The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim

Enchanted April is a book for anyone who feels stiff, unloved, or used up - a restful, funny, sumptuous, and invigorating vacation for the mind and soul. It begins one cold, rainy February afternoon soon after the end of World War I when Mrs. Arbuthnot and Mrs. Wilkins come across an advertisement for a villa in Italy to rent for the month of April. Mrs. Arbuthnot, with the face of a patient and disappointed Madonna, and Mrs. Wilkins, her clothes infested by thrift, barely know each other, yet the fantasy of a wisteria-covered Italian villa sparks something in each and brings them together. They raid their meager nest eggs, find two more women - the formidable Mrs. Fisher and the unspeakably lovely but bored Lady Caroline Dester - to help defray costs, and set off for their dream of sunshine and beauty. At San Salvatore, remarkable changes occur. Mrs. Wilkins becomes Lotty - intuitive, sensual, self-confident; Mrs. Arbuthnot loses her religious self-righteousness. Lady Caroline finds herself with that really rather disgusting suspicion that her life till now had not only been loud but empty, while Mrs. Fisher starts to feel a very odd and exciting sensation of going to come out all over buds. Elizabeth von Armin portrays these transformations in wickedly dry British humor interwoven with descriptions of the lush, soul-stirring terrain of San Salvatore. The effect is refreshing, charming, and romantic.

An enchanting novel, witty, touching and very perceptively written, which will sweep you into wisteria and sunshine -- Santa Montefiore
Filled with hazy hills and fragrant flora, the novel is a dreamily sensuous description of the glories of Italian spring -- Adam Nicolson * Mail on Sunday *
Elizabeth von Armin's most charming novel in every sense: it casts a spell..a sun-washed fairytale * Observer *
At one level an escapist fantasy, at another a parable about the liberation of the spirit, this delicious confection will work its magic on all. * 'The Daily Telegraph' *

Elizabeth von Arnim was born in Australia in 1866. In 1894 she and her first husband moved to Nassenheide which was wittily encapsulated in her most famous novel, 'Elizabeth and her German Garden'. She was described by Alice Meynell as 'one of the three finest wits of her day'.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781844087617
ISBN 10	1844087611
Title	The Enchanted April
Author	Elizabeth Von Arnim
Series	Virago Modern Classics
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Little, Brown Book Group
Year published	2011-08-04
Number of pages	288
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.