The Bird in the Tree

Carol Joy Seid said that one of her favorite authors was Elizabeth Goudge.  I had never heard of her so I requested The Bird in the Tree from my library.  I was impressed and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel.  (Update - the two sequels are even better than this one!) 

Should she leave her children and a husband she never loved for her "true love" now that she had found him? 


Now this may seem like a novel you wouldn't want to read, but I couldn't put it down, and I don't normally read fiction!  I read for days.  The "question" is just one part of several well-written and riveting plots. The book is definitely not "fluff" or "twaddle"!  It is so well written (as is her book The Scent of Water) that it reminds me of Jane Austen, in that nothing really dramatic happens in the books, but you can't put them down, you just turn page after page, and there is a depth there that is lacking in most books published today.  You think about the books for days after you finish them.

I especially liked it because Lucilla is creating a serene home for her grandchildren.

A few quotes that I think are worth considering:

"I've a right to be happy," she thought.   "What right?" asked the voice in her mind.  "Why you, more than your children, or Georgie?" page 441.

"Life is rather an unhappy affair, dear," said Lucilla.  "And it's just as well to face this fact.  It's essentially sad, woven of grey stuff; yet embroidered with such bright flowers."  page 471.

It was that declaration of Nadine's, that she wanted 'to live her own life' that had exasperated Lucilla beyond anything else...For whose lives could they live except their own?  Everyone must look after something in this world and why were they living their lives if they looked after antique furniture, petrol pumps, or parrots, and not when they looked after husbands, children, or aged parents? page 133.

Why indeed?  Why do people tell homemakers, "You are wasting your life," or "You are wasting your education at home," if we choose to care for our homes and families instead of other people's homes and families?  

I'd rather teach my own child than 37 students.  
I'd rather cook for my own family than 100 strangers.  
I'd rather care for my aging parents than work in a hospital. 
I'd rather keep my own home clean and organized than cleaning up and organizing for clients.  
I'd rather stick to our little budget than do accounting for the wealthy or corporations.  
I'd rather make our home life rich than spend all my energy at the office, no matter how big the paycheck!

I'm not saying these things are wrong, and we do need some women in these paid positions, but I am offended when people display disdain at my decision to "keep house."  

I am very happy to be at home!