can also just stop and a change their lives.
The references to Beauty and the Beast and finding out who we really are underneath it all.
The portrayal of the Romany culture, with the language, stories, lifestyle and traditions.
The depth of character work.
This book is cosy in the best way, where it doesn’t shy away from going into politics and war and religion, but it still maintains faith that people can come back from their mistakes and be forgiven and loved.
EDIT Not really adding much here, but the next day and I’m still not out of this book’s headspace and I’m still tearing up over its moments.
Or I’m hormonal.
I’ve got into a theme with reading now, of questioning whether I can ever again love a book as much and as earnestly as I love the books I read when I was younger, if a book could establish an immediate and lasting power over me as a favourite. As a book that I won’t let go. This is one of those books which is a great joy to me. I don’t know if it can be for other readers, because what makes a true favourite above a book that is more simply admirable is a personal thing. But I would encourage anyone to try this book because it is special.
I’m pretty sure I read this as a child, my Mum reminded me that this was one of her favourites when she was young, and I could remember things like the breeching and the white witch’s herbs and spells. But I don’t remember it being as consuming.
What stood out to me:
The man so certain he has found the right way to live in the more fanatical end of Puritanism who still above all else wants his children to love him.
The recognition that people can do evil but they can also just stop and a change their lives.
The references to Beauty and the Beast and finding out who we really are underneath it all.
The portrayal of the Romany culture, with the language, stories, lifestyle and traditions.
The depth of character work.
This book is cosy in the best way, where it doesn’t shy away from going into politics and war and religion, but it still maintains faith that people can come back from their mistakes and be forgiven and loved.
EDIT Not really adding much here, but the next day and I’m still not out of this book’s headspace and I’m still tearing up over its moments.
Or I’m hormonal.
I’ve got into a theme with reading now, of questioning whether I can ever again love a book as much and as earnestly as I love the books I read when I was younger, if a book could establish an immediate and lasting power over me as a favourite. As a book that I won’t let go. This is one of those books which is a great joy to me. I don’t know if it can be for other readers, because what makes a true favourite above a book that is more simply admirable is a personal thing. But I would encourage anyone to try this book because it is special.
June 9, 2024
My favorite Elizabeth Goudge yet! Dare I say this deserves a spot on my Top 10 favorite reads list!?
I will be thinking about the characters and themes in this story for some time. I also really enjoyed the historical setting - the English Civil War. It was so interesting to read a story set in a time period other than the World Wars.
There were real echoes in The White Witch of another of my all-time favorite reads - A Tale of Two Cities. Maybe that is one of the reasons I connected with this story so deeply. I also love how Goudge handles faith in her books; I always close her books feeling so encouraged and hopeful.
I cannot think of a better way to summarize The White Witch other than to say it is a beautiful read from start to finish.
I will be thinking about the characters and themes in this story for some time. I also really enjoyed the historical setting - the English Civil War. It was so interesting to read a story set in a time period other than the World Wars.
There were real echoes in The White Witch of another of my all-time favorite reads - A Tale of Two Cities. Maybe that is one of the reasons I connected with this story so deeply. I also love how Goudge handles faith in her books; I always close her books feeling so encouraged and hopeful.
I cannot think of a better way to summarize The White Witch other than to say it is a beautiful read from start to finish.
October 29, 2019
Historical fiction set during the English Civil War, The White Witch had a lot of great characters, but the struggle between the black and white witch was my favorite part. I also loved the Parson’s character. The battle scenes got a little dull for me, but I understand why they were there.
September 6, 2024
The White Witch by Elizabeth Goudge
“A Dream of England
The Nightmare of War”
From the first page to the last The White Witch, which commences at the beginning of the Civil War, in 1642 when King Charles I raised his standard in Nottingham, the novel held my attention from beginning to the end.
The White Witch opens when eight-year old Will Haslewood is eagerly awaiting the day on which he will be breeched. He can barely wait to have his hair shorn, receive his doublet and breeches and, best of all, for his father to bring a sword from London.
His parents, and the white witch, Froniga, who is half gypsy, will be present at Will’s breeching and so will his sister, Jenny,
Elizabeth Goudge leads us through events great and small in which the
Haslewoods, the man of many parts, Yoben, who loves and is loved by Froniga Squire Haselwood’s cousin, and Francis, the mysterious itinerant artist, make their exits and entrances.
The White Witch is a tale of civilians, the ill-fated Charles I, courtiers, soldiers, battles, Anglicans Puritans, and gypsies, including three small children who are protected by their grandmother and Yoben.
Elizabeth Goudge is to be complimented on her historical research, imagination and lyrical prose.
Every character, minor and major, is skilfully portrayed and so is the countryside and cities.
I keep The White Witch on a bookcase with treasured books I will not part with.
“A Dream of England
The Nightmare of War”
From the first page to the last The White Witch, which commences at the beginning of the Civil War, in 1642 when King Charles I raised his standard in Nottingham, the novel held my attention from beginning to the end.
The White Witch opens when eight-year old Will Haslewood is eagerly awaiting the day on which he will be breeched. He can barely wait to have his hair shorn, receive his doublet and breeches and, best of all, for his father to bring a sword from London.
His parents, and the white witch, Froniga, who is half gypsy, will be present at Will’s breeching and so will his sister, Jenny,
Elizabeth Goudge leads us through events great and small in which the
Haslewoods, the man of many parts, Yoben, who loves and is loved by Froniga Squire Haselwood’s cousin, and Francis, the mysterious itinerant artist, make their exits and entrances.
The White Witch is a tale of civilians, the ill-fated Charles I, courtiers, soldiers, battles, Anglicans Puritans, and gypsies, including three small children who are protected by their grandmother and Yoben.
Elizabeth Goudge is to be complimented on her historical research, imagination and lyrical prose.
Every character, minor and major, is skilfully portrayed and so is the countryside and cities.
I keep The White Witch on a bookcase with treasured books I will not part with.
August 28, 2023
There are several things to love in this book. There really are. I tabbed a few quotes that made me pause to think, and now that I'm done, I'm not sorry I read it.
Unfortunately, that's all it has going for it. At first, I was bored. A friend said it got better, so I kept going. She was right. That said, keeping going also added things I seriously did not like as well. In no particular order, and without too much spoilery detail, my problems include:
* dark, evil witchcraft (involving the skull of a small child in one case)
* great heaping gobs of political conflict (it takes place during the English Civil War)
* emotional and light physical infidelity
* the blurry lines of "white witchcraft" and the help of "good spirits" with her "spells."
I just... no. The more I think about it, my 2.75 stars are getting dropped to 2.25 so... down to a 2-star rating. I really don't like it. I just like things IN it. And not very many of them.
Unfortunately, that's all it has going for it. At first, I was bored. A friend said it got better, so I kept going. She was right. That said, keeping going also added things I seriously did not like as well. In no particular order, and without too much spoilery detail, my problems include:
* dark, evil witchcraft (involving the skull of a small child in one case)
* great heaping gobs of political conflict (it takes place during the English Civil War)
* emotional and light physical infidelity
* the blurry lines of "white witchcraft" and the help of "good spirits" with her "spells."
I just... no. The more I think about it, my 2.75 stars are getting dropped to 2.25 so... down to a 2-star rating. I really don't like it. I just like things IN it. And not very many of them.
did-not-finish
October 27, 2017Gave up on this one - I remember enjoying Goudge as a youngster, but I was just finding the writing style too long-winded and sentimental. I might try another book by her, though, as I don't think this is one of her best.
May 25, 2017
Imagine the softest, coziest bed, with crisp, lavender-scented linen. Put yourself in the bed with a book, cup of tea, a biscuit, and the pet of your choice snuggled beside you. Imagine that out the window you can see the most perfect garden, and beyond, beautiful hills and forests. That's the feeling I get whenever I read a novel by Elizabeth Goudge. And this one is a total treat. But don't mistake it as mere historical chick lit: Goudge is a masterful exponent of Christian faith. And even I, a hardened old pagan, find her profound. She goes straight to the heart.
September 16, 2010
I consider Elizabeth Goudge one of my very favorite authors. This is one of her few novels that I have not read. It is a historical fiction set during the English Civil War. So far the characters and plot are intriguing and I am already quite attached to many of the characters....
Update: I was very sad to see this book end. I felt a little bereft at the end as I wanted to continue to watch and see how the characters continued to grow...The mark of a good novel, no? :)
Update: I was very sad to see this book end. I felt a little bereft at the end as I wanted to continue to watch and see how the characters continued to grow...The mark of a good novel, no? :)
February 15, 2021
Elizabeth Goudge does it again. Creates a fascinating look during the English Civil War, and shows us what real people would have had to deal with during that time. Divided families. Husbands who decide to support Cromwell, wives who prefer King Charles I. Communities that continue while the war wages around them and through them and past them.
The author treats all the characters with such respect and dignity. (*SPOILER*) The gypsy wanderer who is a former Roman Catholic priest is one of the most fascinating, along with the gypsy community he lives among. The "white witch" is also a very complex but thoughtful character, and I found myself amazed at the layers of discovery the author uses while using the background conflicts.
VERY worthwhile.
The author treats all the characters with such respect and dignity. (*SPOILER*) The gypsy wanderer who is a former Roman Catholic priest is one of the most fascinating, along with the gypsy community he lives among. The "white witch" is also a very complex but thoughtful character, and I found myself amazed at the layers of discovery the author uses while using the background conflicts.
VERY worthwhile.
October 13, 2022
This was somewhere between a 4 and a 5, just because it is Elizabeth Goudge, who on my favorite authors. Although this is not a favorite Gouge novel, it still has her wonderful insights on human nature and a satisfying ending. I appreciated her portrayl of a woman in the English past who was an herbalist and somewhat into spells, enough to be considered a white witch, in contrast to a true witch. Goudge does not glorify or affirm the white witch magic, but handles it in a very wise way.
I am glad I read it.
I am glad I read it.
September 9, 2022
4.5 stars. This was such a beautiful, strAnge, and unusual book. It started out very slow….I didn’t really know what to expect going into it, and the English Civil War is not a time period I have ever enjoyed studying or know that much about, but this was an exceptional book. Such a heartbreaking look at civil war and the realities of fighting those in your own country, with a Mix of Gypsy life and a most unusual romance. And yet so much goodness and beauty. I enjoy Elizabeth Goudge more with each book I read.
December 7, 2024
Na 200 pagina’s gelezen te hebben ben ik toch maar naar het laatste hoofdstuk geskipt… gekregen van mijn ouders en was hoopvol (want heksen), maar dit is toch net iets te traag voor me; wel mooi geschreven, daar niet van. Leuke quote: ‘He read less for information than for the relief for his own inarticulateness. The chimes were there but he needed another to set them ringing for him.’
September 17, 2020
A magical, gentle story set in the beginning years of the English Civil war.
January 16, 2021
Bizarrement j'étais persuadée que je l'avais déjà lu et en fait non. Il y est bien question d'une sorcière blanche, en fait plutôt guérisseuse, et surtout herboriste, mais l'essentiel de l'histoire est fondée sur le contexte historique : les débuts de la guerre civile anglaise, entre Royalistes et Puritains... or ce n'est pas dans le domaine du roman historique que bille surtout Elizabeth Goudge, qui excelle plutôt dans les peintures de paysages, et de psychologiedes personnages, les deux étant intimement liés. Pour E.Goudge la nature et le cœur humain sont tributaires l'un de l'autre, et l'endroit où vit une personne et la façon dont elle s'y est intégrée donne un éclairage particulier à son esprit, à sa nature profonde. Dans la Sorcière Blanche il y a bien cet aspect mais le côté historique vient s'y ajouter et à mon avis d'une façon un peu artificielle... Cependant il y a toujours la magie de son écriture poétique qui nous fait vivre la campagne anglaise, ici l'Oxfordshire et nous la rend familière, même si on n'y a jamais mis les pieds.
September 1, 2024
Slow at first but well-written, interesting, romantic, and ended exactly as it should. I'll definitely read more Elizabeth Goudge.
April 24, 2025
This is an amazing book. There is so much beauty here. There are some amazing archetypes of motherhood and fatherhood in this book - holy, good, failed. So many images of redemption and forgiveness.
The White Witch is such an absorbing read - my imagination just starts floating along in the magical realism, grace, and mystery that make up this book.
The White Witch is such an absorbing read - my imagination just starts floating along in the magical realism, grace, and mystery that make up this book.
May 22, 2018
How to describe this book? It's not as simple as a lot of books; the characters' lives are connected in such complex ways. This book is beautiful. The theme throughout is first, seek God. It is overall a book of redemption.
One of the main characters, Froniga, is a 'white witch' who uses herbs along with spells in her healing. If you think about it in reference to the time period- 17th century England before medical advances- the way she goes about healing is not bizarre at all. But the spells... yeah, that's not cool. She is half Romany (Gypsy) and English. Apparently when Froniga's mother ran off to marry a "gorgio" she was disowned by the Romany people. But Froniga knows of the traditions and culture as if she lived with the people. Supposedly it is something that they all know and instinctively carry with them, no matter where they live or grow up.
A warning perhaps is in order in regards to the "witchcraft" that she (and Mother Skipton and Alamina) employ in the book. The only portion I personally found issue with was somewhat near the beginning and toward the end when Froniga used tarot cards to tell the future. Like an oujie board, those are not something I want spelled out how they look or are used. The other mentions of spells and such are not detailed in a way that glorifies them, in my opinion. And the references to Mother Skipton's powers are clearly defined as evil; the impression is made without details of the spells or rituals.
Froniga is very strong and independent. But she is also very intuitive and gentle. She is quite conflicted, although she really doesn't think so for awhile, in her views of Puritanism, Catholicism, and pagan traditions of the gypsies. Her journey through the book is one of the most impactful for me personally.
Froniga lives on the grounds of her cousin Robert Haslewood in a small cottage. The Haslewood family have recently converted to Puritanism from Catholicism after John Hampden, a childhood friend of Robert, was tried for opposing an unlawful tax. Hampden was kind to Haslewood as a child and I think this causes Haslewood to feel an obligation towards Hampden's cause.
Then there's Yoben and Francis. These two are opposites in terms of social status but are fighting for the same cause- against Hampden, Haselwood and all the Puritans.
Yoben is very mysterious throughout much of the book. He is the love of Froniga (and vice versa) but they are not technically together. They see each other only so often and never actually 'claim' each other.
Francis first appears in the story as a painter, John Loggin; he paints Haslewood's children. But in a short time we, the reader, find out that he is Francis Leyland, and actually part of the King's inner circle.
Others in the story include Robert's wife and children, Margaret, Will and Jenny; Biddy, the Haselwood servant; Madona, Froniga's aunt on her mother's side; Alamina, Madona's granddaughter, and her three children, Dinki, Meriful, and Cinderella; Mother Skipton, who is the evil witch; and Parson Hawthyn.
While I've not really told you much about the story, it is not so much about the Civil War of England as told in the textbooks. There are some descriptions of battles, and King Charles (as well as Henrietta Maria, the Queen) make appearances; it is more about the lives of a few that are touched deeply by the divisions of the 'war' of religion. Francis isn't fighting because he is Catholic against Puritan; Yoben does fight for Catholicism against Puritanism; Parson Hawthyn strives to reach everyone regardless of their faith, or lack of, for Christ; Froniga attempts to keep both the Romany pagan traditions while following the Puritan faith and loving a Catholic; Mother Skipton is sunk so deep in evil that all feel it is hopeless for her (except Parson Hawthyn); Margaret, Will, and Jenny just follow after Robert. Even Madona, the old gypsy, understands there is more. But all of these lives are connected and cannot sensibly be disconnected cleanly based on religion or loyalty without deeply affecting all.
One of the main characters, Froniga, is a 'white witch' who uses herbs along with spells in her healing. If you think about it in reference to the time period- 17th century England before medical advances- the way she goes about healing is not bizarre at all. But the spells... yeah, that's not cool. She is half Romany (Gypsy) and English. Apparently when Froniga's mother ran off to marry a "gorgio" she was disowned by the Romany people. But Froniga knows of the traditions and culture as if she lived with the people. Supposedly it is something that they all know and instinctively carry with them, no matter where they live or grow up.
A warning perhaps is in order in regards to the "witchcraft" that she (and Mother Skipton and Alamina) employ in the book. The only portion I personally found issue with was somewhat near the beginning and toward the end when Froniga used tarot cards to tell the future. Like an oujie board, those are not something I want spelled out how they look or are used. The other mentions of spells and such are not detailed in a way that glorifies them, in my opinion. And the references to Mother Skipton's powers are clearly defined as evil; the impression is made without details of the spells or rituals.
Froniga is very strong and independent. But she is also very intuitive and gentle. She is quite conflicted, although she really doesn't think so for awhile, in her views of Puritanism, Catholicism, and pagan traditions of the gypsies. Her journey through the book is one of the most impactful for me personally.
Froniga lives on the grounds of her cousin Robert Haslewood in a small cottage. The Haslewood family have recently converted to Puritanism from Catholicism after John Hampden, a childhood friend of Robert, was tried for opposing an unlawful tax. Hampden was kind to Haslewood as a child and I think this causes Haslewood to feel an obligation towards Hampden's cause.
Then there's Yoben and Francis. These two are opposites in terms of social status but are fighting for the same cause- against Hampden, Haselwood and all the Puritans.
Yoben is very mysterious throughout much of the book. He is the love of Froniga (and vice versa) but they are not technically together. They see each other only so often and never actually 'claim' each other.
Francis first appears in the story as a painter, John Loggin; he paints Haslewood's children. But in a short time we, the reader, find out that he is Francis Leyland, and actually part of the King's inner circle.
Others in the story include Robert's wife and children, Margaret, Will and Jenny; Biddy, the Haselwood servant; Madona, Froniga's aunt on her mother's side; Alamina, Madona's granddaughter, and her three children, Dinki, Meriful, and Cinderella; Mother Skipton, who is the evil witch; and Parson Hawthyn.
While I've not really told you much about the story, it is not so much about the Civil War of England as told in the textbooks. There are some descriptions of battles, and King Charles (as well as Henrietta Maria, the Queen) make appearances; it is more about the lives of a few that are touched deeply by the divisions of the 'war' of religion. Francis isn't fighting because he is Catholic against Puritan; Yoben does fight for Catholicism against Puritanism; Parson Hawthyn strives to reach everyone regardless of their faith, or lack of, for Christ; Froniga attempts to keep both the Romany pagan traditions while following the Puritan faith and loving a Catholic; Mother Skipton is sunk so deep in evil that all feel it is hopeless for her (except Parson Hawthyn); Margaret, Will, and Jenny just follow after Robert. Even Madona, the old gypsy, understands there is more. But all of these lives are connected and cannot sensibly be disconnected cleanly based on religion or loyalty without deeply affecting all.
October 20, 2019
October was the perfect month for reading this, as was a power outage that had me reading by candlelight. It was the perfect mood for this book which begins in 1642 at the start of the English Civil War. The central character, the white witch, is Froniga, half gypsy, half gentry. She is an herbalist and gardener, gifted in the healing arts, with a clairvoyant power she has inherited from her gypsy mother along with her spells invoking good spirits. Beautiful, strong, and independent, she loves a man with an unknown past who will not marry her. As the country struggles with divisions over religion and government, so too are families torn by divided loyalties, righteous fervor, and the harsh and horrific realities of war. Goudge brings her familiar wondrous descriptions of the English countryside imbued with a numinous quality, her reverence for beauty, and her strong Christian faith in Love and Mercy.
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