Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 36
 Not quite up to my expectation August 30, 2010
K. Huff (Radnor, PA)
In The Enchanted April, three Englishwomen--strangers to one another--impulsively decide to rent a medieval house in Italy after seeing an ad in a newspaper addressed to "those who appreciate wistaria and sunshine." There are Mrs. Wilkins, a housewife wanting a break from the rainy monotony of London; Mrs. Arbuthnot; Lady Caroline Dester, young and fickle; and Mrs. Fisher, older than the rest but also in need of a break.
Elizabeth Von Arnim's descriptions of Italy, and the castle's gardens, are superb; you actually feel as though you're in Italy with the women as they enjoy their holiday. But the women never seem to lave San Salvatore, and so the action of the novel seems a bit stagnant at times; I felt while reading this that the characters were running around in circles. You get lots of descriptions of the gardens around San Salvatore (Von Arnim was an avid gardener), and the food that they eat; it made me want to hop on a plane and go to Italy myself! Reading this book is a little like taking a vacation, too; there's a very surreal, magical feeling to the book, almost as though you're walking on air (a weird way to describe a book, but that's what I felt when reading!). It's one of those books that are perfect for reading on vacation.
The story started off really well. However, the plot gets lost a little bit towards the middle, as the husbands and potential lovers begin arriving. The characters changed far too much, too soon but ultimately, I really believed in their transformations. It seems as though San Salvatore has an effect on everyone, whether or not they want it to. The author also rushes a little bit at the end to tie things up, sometimes not realistically. But I did love the author's writing style, and I'm looking forward to tracking down more novels by her.
 Good Story BAD EDITION August 2, 2010
Laura A. Frase (Dallas, Texas USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I adore this story and it is one of my favorite movies. BUT STAY AWAY FROM THIS VERSION OF THE BOOK. This was the only hardcover more current copy that I could find here and it is TERRIBLE. Hyphons instead of periods, jumpy sentences and pagination, loads of spelling errors - TERRIBLE edition and extremely hard to read. I frankly gave up and am returning this to Amazon. This is the hard cover copy that has a blue border with white in the center where the plain title is located. Also has a small flower "icon" on the cover just above the author's name. Kessinger edition - 2010. Save your money!
 Beautiful novel. June 22, 2010
Erika H. (Canada)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
/The Enchanted April/ is just what I needed during a stay in Washington DC: a book full of sunshine. Four women leave dreary, wintery England to live in Italy for a month and basically enjoy a gorgeously described garden, villa, and FOOD (get yourself a plate of cheese and crackers or something while reading).
/The Enchanted April/ is like taking a vacation - the pages are filled with sunlight and trailing wisteria.
What I like is books that are uplifting without being didactic or moralistic or heavy-handed about it, and this one just shows you a lovely holiday, friendships, and springtime in San Salvatore.
I should note that the Kindle edition has a few typos (maybe 5-10) though they do not detract from the reading.
 An exuberant story April 18, 2010
Stephanie Dellosa
"To Those Who Appreciate Wistaria and Sunshine. Small mediaeval Italian Castle on the shores of the Mediterranean to be let furnished for the month of April."
Seduced by the above advertisement, practical British housewives Lottie Wilkins and Rose Arbuthnot decide to pool their savings together and rent for a month, part of an Italian castle in San Salvatore, Italy. They barely know each other or the other women who will be sharing the castle with them, a beautiful, world weary socialite, Lady Caroline Dester; and an elderly woman who longs for the better, more refined days of her youth, Mrs. Fisher.
Lottie wants to get away from the drudgery of being a housewife and Rose wants to get away from her loveless marriage. Lady Caroline just wants to be left alone and Mrs. Fisher desires solitude in which to better treasure her memories. Thrown in together for a month in San Salvatore's beautiful setting, each character blooms.
Mrs. Fisher relaxes her disapproving and mean demeanor. Lady Caroline begins to open herself to others. Unhappy Rose blossoms with re-invigorated love for her husband, who also falls back in love with her. But the most delightful character is Lottie, who goes from being meek and hesitant to quickly embracing the magic of San Salvatore. Her unshakeable belief in San Salvatore's transformative power and sheer joy for living is infectious.
"...it is heaven, isn't it, Rose? See how everything has been let in together--the dandelions and the irises, the vulgar and the superior, me and Mrs. Fisher--all welcome, all mixed up anyhow, and all so visibly happy and enjoying ourselves."
"Mrs. Fisher doesn't seem happy - not visibly, anyhow," said Mrs. Arbuthnot, smiling.
"She'll begin soon, you'll see." ... Mrs. Wilkins said she was sure no one, however old and tough could resist the effects of perfect beauty. Before many days, perhaps only hours, they would see Mrs. Fisher bursting out into every kind of exuberance.
Never has Italy been so beautiful as it is in this book - stunning passages of the countryside (as compared to wet and dreary England) that evoke the same feelings of wonder in the characters.
"All down the stone steps on either side were periwinkles, in full flower, and she could now see what it was that had caught at her the night before and brushed, wet and scented, across her face. It was wistaria. Wistaria and sunshine .. She remembered the advertisement. Here indeed were both in profusion. The wistaria was tumbling over itself in its excess of life, its progality of flowering; and where the pergola ended, the sun blazed on scarlet geraniums, bushes of them, and nasturtiums in great heaps, and marigolds so brilliant that they seemed to be burning...all outdoing each other in bright fierce colour."
The Enchanted April April 16, 2010
Linda L. Reilly (Salt Lake City)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This beautiful story has been ruined by this edition of the book. The editor who worked on this book must have been in elementary school. The frequent typos, sometimes more than one in a single sentence, are distracting and finally infuriating. I will not be keeping this book in my library despite how much I love the story. This publishing house should be ashamed of such an inferior product.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 36
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