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.

"Enchanted April" is one of my favorite books. It is such a warm, witty, wonderful story, full of hope and romance. I hear it is going to be a Broadway show this April! (fittingly) I cannot wait... I know I'm going to be the first one on line for tickets, that's for sure. All you other "Enchanted April" lovers out there, I urge you to come see this show! I'm sure this will be one of the finest shows on Broadway in a long time!

Yay "Enchanted April!"

This is a delightful story...one of my favorite books! Gives you a little faith that even seemingly irreconcileable situations can be restored or transformed, that drastically different people can find common ground and become friends, and that people can change their lives for the better! A sunny read for a dark winter day!

It is so wonderful to see that Elizabeth von Arnim's books are being reprinted. I find it difficult to pick a favorite, because all her books are delightful. This book is wonderful because it is so full of humor. I laughed out loud at some scenes! How Elizabeth "escapes" from different groups of people on Rugen and her descriptions of them make fun reading. I hope this and other books by Elizabeth that are being reprinted will spark a whole new generation of fans. She is a writer who doesn't deserve to be forgotten.

This delightful story of twin adolescent girls orphaned and traveling to a new life in the United States shortly before the U.S. enters World War I has all the fresh, comic charm of Elizabeth Von Arnim's other books. The girls, born of an English mother and a Prussian aristocrat father, find it difficult not to belong totally to one nation in time of war between those nations. They nickname themselves "Christopher" and "Columbus" because they will be discovering a new world for themselves and because as twins, they are almost the same person. Their binational identity brings them trouble everywhere, while their innocence, helplessness, and courage win them friends who help. Who will like this book? Twins, women of all ages, readers who appreciate how delicious the English language can be in the hands of a facile writer, historians of the period, those interested in what it's like to be a refugee or expatriate, and of course Von Arnim fans.

Catherine is middle aged and Christopher a young man but she is brave enough to accept the challenge and the unexpected gift life has in store for her. Love is more important than the disapproval and the hypocrisy of society. An intelligent,well written,subtle novel,which is also extremely modern.

This is one of Von Arnim's very best novels, full of surprising wit and sometimes caustic criticism of the lonely existence of an intelligent British woman in a turn-of-the-century aristocratic German household. In particular, the childbirth scenes are chilling, and reminiscent of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper, though Von Arnim typically treats the topic with more humor. The ending is as brilliant as those of her contemporary Edith Wharton.

This book captivated both me and my best friend. The issue of the book I read was printed in 1907 and is titled The Solitary Summer by the author of "Elizabeth and her German Garden". Nowhere else in the book does it ever reveal the author's name. The book starts out with a dedication "To the man of Wrath with some apologies and much love". The book is a diary (May-September) of a woman with 3 small babies (referred to only as my April baby, my May baby, my June baby) who wants to spend the entire summer to herself.The first page of the book begins. "May 2nd - Last night after dinner, when we were in the garden, I said, "I want to be alone for a whole summer, and get to the very dregs of life. I want to be as idle as I can, so that my soul may have time to grow. Nobody shall be invited to stay with me, and if any one calls they will be told that I am out, or away, or sick. I shall spend the months in the garden, and on the plain, and in the forests. I shall watch the things that happen in my garden, and see where I have made mistakes. On wet days I will go into the thickest parts of the forests, where the pine needles are everlastingly dry, and when the sun shines I'll lie on the heath and see how the broom flares against the clouds. I shall be perpetually happy, because there will be no one to worry me." And so begins her solitary summer, filled with books, the garden(s), nature, her thoughts and reflections. And conversations with her husband who does not believe she can endure an entire summer without visitors.

I loved this book! I have bought several copies to give as gifts, but will keep one for myself to re-read. Elizabeth von Armin's relationship with the people, dogs, and houses in her life is recounted with a great deal of charm, wit, and droll humor.

I own all 21 of Elizabeth's book..am trying to replace the ones that were water damaged. I would highly recommend any books written by this author

This is expressionist painting made into a book. So very pleasant and refreshing.To read leisurely.

This book was referred to in Rosamunde Pilcher's "The Shell Seekers". It sounded interesting to me and so I ordered it.

Since it was written in 1898, it tells of a life very different than any today. As an Englishwoman, it was difficult for her to live in the stuffy German society in the city. Having a garden and house in the country where she did quite what she wanted kept her sane. Of course, having a houseful of servants helped.

She has a wonderful sense of humor while describing all the little things that she cannot do as the lady of the house. It must have been a very difficult situation.

I loved the term she gave her husband, "The Man of Wrath". I'm going to look for more books by this author.

This is the story of Elizabeth, who speaks in a facetious and teasing manner...her husband sees her as typical "woman", therefore he can laugh at her and be charmed with her ways...she sees him as "the man of wrath", bound by natural laws to be serious, to be the dose of practicality. These may be stereo-typical views of the sexes, after all, the book was written in 1898. Elizabeth is writing in a biographical, journal style, telling of her days preparing their country estate to be inhabited by her and her "babies". She indulges in "the purest selfishness" by daydreaming with books in her garden. The story is full of sweet, endearing moments. She was an avid reader and has interesting comments on where certain authors are best read; she tells charming stories of her children and their ideas about the "Lieber Gott", and has a, sometimes, sharp sense of humor in regards to the people who will come and disrupt her solitary lifestyle. I would strongly recommend any of her other books you can find-particularly Solitary Summer (which is a continuation of this story), Mr. Skeffington, Enchanted April, and Jasmine Farm