The Enchanted April

Synopsis

Four women, with very different backgrounds and characters-- the artless Lottie Wilkins, the pious Rose Arbuthnot, the cantankerous Mrs. Fisher and the haughty Lady Caroline Dester-- respond to an advertisement in The Times offering a medieval castle to rent in Italy that April. As their joint holiday begins, tensions flare up between them, but they soon bond over their past misfortunes and rediscover hope and the pleasures of life in their tranquil surroundings.

Loved

• Unlikely friendships. This is quickly becoming one of my very favorite literary tropes and I can't get enough of it! I love that these four ended up on vacation together. All four are completely different in personality and values, but it turns out all of them just want to find genuine connection and purpose in their lives. What a treat to watch their walls and judgments break down as they learn more about each other and examine their own assumptions and beliefs.

• Mrs. Wilkins. I love each one of these four women so much, but Lottie Wilkins is just the cutest. She is reminiscent of Anne Shirley in her uncanny ability to pierce even the coldest and most guarded souls, as well as her sunny optimism and whimsical adoration of beauty and joy. Watching her blossom at San Salvatore is sweet, but seeing how she helps others feel love and affection makes the story so heart warming.

• The dry humor. Another one of my favorite elements of literature checked off- dry British wit. Most of the dry humor comes through Von Arnim's narration of the events and analysis of the thoughts of the characters. She is subtle in her wit, but sharp and quick. Also just the circumstances themselves make for some pretty sticky and awkward situations- sticking four very different women in one castle-- what could go wrong?

• Romance within marriage. Yet another trope I love- when married couples are reconciled and find love within their own marriage. Not that I enjoy couples being estranged from each other . . . but it is always fun when married couples fall in love with each other all over again. It's refreshing sometimes to have couples already be married and dealing with more realistic issues than just the standard romance.

Didn't Love

• This was a little slow at the beginning, just because there are very few events that happen in the story- most of it is character development. It did feel a little slow the first week at the castle when they are all separated and not liking each other.

• There was also one love interest that I just couldn't quite connect with, but it didn't ruin the story for me.

• I was a little annoyed with the men-are-helpless-around-beautiful-women-and-women-have-no-other-function-than-to-be-looked-at idea. But I understand this was written in the 20s, and views about women were very different than they are today!

Content

• Language: 
• One use of "damn."

• Sexual content: 
• A few kisses between married couples, one passionate but not described.
• Lots of talk of men, married and single, pining over beautiful women and becoming helpless because of them.

• Violence
• None.


• Other themes: 
• Religion. One of the women is very pious and examines her views of God and how her piety affects her life. It never says which religion she is, just that she's Christian.

Overall Thoughts

What a little gem of a story! This was just the perfect way to spend the first week of spring- whimsy, friendship, gardens, connection, and rekindled romance. These four women are all so lovable in their own way, and I loved watching each "blossom" as she becomes influenced by the beauty and simplicity of San Salvatore. Their friendships are heartwarming, and the romances are sweet and refreshing. Don't go into this expecting a lot of plot, because hardly anything happens apart from sitting in the garden all day and eating meals. Most of the story happens as characters think through things, have conversations, and change perspectives. This is the perfect spring story, and it will leave you smiling, satisfied, and appreciating a little more the beauty of your surroundings and the people around you :)