The Enchanted April in Constant Reader

Jun 17, 2008 Yulia rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Bravo, I'm in love with this book, from beginning to end. A new favorite! Predictable, yes, and with dissatisfying male characters, but I could forgive her for almost anything.

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Lovely lines so far:

"[. . .] and they had a prolonged quarrel, if that can be called a quarrel which is conducted with dignified silence on one side and earnest apology on the other, as to whether or no Mrs. Wilkins had intended to suggest that Mr. Wilkins was a villa."

" ...more

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May 14, 2008 Linda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, fiction, travel, favorite-characters, 1920s, italy

On a rainy February day in England, a woman on the verge of desperation overcomes her natural reserve to invite another unhappy woman to share the rental of an Italian villa with her in Italy. They invite two other strangers to share expenses, and then the Italian sunshine works its magic.
I didn't even know this was a book and not just a movie until it became a pick for the Constant Reader group. It is a wonderful read: beautifully delineated characters that show growth, a lovely setting, and cr ...more

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Sep 01, 2022 Jane rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-this-book-again, humor, education, family-story, geographical, fairytale, marriage, friendship

Sheer delight...more complex than I remember the movie being. At the beginning of the novel all the characters seem as gloomy, cold and miserable as a wet, March day in England. The castle in Italy in May is perfect for changing, not just the four women's moods but their entire entire perspectives on life. Completely delightful. The author was criticized by some weighty writers of her era for writing such fluff. I found it smart and witty and ironic and smart about relationships. Relationships r ...more

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Apr 29, 2008 Sherry rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classicscorner

This should probably be called a "fantasy/romance" but it is so well-written, so charming, so funny and so sweet, that I can't help but give it five stars. It makes me want to read all her work, if her other books are half as good as this one. ...more

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Jun 25, 2008 Gail rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2008

While reading this charming little story, I kept thinking that the plot was really sentimental. And it is. But so what? The author writes beautifully, with much sly humor. I enjoyed this very much, both for its aesthetic value and for the very sweet plot and character development.

1 like · Like · see review

Dec 17, 2007 Dottie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own, 1967-1997, classics-corner, 2008

Read the book after the film (which was out in 1992). Still loved the story and both book and film equally which is not the norm. The film is wonderful just for the visual beauty of the setting but it also has some lovely camera work to offer. The book went into the two boxes of books which I allowed myself when moving to Belgium six years later and I reread it while living there.

I did NOT listen to this edition but used it because my 1993 paperback has that illustration on the front.

Last read J ...more

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Jun 15, 2009 Isabel rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, virago-modern-classics, favourites

A charming book about four very different, unhappy Englishwomen who rent an old castle in San Salvatore, Italy for the month of April in the 1920s and rediscover themselves in the process.

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