The Enchanted April (1922)

Not often these days I bash out a five star award but this one was a total surprise. I only borrowed the book from the library because I came across it on Amazon as a film. On the face of it - not my kind of novel. But the prose flows - you cannot fault its light touch and it is as fresh as when it was written. It is a kind of Ur-Shirley Valentine and men come out of it very badly. Von Arnim's attitude seems to question men's utility. She seems to admire people who can stand on their own two feet and not be needy. And yet she deals with all the characters (except perhaps Mr Briggs) with such care and attention and love. And love is really what the book is all about and its transformative power. But it is not mushy. One part reminded me of Larkin's "Broadcast" where Mrs Fisher is seen to need to be wanted or cared for by one person out of all the people in the world. Bought Liz a copy. ( )

Charming and amusing, a little meandering, quite humorous. ( )

Four Englishwomen, strangers to each other, rent a villa for a month near Portofino for a vacation at an Italian castle.

Loved the characters and their journeys during the course of the book. Not only did they journey from England to Italy, but their personal vistas opened up, allowing them to find true happiness, without any actual changes occurring. Two still had the same husbands, but a much happier marriage, the older lady was still alone, but had a more open viewpoint that allowed new friends in, the young woman found some gratitude inside herself, allowing her to see others in a new light.

It was delightful, the conversations were fun, it was such a relief to have characters that didn't swear a blue streak or talk about sex constantly!

fiction, 1922, Italy, women, marriage, vacation, taking a cure, husbands ( )

silly and charming, just as it should be ( )