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419th out of 2,262 books
—
127 voters
The Caravaners
When Baron Otto Von Ottringe, a pompous Prussian, and his wife, Edelgard, begin a camping holiday in Southern England, he is unprepared for the English culture and the changes it causes in his wife's behavior.
Paperback, 352 pages
Published
February 2nd 2006
by Little Brown and Company
(first published 1909)
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I first read Elizabeth van Arnim after seeing the romantic comedy film Enchanted April, based on her novel of that name. The Caravaners is along the same line -- a variety of English people uprooted from their normal hum-drum existence, in this case going on a caravaning holiday. There's romance, lyricism, and sly humor in this book.
This was the first book I ever read by Elizabeth, and mainly the reason I fell in love with her work. I found a price-slashed copy of the Virago edition at one of those fly-by-night remainder bookstores and picked it up for a dollar, on a whim, knowing nothing about the author or the book.
The author (Elizabeth) was married to a German count for quite a long time, and she really knows the inside of his head. This is a first-person narrative from the point of view of a stuffy man who goes on a car...more
The author (Elizabeth) was married to a German count for quite a long time, and she really knows the inside of his head. This is a first-person narrative from the point of view of a stuffy man who goes on a car...more
This was extremely dated in cultural references and rather passe. For her time it must have been quite the sensation. I did appreciate all the references to caravanning which seems to translate to contemporary RVing. Rather hilarious actually. But I must say that it was tiresome listening to so much negativity directed to the husband's wife - although I realize that was the point of it all - it was hard to keep my interest going. But all in all it was good and there were some surprised for sure.
Despite the fact that this book was written a century ago, its message - its not so subtle message, that is - still rings true today. Baron Otto could (and still does) live in his own world. And how clever the author was for having told the entire story from his small-minded, self-indulgent viewpoint. We all know a Baron Otto and the tongue-in-cheek way in which the author told his story is as brilliant now as it was 100 years ago.
How I wish I could sit down to tea with Ms. Von Arnim. Somehow,...more
How I wish I could sit down to tea with Ms. Von Arnim. Somehow,...more
An early modernist novel. A group of English upper class people take a caravanning trip along with a pompous German aristocrat. Very much of it time but an interesting glimpse of pre war attitudes.
Quietly amusing.
Elizabeth von Arnim is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. She is so witty and her style is so enjoyable. The first book of hers I read was Elizabeth's Adventures in Rugen. This book has a similar theme, but is much more satirical and politically charged than her other books. It's a good look at the differences between Germany and England before WWI, and also a frank look at the status of women before that war- very interesting read.
IT was so bad I couldn't even finish it. That is saying a lot if I cannot even make myself finish the book.
May 15, 2013
Heidi
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Elizabeth, Countess Russell, was a British novelist and, through marriage, a member of the German nobility, known as Mary Annette Gräfin von Arnim.
Born Mary Annette Beauchamp in New Zealand while her family resided in Sydney, Australia, she was raised in England and in 1891 married Count Henning August von Arnim, a Prussian aristocrat, and the great-great-great-grandson of King Friedrich Wilhelm I...more
More about Elizabeth von Arnim...
Born Mary Annette Beauchamp in New Zealand while her family resided in Sydney, Australia, she was raised in England and in 1891 married Count Henning August von Arnim, a Prussian aristocrat, and the great-great-great-grandson of King Friedrich Wilhelm I...more
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Apr 08, 2013 07:46am