Black Narcissus
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Rumer Godden's stunning classic novel of devotion, faith and madness
'You have to be very strong to live close to God or a mountain, or you'll turn a little mad . . .'
High in the Himalayas, the mountaintop palace shines like a jewel. Built for the General's harem, laughter and music once floated out over the gorge. Now it sits abandoned, windswept and haunting - until Sister Clodagh and her group of nuns arrive to turn 'the House of Women' into the Convent of St Faith. Close to the heavens, the Sisters of Mary feel inspired, working fervently to establish their school and hospital. But the isolation and emptiness of the mountain begin to take a terrible toll, unleashing long-repressed passions with tragic consequences . . .
Introduced by Amanda Coe
'A masterly novelist' Tessa Hadley
'A remarkable and beautiful book' DAILY TELEGRAPH
'I envy anyone reading it for the first time' AMANDA COE
'Distinctive, poised and entirely unsentimental' ROSIE THOMAS
'You have to be very strong to live close to God or a mountain, or you'll turn a little mad . . .'
High in the Himalayas, the mountaintop palace shines like a jewel. Built for the General's harem, laughter and music once floated out over the gorge. Now it sits abandoned, windswept and haunting - until Sister Clodagh and her group of nuns arrive to turn 'the House of Women' into the Convent of St Faith. Close to the heavens, the Sisters of Mary feel inspired, working fervently to establish their school and hospital. But the isolation and emptiness of the mountain begin to take a terrible toll, unleashing long-repressed passions with tragic consequences . . .
Introduced by Amanda Coe
'A masterly novelist' Tessa Hadley
'A remarkable and beautiful book' DAILY TELEGRAPH
'I envy anyone reading it for the first time' AMANDA COE
'Distinctive, poised and entirely unsentimental' ROSIE THOMAS
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- Published: Feb 13 2025
- ISBN: 9780349017501
Press Reviews
- Daily Telegraph
A remarkable and beautiful book
- Observer
A remarkable novel. One in a thousand
Anne Chisholm
Like Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca or Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind, Black Narcissus is one of those rare novels that combines huge popular appeal with emotional subtlety and literary skill
Amanda Coe
Godden's wonderful book sets out a complex vision of the variety, necessity and danger of desire, rendered into a story that is completely pleasurable. I envy anyone reading it for the first time.
- Daily Mail
[A] beautiful novel
- Evening Standard
[Godden has] a genius for storytelling
- Los Angeles Times
All [Godden's novels] have one important thing in common: They are beautifully and simply wrought by a woman of depth and sensitivity