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The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim
The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim follows four female characters—strangers drawn by an ad bidding “those who appreciate wisteria and sunshine” to retreat to a castle on the shores of the Mediterranean. Escaping London for a joint holiday in Italy, the women develop new friendships that are remembered here with afternoon tea.
In the first chapter, we meet Mrs. Wilkins, a woman whose mood matches the dreary weather outside her women’s club in London. Postponing the inevitable encounter with the rain, she scans a newspaper and sees an ad for a “small medieval Italian castle on the shores of the Mediterranean” that is available to rent for the month of April, aimed at “those who appreciate wistaria and sunshine.” She immediately is enthralled with the notion of absconding to such enticing climes. What would be your dream getaway location?
We remember the connections and friendships formed in The Enchanted April with afternoon tea.
Mrs. Wilkins sorrowfully reflects on her husband’s miserly ways, realizing the only thing he doesn’t skimp on is his food! Though she would be relying on the small sum she’d managed to save on her own, she’s prepared to dash her doubts and spend it all on the Italian retreat. What is one thing you believe is always worth a splurge?
Mrs. Wilkins uncharacteristically steps outside her comfort zone, and convinces a casual acquaintance, Mrs. Arbuthnot, who is lamenting her strained relationship with her own husband, to join her on this ladies-only trip to the romantically named San Salvatore. To defray costs, they enlist two heretofore unknown women to share their retreat, believing the promise of paradise would be worth any awkwardness of lodging with strangers. Have you ever taken a trip with people unfamiliar to you? How was the experience?
Our first glimpse of Lady Caroline Dester occurs in Chapter 3. She is described as “wholly taken up by one great longing, a longing to get away from everybody she had ever known.” Have you ever had a similar desire to just get away from your everyday life and simply enjoy your own company? How did you prefer to spend moments of solitude?
Mrs. Wilkins and Mrs. Arbuthnot endure a long train journey and a harrowing buggy ride to reach San Salvatore late at night in pouring rain. Though the pair planned to arrive first to prepare for the other two guests, they are dismayed to find their fellow lodgers already in residence. Despite the inauspicious beginning, any disappointment vanishes the next morning when they get the first glimpse of their surroundings for the next month. Can you think of a time in your own life when disappointing circumstances quickly turned to elation?
San Salvatore quickly works its magic. Mrs. Arbuthnot and Mrs. Wilkins relax formalities, calling each other by their first names—Rose and Lotty—and relishing the beguiling beauty that abounds. “And it is heaven, isn’t it, Rose?” asks Lotty. “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.” Can you think of a time when you were part of a distinctly disparate group that all got along beautifully?
All four women featured in The Enchanted April were quite happy with the absence of male company until Lotty decides she wants to ask her husband, Mellersh, to join her in Italy. “I see him here,” she insists, though she concedes the notion is “idiotically illogical.” He was one of the very things she wanted to get away from! She was so certain that San Salvatore would have the same life-changing effect on him, she wrote a letter inviting him to come. Have you ever been somewhere so wonderful you yearned to share the experience?
We find Lotty Wilkins’s husband has arrived in San Salvatore, despite the misgivings of the other three guests. As a mercenary solicitor, Mellersh is intent on impressing both the wealthy Mrs. Fisher and the aristocratic Lady Caroline. He makes a memorable impression alright; the finicky stove warming the tub explodes as he’s mid bath, forcing him to run out of the room, wearing only a towel. Have you ever had an embarrassing moment when you were trying to make a good impression?
As we learn in The Enchanted April, Mr. Wilkins settles in nicely at San Salvatore, displaying lovely manners and a very gentlemanly attitude toward the ladies. As he and Lady Caroline are conversing one day, they spy Mrs. Fisher standing alone and gazing forlornly into the distance. Caroline urges Mellersh to go speak with her as “it must be lonely to be Mrs. Fisher.” Can you recall an incident when you reached out to someone who seemed in need of company? Or has someone reached out to you in a similar situation?
In The Enchanted April, Mr. Briggs, the owner of San Salvatore, stops by to check on his guests. He is quickly enfolded into the group of newly made friends, who seem more like a family—a feeling made even more poignant because Mr. Briggs had been an orphan. Have you met people that quickly became like family to you? Describe the circumstances.
As we look back on this heart-warming novel, why do you think four very diverse women were able to get past their differences and forge truly meaningful friendships? What will you remember most about this charming story?
Find Victoria Classics Book Club resources—including discussion questions, companion materials, and a reader forum—at Victorimag.com!