The Enchanted April - Softcover

Von Arnim, Elizabeth

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1604441402 ISBN 13: 9781604441406

Publisher: IndoEuropeanPublishing.com, 2012

Synopsis

The Enchanted April is a 1922 novel by Elizabeth von Arnim. It was made into an RKO Radio movie in 1935, and a second adaptation, directed by Mike Newell, was released in 1992. The 1992 release received several Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations. A Tony Award-nominated stage play by Matthew Barber, also adapted from the novel, was presented on Broadway in 2003. Elizabeth von Arnim's novel tells the story of four dissimilar women in 1920s England who leave their damp and rainy environs to go on a holiday to a secluded coastal castle in Italy. Mrs Arbuthnot and Mrs Wilkins, who belong to the same ladies' club but have never spoken, become acquainted after reading an advertisement for villas for rent in a newspaper. They find some common ground in that both are struggling to make the best of unhappy marriages. Having decided to seek other ladies to help share expenses, they reluctantly take on the waspish, elderly Mrs Fisher and the stunning, but aloof, Lady Caroline Dester. The four women come together at the castle and find rejuvenation in the tranquil beauty of their surroundings, rediscovering hope and love. The movie based on The Enchanted April was shot on location at Castello Brown in Portofino Italy. The same castle where the author of the book stayed in the 1920s.

About this title

From the Publisher

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.

About the Author

Elizabeth von Arnim Russell (1866–1941), born Mary Annette Beauchamp, was an Australian-born British novelist. By marriage she became Gräfin (Countess) von Arnim-Schlagenthin, and by a second marriage, Countess Russell. Although known in her early life as Mary, "after the publication of her first book, she was known to her readers, eventually to her friends, and finally even to her family as Elizabeth." and she is now invariably referred to as Elizabeth von Arnim. She also wrote under the pen name Alice Cholmondeley. In 1898 she started her literary career by publishing Elizabeth and Her German Garden, a semi-autobiographical novel about a rural idyll published anonymously and, as it turned out to be highly successful, reprinted 20 times within the first year. Von Arnim wrote another 20 books, which were all published "By the author of Elizabeth and Her German Garden". Enchanted April was adapted into an Academy Award-nominated feature film, directed by Mike Newell, in 1992, and a Tony Award-nominated stage play by Matthew Barber, in 2003. Her book Mr. Skeffington was made into a movie starring Bette Davis and Claude Rains in 1944.

About this edition

• Publisher: IndoEuropeanPublishing.com
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1604441402
• ISBN 13: 9781604441406
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 186