Books like The return of the goddess by Elizabeth Cunningham


When a clay figure of a goddess appears in the hands of an Episcopal priest’s wife, it sets off a chain of events that touch everyone in the Hudson Valley town of Blackwood. The figure’s dreams infiltrate a wealthy widow’s skepticism toward women priests, lure a poker‑playing Black ex‑convict onto unfamiliar moral ground, and awaken an old woodsman who has long waited for a sign. The goddess’s presence confronts the tension between Pagan and Christian values, challenging each character to confront their own identities, desires, and strengths. Together, they rally in a desperate effort to save Blackwood’s ancient grove—a repository of healing power—before developers can strip it for profit. Set against the backdrop of the Hudson Valley’s forested landscape, the novel blends spiritual conflict with human drama, presenting a tale of transformation, faith, and the urgent protection of nature.
First publish date: 1992
Genre: Religious & Spiritual Fiction/Spiritual Fiction
Authors: Elizabeth Cunningham
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4.0 (3 community ratings)

The return of the goddess by Elizabeth Cunningham

How are these books recommended?

The books recommended for The return of the goddess by Elizabeth Cunningham are shaped by reader interaction. Votes on how closely books relate, user ratings, and community comments all help refine these recommendations and highlight books readers genuinely find similar in theme, ideas, and overall reading experience.


Have you read any of these books?
Your votes, ratings, and comments help improve recommendations and make it easier for other readers to discover books they’ll enjoy.

Books similar to The return of the goddess (18 similar books)

Circe by 6240899|Madeline Miller book cover

📘 Circe

Madeline Miller’s retelling follows Circe, daughter of Helios, as she discovers her witchcraft powers, encounters mythic heroes on an isolated island, and battles the wrath of gods to decide her place between divinity and humanity.

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.1 (87 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
The mists of Avalon by 6898882|Marion Zimmer Bradley book cover

📘 The mists of Avalon

A sweeping Arthurian tale set in the mystical realm of Avalon, exploring the intertwined lives of its legends and the ancient traditions that shape them.

★★★★★★★★★★ 3.8 (33 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
The deerslayer by 8304535|James Fenimore Cooper book cover

📘 The deerslayer

The Deerslayer: A prequel to James Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales, focusing on the rapid civilizing of New York and the introduction of the hero, Natty Bumppo, to the frontiersmen of the time.

★★★★★★★★★★ 3.8 (4 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Sacred Woman by 7364292|Queen Afua book cover

📘 Sacred Woman
 by Queen Afua

Sacred Woman guides women through a holistic 28‑day program that honors the womb as the center of consciousness, combining Afrocentric spirituality, ancient Egyptian teachings, and modern natural health practices.

★★★★★★★★★★ 3.2 (4 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
The pioneers by 8304535|James Fenimore Cooper book cover

📘 The pioneers

Natty Bumppo's first journey into frontier life and the challenges of defending his freedom against dangerous Indians and the corrupting influence of a ruthless new lawman, setting the stage for the larger story of The Last of the Mohicans.

★★★★★★★★★★ 3.7 (3 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
The queen of the night by 7360369|Alexander Chee book cover

📘 The queen of the night

Lilliet Berne, a celebrated Paris Opera soprano, discovers the libretto for her dream role mirrors a buried betrayal from her past. As she probes memories, she confronts secrets from her orphanhood to her rise in Second Empire Paris.

★★★★★★★★★★ 5.0 (2 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
The Giuliana legacy by 6799668|Alexis Masters book cover

📘 The Giuliana legacy

A thought‑provoking tale that explores the intersections of faith, personal identity, and the enduring influence of a mythic feminine presence.

★★★★★★★★★★ 3.0 (2 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
The redskins by 8304535|James Fenimore Cooper book cover

📘 The redskins

Set against the backdrop of the Anti‑Rent War in 19th‑century New York, this historical fiction by James Fenimore Cooper portrays the lives and struggles of Native Americans and settlers during a turbulent era.

★★★★★★★★★★ 5.0 (1 rating)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
The heretic queen by 7438717|Michelle Moran book cover

📘 The heretic queen

Nefertari, a forgotten princess of the Eighteenth Dynasty, rises from exile to become queen after marrying Ramesses the Great, navigating a tumultuous Egypt torn between her heretical past and a new dynasty.

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.0 (1 rating)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Goddess by 6935035|Elizabeth Wilson book cover

📘 Goddess

With its insider advice from more than 30 authors Goddess contains all the inspiration you need to be smarter, sexier, more charismatic and endlessly creative. Throughout Goddess you'll find lots of quizzes to help pinpoint the parts of yourself you've been neglecting - the other goddesses clamouring to get out! Use the answers to go straight to the ideas that can help you most on your quest for goddess-hood. Whether it's a pay rise you're after, or looking to downsize, taking your love life to a new level, creating the dream garden, getting the dimples out of your bum cheeks or unleashing und.

★★★★★★★★★★ 0.0 (0 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
The Red Tent by 6567921|Anita Diamant book cover

📘 The Red Tent

Moving panoramically from Mesopotamia to Canaan to Egypt, The Red Tent is robustly narrated by Dinah, from her upbringing by the four wives of Jacob, to her growth into one of the most infulential women of her time.

★★★★★★★★★★ 0.0 (0 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Infants of the spring by 8834753|Wallace Thurman book cover

📘 Infants of the spring

An exploration of the Harlem Renaissance through the eyes of its larger-than-life residents in a New York apartment building setting, with satirical characters and themes that intersect with Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and Alain Locke. This novel is a blend of historical fiction and satire, set in the vibrant world of the 1920s Harlem and bringing to life the era's vibrant culture and characters. The story is a celebration of the Harlem Renaissance's artistic and intellectual contributions, set against the backdrop of New York's vibrant cultural scene.

★★★★★★★★★★ 0.0 (0 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Descent to the Goddess by 557329|Sylvia Brinton Perera book cover

📘 Descent to the Goddess


★★★★★★★★★★ 0.0 (0 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Return of the goddess by 11516282|Edward C. Whitmont book cover

📘 Return of the goddess


★★★★★★★★★★ 0.0 (0 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
The Dutchman by 8326874|Maan Meyers book cover

📘 The Dutchman

A historical detective mystery set in New York, following the fictional detective Pieter Tonneman as he unravels crimes in 19th‑century urban life.

★★★★★★★★★★ 0.0 (0 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Satanstoe ; or, The littlepage manuscripts, a tale of the colony by 8304535|James Fenimore Cooper book cover

📘 Satanstoe ; or, The littlepage manuscripts, a tale of the colony

A tale of the 1839-1846 Anti-rent War in New York, featuring the Littlepage Manuscripts and classic literature characters, including James Fenimore Cooper and Ralph Waldo Emerson, set against the backdrop of the tumultuous social upheaval of the time, focusing on themes of rebellion, political activism, and the clash between tradition and progress, through the eyes of the Littlepage family, who uncover a secret manuscript that reveals the true power behind the anti-rent movement, and how it was suppressed by those in control, offering a fresh perspective on the history of the era through the lens of a family torn between tradition and change, amidst the backdrop of the tumultuous social upheaval of the time, with James Fenimore Cooper and Ralph Waldo Emerson as characters who embody the conflict of tradition and progress, and the struggle between the past and the future, with the Littlepage family's journey reflecting the themes of rebellion, political activism, and the clash between tradition and progress, set against the backdrop of the tumultuous social upheaval of the time, with James Fenimore Cooper and Ralph Waldo Emerson as characters who embody the conflict of tradition and progress, and the struggle between the past and the future, and the Littlepage family's journey reflecting the themes of rebellion, political activism, and the clash between tradition and progress, set against the backdrop of the tumultuous social upheaval of the time, with James Fenimore Cooper and Ralph Waldo Emerson as characters who embody the conflict of tradition and progress, and the struggle between the past and the future.

★★★★★★★★★★ 0.0 (0 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Waiting for Deliverance by 6799424|Betsy Urban book cover

📘 Waiting for Deliverance

An orphan's journey into understanding the Seneca tribe in 18th-century New York.

★★★★★★★★★★ 0.0 (0 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Daughter of the Forest by 5596037|Juliet Marillier book cover

📘 Daughter of the Forest


★★★★★★★★★★ 0.0 (0 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0

Some Other Similar Books

The Passion of Jezebel by Carol Goodrich
The Book of the Goddess by Amy Frazier
Dancing with the Goddess by Barbara G. Walker
The Goddess Guide by Goddess Daisy
The Power of Woman by Eric V. Copage
The Goddess a Modern Book of Spells by Cerridwen Greenleaf
The Forest House by Tess Gerritsen
The Passion of Mary Magdala by Cynthia Bourgeault
Woman of Power by Judy Chicago
The Book of the Goddess by Dorothy Morrison

Have a similar book in mind? Let others know!

Please login to submit books!