Showing results by author "Elizabeth von Arnim" in All Categories

It began in a women's club in London on a February afternoon. A discreet advertisement in The Times, addressed to "Those who Appreciate Wistaria and Sunshine..." lures four very different women away from the dismal British weather to San Salvatore, a castle high above a bay on the sunny Italian Riviera. There, the Mediterranean spirit stirs the souls of Mrs Arbuthnot, Mrs Wilkins, Lady Caroline Dester, and Mrs Fisher, and remarkable changes occur.

gentle romance begins innocently enough in the stalls of a London theatre where Catherine is enjoying her ninth and Christopher his thirty-sixth visit to the same play. He is a magnificent young man with flame-coloured hair. She is the sweetest little thing in a hat. There is just one complication: Christopher is 25, while Catherine is just a little bit older. Flattered by the passionate attentions of youth, Catherine, with marriage and motherhood behind her, is at first circumspect, but finally succumbs to her lover's charms.

Indoors are servants, meals, and furniture. There, too, is The Man of Wrath, her upright Teutonic husband, inspiring in Elizabeth a mixture of irritation, affection, and irreverence. But outside she can escape domestic routine, read favorite books, play with her three babies and garden to her heart's content. Through Elizabeth's eyes we watch the seasons, from May's "oasis of bird-cherries and greenery" to the time when "snow carpets her Pomeranian wilderness".

When her husband is suddenly killed in a car accident, the widowed Milly Bott is surprised to find that he has left her only a small fraction of his wealth, bequeathing the rest to a charity for fallen women, with the cryptic note that ‘my wife will know why’. From that moment she knows that her late husband must have known about her clandestine affair.

To Those who Appreciate Wisteria and Sunshine. Small medieaval Italian Castle on the shores of the Mediterranean to be Let Furnished for the month of April. This small advertisement sparks something long dormant in the reluctant hearts of two downcast London women - the possibility of happiness.

Brought to you by Penguin. 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...

This is a journey of both escape and discovery for four exquisitely different women, a month of bliss and privacy for four weary souls. Their refuge on the Italian Riviera provides the perfect backdrop for a story about the search for spiritual harmony within and without.

Ingebor Bullivant, the put-upon daughter of the Bishop of Redchester, suddenly rebels and takes a week's tour to Lucerne. Constantly in the company of a ponderous German pastor, she is put into a quandary when he proposes marriage. Faced with her father's wrath on her return, she accepts Herr Dremmel with simple relief. But as a pastor's wife in East Prussia, she finds she has merely exchanged one set of rules for another...

Since her mother's death, Jennifer has devoted years of her life to her father, managing the family home. After the sudden announcement that he has taken a new wife, Jennifer, at 33, seizes the opportunity to lead an independent life. Quickly she secures the lease of Rose Cottage and turns her attention to her own interests. While Jennifer is desperate to experience life on her own terms within her reduced financial means, her neighbour, Alice, is pre-occupied with ensuring her position as head of her brother's household is never challenged.

Fräulein Schmidt and Mr. Anstruther is a novella written by Elizabeth von Arnim, a British-German author known for her witty and insightful novels. Published in 1907, the story revolves around the correspondence between two main characters, Fräulein Rose-Marie Schmidt, a spinster in her late 30s, and Mr. Henry Anstruther, a kind and sympathetic stranger, as they navigate their lives and explore their feelings for each other.

Two unhappily married women, Rose Arbuthnot and Lotty Wilkins, respond to an advertisement offering a month’s rental of a small medieval Italian castle. In order to defray the not inconsiderable cost of such a venture, two other ladies, Lady Caroline Dester and the formidable Miss Fisher, are invited to join them, and thus the four embark on their adventure. The ill-matched companions get off to a rocky start, but the delightful and spell-binding environment of the Italian Riviera unexpectedly brings them together.

Lucy Entwhistle's beloved father has just died; aged twenty-two she finds herself alone in the world. Leaning against her garden gate, dazed and unhappy, she is disturbed by the sudden appearance of the perspiring Mr Wemyss. This middle-aged man is also in mourning - for his wife Vera, who has died in mysterious circumstances. Before Lucy can collect herself, Mr Wemyss has taken charge: of the funeral arrangements, of her kind aunt Dot, but most of all of Lucy herself - body and soul.

Elizabeth von Arnim, who is best known for her later novel The Enchanted April, married a Prussian aristocrat and, with their five children, lived in Nassenheide, Pomerania. Elizabeth and Her German Garden is a semi-autobiographical novel about the joy that the protagonist finds in the delights of her Pomeranian garden, which provides relief from the stifling environment of her household. The novel was originally published anonymously because von Arnim feared that her husband, whom she satirised in the book, would disapprove.

Four very different women, all wanting to escape cold and dreary London for different reasons, come together to share a month's holiday in an Italian medieval castle. There’s timid Lotty Wilkins, terrified of her domineering husband; sober and religious Rose Arbuthnot; rigid and judgemental Mrs Fisher; and the breathtakingly beautiful but disillusioned and unhappy Lady Caroline Dester. They are lured to the castle by the advertised 'wisteria and sunshine', but they end up finding there so much more than they had bargained for.

Romance blossoms when Catherine, a 47-year-old widow, and the 25-year-old Christopher meet at repeated performances of a poorly attended play. However, 1920s London society is shocked by such a match, its disapproval shared by Catherine’s daughter and son-in-law, the curate Stephen. As events unfold, can their relationship survive the opprobrium of those around them as well as the disparity in their ages?

Join Elizabeth von Arnim, the brilliant mind behind Vera and The Enchanted April, as she invites you on a delightful journey through the enchanting German island of Rügen. Accompanied by just a maid and a coachman, Elizabeth encounters a cast of charming and quirky characters, each bringing their own stories to life. With its sharp wit and humor, this novel promises to keep you chuckling from start to finish! (Summary by Christine Rottger)

Join the witty and imaginative Elizabeth von Arnim as she takes you on a delightful journey through Great Britain in this travelogue filled with charm and humor. Prepare to be entertained as she offers a satirical glimpse into the eccentricities of a self-proclaimed German nobleman of her time. (Summary by Christine Rottger)

Vera (1921) by Elizabeth von Arnim is a darkly comedic exploration of her tumultuous second marriage to Earl Russell, offering a sharp critique of the romantic illusions that lead wives to tolerate their husbands tyrannies. This unromantic tale weaves a narrative that foreshadows Daphne du Mauriers Rebecca. Naive Lucy Entwhistle finds herself swept into marriage with widower Everard Wemyss, whose imposing mansion, The Willows, is haunted by the ghost of his late wife, Vera—an obsession that consumes Lucy. The households servants play both sides, cleverly undermining Everards oppressive ...

In Benefactress, we meet Anna Estcourt, a stunning twenty-five-year-old who finds herself at the mercy of her distant brother and his frustrating wife as their penniless ward. With steadfast resolve, she rejects all marriage proposals, determined to carve out her own independence, a dream that feels just out of reach. However, her fortunes change dramatically when Uncle Joachim, her mothers brother, bequeaths her a beautiful estate in Germany. With her newfound wealth, Anna is thrilled to step into the life she’s always wanted, even if her first encounters with the locals are a bit bumpy. ...

Dive into the captivating journey of a young woman who breaks free from the constraints of her family life, embarking on a quest for self-discovery and feminist ideals. Written by an author with a rich tapestry of experiences—from Australia to England, marriage in Germany, and a new life in the United States—this tale blends humor and disillusionment. Set just before World War I, it carries a touch of autobiography that will resonate with anyone seeking to understand the complexities of identity and freedom. (Summary by JCarson)