The Enchanted April - Softcover

A discrete advertisement in The Times, addressed to ³those who appreciate wisteria and sunshine,² is the prelude to a revelatory month for four very different women. High above a bay on the Italian Riviera stands the medieval castle San Salvatore. Beckoned to this haven are Mrs. Wilkins, Mrs. Arbuthnot, Mrs. Fisher, and Lady Caroline Dester, each quietly craving a respite. Lulled by the gentle spirit of the Mediterranean, they gradually shed their public skins, discovering a harmony each of them has longed for but none has ever known. First published in 1922, this captivating novel is imbued with the descriptive power and lighthearted irreverence for which Elizabeth von Arnim is renowned.

ELIZABETH VON ARNIM grew up in England. During her first marriage, to Count Henning August von Arnim-Schlagenthin, she lived in Berlin and Pomerania, where she wrote the first of twenty-one novels. They had five children, who were tutored by E. M. Forster. After her husband's death, she moved to Switzerland, where she had a brief affair with H.G. Wells before marrying Francis, second Earl Russell, brother of Bertrand Russell. On the failure of her second marriage, Elizabeth ran away to America.