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The Enchanted April (New York Review Books Classics) [Paperback]

Elizabeth von Arnim , Cathleen Schine
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (89 customer reviews)

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Book Description

April 3, 2007 New York Review Books Classics
A recipe for happiness: four women, one medieval Italian castle, plenty of wisteria, and solitude as needed.

The women at the center of The Enchanted April are alike only in their dissatisfaction with their everyday lives. They find each other—and the castle of their dreams—through a classified ad in a London newspaper one rainy February afternoon. The ladies expect a pleasant holiday, but they don’t anticipate that the month they spend in Portofino will reintroduce them to their true natures and reacquaint them with joy. Now, if the same transformation can be worked on their husbands and lovers, the enchantment will be complete.

The Enchanted April was a best-seller in both England and the United States, where it was a Book-of-the-Month Club selection, and set off a craze for tourism to Portofino. More recently, the novel has been the inspiration for a major film and a Broadway play.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Four Englishwomen vacation together at an Italian castle in von Arnim's novel, a film version of which is now a popular art-house attraction.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up-Four English ladies, strangers to each other, rent a villa for a month near Portofino. By Elizabeth Von Arnim. Narrated by Flo Gibson.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 376 pages
  • Publisher: NYRB Classics (April 3, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1590172256
  • ISBN-13: 978-1590172254
  • Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.6 x 8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (89 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #73,570 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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Customer Reviews

I could read the book and watch the movie over and over! "chewiek9"  |  17 reviewers made a similar statement
It is a book about growth and change and the courage to recognize and face one's own defects. JD Skier  |  10 reviewers made a similar statement
The writing is so witty, and warm, the story so imaginative, the moral so wise. C. L Wilson  |  11 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
85 of 86 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A castle in Italy September 27, 2000
By Krista
Format:Paperback
The lure of Italy, particularly during a dismal, rainy day elsewhere, is hard to resist. For four British women, the attraction brings them to San Salvatore, a Tuscan villa, for an entire month of vacation.

The women are very different. Lotty Wilkins, nervous and talkative, is treated like a child by her husband and is starting to chafe from his oppression. Rose Arbuthnot, with a "face like a disappointed madonna," is pious, sweet, and desperately unhappy. Margaret Fisher, stern and demanding, lives in a past peppered with famous literary encounters. And Caroline Dester, striking beautiful and popular, is lonely and bored with her whirlwind social life.

The four rent San Salvatore together, and immediately begin to change. Lotty loses her nervous demeanor, and becomes a self confident, mature woman. Rose blossoms when she realizes that she does possess beauty, and wins back the love of her formerly indifferent husband. Margaret thaws out and begins to smile and relax, even conversing with the other tenants, living in the present instead of the dusty past. And Caroline re-opens her heart to love and friendship by recognizing the emptiness of her life before she left for Italy.

What is it that changes these women? Sun and rest in a beautiful place? Yes, partly, but mostly it is the friendship of three extraordinary people.

I'd love to see this enjoyable novel brought back into print.

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58 of 59 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars DO NOT BUY THE Echo Library EDITION October 26, 2008
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I am 1/3rd of the way through this book. If you enjoy Austen and the like, as I do, you will enjoy this novel. However, I encourage you to buy a different edition. This edition of the book is riddled with typos. "r" instead of "n", "her" instead of "he", etc. And it's not just occaisionally. Sometimes it's several on a page. It interupts the flow of the story and I'm about ready to chuck this copy and check a different edition out of the library.
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35 of 35 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Enchanting Read September 5, 2003
By Megami
Format:Paperback
For the start of this book I was a bit worried I wouldn't finish it, as it felt in the beginning like a terribly earnest `ladies' book; but I soon found out what a lovely book it is - I would call it charming if that wasn't so twee.

Four women - all strangers - spend a month sharing a house in Italy. Slowly but surely they slough off their old, grey skins and discover happiness. Much of this happiness comes simply from a change in their perceptions. Lotty, slightly fey, is the first to fall for the house's charms, and soon begins to act like the person she really is, rather than the quiet mousy woman her life has made her. When her husband comes to visit he realises what a wonder his wife is, and though his motives for visiting were less than pure, he falls back in love with the woman he first married. Rose, who constantly battles to square any enjoyment in life with her conscious, has the same effect when her husband accidentally arrives near the end of her holiday - he realises that his wife is still the woman he first married.

The other two women also have their epiphanies - old Mrs Fisher realises that living in the past, her only enjoyment being memories of the good and the great she met in her youth, is not as enjoyable as she thought; she lightens up and moves on to let happiness in to her life. And beautiful Scrap - Lady Caroline - realises how empty her life is. Slowly through the book we see her formulate a future life, and though she hasn't reached it by the novel's end, you feel she will.

This is a clever book - it makes you question how your perceptions flavour your life, and it also makes you question your perceptions of others. If only we all had a house in Italy to spend time reflecting on these issues.....

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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars I wasn't sure about this book at first but....
I love anything written about Europe, especially Italy. I wasn't feeling the England part but it had interesting dynamics once they got to their destination. Read more
Published 10 days ago by rabidreader
5.0 out of 5 stars Whimsical and refreshing
Whenever I find myself bogged down by read too much Faulkner or Steinbeck (or other heavy, serious literature), I take the time to re-read this book. Or Anne of Green Gables. Read more
Published 14 days ago by E. Strickenburg
5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful love story
Four strangers share a castle in Italy for a month. The beauty of the place heals them, and love is the result. This is a story about real love and romance. Read more
Published 16 days ago by Katherine Rollins
4.0 out of 5 stars Charming
This was an utterly charming book that I enjoyed thoroughly and would recommend to anyone needing a small holiday from their lives. Read more
Published 16 days ago by Lilli
5.0 out of 5 stars Finally!
Finally, a classic book that reads like a letter from a friend, and one that illustrates the way positivity can change the people around one. I lovely book, with a charming voice.
Published 16 days ago by S. Zieg
5.0 out of 5 stars Enchanting
Enjoyed every page and sorry when it came to an abrupt end. Fortunately there is the indication that a happily ever after for all of the characters . Read more
Published 18 days ago by Georgia Daly
5.0 out of 5 stars Women do it better
The author is much better at the typical "coincidence" so common in 19th/early 20th century European novels written by men. Read more
Published 26 days ago by Crazy4Sting
2.0 out of 5 stars Skip the book, see the movie
This is a case where a good screenwriter, director and cast have been able to turn a mediocre novel into a fine film. Read more
Published 1 month ago by C. Michael Ryle
5.0 out of 5 stars Charming
Clearly a classic, as it has been made into a movie and a play. Beautifully read, great for a road trip
Published 2 months ago by roshactor
4.0 out of 5 stars Loved the book
I enjoyed the beautiful message of this book along along with the descriptions of Italy. Ponder the love around you and add to it.
Published 2 months ago by CDJreader
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