The Enchanted April

I first read this book years ago and though it’s not really about a garden at all (it’s the story of how four women find happiness in an Italian castle on the shores of the Mediterranean), the descriptions of the flowers in this book have stayed with me since. "The lilies, the daphnes, the orange-blossom, the white stocks…." are so vividly painted you can almost smell them, to the point where just thinking about this book makes me long to be in a sunny garden, under a pergola ensconced in blooms.

I have read this book a dozen times. It just makes me so happy! It’s set between the wars. Four very different women rent a villa in Italy for the month of April. They are all escaping something unsatisfactory at home. The beauty of Italy and the unlikely friendship that blossoms between them alters them profoundly. Written from each woman’s perspective, the author gives the reader a wonderful insight into their thoughts and motivations. It’s witty, charming, and clever, but above all, it is so uplifting.