The Enchanted April

At the beginning, I was afraid I would DNF this book. Of course the writing is old English, which makes it difficult for me to read. But I am glad I pushed through to the end. There is definitely some magic working its spells here. The ending is just what one would hope for with a love story.

I am partial to stories about people who successfully escape a mundane life and find magic, either the magic of fantasy stories or the more potent magic of discovering what one really has needed to live a rich life. The Enchanted April is the latter type of story.I was first acquainted with the story via the Golden Globe award-winning movie of the same name. Housewives Lottie Wilkins and Rose Arbuthnot, bedeviled by rain, dreary routines and joyless marriages in post WWI Hampstead, England, determine to spend an April at San Salvatore, a "Small mediaeval Italian Castle on the shores of the Mediterranean to be Let furnished for the month of April". Says Mrs. Wilkins to Mrs. Arbuthnot, "I'm sure it's wrong to go on being good for too long, till one gets miserable. And I can see you've been good for years and years, because you look so unhappy [. . .] and I--- I've done nothing but duties, things for other people, every since I was a girl, and I don't believe anybody loves me a bit--a bit---the b-better. . ."To San Salvatore they go, reducing the expenses further by recruiting two more women. Wealthy and elderly Mrs. Fisher and beautiful socialite (in fact, she is too beautiful for her own good) Lady Caroline Dester have their own reasons for wishing to take a break from their lives.Unusually enough, I like the movie a smidge more than the book. I think the movie handles certain situations more deftly and amusingly than the book. What the book provides, that the movie does not, is a touch of kindly social satire that reminded me of Jane Austin, and a clearer account of the mistaken notions that have landed all four women in their individual pickles. Author Elizabeth von Arnim clearly likes her characters, but she does not present them as saintly women put upon by a wicked and unappreciative world. They are flawed. Their flaws, however, are presented in such a way as to evoke sympathy and, rather unexpectedly, amusement.In fact, I believe that the character portraits of the women, and the men in their lives, are the book's strength and the best reason to read it. Van Arnim's characters blossom from their pinched and unsatisfactory lives like the flowers of San Salvatore, and it is a pleasure to watch them bloom in their several quirky ways. I think the other strength of the book is the gorgeous descriptions of San Salvatore, with its gardens, its spacious rooms, and its magnificent views. The book is a testament to the healing and clarifying effects of living in the midst of natural beauty.Reading The Enchanted April is itself a vacation from modern-day melodrama, angst, and ugliness. Bask in van Armin's sometimes lush and always light-hearted prose, and imagine yourself in felicitous company in the gardens of San Salvatore. I know I did!Don't forget to view the movie, too.

"To Those Who Appreciate Wistaria and Sunshine. Small mediaeval Italian Castle on the shores of the Mediterranean to be let furnished for the month of April."Seduced by the above advertisement, practical British housewives Lottie Wilkins and Rose Arbuthnot decide to pool their savings together and rent for a month, part of an Italian castle in San Salvatore, Italy. They barely know each other or the other women who will be sharing the castle with them, a beautiful, world weary socialite, Lady Caroline Dester; and an elderly woman who longs for the better, more refined days of her youth, Mrs. Fisher.Lottie wants to get away from the drudgery of being a housewife and Rose wants to get away from her loveless marriage. Lady Caroline just wants to be left alone and Mrs. Fisher desires solitude in which to better treasure her memories. Thrown in together for a month in San Salvatore's beautiful setting, each character blooms.Mrs. Fisher relaxes her disapproving and mean demeanor. Lady Caroline begins to open herself to others. Unhappy Rose blossoms with re-invigorated love for her husband, who also falls back in love with her. But the most delightful character is Lottie, who goes from being meek and hesitant to quickly embracing the magic of San Salvatore. Her unshakeable belief in San Salvatore's transformative power and sheer joy for living is infectious."...it is heaven, isn't it, Rose? See how everything has been let in together--the dandelions and the irises, the vulgar and the superior, me and Mrs. Fisher--all welcome, all mixed up anyhow, and all so visibly happy and enjoying ourselves.""Mrs. Fisher doesn't seem happy - not visibly, anyhow," said Mrs. Arbuthnot, smiling."She'll begin soon, you'll see." ... Mrs. Wilkins said she was sure no one, however old and tough could resist the effects of perfect beauty. Before many days, perhaps only hours, they would see Mrs. Fisher bursting out into every kind of exuberance.Never has Italy been so beautiful as it is in this book - stunning passages of the countryside (as compared to wet and dreary England) that evoke the same feelings of wonder in the characters."All down the stone steps on either side were periwinkles, in full flower, and she could now see what it was that had caught at her the night before and brushed, wet and scented, across her face. It was wistaria. Wistaria and sunshine .. She remembered the advertisement. Here indeed were both in profusion. The wistaria was tumbling over itself in its excess of life, its progality of flowering; and where the pergola ended, the sun blazed on scarlet geraniums, bushes of them, and nasturtiums in great heaps, and marigolds so brilliant that they seemed to be burning...all outdoing each other in bright fierce colour."

This review has nothing to do with the content of the book, but rather the size of the book. I have included a picture of my new book and what I call a regular, typical size adult paperback. This copy is half the pages (124) but double the dimensions. It really shouldn't matter, but I feel as though I'm reading a school text book now, and it's awkward to read in bed. Note to self: check the dimensions of the books before you buy. Size matters ;)

enjoyable to read... a feel good story

I came across this last year in a list of novels set in Italy and, intrigued by its description, bought it for my wife. I read it last week (as it turns out, exacly a hundred years after it was written in April 1921) and found it entrancing. Four mismatched women escape the wet weather and repressive atmosphere of their lives in London to visit a small medieval castle on the Italian Riviera for the eponymous month.The story is somewhat slight; the way the disappointments and obstacles in each of their lives are resolved by their holiday has the elements of a fairy tale, but it's told in such a charming fashion that implausibilities and coincidences can be easily overlooked. The reader is drawn in by the descriptive power of the writing, e.g.:"The wistaria was tumbling over itself in its excess of life, its prodigality of flowering; and where the pergola ended the sun blazed on scarlet geraniums, bushes of them, and nasturtiums in great heaps, and marigolds so brilliant that they seemed to be burning, and red and pink snapdragons, all outdoing each other in bright, fierce colour. [...] The cherry-trees and peach-trees were in blossom - lovely showers of white and deep rose-colour among the trembling delicacy of the olives; the fig-leaves were just big enough to smell of figs, the vine-buds were only beginning to show. And beneath these trees were groups of blue and purple irises, and bushes of lavender, and grey, sharp cactuses, and the grass was thick with dandelions and daisies, and right down at the bottom was the sea." [p80]This extends to the portraits of the characters - thus, one of the women's husbands "pronounced adequately intelligent judgements on art and artists [and] produced the impression of keeping copies of everything he said", [p4], whilst one of the one of the women sees the expression on another's face "as luminous and tremulous [...] as water in sunlight when it is ruffled by a gust of wind" [p10].A delightful read, particularly at this time of year. In these days when travel has been restricted, it's nice to be reminded of the way it can transform your life for the good.

Published in 1922. Four mismatched women, strangers to each other, rent a small castle on the Italian Riviera for a month and fall under its spell. I started this book-group choice irritably, expecting saccharine, and managed to carp at its whimsy for a couple of chapters, but then I too fell under its spell. It is SO witty! Jane Austen comes to mind. The interactions and inner monologues of the four women are brilliant and believable, more than making up for the fanciful situation and the happy endings for all. I’m delighted I was made to read it and have added another of Von Arnim’s novels to the TBR pile.

The Enchanted April is about four very different women who respond to an advert in The Times addressed to 'those who appreciate wistaria and sunshine.' A small mediaeval Italian castle is available to let for the month of April. Mrs Wilkins and Mrs Arbuthnot happen to be in the same London club when they both read the advert. Despite not knowing each other, they make a plan to take up the offer and, in order to share the costs, are joined by two other ladies: the young and beautiful Lady Caroline and the somewhat over-bearing Mrs Fisher.I so enjoyed following these ladies on their adventure. For Mrs Wilkins and Mrs Arbuthnot, this was an opportunity to have a break from their mundane, though privileged, lives and their disappointing marriages. Lady Caroline was looking forward to the chance not to be fawned over by lovesick men and to be honest, I'm not really sure what Mrs Fisher's reason for going was. These ladies all had rather different expectations of each other and how they wished to spend their month in Italy. It was amusing reading about how the societal norms and expectations were gradually, and sometimes reluctantly, set aside. The beauty of their surroundings and the warmth of the Italian sun saw all the women mellow and relax. This is a gentle story and has an air of elegance of a bygone era about it. Although it's almost 100 years since it was first printed, it's as fresh, witty and engaging a story as ever.

It's not every book you can say that about .I've read some depressing books lately , so it was good to lighten the tone , this certainly did that .Fascinating to feel the Italian ambience changing the characters of the four women , almost overnight (well it IS fiction), from the timid Mrs Wilkins to the entitled Mrs Fisher.The descriptions of the gardens are equal to anything in the most superlative stately home /garden show etc., they set the scene for the April idyll that renewed marriages , and forged bonds of friendship between a very disparate foursome .

There's something seriously wrong with this copy of the book. Was it a non-english version automatically translated back into English? Bizarre use of words and phrasing, and having now downloaded a proper version realise how bad it was! Moral of the story - is there are multiple versions of a book, don't buy the cheapest, as they aren't all the same, and there is no clear way to tell the difference! Also use the option to download a sample first...