The Enchanted April
Jun 2015 · Sold by Penguin
star
3 reviews
Ebook
240
Pages
Tools
info
family_home
Eligible
info
About this ebook
The charming, slyly comic novel of romantic longing and transformation that inspired the Oscar-nominated film
Four very different women escape the monotony of dreary London for the sunshine of Italy in a medieval castle on the Mediterranean. As each blossoms in the warmth of the Italian spring, they encounter unexpected friendship, personal growth, and heartwarming romance.
An immediate bestseller upon its first publication in 1922, The Enchanted April set off a craze for tourism to the Italian Riviera that continues today. This witty ensemble piece explores new beginnings, happiness, and the power of nature.
Penguin Classics is the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world, representing a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
Four very different women escape the monotony of dreary London for the sunshine of Italy in a medieval castle on the Mediterranean. As each blossoms in the warmth of the Italian spring, they encounter unexpected friendship, personal growth, and heartwarming romance.
An immediate bestseller upon its first publication in 1922, The Enchanted April set off a craze for tourism to the Italian Riviera that continues today. This witty ensemble piece explores new beginnings, happiness, and the power of nature.
Penguin Classics is the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world, representing a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
The charming, slyly comic novel of romantic longing and transformation that inspired the Oscar-nominated film
Four very different women escape the monotony of dreary London for the sunshine of Italy in a medieval castle on the Mediterranean. As each blossoms in the warmth of the Italian spring, ...
Discover more
Ratings and reviews
3 reviews
Monkfish2 Monkfish2
- Flag inappropriate
March 26, 2026
Descriptions in fiction usually feel like ads before the movie. Von Arnim skips the toll. Her April garden doesn’t sit politely. It barges in, smelling of freesias. Wisteria tumbles, marigolds burn, irises shove past dandelions. Color is flung anywhere, as if beauty got bored of rules. This isn’t description, it’s an argument: abundance as a moral stance. Lesser writers list flowers. She traps you inside a painting that breathes. The Enchanted April steals a month of your life and swaps in better weather. Two unhappy Hampstead women rent an Italian castle, add two strangers, and improbably enjoy themselves. The characters are drawn with loving malice. Husbands are ridiculous, the women sharper than they admit. The comedy lands, but something gentler works underneath: beauty loosening damage. Written after real unhappiness, it offers a modest cure: a month, a garden, and permission to want more. Still scandalous, apparently. 💐 💐 💐 💐
About the author
Elizabeth von Arnim (1866–1941), a cousin of the writer Katharine Mansfield and a lover of H. G. Wells, wrote more than twenty books. Born in Australia, she spent most of her childhood in England and lived also in Germany, Switzerland, and France. She moved to the United States at the start of World War II and died in Charleston, South Carolina.
Brenda Bowen (introducer) is the author of the novel Enchanted August, a contemporary reimagining of The Enchanted April set in Maine. A former children’s book publisher, and now a literary agent, she has written more than forty books under the name Margaret McNamara. She lives in New York.
Brenda Bowen (introducer) is the author of the novel Enchanted August, a contemporary reimagining of The Enchanted April set in Maine. A former children’s book publisher, and now a literary agent, she has written more than forty books under the name Margaret McNamara. She lives in New York.
Elizabeth von Arnim (1866–1941), a cousin of the writer Katharine Mansfield and a lover of H. G. Wells, wrote more than twenty books. Born in Australia, she spent most of her childhood in England and lived also in Germany, Switzerland, and France. She moved to the United States at the start of Wo...
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
