A review by phoebemagdalena
The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim

hopeful reflective relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The descriptions of San Salvatore definitely made this book feel like a holiday. I was enveloped in scents and colours, courted by the sea and lured by the mountains in the distance.
Even the mesh of characters, with their sharp angles and personal histories, did not detract from the gloriousness of it all. Their animosity towards each other to begin with was just a source of amusement (for the most part), but as they grew on each other so did my fondness for them all.

of course any chaos (and resolution) arrived with the men. I feel a little peeved with the author about this: Mellersh is a big nuisance but the place softens him, Frederick doesn't even think of his wife until she is there to remind him of security in his old age, and Briggs - who instantly turns into an idiot upon seeing a pretty face - somehow ends up winning over (or so we're led to imagine) the lovely and unobtainable Lady Caroline. The only chracter whose ending I do not resent is Mrs Fisher's, who arguably was the most irksome of them all.

In spite of my extensive complaining, this was a fantastic read, and one I'll be recommending for a long time.