The Enchanted April

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Seeking escape from their unfulfilling marriages and monotonous lives in 1920s England, two women become transfixed by an advertisement to rent a medieval Italian castle for the month of April. Lotty Wilkins, who feels stifled by her solicitor husband, and pious Rose Arbuthnot, discontented in her relationship, are joined by two strangers - the glamorous socialite Lady Caroline Dester and the elderly Mrs Fisher - and embark on a journey of self-discovery and unexpected friendship that will change their lives forever.

First published in 1922 and later adapted into a film, Elizabeth von Arnim’s most celebrated novel is a love letter to the power of travel, transporting readers to the sun-drenched paradise of the Mediterranean.

Elizabeth von Arnim, born Mary Annette Beauchamp in Australia in 1866, was an English writer. She is known for novels including Elizabeth and Her German Garden and The Enchanted April, as well as Christine, which she wrote under the pseudonym Alice Cholmondeley.