Books
by Elizabeth von Arnim
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Elizabeth and her German Garden |
As obligatory reading-list material at school this bored me but rediscovering it now is pure delight. Elizabeth married the quintessential chauvinistic Prussian aristocrat and, moving to his estate in the far north of Germany, fell in love with the rambling overgrown garden, which she set about redesigning. Anti-conformist, irreverent and independent-minded, this almost entirely autobiographical account of troublesome guests, grumpy gardeners, stern husband and above all her beloved garden is delectably funny and wise.
(Annabel Bedini - bwl 50 March 2009) |
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The Enchanted April |
Published in 1922, this has lost nothing in aging. Four women, previously unknown to each other, rent a castle on the Ligurian coast. Each has her personal knot of unhappiness and this is the perceptive and extremely funny tale of how the knots get unravelled in the atmosphere of beauty and sunshine. I read it straight through twice, picking up the second time gems I had missed in my first gallop. Enchanted April? Enchanted me!
(Annabel Bedini - bwl 120 Spring 2026) |
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