Cornflower Book Group - The Enchanted April

 
    "It was, that year, a particularly wonderful spring, and of all the months at San Salvatore April, if the weather was fine, was best. May scorched and withered; March was restless, and could be hard and cold in its brightness; but April came along softly like a blessing, and if it were a fine April it was so beautiful that it was impossible not to feel different, not to feel stirred and touched."

    Happily for the four ladies at the heart of Elizabeth von Arnim's novel, April at San Salvatore that year was not just fine but enchanted, and the magic of the book with its theme of transformation and regeneration continues to touch and delight, reading after reading.

    For anyone who hasn't read The Enchanted April, four ladies, previously unknown to one another, take a castle in Italy for a month's holiday. One, the lofty Mrs. Fisher, is a widow who lives mostly in the past, preferring to sit in solitude and remember "better times and better men"; Lotty and Rose are escaping their mundane, dutiful lives, and their husbands - one a pompous bore, the other a biographer of scandalous women; and the fourth member of the party is Lady Caroline Dester, society beauty and fair game, it seems, for every man she meets. The driving force behind the holiday is Lotty: "she who in England had been such a thing of gusts" now finds balance and indeed bliss at San Salvatore, so much so that she longs to share the experience with the husband she has left behind. Rose, with "the face of a patient and disappointed Madonna", also finds spaciousness in life at the castle, so that she too craves the presence of her husband from whom she has become distanced. And while Lady Caroline lies in the sun and smoothes her ruffled feathers, Mrs. Fisher grows restless and somehow her spirit burgeons as it has never done before.

    " ... there was something peculiar in the atmosphere at San Salvatore. It promoted expansion. It brought out dormant qualities..."

    and as not only Messrs. Wilkins and Arbuthnot arrive to join their respective wives, but the castle's owner Mr. Briggs drops in, too, the place casts its spell and love and light-heartedness blossom.

    The book is charming, (the film*, I think, almost more so), a happy, uplifting read, and one to return to. "The novel is the lightest of omelettes," says Terence de Vere White in the introduction to my edition, "in the making of which the least possible number of eggs get broken. Only an incorrigible pedant would try to judge it at a deeper level."

    Were you enchanted by it? I hope you were, and if this was your first Elizabeth von Arnim, are you now inclined to read more? Either way, perhaps you'll join us for next month's CBG book, for which you'll find details here.

 

*The film's location is the Portofino castle, Castello Brown, in which Elizabeth von Arnim herself stayed in April 1921 and in which she set the book. There seems to be no website as such, but this one gives some idea of the place.

 

Edited to add: the Books and Cakes post for The Enchanted April is now up - click here.

Comments

[the velvet nap]

loved both. So enchanting indeed.

[Chris]

Can I say I loved, loved, loved it, every word. It made me smile, a book that spreads happiness. My first Elizabeth von Armin, and I will be searching out more. Thank you for a treasured read.

[Cornflower]

Wonderful! So glad you loved it, Chris.

[Cornflower]

It does have a special magic about it.

[Elaine]

Loved it! I have a beautiful Persephone edition that was a joy to read. 'Elizabeth and her German Garden' is also wonderful, I recommend it if you haven't read it

[Joanne]

Ahh...a month in an Italian castle for 60 pounds. One can dream...

This is a great book to read on a dreary winter day. And it is one of the few books that is better as a movie. You just can't beat the visual beauty of the movie. The casting was superb too.

TEA was my first von Arnim. Since reading it, I've gone on to Elizabeth and her German Garden and The Solitary Summer. I love EvA's voice and the reviews I've read of her other works have, for the most part, been very positive. I have downloaded all of her available works on my Kindle and will definitely be reading more.

[Cornflower]

I'm posting this comment on behalf of Nicky who has been having technical problems this morning. Here's what she has to say about the book:

This was a lovely discovery for me too, which has whetted my appetite for more of Elizabeth Von Arnim's work. Once or twice I felt she over-elaborated on certain passages, for instance the fact that it was impossible for Lady Caroline to show her true feelings on her delightful little face, but I forgave that because she writes so engagingly, with wit and sparkle. The book brought a lot of sunshine into my world, which is very welcome at this time, when the winter has been so long. What a good idea to read this at just the right time of year.

[Julie Fredericksen]

It was a bit too twee for me, but I still enjoyed it. I decided to employ Coleridge's willing suspension of disbelief (that these temporary residents could be so transformed by a place). The descriptions of the gardens alone was worth the read. This book injected a touch of spring into a very Unenchanted April in ND. (We had 18 inches of snow two weekends ago and then it got very cold.)

I have ordered the movie upon Joanne's glowing recommendation.

[Barbara]

I love the book and the film but can't add anything to what you say and what I wrote a while ago. E von A's books are variable and I prefer The Enchanted April and German Garden to any others I've read.

[litlove]

I read this first years and years ago and loved it. I reread it and loved it just as much. I'm sure I'll read it again! I find EvA's style completely charming - not just attractive but tinged with wit, insight and the courage to say a lot of things about relationships that often weren't said at the time. I lent it to my mother, but she didn't like it - said it was too happy for her(!) Not a problem for me.....

[Ann]

Read the book and watched the movie version on Netflix and loved them both. Thanks for bringing this to my attention in your blog.

[michi]

I am also one of those who were enchanted by this novel. I spent February feeling so low because of the terrible weather that I could share Lotty's miserable feeling described in the first chapter. How I would've wanted to escape to sunny Italy too!
I felt that the romance between Mr. Briggs and Scrap in the ending was a little unconvincing, but the whole story was so enchanting that it didn't bother me much. I slightly worried that the magic of San Salvatore might lose power when they returned home.
I enjoyed it and loved it. I would love to read other books by this author.

[Lucy]

What a coincidence! I watched the film with my mother last weekend. The book (and the film) have been on her favourite list for decades, literally... I think her copy has the date 1935 in it! It is the most lovely film and the new DVD has fascinating details about the production in Castello Brown - explains why the film suits the location so perfectly!

[Susan in TX]

Just finished. A delightfully relaxing read. This was my first EvA and I haven't seen the film - I will have to seek it out soon. The descriptions of the continual changes in the garden were greatly appreciated - if only my own would transform that quickly without any work. :)

[Paula]

This is a first-time comment for me, though I have been a follower for quite a while. I think this was my third reading of this book. I love the book, love the movie. (I think this is one of those rare movies that keeps the spirit of the book and of the characters intact. The only other examples I can think of off the top of my head are To Kill a Mockingbird and the Jeremy-Irons Brideshead Revisited.) For some reason, this reading left me a little sad at the end. Dear Lotty deserves so much more than Mellersh, whose idea of a great display of affection is to pinch both of Lotty's ears rather than just one. And his continuing attempts to ingratiate himself with everyone are so beneath Lotty's goodness. I can only hope he falls off the boat on the way home, and Lady Caroline and Mr. Briggs introduce Lotty to someone worthy of her.

[Ann]

I love both the book and the movie and I do have a dream of one day walking up to the Castello. The book holds the promise of possibilities. What if you did take a leap out of familiar daily tasks and relationships? I have always felt Elizabeth captured the adjustment of this happening to the characters really well. Surrendering to the magic special places have, especially gardens, can work wonders. I like to imagine that their lives kept the changes; that they chose not to return to what had been familiar. Lotty is my favourite and I have a feeling she is probably the one who is most like Elizabeth on the seeing and feeling side. I've really enjoyed rereading the book. We've been fortunate in Queensland to have an Indian Summer. On one of those days, I sought out the sound of lapping waves as background for reading The Enchanted April and experienced a little of the magic!

[Anji]

It was blowing snow outside when I settled down to read the Enchanted April. This was my first EvA book and I found it delightful. The descriptons of the gardens were just what I needed . In this part of the world April has been a cool snowy affair. It was a nice choice Cornflower as we all needed to have something light and airy.

[Liz]

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this, my first venture with the author. I loved the characters, the descriptions, the humour (oh, that tussle for hostess status between Rose and Mrs Fisher), the magic of the setting being worked on each guest and the happy conclusion. I could nitpick by saying that some of the loose ends were perhaps a tad too conveniently tied. But I won't!

[Mr Cornflower]

I enjoyed the book, but I think this is a (possibly rare) example of the film actually being better - for example, in the film, the implausibility of the Briggs/Lady Caroline relationship is magicked away by making him so short-sighted he can't see how beautiful she is, he sees something deeper and better within her. But it is still a very agreeable escapist read. Incidentally I quite agree with Paula about the repellent Mellersh - over the side he goes....

[Barbara MacLeod]

A lovely book for April, a real feel-good read! This author loves gardens, make no mistake! I could just smell the flowers outside, in bowls on the table or along the steps as she described them throughout the book.

She’s a great social observer and clearly enjoyed playing around with her characters. Mr Wilkins “enjoying the sound of his own cultured voice” was particularly good.

Finishing the book made me want to rush off and book a holiday to Italy - anywhere, anytime - with its blue sky and sunshine, its food and wine, coastal locations etc etc.

Mind you ... I drove to Stirling yesterday (the last Saturday in April). The countryside was stunning as the new first green of spring has arrived in the trees and hedgerows. The sky was a clear St Andrews blue making Stirling Castle look even more militarily imposing. And the Parks Dept have planted daffs at the base of the castle and along the road edges. Not quite a Mediterranean landscape of enchantment but nonetheless breathtaking in its own northern latitude way!

[Ruthiella]

This was a re-read for me and the book very much holds up. It is something one can keep on their shelves for when they are in need of a mental vacation. I think this second time around I was really able to see the humor in the book. I didn't find Mellarsh to be so much annoying as funny.

I was also able to watch the DVD of the film and it was a very good adaptation. I still prefer the book, but I agree with Mr. CR that the Briggs/Lady Caroline handling is better done in the film. I listened to some of the commentary and found that the scene for Mrs. Fischer's home was actually filmed in a museum which seemed totally appropriate!

[Martina]

It was a refreshing read and the comments have encouraged me to try the film on DVD

Must confess a secret delight in reading of Mellersh Wilkins. He was such an effective satiric figure for me. Thought it was a priceless representation of the lawyer on the make, happy to find potential clients through recognising that there were problems to be be litigated. beautiful treatment of law benefiting from the distress of others. EvA had him to a tee!!
Lotty was my favourite character though. And I was brought up sharply by reference to the advanced age of mrs Fisher, that was just too close to home for me!!!!

[Mr Cornflower]

"In my mind you move from middle-aged to old at 85 - at 84 you're still in advanced middle age" (Paul Volcker)

[MelD]

A holiday in my mind - if only holidays were really like this, these days! Very tempting...
I think I'm going to have to get the DVD, as my old video version seems a bit precarious, condition-wise!
But I still like the fact that a book takes a bit longer to read and you can really wallow in it; in this case, the gardens, the sea, the climate, the characters...

[Martina]

Thank you, Mr C, for your gallant response!! I feel so much younger already!!

[Margaret Powling]

A gorgeous book and a super film, too. Not often does a film match up to the standard of a book, but here it does.

[Cornflower]

No, I haven't read it, but it's on my list - thanks, Elaine.

[Cornflower]

Great! And yes, the film is beautiful and the casting perfect.

[Cornflower]

I agree - her descriptions of flowers and gardens are beguiling. Enjoy the film, Julie.

[Cornflower]

It occurred to me after I wrote the post that there probably isn't very much to say about this book - in terms of having a discussion. A lovely read but perhaps not the best book group choice!

[Cornflower]

I love happy books - the happier the better!

[Cornflower]

You're most welcome, Ann.

[Cornflower]

I'm glad it was a hit with you, Michi.

[Cornflower]

I've read and watched and read and watched again and it remains utterly charming. I'm not surprised to hear that it has had a place in your mother's affections for so long, Lucy!

[Cornflower]

It is relaxing, isn't it?

[Cornflower]

Perhaps the San Salvatore effect will continue where Mellersh is concerned!

[Cornflower]

Marvellous! "The promise of possibilities" - I love that.

[Cornflower]

I'm so glad I thought of it in time to read it in the appropriate season.

[Cornflower]

I think it is the sort of book where the reader accepts what the author does with her characters - we all need a bit of magic!

[Cornflower]

Poor old Mellersh!

[Cornflower]

I shall look at Stirling in a new light the next time I'm there. Thankyou, Barbara!

[Cornflower]

"Mental vacation" - excellent phrase; I'll remember that one, Ruthiella.

[Cornflower]

I'm sure Mrs. Fisher's perceived age was further advanced by all her reminiscences of eminent Victorians, themselves mostly old by the time she knew them!

[Cornflower]

Oh, wouldn't it be wonderful to have a holiday like that!

[Cornflower]

I do agree, Margaret.

[Rebecca]

I am late to the discussion party, having spent a lot of last weekend enjoying a nice weekend (the first one this spring!). Mr. C's point was mine, too: I was shocked to find the Briggs/Caroline love handled so awkwardly in the book when it was so nicely done in the movie. However, I did find some insightful points in Lotty's gushing at the start--it does wear on one to be good and kind all the time, and being a little selfish (especially in a nasty season like March!) can really change one's personality for the better! What a pleasant read!

[Karoline]

I really enjoyed reading this. Escaping to Italy was the perfect antidote to caring for a small boy with chicken pox

[Cornflower]

Oh no! I sympathise.

[Cornflower]

The 'selfish' point is a very interesting one!!