"The Enchanted April" by Elizabeth von Arnim

My Gateway/Lighthouse (now Childless Collective) book club co-host and I have been actively searching for -- and reading -- books that might be a good fit for our group (key requirement:  no "miracle" babies!). Several members had mentioned "The Enchanted April" by Elizabeth von Arnim -- and if not the book, then many have seen & loved the 1991 movie adaptation (which I have not seen, but which I hear is very good). I'd been meaning to read this one for a while now anyway, and decided to check it out. 

Reading the newspaper on a rainy February afternoon at her women's club, Mrs. Lotty Wilkins spots an ad addressed "To Those Who Appreciate Wistaria and Sunshine," offering a fully-furnished medieval castle in Portofino to rent for the month of April (servants included). Across the room, Mrs. Rose Arbuthnot is reading the same newspaper and lingering over the same ad.  Vaguely dissatisfied with their lives and marriages and longing for a holiday, the two women recruit two others to share expenses -- the beautiful, weary, aristocratic Lady Caroline Dester, and the very proper and easily offended Mrs. Fisher -- and head to Italy for a month-long vacation that will change all of their lives..... 

"The Enchanted April" was written in 1922 -- post-war (WWI) England, a full century ago -- and is based on the author's stay in a real-life castle on the Italian Riviera. Supposedly it set off a flood of tourists to the region that continues to this day.  As with many "classic" novels, the writing is much denser, more wordy and slower-moving than what we're used to reading today. There are lengthy passages in which we're treated to the thoughts of the characters -- sometimes really petty, sometimes quite amusing, particularly when differences in class & character/personality are involved. It's easy to get bogged down in the torrent of words at times. 

But there's a lot here to enjoy too -- not just the lovely descriptions of Italy in the springtime, but the dry humour, and the philosophical questions and moral dilemmas presented, which would be excellent fodder for discussion in a book club setting.  :)  I could certainly relate to the different characters' expressed desire for peace and quiet, and to be left alone -- to sit in the sun and do absolutely nothing (which the servants find very strange). The pace picks up in the last few chapters, which hold a few surprises...!  

I can practically guarantee you will close the book thinking of when to take your next holiday -- and a holiday in Italy, specifically!  :)  

ALI alert/mild spoiler:  None of the characters seems to have children -- they are not mentioned. One of the women lost a baby. It's not a major plot point, but it's obviously one of the sources of the malaise she is feeling.  

4 stars on Goodreads. 

This was Book #30 read to date in 2023 (and Book #3 finished in August), bringing me to 67% of my 2023 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 45 books. I am (for the moment, anyway...!) 3 books ahead of schedule. :)  You can find reviews of all my books read to date in 2023 tagged as "2023 books."