
The Enchanted April
'The Enchanted April' Summary
The novel follows four dissimilar women in 1920s England who leave their rainy, grey environments to go on holiday in Italy. Mrs Arbuthnot and Mrs Wilkins, who belong to the same ladies' club but have never spoken, become acquainted after reading a newspaper advertisement for a small medieval castle on the Mediterranean to be let furnished for the month of April. They find some common ground in that both are struggling to make the best of unhappy marriages. They also reluctantly take on the waspish, elderly Mrs Fisher and the stunning but aloof Lady Caroline Dester to defray expenses. The very genuine and open Lottie Wilkins, often muddled and awkward in her speech, has been married only a few years, but she and her husband are rubbing each other the wrong way; as the novel progresses, her intuition into her new friends' feelings and needs plays a major role. Rose Arbuthnot is a highly religious lady who does extensive charity work, but is married to an author of racy popular novels who neglects her, partly because of her persistent disapproval of his work. Lady Caroline Dester is a beautiful socialite who is tired of the burden of London society and is beginning to regard her life as shallow and empty, after a man she loved died in WWI. Mrs. Fisher is a pompous, snobbish, highly proper lady who knew many Victorian luminaries and regards herself as the hostess and in control of the holiday; she prefers to live in her memories of times past rather than embracing the present and is emotionally closed-off. The four women experience interpersonal tensions but eventually come together at the castle and find rejuvenation in the tranquil beauty of their surroundings, rediscovering hope and love.
Book Details
Authors

Elizabeth von Arnim
Australia
Elizabeth von Arnim, born Mary Annette Beauchamp, was an Australian-born British novelist. She married a German aristocrat and her best-known works are set in Germany. After her first husband's death,...
Books by Elizabeth von ArnimDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
Related books

North and South by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
Mrs. Gaskell as she was popularly known, had a hard and lonely childhood, spent with various aunts and relatives after her mother died and her father...

William -- The Fourth by Richmal Crompton
In this, William and his gang of friends find themselves embroiled in a series of comic mishaps and misunderstandings. From mistaken identities to sec...

Just William by Richmal Crompton
Just William is a series of children's books by Richmal Crompton, centered around the escapades of William Brown, a mischievous and imaginative young...

The Fruit of the Tree by Edith Wharton
This novel about the lives of a wealthy mill owner, her socially progressive husband and friends caused a stir due to its treatment of drug abuse, mer...

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
This unique tale is narrated by a lovely, gentle horse named Black Beauty and has remained a children's classic since it was first published in 1877....

Betty Wales, Sophomore by Margaret Warde
Betty Wales, a spirited and engaging young woman, returns to Harding College for her sophomore year. Now residing in the Belden House, she navigates t...

Lady Rose's Daughter by Mary Augusta Ward
It is a historical novel that tells the story of a young girl named Lady Rose, who is the daughter of a famous actress. Lady Rose is brought up in a w...

Ruth by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
Ruth is a young orphan girl working in a respectable sweatshop for the overworked Mrs Mason. She is selected to go to a ball to repair torn dresses. A...

Aunt Crete's Emancipation by Grace Livingston Hill
Aunt Crete's Emancipation is a heartwarming and inspiring story about a selfless and devoted woman who finds freedom and happiness in the unlikeliest...

The Prime Minister by Anthony Trollope
The Prime Minister is the fifth in Trollope's series of six Palliser novels. With Phineas' difficulties resolved, Trollope introduces new characters....
Reviews for The Enchanted April
No reviews posted or approved, yet...