On recommendations from a very enthusiastic bookseller at Oxford Street’s Waterstones, I entered into the world of The Enchanted April. To be taken back to the 1920’s as a group of women fought against the status quo of their husbands expectations.
Elizabeth von Arnim manages to create four very head-strong characters, whose view on life mystifies me. Their power at the time to almost renounce their husbands for a month was certainly quite unexpected, adding a twist immediately to the tale.
It felt as though each woman, needed that removal from her normality, her home, her husband to find herself. That once these distractions were taken away, they were able to understand themselves for the very first time. I enjoyed seeing how each characters played out her connections and life decisions, and in a way reconnected with herself.
Yet as ever, once such strong characters are placed together bickering must begin, adding a charm of comedy to the storyline.
It’s a wonderful classic, which surprised me in its easy reading and intriguing story line; certainly well worth a read.
