Enchanting, 19 Aug 2008
Having loved both filmed versions of this story, I came to the book not anticipating any surprises, and in that respect I was correct. What I did get, however, was a more fully-formed understanding of each of the four women who come to San Salvatore. Each has her own quest, and each is surprised in the way that her quest is resolved.

Elizabeth von Arnim can harness language in ways that few other authors are able. She is, for instance, able to display what a walking joke Mr. Wilkins is, while letting him think that he's the very model of an educated man.

I started off loathing both Mrs. Fisher and Lady Caroline Dester in a way that wasn't true when watching the films. This made their transformations that much more satisfying, in the end.

I'm now interested in reading other books from Elizabeth von Arnim and, even more importantly, visiting the castello where the story is based. She wrote The Enchanted April after her own visit, and it has continued to "enchant" travelers in the many years since the publication of her novel. I can't wait to see the "tub of love" and be surrounded by wistaria myself.

misleading (I think), 12 Jun 2007
I haven't actually read this so I can't review the story, but have purchased this edition of the book I wanted to read, only to realise that it isn't the full book, it's a 'retold' version aimed at people learning to read. Not a dis to that concept, just that I feel it's unlikely you'll realise before you actually have the book in your hands unless you know what Macmillan Readers are (obviously I didn't), as there is no indication in the details here.

Enchanted April, 28 Jan 2004
The image of Italy, in a time of gentle romance falls from the page. It is as refreshing as a glass of crisp white wine, while bathing in the evening sun. The characters are at one time seperate holiday makers and a collective changing of attitudes to others and to themselves.On the face of it, it is a book about four women who go on holiday together but in fact it is about taking chnaces no matter how small or big.
It is the perfect book for anyone who has been in love with a place and a person at the same time and will be again.

The Restorative Power of Beauty, 04 Jul 2003
Much like the film this book by Elizabeth Von Arnim inspired, there is something peaceful here on these pages. This is a gentle novel about the gradual internal changes brought about by the beauty of our surroundings. It is a book that reads itself as much as it is read, the author writing with the flow of the characters thoughts and feelings as their hearts are changed by the suprise of beauty.

An ad to rent a castle in San Salvatore on the Italian Riviera will prompt two British women, Rose and Lottie, with only a passing acquaintance, to inexplically leave their husbands behind for a summer that will change their lives and their marriages forever.

Joining Rose and Lottie for this holiday is Mrs. Fisher, an older woman living in the past, and Lady Caroline Dester, a grey-eyed society beauty tired of being gawked at like a majestic statue, not allowed to be human. Diverse in nature and temperment, not to mention background, they interact uneasily together until the flowers and the sea bring about a change in their souls.

Surrounded by fig and olive trees, plum blossoms and Tamarisk daphnes, and the scents of fortune's yellow rose and blooming acacia, the women slowly find their roles at this castle by the sea, and in doing so find themselves as well. New insights will prompt Rose and Lottie to send for their husbands. Lady Caroline, or 'Scrap' as she is known, will find love in spite of her wish to be alone and her great beauty. Mrs. Fisher will form a friendship with Lottie and her husband, and discover a renewed zest for creativity in this heaven by the sea.

This is a novel about life and love, told gently through the emotions of these women, as the the suprise of beauty and the warmth of being suddenly admired and seen as beautiful, when they had not been before, changes their simple lives, which were not so simple at all. You will definitely enjoy this novel if you enjoyed the film. It is about love restored, and love discovered, along the wistaria covered steps leading down to the sea.

Light, beautiful and full of magic, 17 May 2003
I love this book. I've read it several times and it's as lovely each time. Last time I read the whole book on a long train journey and I didn't mind the long delays because I was enjoying myself! I think it's a happy, dreamy, magical book, full of flowers, sunshine and emotion. The characters become more and more truly themselves as the book progresses.

Enchanting, 19 Aug 2008
Having loved both filmed versions of this story, I came to the book not anticipating any surprises, and in that respect I was correct. What I did get, however, was a more fully-formed understanding of each of the four women who come to San Salvatore. Each has her own quest, and each is surprised in the way that her quest is resolved.

Elizabeth von Arnim can harness language in ways that few other authors are able. She is, for instance, able to display what a walking joke Mr. Wilkins is, while letting him think that he's the very model of an educated man.

I started off loathing both Mrs. Fisher and Lady Caroline Dester in a way that wasn't true when watching the films. This made their transformations that much more satisfying, in the end.

I'm now interested in reading other books from Elizabeth von Arnim and, even more importantly, visiting the castello where the story is based. She wrote The Enchanted April after her own visit, and it has continued to "enchant" travelers in the many years since the publication of her novel. I can't wait to see the "tub of love" and be surrounded by wistaria myself.

misleading (I think), 12 Jun 2007
I haven't actually read this so I can't review the story, but have purchased this edition of the book I wanted to read, only to realise that it isn't the full book, it's a 'retold' version aimed at people learning to read. Not a dis to that concept, just that I feel it's unlikely you'll realise before you actually have the book in your hands unless you know what Macmillan Readers are (obviously I didn't), as there is no indication in the details here.

Enchanted April, 28 Jan 2004
The image of Italy, in a time of gentle romance falls from the page. It is as refreshing as a glass of crisp white wine, while bathing in the evening sun. The characters are at one time seperate holiday makers and a collective changing of attitudes to others and to themselves.On the face of it, it is a book about four women who go on holiday together but in fact it is about taking chnaces no matter how small or big.
It is the perfect book for anyone who has been in love with a place and a person at the same time and will be again.

The Restorative Power of Beauty, 04 Jul 2003
Much like the film this book by Elizabeth Von Arnim inspired, there is something peaceful here on these pages. This is a gentle novel about the gradual internal changes brought about by the beauty of our surroundings. It is a book that reads itself as much as it is read, the author writing with the flow of the characters thoughts and feelings as their hearts are changed by the suprise of beauty.

An ad to rent a castle in San Salvatore on the Italian Riviera will prompt two British women, Rose and Lottie, with only a passing acquaintance, to inexplically leave their husbands behind for a summer that will change their lives and their marriages forever.

Joining Rose and Lottie for this holiday is Mrs. Fisher, an older woman living in the past, and Lady Caroline Dester, a grey-eyed society beauty tired of being gawked at like a majestic statue, not allowed to be human. Diverse in nature and temperment, not to mention background, they interact uneasily together until the flowers and the sea bring about a change in their souls.

Surrounded by fig and olive trees, plum blossoms and Tamarisk daphnes, and the scents of fortune's yellow rose and blooming acacia, the women slowly find their roles at this castle by the sea, and in doing so find themselves as well. New insights will prompt Rose and Lottie to send for their husbands. Lady Caroline, or 'Scrap' as she is known, will find love in spite of her wish to be alone and her great beauty. Mrs. Fisher will form a friendship with Lottie and her husband, and discover a renewed zest for creativity in this heaven by the sea.

This is a novel about life and love, told gently through the emotions of these women, as the the suprise of beauty and the warmth of being suddenly admired and seen as beautiful, when they had not been before, changes their simple lives, which were not so simple at all. You will definitely enjoy this novel if you enjoyed the film. It is about love restored, and love discovered, along the wistaria covered steps leading down to the sea.

Light, beautiful and full of magic, 17 May 2003
I love this book. I've read it several times and it's as lovely each time. Last time I read the whole book on a long train journey and I didn't mind the long delays because I was enjoying myself! I think it's a happy, dreamy, magical book, full of flowers, sunshine and emotion. The characters become more and more truly themselves as the book progresses.

Surprisingly modern memoirs of Edwardian author, 04 Dec 2003
To me, this is much the best of Von Arnim's writing. Describing the joys and tribulations of a young English woman marrying a German aristocrat she centres on the haphazard creation of her garden and the activities of her children in an examination of European mores.

Her tone is anything but dusty. A top-selling author of her day she seems to have more in common with - the best - Sunday newspaper columnists of today than with her contemporaries. She battles both with chauvanism and the demands of running a country house which threaten to quell her free-wheeling attitude to life, in a style as fresh as it was at the turn of the century.

Marvellous!, 25 May 1999
Elizabeth and her German Garden is a joy: aspiring Gertude Jekylls may not find the horticultural tips they are looking for, but anybody who delights in communing with the earth in their own little corner of half-tamed nature, whilst blithely ignoring the pressures of family and day-to-day life, will find a kindred spirit in Elizabeth.

Enchanting, 19 Aug 2008
Having loved both filmed versions of this story, I came to the book not anticipating any surprises, and in that respect I was correct. What I did get, however, was a more fully-formed understanding of each of the four women who come to San Salvatore. Each has her own quest, and each is surprised in the way that her quest is resolved.

Elizabeth von Arnim can harness language in ways that few other authors are able. She is, for instance, able to display what a walking joke Mr. Wilkins is, while letting him think that he's the very model of an educated man.

I started off loathing both Mrs. Fisher and Lady Caroline Dester in a way that wasn't true when watching the films. This made their transformations that much more satisfying, in the end.

I'm now interested in reading other books from Elizabeth von Arnim and, even more importantly, visiting the castello where the story is based. She wrote The Enchanted April after her own visit, and it has continued to "enchant" travelers in the many years since the publication of her novel. I can't wait to see the "tub of love" and be surrounded by wistaria myself.

misleading (I think), 12 Jun 2007
I haven't actually read this so I can't review the story, but have purchased this edition of the book I wanted to read, only to realise that it isn't the full book, it's a 'retold' version aimed at people learning to read. Not a dis to that concept, just that I feel it's unlikely you'll realise before you actually have the book in your hands unless you know what Macmillan Readers are (obviously I didn't), as there is no indication in the details here.

Enchanted April, 28 Jan 2004
The image of Italy, in a time of gentle romance falls from the page. It is as refreshing as a glass of crisp white wine, while bathing in the evening sun. The characters are at one time seperate holiday makers and a collective changing of attitudes to others and to themselves.On the face of it, it is a book about four women who go on holiday together but in fact it is about taking chnaces no matter how small or big.
It is the perfect book for anyone who has been in love with a place and a person at the same time and will be again.

The Restorative Power of Beauty, 04 Jul 2003
Much like the film this book by Elizabeth Von Arnim inspired, there is something peaceful here on these pages. This is a gentle novel about the gradual internal changes brought about by the beauty of our surroundings. It is a book that reads itself as much as it is read, the author writing with the flow of the characters thoughts and feelings as their hearts are changed by the suprise of beauty.

An ad to rent a castle in San Salvatore on the Italian Riviera will prompt two British women, Rose and Lottie, with only a passing acquaintance, to inexplically leave their husbands behind for a summer that will change their lives and their marriages forever.

Joining Rose and Lottie for this holiday is Mrs. Fisher, an older woman living in the past, and Lady Caroline Dester, a grey-eyed society beauty tired of being gawked at like a majestic statue, not allowed to be human. Diverse in nature and temperment, not to mention background, they interact uneasily together until the flowers and the sea bring about a change in their souls.

Surrounded by fig and olive trees, plum blossoms and Tamarisk daphnes, and the scents of fortune's yellow rose and blooming acacia, the women slowly find their roles at this castle by the sea, and in doing so find themselves as well. New insights will prompt Rose and Lottie to send for their husbands. Lady Caroline, or 'Scrap' as she is known, will find love in spite of her wish to be alone and her great beauty. Mrs. Fisher will form a friendship with Lottie and her husband, and discover a renewed zest for creativity in this heaven by the sea.

This is a novel about life and love, told gently through the emotions of these women, as the the suprise of beauty and the warmth of being suddenly admired and seen as beautiful, when they had not been before, changes their simple lives, which were not so simple at all. You will definitely enjoy this novel if you enjoyed the film. It is about love restored, and love discovered, along the wistaria covered steps leading down to the sea.

Light, beautiful and full of magic, 17 May 2003
I love this book. I've read it several times and it's as lovely each time. Last time I read the whole book on a long train journey and I didn't mind the long delays because I was enjoying myself! I think it's a happy, dreamy, magical book, full of flowers, sunshine and emotion. The characters become more and more truly themselves as the book progresses.

Surprisingly modern memoirs of Edwardian author, 04 Dec 2003
To me, this is much the best of Von Arnim's writing. Describing the joys and tribulations of a young English woman marrying a German aristocrat she centres on the haphazard creation of her garden and the activities of her children in an examination of European mores.

Her tone is anything but dusty. A top-selling author of her day she seems to have more in common with - the best - Sunday newspaper columnists of today than with her contemporaries. She battles both with chauvanism and the demands of running a country house which threaten to quell her free-wheeling attitude to life, in a style as fresh as it was at the turn of the century.

Marvellous!, 25 May 1999
Elizabeth and her German Garden is a joy: aspiring Gertude Jekylls may not find the horticultural tips they are looking for, but anybody who delights in communing with the earth in their own little corner of half-tamed nature, whilst blithely ignoring the pressures of family and day-to-day life, will find a kindred spirit in Elizabeth.

Victorian novelist writes biography... of her dogs, 30 Sep 2001
Elizabeth von Arnim lived an unconventional life, shot through with both tragedy and personal success. It is characteristic of the quirky sense of humour found in her writing that she should ignore the sparkling social circle of which she was a part and choose to write the lives of her dogs.

Throughout the book we are given tantalising glimpses of the turbulance - and joy - of von Arnim's wider experiences. This short work will delight both dog-lovers and fans of the author.

Enchanting, 19 Aug 2008
Having loved both filmed versions of this story, I came to the book not anticipating any surprises, and in that respect I was correct. What I did get, however, was a more fully-formed understanding of each of the four women who come to San Salvatore. Each has her own quest, and each is surprised in the way that her quest is resolved.

Elizabeth von Arnim can harness language in ways that few other authors are able. She is, for instance, able to display what a walking joke Mr. Wilkins is, while letting him think that he's the very model of an educated man.

I started off loathing both Mrs. Fisher and Lady Caroline Dester in a way that wasn't true when watching the films. This made their transformations that much more satisfying, in the end.

I'm now interested in reading other books from Elizabeth von Arnim and, even more importantly, visiting the castello where the story is based. She wrote The Enchanted April after her own visit, and it has continued to "enchant" travelers in the many years since the publication of her novel. I can't wait to see the "tub of love" and be surrounded by wistaria myself.

misleading (I think), 12 Jun 2007
I haven't actually read this so I can't review the story, but have purchased this edition of the book I wanted to read, only to realise that it isn't the full book, it's a 'retold' version aimed at people learning to read. Not a dis to that concept, just that I feel it's unlikely you'll realise before you actually have the book in your hands unless you know what Macmillan Readers are (obviously I didn't), as there is no indication in the details here.

Enchanted April, 28 Jan 2004
The image of Italy, in a time of gentle romance falls from the page. It is as refreshing as a glass of crisp white wine, while bathing in the evening sun. The characters are at one time seperate holiday makers and a collective changing of attitudes to others and to themselves.On the face of it, it is a book about four women who go on holiday together but in fact it is about taking chnaces no matter how small or big.
It is the perfect book for anyone who has been in love with a place and a person at the same time and will be again.

The Restorative Power of Beauty, 04 Jul 2003
Much like the film this book by Elizabeth Von Arnim inspired, there is something peaceful here on these pages. This is a gentle novel about the gradual internal changes brought about by the beauty of our surroundings. It is a book that reads itself as much as it is read, the author writing with the flow of the characters thoughts and feelings as their hearts are changed by the suprise of beauty.

An ad to rent a castle in San Salvatore on the Italian Riviera will prompt two British women, Rose and Lottie, with only a passing acquaintance, to inexplically leave their husbands behind for a summer that will change their lives and their marriages forever.

Joining Rose and Lottie for this holiday is Mrs. Fisher, an older woman living in the past, and Lady Caroline Dester, a grey-eyed society beauty tired of being gawked at like a majestic statue, not allowed to be human. Diverse in nature and temperment, not to mention background, they interact uneasily together until the flowers and the sea bring about a change in their souls.

Surrounded by fig and olive trees, plum blossoms and Tamarisk daphnes, and the scents of fortune's yellow rose and blooming acacia, the women slowly find their roles at this castle by the sea, and in doing so find themselves as well. New insights will prompt Rose and Lottie to send for their husbands. Lady Caroline, or 'Scrap' as she is known, will find love in spite of her wish to be alone and her great beauty. Mrs. Fisher will form a friendship with Lottie and her husband, and discover a renewed zest for creativity in this heaven by the sea.

This is a novel about life and love, told gently through the emotions of these women, as the the suprise of beauty and the warmth of being suddenly admired and seen as beautiful, when they had not been before, changes their simple lives, which were not so simple at all. You will definitely enjoy this novel if you enjoyed the film. It is about love restored, and love discovered, along the wistaria covered steps leading down to the sea.

Light, beautiful and full of magic, 17 May 2003
I love this book. I've read it several times and it's as lovely each time. Last time I read the whole book on a long train journey and I didn't mind the long delays because I was enjoying myself! I think it's a happy, dreamy, magical book, full of flowers, sunshine and emotion. The characters become more and more truly themselves as the book progresses.

Surprisingly modern memoirs of Edwardian author, 04 Dec 2003
To me, this is much the best of Von Arnim's writing. Describing the joys and tribulations of a young English woman marrying a German aristocrat she centres on the haphazard creation of her garden and the activities of her children in an examination of European mores.

Her tone is anything but dusty. A top-selling author of her day she seems to have more in common with - the best - Sunday newspaper columnists of today than with her contemporaries. She battles both with chauvanism and the demands of running a country house which threaten to quell her free-wheeling attitude to life, in a style as fresh as it was at the turn of the century.

Marvellous!, 25 May 1999
Elizabeth and her German Garden is a joy: aspiring Gertude Jekylls may not find the horticultural tips they are looking for, but anybody who delights in communing with the earth in their own little corner of half-tamed nature, whilst blithely ignoring the pressures of family and day-to-day life, will find a kindred spirit in Elizabeth.

Victorian novelist writes biography... of her dogs, 30 Sep 2001
Elizabeth von Arnim lived an unconventional life, shot through with both tragedy and personal success. It is characteristic of the quirky sense of humour found in her writing that she should ignore the sparkling social circle of which she was a part and choose to write the lives of her dogs.

Throughout the book we are given tantalising glimpses of the turbulance - and joy - of von Arnim's wider experiences. This short work will delight both dog-lovers and fans of the author.

Enchanting, 19 Aug 2008
Having loved both filmed versions of this story, I came to the book not anticipating any surprises, and in that respect I was correct. What I did get, however, was a more fully-formed understanding of each of the four women who come to San Salvatore. Each has her own quest, and each is surprised in the way that her quest is resolved.

Elizabeth von Arnim can harness language in ways that few other authors are able. She is, for instance, able to display what a walking joke Mr. Wilkins is, while letting him think that he's the very model of an educated man.

I started off loathing both Mrs. Fisher and Lady Caroline Dester in a way that wasn't true when watching the films. This made their transformations that much more satisfying, in the end.

I'm now interested in reading other books from Elizabeth von Arnim and, even more importantly, visiting the castello where the story is based. She wrote The Enchanted April after her own visit, and it has continued to "enchant" travelers in the many years since the publication of her novel. I can't wait to see the "tub of love" and be surrounded by wistaria myself.

misleading (I think), 12 Jun 2007
I haven't actually read this so I can't review the story, but have purchased this edition of the book I wanted to read, only to realise that it isn't the full book, it's a 'retold' version aimed at people learning to read. Not a dis to that concept, just that I feel it's unlikely you'll realise before you actually have the book in your hands unless you know what Macmillan Readers are (obviously I didn't), as there is no indication in the details here.

Enchanted April, 28 Jan 2004
The image of Italy, in a time of gentle romance falls from the page. It is as refreshing as a glass of crisp white wine, while bathing in the evening sun. The characters are at one time seperate holiday makers and a collective changing of attitudes to others and to themselves.On the face of it, it is a book about four women who go on holiday together but in fact it is about taking chnaces no matter how small or big.
It is the perfect book for anyone who has been in love with a place and a person at the same time and will be again.

The Restorative Power of Beauty, 04 Jul 2003
Much like the film this book by Elizabeth Von Arnim inspired, there is something peaceful here on these pages. This is a gentle novel about the gradual internal changes brought about by the beauty of our surroundings. It is a book that reads itself as much as it is read, the author writing with the flow of the characters thoughts and feelings as their hearts are changed by the suprise of beauty.

An ad to rent a castle in San Salvatore on the Italian Riviera will prompt two British women, Rose and Lottie, with only a passing acquaintance, to inexplically leave their husbands behind for a summer that will change their lives and their marriages forever.

Joining Rose and Lottie for this holiday is Mrs. Fisher, an older woman living in the past, and Lady Caroline Dester, a grey-eyed society beauty tired of being gawked at like a majestic statue, not allowed to be human. Diverse in nature and temperment, not to mention background, they interact uneasily together until the flowers and the sea bring about a change in their souls.

Surrounded by fig and olive trees, plum blossoms and Tamarisk daphnes, and the scents of fortune's yellow rose and blooming acacia, the women slowly find their roles at this castle by the sea, and in doing so find themselves as well. New insights will prompt Rose and Lottie to send for their husbands. Lady Caroline, or 'Scrap' as she is known, will find love in spite of her wish to be alone and her great beauty. Mrs. Fisher will form a friendship with Lottie and her husband, and discover a renewed zest for creativity in this heaven by the sea.

This is a novel about life and love, told gently through the emotions of these women, as the the suprise of beauty and the warmth of being suddenly admired and seen as beautiful, when they had not been before, changes their simple lives, which were not so simple at all. You will definitely enjoy this novel if you enjoyed the film. It is about love restored, and love discovered, along the wistaria covered steps leading down to the sea.

Light, beautiful and full of magic, 17 May 2003
I love this book. I've read it several times and it's as lovely each time. Last time I read the whole book on a long train journey and I didn't mind the long delays because I was enjoying myself! I think it's a happy, dreamy, magical book, full of flowers, sunshine and emotion. The characters become more and more truly themselves as the book progresses.

Enchanting, 19 Aug 2008
Having loved both filmed versions of this story, I came to the book not anticipating any surprises, and in that respect I was correct. What I did get, however, was a more fully-formed understanding of each of the four women who come to San Salvatore. Each has her own quest, and each is surprised in the way that her quest is resolved.

Elizabeth von Arnim can harness language in ways that few other authors are able. She is, for instance, able to display what a walking joke Mr. Wilkins is, while letting him think that he's the very model of an educated man.

I started off loathing both Mrs. Fisher and Lady Caroline Dester in a way that wasn't true when watching the films. This made their transformations that much more satisfying, in the end.

I'm now interested in reading other books from Elizabeth von Arnim and, even more importantly, visiting the castello where the story is based. She wrote The Enchanted April after her own visit, and it has continued to "enchant" travelers in the many years since the publication of her novel. I can't wait to see the "tub of love" and be surrounded by wistaria myself.

misleading (I think), 12 Jun 2007
I haven't actually read this so I can't review the story, but have purchased this edition of the book I wanted to read, only to realise that it isn't the full book, it's a 'retold' version aimed at people learning to read. Not a dis to that concept, just that I feel it's unlikely you'll realise before you actually have the book in your hands unless you know what Macmillan Readers are (obviously I didn't), as there is no indication in the details here.

Enchanted April, 28 Jan 2004
The image of Italy, in a time of gentle romance falls from the page. It is as refreshing as a glass of crisp white wine, while bathing in the evening sun. The characters are at one time seperate holiday makers and a collective changing of attitudes to others and to themselves.On the face of it, it is a book about four women who go on holiday together but in fact it is about taking chnaces no matter how small or big.
It is the perfect book for anyone who has been in love with a place and a person at the same time and will be again.

The Restorative Power of Beauty, 04 Jul 2003
Much like the film this book by Elizabeth Von Arnim inspired, there is something peaceful here on these pages. This is a gentle novel about the gradual internal changes brought about by the beauty of our surroundings. It is a book that reads itself as much as it is read, the author writing with the flow of the characters thoughts and feelings as their hearts are changed by the suprise of beauty.

An ad to rent a castle in San Salvatore on the Italian Riviera will prompt two British women, Rose and Lottie, with only a passing acquaintance, to inexplically leave their husbands behind for a summer that will change their lives and their marriages forever.

Joining Rose and Lottie for this holiday is Mrs. Fisher, an older woman living in the past, and Lady Caroline Dester, a grey-eyed society beauty tired of being gawked at like a majestic statue, not allowed to be human. Diverse in nature and temperment, not to mention background, they interact uneasily together until the flowers and the sea bring about a change in their souls.

Surrounded by fig and olive trees, plum blossoms and Tamarisk daphnes, and the scents of fortune's yellow rose and blooming acacia, the women slowly find their roles at this castle by the sea, and in doing so find themselves as well. New insights will prompt Rose and Lottie to send for their husbands. Lady Caroline, or 'Scrap' as she is known, will find love in spite of her wish to be alone and her great beauty. Mrs. Fisher will form a friendship with Lottie and her husband, and discover a renewed zest for creativity in this heaven by the sea.

This is a novel about life and love, told gently through the emotions of these women, as the the suprise of beauty and the warmth of being suddenly admired and seen as beautiful, when they had not been before, changes their simple lives, which were not so simple at all. You will definitely enjoy this novel if you enjoyed the film. It is about love restored, and love discovered, along the wistaria covered steps leading down to the sea.

Light, beautiful and full of magic, 17 May 2003
I love this book. I've read it several times and it's as lovely each time. Last time I read the whole book on a long train journey and I didn't mind the long delays because I was enjoying myself! I think it's a happy, dreamy, magical book, full of flowers, sunshine and emotion. The characters become more and more truly themselves as the book progresses.

Surprisingly modern memoirs of Edwardian author, 04 Dec 2003
To me, this is much the best of Von Arnim's writing. Describing the joys and tribulations of a young English woman marrying a German aristocrat she centres on the haphazard creation of her garden and the activities of her children in an examination of European mores.

Her tone is anything but dusty. A top-selling author of her day she seems to have more in common with - the best - Sunday newspaper columnists of today than with her contemporaries. She battles both with chauvanism and the demands of running a country house which threaten to quell her free-wheeling attitude to life, in a style as fresh as it was at the turn of the century.

Marvellous!, 25 May 1999
Elizabeth and her German Garden is a joy: aspiring Gertude Jekylls may not find the horticultural tips they are looking for, but anybody who delights in communing with the earth in their own little corner of half-tamed nature, whilst blithely ignoring the pressures of family and day-to-day life, will find a kindred spirit in Elizabeth.

Victorian novelist writes biography... of her dogs, 30 Sep 2001
Elizabeth von Arnim lived an unconventional life, shot through with both tragedy and personal success. It is characteristic of the quirky sense of humour found in her writing that she should ignore the sparkling social circle of which she was a part and choose to write the lives of her dogs.

Throughout the book we are given tantalising glimpses of the turbulance - and joy - of von Arnim's wider experiences. This short work will delight both dog-lovers and fans of the author.

Enchanting, 19 Aug 2008
Having loved both filmed versions of this story, I came to the book not anticipating any surprises, and in that respect I was correct. What I did get, however, was a more fully-formed understanding of each of the four women who come to San Salvatore. Each has her own quest, and each is surprised in the way that her quest is resolved.

Elizabeth von Arnim can harness language in ways that few other authors are able. She is, for instance, able to display what a walking joke Mr. Wilkins is, while letting him think that he's the very model of an educated man.

I started off loathing both Mrs. Fisher and Lady Caroline Dester in a way that wasn't true when watching the films. This made their transformations that much more satisfying, in the end.

I'm now interested in reading other books from Elizabeth von Arnim and, even more importantly, visiting the castello where the story is based. She wrote The Enchanted April after her own visit, and it has continued to "enchant" travelers in the many years since the publication of her novel. I can't wait to see the "tub of love" and be surrounded by wistaria myself.

misleading (I think), 12 Jun 2007
I haven't actually read this so I can't review the story, but have purchased this edition of the book I wanted to read, only to realise that it isn't the full book, it's a 'retold' version aimed at people learning to read. Not a dis to that concept, just that I feel it's unlikely you'll realise before you actually have the book in your hands unless you know what Macmillan Readers are (obviously I didn't), as there is no indication in the details here.

Enchanted April, 28 Jan 2004
The image of Italy, in a time of gentle romance falls from the page. It is as refreshing as a glass of crisp white wine, while bathing in the evening sun. The characters are at one time seperate holiday makers and a collective changing of attitudes to others and to themselves.On the face of it, it is a book about four women who go on holiday together but in fact it is about taking chnaces no matter how small or big.
It is the perfect book for anyone who has been in love with a place and a person at the same time and will be again.

The Restorative Power of Beauty, 04 Jul 2003
Much like the film this book by Elizabeth Von Arnim inspired, there is something peaceful here on these pages. This is a gentle novel about the gradual internal changes brought about by the beauty of our surroundings. It is a book that reads itself as much as it is read, the author writing with the flow of the characters thoughts and feelings as their hearts are changed by the suprise of beauty.

An ad to rent a castle in San Salvatore on the Italian Riviera will prompt two British women, Rose and Lottie, with only a passing acquaintance, to inexplically leave their husbands behind for a summer that will change their lives and their marriages forever.

Joining Rose and Lottie for this holiday is Mrs. Fisher, an older woman living in the past, and Lady Caroline Dester, a grey-eyed society beauty tired of being gawked at like a majestic statue, not allowed to be human. Diverse in nature and temperment, not to mention background, they interact uneasily together until the flowers and the sea bring about a change in their souls.

Surrounded by fig and olive trees, plum blossoms and Tamarisk daphnes, and the scents of fortune's yellow rose and blooming acacia, the women slowly find their roles at this castle by the sea, and in doing so find themselves as well. New insights will prompt Rose and Lottie to send for their husbands. Lady Caroline, or 'Scrap' as she is known, will find love in spite of her wish to be alone and her great beauty. Mrs. Fisher will form a friendship with Lottie and her husband, and discover a renewed zest for creativity in this heaven by the sea.

This is a novel about life and love, told gently through the emotions of these women, as the the suprise of beauty and the warmth of being suddenly admired and seen as beautiful, when they had not been before, changes their simple lives, which were not so simple at all. You will definitely enjoy this novel if you enjoyed the film. It is about love restored, and love discovered, along the wistaria covered steps leading down to the sea.

Light, beautiful and full of magic, 17 May 2003
I love this book. I've read it several times and it's as lovely each time. Last time I read the whole book on a long train journey and I didn't mind the long delays because I was enjoying myself! I think it's a happy, dreamy, magical book, full of flowers, sunshine and emotion. The characters become more and more truly themselves as the book progresses.

Enchanting, 19 Aug 2008
Having loved both filmed versions of this story, I came to the book not anticipating any surprises, and in that respect I was correct. What I did get, however, was a more fully-formed understanding of each of the four women who come to San Salvatore. Each has her own quest, and each is surprised in the way that her quest is resolved.

Elizabeth von Arnim can harness language in ways that few other authors are able. She is, for instance, able to display what a walking joke Mr. Wilkins is, while letting him think that he's the very model of an educated man.

I started off loathing both Mrs. Fisher and Lady Caroline Dester in a way that wasn't true when watching the films. This made their transformations that much more satisfying, in the end.

I'm now interested in reading other books from Elizabeth von Arnim and, even more importantly, visiting the castello where the story is based. She wrote The Enchanted April after her own visit, and it has continued to "enchant" travelers in the many years since the publication of her novel. I can't wait to see the "tub of love" and be surrounded by wistaria myself.

misleading (I think), 12 Jun 2007
I haven't actually read this so I can't review the story, but have purchased this edition of the book I wanted to read, only to realise that it isn't the full book, it's a 'retold' version aimed at people learning to read. Not a dis to that concept, just that I feel it's unlikely you'll realise before you actually have the book in your hands unless you know what Macmillan Readers are (obviously I didn't), as there is no indication in the details here.

Enchanted April, 28 Jan 2004
The image of Italy, in a time of gentle romance falls from the page. It is as refreshing as a glass of crisp white wine, while bathing in the evening sun. The characters are at one time seperate holiday makers and a collective changing of attitudes to others and to themselves.On the face of it, it is a book about four women who go on holiday together but in fact it is about taking chnaces no matter how small or big.
It is the perfect book for anyone who has been in love with a place and a person at the same time and will be again.

The Restorative Power of Beauty, 04 Jul 2003
Much like the film this book by Elizabeth Von Arnim inspired, there is something peaceful here on these pages. This is a gentle novel about the gradual internal changes brought about by the beauty of our surroundings. It is a book that reads itself as much as it is read, the author writing with the flow of the characters thoughts and feelings as their hearts are changed by the suprise of beauty.

An ad to rent a castle in San Salvatore on the Italian Riviera will prompt two British women, Rose and Lottie, with only a passing acquaintance, to inexplically leave their husbands behind for a summer that will change their lives and their marriages forever.

Joining Rose and Lottie for this holiday is Mrs. Fisher, an older woman living in the past, and Lady Caroline Dester, a grey-eyed society beauty tired of being gawked at like a majestic statue, not allowed to be human. Diverse in nature and temperment, not to mention background, they interact uneasily together until the flowers and the sea bring about a change in their souls.

Surrounded by fig and olive trees, plum blossoms and Tamarisk daphnes, and the scents of fortune's yellow rose and blooming acacia, the women slowly find their roles at this castle by the sea, and in doing so find themselves as well. New insights will prompt Rose and Lottie to send for their husbands. Lady Caroline, or 'Scrap' as she is known, will find love in spite of her wish to be alone and her great beauty. Mrs. Fisher will form a friendship with Lottie and her husband, and discover a renewed zest for creativity in this heaven by the sea.

This is a novel about life and love, told gently through the emotions of these women, as the the suprise of beauty and the warmth of being suddenly admired and seen as beautiful, when they had not been before, changes their simple lives, which were not so simple at all. You will definitely enjoy this novel if you enjoyed the film. It is about love restored, and love discovered, along the wistaria covered steps leading down to the sea.

Light, beautiful and full of magic, 17 May 2003
I love this book. I've read it several times and it's as lovely each time. Last time I read the whole book on a long train journey and I didn't mind the long delays because I was enjoying myself! I think it's a happy, dreamy, magical book, full of flowers, sunshine and emotion. The characters become more and more truly themselves as the book progresses.

Enchanting, 19 Aug 2008
Having loved both filmed versions of this story, I came to the book not anticipating any surprises, and in that respect I was correct. What I did get, however, was a more fully-formed understanding of each of the four women who come to San Salvatore. Each has her own quest, and each is surprised in the way that her quest is resolved.

Elizabeth von Arnim can harness language in ways that few other authors are able. She is, for instance, able to display what a walking joke Mr. Wilkins is, while letting him think that he's the very model of an educated man.

I started off loathing both Mrs. Fisher and Lady Caroline Dester in a way that wasn't true when watching the films. This made their transformations that much more satisfying, in the end.

I'm now interested in reading other books from Elizabeth von Arnim and, even more importantly, visiting the castello where the story is based. She wrote The Enchanted April after her own visit, and it has continued to "enchant" travelers in the many years since the publication of her novel. I can't wait to see the "tub of love" and be surrounded by wistaria myself.

misleading (I think), 12 Jun 2007
I haven't actually read this so I can't review the story, but have purchased this edition of the book I wanted to read, only to realise that it isn't the full book, it's a 'retold' version aimed at people learning to read. Not a dis to that concept, just that I feel it's unlikely you'll realise before you actually have the book in your hands unless you know what Macmillan Readers are (obviously I didn't), as there is no indication in the details here.

Enchanted April, 28 Jan 2004
The image of Italy, in a time of gentle romance falls from the page. It is as refreshing as a glass of crisp white wine, while bathing in the evening sun. The characters are at one time seperate holiday makers and a collective changing of attitudes to others and to themselves.On the face of it, it is a book about four women who go on holiday together but in fact it is about taking chnaces no matter how small or big.
It is the perfect book for anyone who has been in love with a place and a person at the same time and will be again.

The Restorative Power of Beauty, 04 Jul 2003
Much like the film this book by Elizabeth Von Arnim inspired, there is something peaceful here on these pages. This is a gentle novel about the gradual internal changes brought about by the beauty of our surroundings. It is a book that reads itself as much as it is read, the author writing with the flow of the characters thoughts and feelings as their hearts are changed by the suprise of beauty.

An ad to rent a castle in San Salvatore on the Italian Riviera will prompt two British women, Rose and Lottie, with only a passing acquaintance, to inexplically leave their husbands behind for a summer that will change their lives and their marriages forever.

Joining Rose and Lottie for this holiday is Mrs. Fisher, an older woman living in the past, and Lady Caroline Dester, a grey-eyed society beauty tired of being gawked at like a majestic statue, not allowed to be human. Diverse in nature and temperment, not to mention background, they interact uneasily together until the flowers and the sea bring about a change in their souls.

Surrounded by fig and olive trees, plum blossoms and Tamarisk daphnes, and the scents of fortune's yellow rose and blooming acacia, the women slowly find their roles at this castle by the sea, and in doing so find themselves as well. New insights will prompt Rose and Lottie to send for their husbands. Lady Caroline, or 'Scrap' as she is known, will find love in spite of her wish to be alone and her great beauty. Mrs. Fisher will form a friendship with Lottie and her husband, and discover a renewed zest for creativity in this heaven by the sea.

This is a novel about life and love, told gently through the emotions of these women, as the the suprise of beauty and the warmth of being suddenly admired and seen as beautiful, when they had not been before, changes their simple lives, which were not so simple at all. You will definitely enjoy this novel if you enjoyed the film. It is about love restored, and love discovered, along the wistaria covered steps leading down to the sea.

Light, beautiful and full of magic, 17 May 2003
I love this book. I've read it several times and it's as lovely each time. Last time I read the whole book on a long train journey and I didn't mind the long delays because I was enjoying myself! I think it's a happy, dreamy, magical book, full of flowers, sunshine and emotion. The characters become more and more truly themselves as the book progresses.

Surprisingly modern memoirs of Edwardian author, 04 Dec 2003
To me, this is much the best of Von Arnim's writing. Describing the joys and tribulations of a young English woman marrying a German aristocrat she centres on the haphazard creation of her garden and the activities of her children in an examination of European mores.

Her tone is anything but dusty. A top-selling author of her day she seems to have more in common with - the best - Sunday newspaper columnists of today than with her contemporaries. She battles both with chauvanism and the demands of running a country house which threaten to quell her free-wheeling attitude to life, in a style as fresh as it was at the turn of the century.

Marvellous!, 25 May 1999
Elizabeth and her German Garden is a joy: aspiring Gertude Jekylls may not find the horticultural tips they are looking for, but anybody who delights in communing with the earth in their own little corner of half-tamed nature, whilst blithely ignoring the pressures of family and day-to-day life, will find a kindred spirit in Elizabeth.

Victorian novelist writes biography... of her dogs, 30 Sep 2001
Elizabeth von Arnim lived an unconventional life, shot through with both tragedy and personal success. It is characteristic of the quirky sense of humour found in her writing that she should ignore the sparkling social circle of which she was a part and choose to write the lives of her dogs.

Throughout the book we are given tantalising glimpses of the turbulance - and joy - of von Arnim's wider experiences. This short work will delight both dog-lovers and fans of the author.

Enchanting, 19 Aug 2008
Having loved both filmed versions of this story, I came to the book not anticipating any surprises, and in that respect I was correct. What I did get, however, was a more fully-formed understanding of each of the four women who come to San Salvatore. Each has her own quest, and each is surprised in the way that her quest is resolved.

Elizabeth von Arnim can harness language in ways that few other authors are able. She is, for instance, able to display what a walking joke Mr. Wilkins is, while letting him think that he's the very model of an educated man.

I started off loathing both Mrs. Fisher and Lady Caroline Dester in a way that wasn't true when watching the films. This made their transformations that much more satisfying, in the end.

I'm now interested in reading other books from Elizabeth von Arnim and, even more importantly, visiting the castello where the story is based. She wrote The Enchanted April after her own visit, and it has continued to "enchant" travelers in the many years since the publication of her novel. I can't wait to see the "tub of love" and be surrounded by wistaria myself.

misleading (I think), 12 Jun 2007
I haven't actually read this so I can't review the story, but have purchased this edition of the book I wanted to read, only to realise that it isn't the full book, it's a 'retold' version aimed at people learning to read. Not a dis to that concept, just that I feel it's unlikely you'll realise before you actually have the book in your hands unless you know what Macmillan Readers are (obviously I didn't), as there is no indication in the details here.

Enchanted April, 28 Jan 2004
The image of Italy, in a time of gentle romance falls from the page. It is as refreshing as a glass of crisp white wine, while bathing in the evening sun. The characters are at one time seperate holiday makers and a collective changing of attitudes to others and to themselves.On the face of it, it is a book about four women who go on holiday together but in fact it is about taking chnaces no matter how small or big.
It is the perfect book for anyone who has been in love with a place and a person at the same time and will be again.

The Restorative Power of Beauty, 04 Jul 2003
Much like the film this book by Elizabeth Von Arnim inspired, there is something peaceful here on these pages. This is a gentle novel about the gradual internal changes brought about by the beauty of our surroundings. It is a book that reads itself as much as it is read, the author writing with the flow of the characters thoughts and feelings as their hearts are changed by the suprise of beauty.

An ad to rent a castle in San Salvatore on the Italian Riviera will prompt two British women, Rose and Lottie, with only a passing acquaintance, to inexplically leave their husbands behind for a summer that will change their lives and their marriages forever.

Joining Rose and Lottie for this holiday is Mrs. Fisher, an older woman living in the past, and Lady Caroline Dester, a grey-eyed society beauty tired of being gawked at like a majestic statue, not allowed to be human. Diverse in nature and temperment, not to mention background, they interact uneasily together until the flowers and the sea bring about a change in their souls.

Surrounded by fig and olive trees, plum blossoms and Tamarisk daphnes, and the scents of fortune's yellow rose and blooming acacia, the women slowly find their roles at this castle by the sea, and in doing so find themselves as well. New insights will prompt Rose and Lottie to send for their husbands. Lady Caroline, or 'Scrap' as she is known, will find love in spite of her wish to be alone and her great beauty. Mrs. Fisher will form a friendship with Lottie and her husband, and discover a renewed zest for creativity in this heaven by the sea.

This is a novel about life and love, told gently through the emotions of these women, as the the suprise of beauty and the warmth of being suddenly admired and seen as beautiful, when they had not been before, changes their simple lives, which were not so simple at all. You will definitely enjoy this novel if you enjoyed the film. It is about love restored, and love discovered, along the wistaria covered steps leading down to the sea.

Light, beautiful and full of magic, 17 May 2003
I love this book. I've read it several times and it's as lovely each time. Last time I read the whole book on a long train journey and I didn't mind the long delays because I was enjoying myself! I think it's a happy, dreamy, magical book, full of flowers, sunshine and emotion. The characters become more and more truly themselves as the book progresses.

Enchanting, 19 Aug 2008
Having loved both filmed versions of this story, I came to the book not anticipating any surprises, and in that respect I was correct. What I did get, however, was a more fully-formed understanding of each of the four women who come to San Salvatore. Each has her own quest, and each is surprised in the way that her quest is resolved.

Elizabeth von Arnim can harness language in ways that few other authors are able. She is, for instance, able to display what a walking joke Mr. Wilkins is, while letting him think that he's the very model of an educated man.

I started off loathing both Mrs. Fisher and Lady Caroline Dester in a way that wasn't true when watching the films. This made their transformations that much more satisfying, in the end.

I'm now interested in reading other books from Elizabeth von Arnim and, even more importantly, visiting the castello where the story is based. She wrote The Enchanted April after her own visit, and it has continued to "enchant" travelers in the many years since the publication of her novel. I can't wait to see the "tub of love" and be surrounded by wistaria myself.

misleading (I think), 12 Jun 2007
I haven't actually read this so I can't review the story, but have purchased this edition of the book I wanted to read, only to realise that it isn't the full book, it's a 'retold' version aimed at people learning to read. Not a dis to that concept, just that I feel it's unlikely you'll realise before you actually have the book in your hands unless you know what Macmillan Readers are (obviously I didn't), as there is no indication in the details here.

Enchanted April, 28 Jan 2004
The image of Italy, in a time of gentle romance falls from the page. It is as refreshing as a glass of crisp white wine, while bathing in the evening sun. The characters are at one time seperate holiday makers and a collective changing of attitudes to others and to themselves.On the face of it, it is a book about four women who go on holiday together but in fact it is about taking chnaces no matter how small or big.
It is the perfect book for anyone who has been in love with a place and a person at the same time and will be again.

The Restorative Power of Beauty, 04 Jul 2003
Much like the film this book by Elizabeth Von Arnim inspired, there is something peaceful here on these pages. This is a gentle novel about the gradual internal changes brought about by the beauty of our surroundings. It is a book that reads itself as much as it is read, the author writing with the flow of the characters thoughts and feelings as their hearts are changed by the suprise of beauty.

An ad to rent a castle in San Salvatore on the Italian Riviera will prompt two British women, Rose and Lottie, with only a passing acquaintance, to inexplically leave their husbands behind for a summer that will change their lives and their marriages forever.

Joining Rose and Lottie for this holiday is Mrs. Fisher, an older woman living in the past, and Lady Caroline Dester, a grey-eyed society beauty tired of being gawked at like a majestic statue, not allowed to be human. Diverse in nature and temperment, not to mention background, they interact uneasily together until the flowers and the sea bring about a change in their souls.

Surrounded by fig and olive trees, plum blossoms and Tamarisk daphnes, and the scents of fortune's yellow rose and blooming acacia, the women slowly find their roles at this castle by the sea, and in doing so find themselves as well. New insights will prompt Rose and Lottie to send for their husbands. Lady Caroline, or 'Scrap' as she is known, will find love in spite of her wish to be alone and her great beauty. Mrs. Fisher will form a friendship with Lottie and her husband, and discover a renewed zest for creativity in this heaven by the sea.

This is a novel about life and love, told gently through the emotions of these women, as the the suprise of beauty and the warmth of being suddenly admired and seen as beautiful, when they had not been before, changes their simple lives, which were not so simple at all. You will definitely enjoy this novel if you enjoyed the film. It is about love restored, and love discovered, along the wistaria covered steps leading down to the sea.

Light, beautiful and full of magic, 17 May 2003
I love this book. I've read it several times and it's as lovely each time. Last time I read the whole book on a long train journey and I didn't mind the long delays because I was enjoying myself! I think it's a happy, dreamy, magical book, full of flowers, sunshine and emotion. The characters become more and more truly themselves as the book progresses.

A beguiling, unforgettable book - read it!, 11 Apr 2006
Rose-Marie Schmidt lives with her father, a Goethe scholar, in the provincial German town of Jena at the turn of the century. Into their narrow life comes Roger Anstruther, a dashing young Englishman ... But it's not a traditional love story by any means. The novel starts with their engagement and Roger's return to England, and is a wonderfully subtle story of betrayal, friendship and the shifting balances of power in any relationship. This is a totally enchanting story, a portrait of a vanished pre-war world but also a tart dissection of relations between the sexes. Possibly also the first and best book written on long-distance relationships.

Enchanting, 19 Aug 2008
Having loved both filmed versions of this story, I came to the book not anticipating any surprises, and in that respect I was correct. What I did get, however, was a more fully-formed understanding of each of the four women who come to San Salvatore. Each has her own quest, and each is surprised in the way that her quest is resolved.

Elizabeth von Arnim can harness language in ways that few other authors are able. She is, for instance, able to display what a walking joke Mr. Wilkins is, while letting him think that he's the very model of an educated man.

I started off loathing both Mrs. Fisher and Lady Caroline Dester in a way that wasn't true when watching the films. This made their transformations that much more satisfying, in the end.

I'm now interested in reading other books from Elizabeth von Arnim and, even more importantly, visiting the castello where the story is based. She wrote The Enchanted April after her own visit, and it has continued to "enchant" travelers in the many years since the publication of her novel. I can't wait to see the "tub of love" and be surrounded by wistaria myself.

misleading (I think), 12 Jun 2007
I haven't actually read this so I can't review the story, but have purchased this edition of the book I wanted to read, only to realise that it isn't the full book, it's a 'retold' version aimed at people learning to read. Not a dis to that concept, just that I feel it's unlikely you'll realise before you actually have the book in your hands unless you know what Macmillan Readers are (obviously I didn't), as there is no indication in the details here.

Enchanted April, 28 Jan 2004
The image of Italy, in a time of gentle romance falls from the page. It is as refreshing as a glass of crisp white wine, while bathing in the evening sun. The characters are at one time seperate holiday makers and a collective changing of attitudes to others and to themselves.On the face of it, it is a book about four women who go on holiday together but in fact it is about taking chnaces no matter how small or big.
It is the perfect book for anyone who has been in love with a place and a person at the same time and will be again.

The Restorative Power of Beauty, 04 Jul 2003
Much like the film this book by Elizabeth Von Arnim inspired, there is something peaceful here on these pages. This is a gentle novel about the gradual internal changes brought about by the beauty of our surroundings. It is a book that reads itself as much as it is read, the author writing with the flow of the characters thoughts and feelings as their hearts are changed by the suprise of beauty.

An ad to rent a castle in San Salvatore on the Italian Riviera will prompt two British women, Rose and Lottie, with only a passing acquaintance, to inexplically leave their husbands behind for a summer that will change their lives and their marriages forever.

Joining Rose and Lottie for this holiday is Mrs. Fisher, an older woman living in the past, and Lady Caroline Dester, a grey-eyed society beauty tired of being gawked at like a majestic statue, not allowed to be human. Diverse in nature and temperment, not to mention background, they interact uneasily together until the flowers and the sea bring about a change in their souls.

Surrounded by fig and olive trees, plum blossoms and Tamarisk daphnes, and the scents of fortune's yellow rose and blooming acacia, the women slowly find their roles at this castle by the sea, and in doing so find themselves as well. New insights will prompt Rose and Lottie to send for their husbands. Lady Caroline, or 'Scrap' as she is known, will find love in spite of her wish to be alone and her great beauty. Mrs. Fisher will form a friendship with Lottie and her husband, and discover a renewed zest for creativity in this heaven by the sea.

This is a novel about life and love, told gently through the emotions of these women, as the the suprise of beauty and the warmth of being suddenly admired and seen as beautiful, when they had not been before, changes their simple lives, which were not so simple at all. You will definitely enjoy this novel if you enjoyed the film. It is about love restored, and love discovered, along the wistaria covered steps leading down to the sea.

Light, beautiful and full of magic, 17 May 2003
I love this book. I've read it several times and it's as lovely each time. Last time I read the whole book on a long train journey and I didn't mind the long delays because I was enjoying myself! I think it's a happy, dreamy, magical book, full of flowers, sunshine and emotion. The characters become more and more truly themselves as the book progresses.

Surprisingly modern memoirs of Edwardian author, 04 Dec 2003
To me, this is much the best of Von Arnim's writing. Describing the joys and tribulations of a young English woman marrying a German aristocrat she centres on the haphazard creation of her garden and the activities of her children in an examination of European mores.

Her tone is anything but dusty. A top-selling author of her day she seems to have more in common with - the best - Sunday newspaper columnists of today than with her contemporaries. She battles both with chauvanism and the demands of running a country house which threaten to quell her free-wheeling attitude to life, in a style as fresh as it was at the turn of the century.

Marvellous!, 25 May 1999
Elizabeth and her German Garden is a joy: aspiring Gertude Jekylls may not find the horticultural tips they are looking for, but anybody who delights in communing with the earth in their own little corner of half-tamed nature, whilst blithely ignoring the pressures of family and day-to-day life, will find a kindred spirit in Elizabeth.

Victorian novelist writes biography... of her dogs, 30 Sep 2001
Elizabeth von Arnim lived an unconventional life, shot through with both tragedy and personal success. It is characteristic of the quirky sense of humour found in her writing that she should ignore the sparkling social circle of which she was a part and choose to write the lives of her dogs.

Throughout the book we are given tantalising glimpses of the turbulance - and joy - of von Arnim's wider experiences. This short work will delight both dog-lovers and fans of the author.

Enchanting, 19 Aug 2008
Having loved both filmed versions of this story, I came to the book not anticipating any surprises, and in that respect I was correct. What I did get, however, was a more fully-formed understanding of each of the four women who come to San Salvatore. Each has her own quest, and each is surprised in the way that her quest is resolved.

Elizabeth von Arnim can harness language in ways that few other authors are able. She is, for instance, able to display what a walking joke Mr. Wilkins is, while letting him think that he's the very model of an educated man.

I started off loathing both Mrs. Fisher and Lady Caroline Dester in a way that wasn't true when watching the films. This made their transformations that much more satisfying, in the end.

I'm now interested in reading other books from Elizabeth von Arnim and, even more importantly, visiting the castello where the story is based. She wrote The Enchanted April after her own visit, and it has continued to "enchant" travelers in the many years since the publication of her novel. I can't wait to see the "tub of love" and be surrounded by wistaria myself.

misleading (I think), 12 Jun 2007
I haven't actually read this so I can't review the story, but have purchased this edition of the book I wanted to read, only to realise that it isn't the full book, it's a 'retold' version aimed at people learning to read. Not a dis to that concept, just that I feel it's unlikely you'll realise before you actually have the book in your hands unless you know what Macmillan Readers are (obviously I didn't), as there is no indication in the details here.

Enchanted April, 28 Jan 2004
The image of Italy, in a time of gentle romance falls from the page. It is as refreshing as a glass of crisp white wine, while bathing in the evening sun. The characters are at one time seperate holiday makers and a collective changing of attitudes to others and to themselves.On the face of it, it is a book about four women who go on holiday together but in fact it is about taking chnaces no matter how small or big.
It is the perfect book for anyone who has been in love with a place and a person at the same time and will be again.

The Restorative Power of Beauty, 04 Jul 2003
Much like the film this book by Elizabeth Von Arnim inspired, there is something peaceful here on these pages. This is a gentle novel about the gradual internal changes brought about by the beauty of our surroundings. It is a book that reads itself as much as it is read, the author writing with the flow of the characters thoughts and feelings as their hearts are changed by the suprise of beauty.

An ad to rent a castle in San Salvatore on the Italian Riviera will prompt two British women, Rose and Lottie, with only a passing acquaintance, to inexplically leave their husbands behind for a summer that will change their lives and their marriages forever.

Joining Rose and Lottie for this holiday is Mrs. Fisher, an older woman living in the past, and Lady Caroline Dester, a grey-eyed society beauty tired of being gawked at like a majestic statue, not allowed to be human. Diverse in nature and temperment, not to mention background, they interact uneasily together until the flowers and the sea bring about a change in their souls.

Surrounded by fig and olive trees, plum blossoms and Tamarisk daphnes, and the scents of fortune's yellow rose and blooming acacia, the women slowly find their roles at this castle by the sea, and in doing so find themselves as well. New insights will prompt Rose and Lottie to send for their husbands. Lady Caroline, or 'Scrap' as she is known, will find love in spite of her wish to be alone and her great beauty. Mrs. Fisher will form a friendship with Lottie and her husband, and discover a renewed zest for creativity in this heaven by the sea.

This is a novel about life and love, told gently through the emotions of these women, as the the suprise of beauty and the warmth of being suddenly admired and seen as beautiful, when they had not been before, changes their simple lives, which were not so simple at all. You will definitely enjoy this novel if you enjoyed the film. It is about love restored, and love discovered, along the wistaria covered steps leading down to the sea.

Light, beautiful and full of magic, 17 May 2003
I love this book. I've read it several times and it's as lovely each time. Last time I read the whole book on a long train journey and I didn't mind the long delays because I was enjoying myself! I think it's a happy, dreamy, magical book, full of flowers, sunshine and emotion. The characters become more and more truly themselves as the book progresses.

Enchanting, 19 Aug 2008
Having loved both filmed versions of this story, I came to the book not anticipating any surprises, and in that respect I was correct. What I did get, however, was a more fully-formed understanding of each of the four women who come to San Salvatore. Each has her own quest, and each is surprised in the way that her quest is resolved.

Elizabeth von Arnim can harness language in ways that few other authors are able. She is, for instance, able to display what a walking joke Mr. Wilkins is, while letting him think that he's the very model of an educated man.

I started off loathing both Mrs. Fisher and Lady Caroline Dester in a way that wasn't true when watching the films. This made their transformations that much more satisfying, in the end.

I'm now interested in reading other books from Elizabeth von Arnim and, even more importantly, visiting the castello where the story is based. She wrote The Enchanted April after her own visit, and it has continued to "enchant" travelers in the many years since the publication of her novel. I can't wait to see the "tub of love" and be surrounded by wistaria myself.

misleading (I think), 12 Jun 2007
I haven't actually read this so I can't review the story, but have purchased this edition of the book I wanted to read, only to realise that it isn't the full book, it's a 'retold' version aimed at people learning to read. Not a dis to that concept, just that I feel it's unlikely you'll realise before you actually have the book in your hands unless you know what Macmillan Readers are (obviously I didn't), as there is no indication in the details here.

Enchanted April, 28 Jan 2004
The image of Italy, in a time of gentle romance falls from the page. It is as refreshing as a glass of crisp white wine, while bathing in the evening sun. The characters are at one time seperate holiday makers and a collective changing of attitudes to others and to themselves.On the face of it, it is a book about four women who go on holiday together but in fact it is about taking chnaces no matter how small or big.
It is the perfect book for anyone who has been in love with a place and a person at the same time and will be again.

The Restorative Power of Beauty, 04 Jul 2003
Much like the film this book by Elizabeth Von Arnim inspired, there is something peaceful here on these pages. This is a gentle novel about the gradual internal changes brought about by the beauty of our surroundings. It is a book that reads itself as much as it is read, the author writing with the flow of the characters thoughts and feelings as their hearts are changed by the suprise of beauty.

An ad to rent a castle in San Salvatore on the Italian Riviera will prompt two British women, Rose and Lottie, with only a passing acquaintance, to inexplically leave their husbands behind for a summer that will change their lives and their marriages forever.

Joining Rose and Lottie for this holiday is Mrs. Fisher, an older woman living in the past, and Lady Caroline Dester, a grey-eyed society beauty tired of being gawked at like a majestic statue, not allowed to be human. Diverse in nature and temperment, not to mention background, they interact uneasily together until the flowers and the sea bring about a change in their souls.

Surrounded by fig and olive trees, plum blossoms and Tamarisk daphnes, and the scents of fortune's yellow rose and blooming acacia, the women slowly find their roles at this castle by the sea, and in doing so find themselves as well. New insights will prompt Rose and Lottie to send for their husbands. Lady Caroline, or 'Scrap' as she is known, will find love in spite of her wish to be alone and her great beauty. Mrs. Fisher will form a friendship with Lottie and her husband, and discover a renewed zest for creativity in this heaven by the sea.

This is a novel about life and love, told gently through the emotions of these women, as the the suprise of beauty and the warmth of being suddenly admired and seen as beautiful, when they had not been before, changes their simple lives, which were not so simple at all. You will definitely enjoy this novel if you enjoyed the film. It is about love restored, and love discovered, along the wistaria covered steps leading down to the sea.

Light, beautiful and full of magic, 17 May 2003
I love this book. I've read it several times and it's as lovely each time. Last time I read the whole book on a long train journey and I didn't mind the long delays because I was enjoying myself! I think it's a happy, dreamy, magical book, full of flowers, sunshine and emotion. The characters become more and more truly themselves as the book progresses.

A beguiling, unforgettable book - read it!, 11 Apr 2006
Rose-Marie Schmidt lives with her father, a Goethe scholar, in the provincial German town of Jena at the turn of the century. Into their narrow life comes Roger Anstruther, a dashing young Englishman ... But it's not a traditional love story by any means. The novel starts with their engagement and Roger's return to England, and is a wonderfully subtle story of betrayal, friendship and the shifting balances of power in any relationship. This is a totally enchanting story, a portrait of a vanished pre-war world but also a tart dissection of relations between the sexes. Possibly also the first and best book written on long-distance relationships.

Funny, bitter-sweet memoir of a Victorian novelist, 07 Oct 2001
Elizabeth von Arnim lived an uncoventional life. Despite being a member of German aristocracy through marriage, she rejected the frivolous life-style of her class and found refuge in books and nature.

The Solitary Summer is the very funny and life-affirming account of a year at her summer residence. She writes of her children, of her attempts at gardening and the rigours of running her household. A theme throughout is her longing to throw down her responsibilities and escape to the countryside or to her library.

Von Arnim was a feminist but one who recognised that wit was perhaps the best weapon in puncturing the chauvanism and narrow-mindedness of her age. Her voice rings out as caustic, playful and beguiling as it was over a century ago.

Enchanting, 19 Aug 2008
Having loved both filmed versions of this story, I came to the book not anticipating any surprises, and in that respect I was correct. What I did get, however, was a more fully-formed understanding of each of the four women who come to San Salvatore. Each has her own quest, and each is surprised in the way that her quest is resolved.

Elizabeth von Arnim can harness language in ways that few other authors are able. She is, for instance, able to display what a walking joke Mr. Wilkins is, while letting him think that he's the very model of an educated man.

I started off loathing both Mrs. Fisher and Lady Caroline Dester in a way that wasn't true when watching the films. This made their transformations that much more satisfying, in the end.

I'm now interested in reading other books from Elizabeth von Arnim and, even more importantly, visiting the castello where the story is based. She wrote The Enchanted April after her own visit, and it has continued to "enchant" travelers in the many years since the publication of her novel. I can't wait to see the "tub of love" and be surrounded by wistaria myself.

misleading (I think), 12 Jun 2007
I haven't actually read this so I can't review the story, but have purchased this edition of the book I wanted to read, only to realise that it isn't the full book, it's a 'retold' version aimed at people learning to read. Not a dis to that concept, just that I feel it's unlikely you'll realise before you actually have the book in your hands unless you know what Macmillan Readers are (obviously I didn't), as there is no indication in the details here.

Enchanted April, 28 Jan 2004
The image of Italy, in a time of gentle romance falls from the page. It is as refreshing as a glass of crisp white wine, while bathing in the evening sun. The characters are at one time seperate holiday makers and a collective changing of attitudes to others and to themselves.On the face of it, it is a book about four women who go on holiday together but in fact it is about taking chnaces no matter how small or big.
It is the perfect book for anyone who has been in love with a place and a person at the same time and will be again.

The Restorative Power of Beauty, 04 Jul 2003
Much like the film this book by Elizabeth Von Arnim inspired, there is something peaceful here on these pages. This is a gentle novel about the gradual internal changes brought about by the beauty of our surroundings. It is a book that reads itself as much as it is read, the author writing with the flow of the characters thoughts and feelings as their hearts are changed by the suprise of beauty.

An ad to rent a castle in San Salvatore on the Italian Riviera will prompt two British women, Rose and Lottie, with only a passing acquaintance, to inexplically leave their husbands behind for a summer that will change their lives and their marriages forever.

Joining Rose and Lottie for this holiday is Mrs. Fisher, an older woman living in the past, and Lady Caroline Dester, a grey-eyed society beauty tired of being gawked at like a majestic statue, not allowed to be human. Diverse in nature and temperment, not to mention background, they interact uneasily together until the flowers and the sea bring about a change in their souls.

Surrounded by fig and olive trees, plum blossoms and Tamarisk daphnes, and the scents of fortune's yellow rose and blooming acacia, the women slowly find their roles at this castle by the sea, and in doing so find themselves as well. New insights will prompt Rose and Lottie to send for their husbands. Lady Caroline, or 'Scrap' as she is known, will find love in spite of her wish to be alone and her great beauty. Mrs. Fisher will form a friendship with Lottie and her husband, and discover a renewed zest for creativity in this heaven by the sea.

This is a novel about life and love, told gently through the emotions of these women, as the the suprise of beauty and the warmth of being suddenly admired and seen as beautiful, when they had not been before, changes their simple lives, which were not so simple at all. You will definitely enjoy this novel if you enjoyed the film. It is about love restored, and love discovered, along the wistaria covered steps leading down to the sea.

Light, beautiful and full of magic, 17 May 2003
I love this book. I've read it several times and it's as lovely each time. Last time I read the whole book on a long train journey and I didn't mind the long delays because I was enjoying myself! I think it's a happy, dreamy, magical book, full of flowers, sunshine and emotion. The characters become more and more truly themselves as the book progresses.

Surprisingly modern memoirs of Edwardian author, 04 Dec 2003
To me, this is much the best of Von Arnim's writing. Describing the joys and tribulations of a young English woman marrying a German aristocrat she centres on the haphazard creation of her garden and the activities of her children in an examination of European mores.

Her tone is anything but dusty. A top-selling author of her day she seems to have more in common with - the best - Sunday newspaper columnists of today than with her contemporaries. She battles both with chauvanism and the demands of running a country house which threaten to quell her free-wheeling attitude to life, in a style as fresh as it was at the turn of the century.

Marvellous!, 25 May 1999
Elizabeth and her German Garden is a joy: aspiring Gertude Jekylls may not find the horticultural tips they are looking for, but anybody who delights in communing with the earth in their own little corner of half-tamed nature, whilst blithely ignoring the pressures of family and day-to-day life, will find a kindred spirit in Elizabeth.

Victorian novelist writes biography... of her dogs, 30 Sep 2001
Elizabeth von Arnim lived an unconventional life, shot through with both tragedy and personal success. It is characteristic of the quirky sense of humour found in her writing that she should ignore the sparkling social circle of which she was a part and choose to write the lives of her dogs.

Throughout the book we are given tantalising glimpses of the turbulance - and joy - of von Arnim's wider experiences. This short work will delight both dog-lovers and fans of the author.

Enchanting, 19 Aug 2008
Having loved both filmed versions of this story, I came to the book not anticipating any surprises, and in that respect I was correct. What I did get, however, was a more fully-formed understanding of each of the four women who come to San Salvatore. Each has her own quest, and each is surprised in the way that her quest is resolved.

Elizabeth von Arnim can harness language in ways that few other authors are able. She is, for instance, able to display what a walking joke Mr. Wilkins is, while letting him think that he's the very model of an educated man.

I started off loathing both Mrs. Fisher and Lady Caroline Dester in a way that wasn't true when watching the films. This made their transformations that much more satisfying, in the end.

I'm now interested in reading other books from Elizabeth von Arnim and, even more importantly, visiting the castello where the story is based. She wrote The Enchanted April after her own visit, and it has continued to "enchant" travelers in the many years since the publication of her novel. I can't wait to see the "tub of love" and be surrounded by wistaria myself.

misleading (I think), 12 Jun 2007
I haven't actually read this so I can't review the story, but have purchased this edition of the book I wanted to read, only to realise that it isn't the full book, it's a 'retold' version aimed at people learning to read. Not a dis to that concept, just that I feel it's unlikely you'll realise before you actually have the book in your hands unless you know what Macmillan Readers are (obviously I didn't), as there is no indication in the details here.

Enchanted April, 28 Jan 2004
The image of Italy, in a time of gentle romance falls from the page. It is as refreshing as a glass of crisp white wine, while bathing in the evening sun. The characters are at one time seperate holiday makers and a collective changing of attitudes to others and to themselves.On the face of it, it is a book about four women who go on holiday together but in fact it is about taking chnaces no matter how small or big.
It is the perfect book for anyone who has been in love with a place and a person at the same time and will be again.

The Restorative Power of Beauty, 04 Jul 2003
Much like the film this book by Elizabeth Von Arnim inspired, there is something peaceful here on these pages. This is a gentle novel about the gradual internal changes brought about by the beauty of our surroundings. It is a book that reads itself as much as it is read, the author writing with the flow of the characters thoughts and feelings as their hearts are changed by the suprise of beauty.

An ad to rent a castle in San Salvatore on the Italian Riviera will prompt two British women, Rose and Lottie, with only a passing acquaintance, to inexplically leave their husbands behind for a summer that will change their lives and their marriages forever.

Joining Rose and Lottie for this holiday is Mrs. Fisher, an older woman living in the past, and Lady Caroline Dester, a grey-eyed society beauty tired of being gawked at like a majestic statue, not allowed to be human. Diverse in nature and temperment, not to mention background, they interact uneasily together until the flowers and the sea bring about a change in their souls.

Surrounded by fig and olive trees, plum blossoms and Tamarisk daphnes, and the scents of fortune's yellow rose and blooming acacia, the women slowly find their roles at this castle by the sea, and in doing so find themselves as well. New insights will prompt Rose and Lottie to send for their husbands. Lady Caroline, or 'Scrap' as she is known, will find love in spite of her wish to be alone and her great beauty. Mrs. Fisher will form a friendship with Lottie and her husband, and discover a renewed zest for creativity in this heaven by the sea.

This is a novel about life and love, told gently through the emotions of these women, as the the suprise of beauty and the warmth of being suddenly admired and seen as beautiful, when they had not been before, changes their simple lives, which were not so simple at all. You will definitely enjoy this novel if you enjoyed the film. It is about love restored, and love discovered, along the wistaria covered steps leading down to the sea.

Light, beautiful and full of magic, 17 May 2003
I love this book. I've read it several times and it's as lovely each time. Last time I read the whole book on a long train journey and I didn't mind the long delays because I was enjoying myself! I think it's a happy, dreamy, magical book, full of flowers, sunshine and emotion. The characters become more and more truly themselves as the book progresses.

Enchanting, 19 Aug 2008
Having loved both filmed versions of this story, I came to the book not anticipating any surprises, and in that respect I was correct. What I did get, however, was a more fully-formed understanding of each of the four women who come to San Salvatore. Each has her own quest, and each is surprised in the way that her quest is resolved.

Elizabeth von Arnim can harness language in ways that few other authors are able. She is, for instance, able to display what a walking joke Mr. Wilkins is, while letting him think that he's the very model of an educated man.

I started off loathing both Mrs. Fisher and Lady Caroline Dester in a way that wasn't true when watching the films. This made their transformations that much more satisfying, in the end.

I'm now interested in reading other books from Elizabeth von Arnim and, even more importantly, visiting the castello where the story is based. She wrote The Enchanted April after her own visit, and it has continued to "enchant" travelers in the many years since the publication of her novel. I can't wait to see the "tub of love" and be surrounded by wistaria myself.

misleading (I think), 12 Jun 2007
I haven't actually read this so I can't review the story, but have purchased this edition of the book I wanted to read, only to realise that it isn't the full book, it's a 'retold' version aimed at people learning to read. Not a dis to that concept, just that I feel it's unlikely you'll realise before you actually have the book in your hands unless you know what Macmillan Readers are (obviously I didn't), as there is no indication in the details here.

Enchanted April, 28 Jan 2004
The image of Italy, in a time of gentle romance falls from the page. It is as refreshing as a glass of crisp white wine, while bathing in the evening sun. The characters are at one time seperate holiday makers and a collective changing of attitudes to others and to themselves.On the face of it, it is a book about four women who go on holiday together but in fact it is about taking chnaces no matter how small or big.
It is the perfect book for anyone who has been in love with a place and a person at the same time and will be again.

The Restorative Power of Beauty, 04 Jul 2003
Much like the film this book by Elizabeth Von Arnim inspired, there is something peaceful here on these pages. This is a gentle novel about the gradual internal changes brought about by the beauty of our surroundings. It is a book that reads itself as much as it is read, the author writing with the flow of the characters thoughts and feelings as their hearts are changed by the suprise of beauty.

An ad to rent a castle in San Salvatore on th