fizzah 's review for:

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim

5.0

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This has been on my TBR for a long while and it was just as charming and life-affirming as I’d hoped! The author reinforces the four women’s distinctive traits a bit heavy-handedly (e.g. Lotty’s idealism, Caroline’s loveliness) which can make them come off as caricatures, but I think the archetyping also lends the story a fairy-tale quality. Over the course of the novel, we are privy to the women’s introspection and their softening up towards one another, which adds complexity to their character. My only real complaint is that the ending is a bit too lovey-dovey and male-centered. Clearly one cannot get away from men for long…But for a novel of its time, I give it what it’s due.