The Enchanted April

Description

The Enchanted April is a novel by British writer Elizabeth von Arnim, first published in 1922. It tells the story of four very different women who escape their dreary lives in England to spend a month in a rented Italian castle on the shores of the Mediterranean. The women - Mrs. Lottie Wilkins, Mrs. Rose Arbuthnot, Mrs. Caroline Dester, and Mrs. Clara Fisher — are initially strangers to one another. Lottie and Rose, both feeling trapped in unhappy marriages, impulsively respond to an advertisement for the Italian castle. To help share the costs, they invite the beautiful but disillusioned socialite Caroline and the elderly, snobbish Mrs. Fisher to join them. As they settle into the tranquil beauty of their surroundings, the women undergo personal transformations. Lottie becomes more self-assured and decides to mend her relationship with her husband, who later joins her in Italy. Rose, who has grown distant from her husband, a successful but cynical writer, also rekindles her marriage. Caroline, initially seeking solitude to escape her admirers, finds a sense of purpose and connection. Mrs. Fisher, initially resistant to change, begins to soften and open up to the companionship of the others. The novel later inspired an Academy Award-nominated film, was an immediate bestseller when it was published in 1922. It still captivates readers today with its lighthearted and often comedic exploration of friendship and romance.

This book has 78,958 words, 136 pages in the PDF version, and was originally published in 1922.

Production notes: This ebook of The Enchanted April was published by Global Grey on the 9th June 2024. The artwork used for the cover is 'In the Rose Garden' by Alois Kalvoda.