The Enchanted April

Of course, I’ve seen the movie inspired by this novel a thousand times, but I had never
read the book. Published in 1922, The Enchanted April is a gem of character-driven literary and
women’s fiction. I loved Elizabeth von Arnim’s simple style; yet, her characters are deep, and the narrative flows from one to another in a seamless stream of consciousness. It’s a novel of
evolution and change set in this mystical castle near Genoa, where beauty and life seep into and
touch each of the four ladies renting the castle for the month of April.

I count this book by Elizabeth Von Arnim as one of my all-time favorite books to read and re-read again and again. The setting is the medieval castle of San Salvatore, which stands on a hilltop over a picturesque sunny bay in Italy is absolutely gorgeous. The author skillfully makes the setting come alive. 

But it is the characterization that really shines here with a group of random women who holiday together on a whim, strangers who must see beyond their initial impressions of one another, only discover as much about themselves as they do about the others.

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.