The Enchanted April

Elizabeth von Arnim

Eph 2012 · Penguin UK

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'This delicious confection will work its magic on all' Daily Telegraph

The discreet advertisement in The Times, addressed 'To Those who Appreciate Wistaria and Sunshine', offers a small medieval castle for rent, above a bay on the Italian Riviera. Four very different women - the dishevelled and downtrodden Mrs Wilkins, the sad, sweet-faced Mrs Arbuthnot, the formidable widow Mrs Fisher and the ravishing socialite Lady Caroline Dester - are drawn to the shores of the Mediterranean that April. As each, in turn, blossoms in the warmth of the Italian spring and finds their spirits stirring, quite unexpected changes occur.

The Enchanted April, published in 1922, is a witty and delightful depiction of what it is like to rediscover joy.

'Brims with magic and laughter' Amanda Craig, Guardian

Includes a new introduction by Salley Vickers, author of Miss Garnet's Angel

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Cousin of Katherine Mansfield and lover of H.G. Wells, Elizabeth von Arnim was at the hub of the literary and political society of her time. She was born in Australia in 1866 but grew up in England, and began her career in 1898 with the semi-autobiographical Elizabeth and Her German Garden. She was married twice and died in 1941.

Salley Vickers was born in Liverpool and read English at Newnham College Cambridge. Her first novel, Miss Garnet's Angel (2000), became an international word-of-mouth bestseller. Her most recent novels include Mr Golightly's Holiday (2003) and Dancing Backwards (2009).