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The Enchanted April

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What to expect

A recipe for happiness: four women, one medieval Italian castle, plenty of sunshine, wisteria, and solitude as needed

Four very diverse women, all seeking revitalization from the dreary February rains of 1920s London, rent the small medieval castle of San Salvatore, nestled high above the bay of Portofino, Italy. Arriving at San Salvatore, they find it awash with the scent of flowers, its olive groves terracing down to the sun-warmed sea.

Each has her reasons for desiring escape. Mrs. Wilkins and Mrs. Arbuthnot are glad to leave behind their insipid duties and unresponsive husbands. The elderly Mrs. Fisher wishes only to sit in the sun and replay her youthful memories, and the bewitchingly beautiful Lady Caroline Dester desires to have seclusion from all her adoring suitors.

Amid the canopies of fragrant wisteria, in the sweet sunshine and melodious silence, fate has some surprises in store for all of them.

Critics Review

“Wanda McCaddon’s narration is excellent, especially in differentiating the women’s voices and in reading their inner dialogues, which go on throughout. McCaddon’s rendition of the mostly middle and upper-class English voices is exceedingly well done. This performance is easy to listen to, and this recording is well worth having.”

AudioFile

“At one level an escapist fantasy, at another a parable about the liberation of the spirit, this delicious confection will work magic on all.”

Daily Telegraph (London)

“[A] book for anyone who feels stiff, unloved, or used up—a restful, funny, sumptuous, and invigorating vacation for the mind and soul…The effect is refreshing, charming, and romantic.”

Erica Bauermeister, 500 Great Books by Women
Author Elizabeth von Arnim
Narrator Wanda McCaddon
Duration 8 hours and 14 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781483088129
Format Audiobook
Publisher Craig Black
Genre Fiction: general and literary, Historical romance
Availability AU, GB, IE, US

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