Elizabeth Von Arnim

The charming, slyly comic novel of romantic longing and transformation that inspired the Oscar-nominated film Escaping dreary London for the sunshine of Italy, four very different women take up an offer advertised in the Times for a “small medieval Italian Castle on the shores of the Mediterranean to be let furnished for the month of April.” As each blossoms in the warmth of the Italian spring, quite unexpected changes occur. An immediate bestseller upon its first publication, in 1922, The Enchanted April set off a craze for tourism to the Italian Riviera that continues today. Published here to coincide with a contemporary retelling,Enchanted August by Brenda Bowen, it's a witty ensemble piece and the perfect romantic rediscovery for fans of Jess Walter'sBeautiful Ruins and Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love as well as ofDownton Abbey and the hit movie The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. For more than sixty-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,500 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

The Enchanted April

Classic Collection

Enchanted April

Wow, what a lovely surprise. The audiobook recording I borrowed (Blackstone Audio from the 1990s) was fabulous and I listened to the entire thing; I'm not sure if this would be a 5 star book had I only read it, but at least 4. Nadia May (she pronounces her name with a long a in the first syllable) was brilliant and I also give kudos to the producer, et al. 

Lottie, shy and awkward, reads an ad about renting a house in Italy for a month (called a small castle) but can't quite afford it with her nest egg. She manages to talk to the woman sitting near her and the two of them end up renting the house; they get two other women (none of them knew each other prior to this) to share it with them. If the women weren't all adults I'd call this a coming of age story although of course it's not. This is an under read gem.

Karin

Wow, what a lovely surprise. The audiobook recording I borrowed (Blackstone Audio from the 1990s) was fabulous and I listened to the entire thing; I'm not sure if this would be a 5 star book had I only read it, but at least 4. Nadia May (she pronounces her name with a long a in the first syllable) was brilliant and I also give kudos to the producer, et al. 

Lottie, shy and awkward, reads an ad about renting a house in Italy for a month (called a small castle) but can't quite afford it with her nest egg. She manages to talk to the woman sitting near her and the two of them end up renting the house; they get two other women (none of them knew each other prior to this) to share it with them. If the women weren't all adults I'd call this a coming of age story although of course it's not. This is an under read gem.

Elizabeth von Arnim

Four very different women, all wanting to escape cold and dreary London for different reasons, come together to share a month's holiday in an Italian medieval castle. There’s timid Lotty Wilkins, terrified of her domineering husband; sober and religious Rose Arbuthnot; rigid and judgemental Mrs Fisher; and the breathtakingly beautiful but disillusioned and unhappy Lady Caroline Dester. They are lured to the castle by the advertised 'wisteria and sunshine', but they end up finding there so much more than they had bargained for. The place transforms them and their lives are unexpectedly changed. Von Arnim's story of their metamorphosis under the Italian sun is warm, witty, intelligent, and as enchanting as the title suggests. Elizabeth von Arnim (1866–1941), née Mary Annette Beauchamp, was a British novelist. Born in Australia, her family returned to England when she was three years old; and she was Katherine Mansfield’s cousin. She was first married to a Prussian aristocrat, the Graf von Arnim-Schlagenthin, and later to the philosopher Bertrand Russel’s older brother, Frank, whom she left a year later. She then had an affair with the publisher Alexander Reeves, a man thirty years her junior, and with H.G. Wells. Von Arnim moved a lot, living alternatively in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, before dying of influenza in South Carolina during the Second War. Elizabeth von Arnim was an active member of the European literary scene, and entertained many of her contemporaries in her Chalet Soleil in Switzerland. She even hired E. M. Forster and Hugh Walpole as tutors for her five children. She is famous for her half-autobiographical, satirical novel "Elizabeth and her German Garden" (1898), as well as for "Vera" (1921), and "The Enchanted April" (1922).

It’s very much of its time and I enjoyed escaping into that world for a short time. A pleasant book. 

Rebecca Fox-Kealy

This is definitely one of my favorite books of all time.  It is a quiet, gentle book.  There is no mystery, thrill-seeking, or dark figures haunting this castle in Italy.  This is the story of 4 women who spend a month together on vacation, and become who they are meant to be.  No car chases, no murders, just beautiful descriptions of an incredible garden.  Just as the characters are rejuvenated, readers will be rejuvenated as well.  The characters are lovely, and the kind of people I would to know.  I have read this small, beautiful book many times, and it never disappoints.  The charming and delightful rebirth of these characters as they experience spring was the perfect tale to start off the new year, in this warm spring-like winter we have been experiencing where I live.  I finished the book just as the first real cold weather of the season is setting in.  The warm, cozy feeling engendered by this story will help keep me warm through the bitter cold and return to work.

shellybn

oh i wanted this to be good...wanted this to be e.m. forster femme adjacent story...but i never felt attached to any of the characters. this is the last time i take a recommendation from booktok

frances

paola !

estoy de acuerdo con que hay temas que deben analizarse desde un punto de vista más crítico pero hoy le ganó mi nostalgia a la objetividad y por eso sin pensarlo, 5⭐️

Sarah Sammis

The 1992 film introduced me to the story of The Enchanted April and after reading the book I can say that the film is both a faithful adaptation and an improvement on the book. The pacing of the book is too slow. I think the author was trying to relate the lazy pace of the holiday in Italy through the meandering set up to the story but she takes it too far. The story could benefit from having about a third of the book edited out. There is too much time spent on having each woman waffle about her desire to take a holiday and her fears of abandoning her duties at home. A couple examples of these feelings would suffice but it seems that each woman must go through this process three or four times! By the time they had made it to the castle and had relaxed enough to invite their husbands and lovers I felt ready for a holiday myself. I was exhausted from reading their progress to the castle.

Bee 

A charming book about four very different, unhappy Englishwomen who rent an old castle in San Salvatore, Italy for the month of April in the 1920s and rediscover themselves in the process.

WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY BRENDA BOWEN A notice in The Times addressed to 'Those Who Appreciate Wistaria and Sunshine' advertises a 'small medieval Italian Castle to be let for the month of April'. Four very different women take up the offer: Mrs Wilkins and Mrs Arbuthnot, both fleeing unappreciative husbands; beautiful Lady Caroline, sick of being 'grabbed' by lovesick men; and the imperious, ageing Mrs Fisher. On the shores of the Mediterranean, beauty, warmth and leisure weave their spell, and nothing will ever be the same again. Published alongside a modern version of the same story entitled Enchanted August.

Grace O'Callaghan

The Enchanted April is about a group of english women wanting a break from their lives and their husbands. In order to do so they answer an advert in a newspaper promising wisteria and sun at an Italian castle. There they become unlikely friends and find a new lease of life.

I went into this book hoping for a leisurely read that would transport me to Italy, and that's exactly what this book did. The descriptions of wisteria 'tumbling over itself' and the 'marigolds so brilliant that they seemed to be burning' just can't help but make you feel as if you were right there with the characters soaking in the sun and smelling the heavenly flowers.

This is certainly not a plot heavy novel. While there is definitely character conflict it never seems like a big deal, as if the golden light of the sun burns all the problems away. It's like the castle in Portofino is it's own fantasy land where your problems don't seem as big and it casts a spell on you that makes you feel joy and love. There is some conflict at the end, but again, if you're looking for a book with lots of drama between characters, this just isn't it. In a way the ending surprised me with how mellow it was.

Even though the women are flawed, they are loveable in their own ways. Mrs Fisher is an old woman who has a sense of propriety, a product of the Victorians, and wants to keep to herself. Lady Caroline is a beautiful widow who just wants to be left alone. Even when she is being cold people are overwhelmed by her charming looks. Mrs Wilkins is an odd, shy woman that grows into herself. Mrs Aburthnot has spent her life being charitable and selfless but wants to be selfish for once. I love how they start not particularly liking each other but through the restorative ways of nature heal them and give them the ability to be more loving and to enjoy life.

Basically this was a delightful read. I'd recommend particularly if you are someone that usually read women's fiction but want to pick up a classic. I can't wait to read more from this author.

Maryam Hasan

Gabriela Roxana 

At times, this book was a wonder, an ode of beauty and love. But mostly, it was a boring fest...

Janet Doré

This is an all-time favorite of mine. Not a lot happens, which usually doesn't hold me, but the characters and their dilemmas held me captive. I love von Arnim's writing style.

Sarah Erle

A recipe for happiness: four women, one medieval Italian castle, plenty of wisteria, and solitude as needed. 

The women at the center of Elizabeth von Arnim's The Enchanted April are alike only in their dissatisfaction with their everyday lives. They find each other—and the castle of their dreams—through a classified ad in a London newspaper one rainy February afternoon. The ladies expect a pleasant holiday, but they don’t anticipate that the month they spend in Portofino will reintroduce them to their true natures and reacquaint them with joy. Now, if the same transformation can be worked on their husbands and lovers, the enchantment will be complete. 

Leila

Anne Keaky

Ella Bruggink

raiqa n

Katie Boedecker

ella

erika s

Kacie Wills

Giada

Patricia Nelson

A discreet advertisement in 'The Times', addressed to 'Those who Apppreciate Wisteria and Sunshine...' is the impetus for a revelatory month for four very different women. High above the bay on the Italian Riviera stands San Salvatore, a mediaeval castle. Beckoned to this haven are Mrs. Wilkins, Mrs Arbuthnot, Mrs Fisher and Lady Caroline Dester, each quietly craving a respite. Lulled by the Mediterranean spirit, they gradually shed their skins and discover a harmony each of them has longed for but never known. First published in 1922 and reminscient of 'Elizabeth and her German Garden', this delightful novel is imbued with the descriptive power and light-hearted irreverence for which Elizabeth von Arnin is renowned.

The Enchanted April

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