Enchanted April

THE STORY: When two frustrated London housewives decide to rent a villa in Italy for a holiday away from their bleak marriages, they recruit two very different English women to share the cost and the experience. There, among the wisteria blossoms a

“A charming, thoroughly engrossing novel that’s the next best thing to being there.” —People Magazine Hopewell Cottage Little Lost Island, Maine. Old, pretty cottage to rent on a small island. Springwater, blueberries, sea glass. August. So reads an ad on Lottie Wilkes’ and Rose Arbuthnot’s children’s preschool bulletin board. When the mothers arrive on the island, they are transformed by the salt air; the breathtaking views; the long, lazy days; and the happy routine of lobster, corn, and cocktails on the wraparound porch. By the time of the late-August blue moon, real life and its complications have finally fallen far, far away. For on this idyllic island they gradually begin to open up: to one another and to the possibilities of lives quite different from the ones they’ve been leading. Change can’t be that hard, can it? With a cast of endearingly imperfect characters—including indie movie star Caroline Dester and an elderly Beverly Fisher, who is recovering from heartbreaking loss—and set against the beauty of a gorgeous New England summer, Enchanted August is a sparkling summer debut that brilliantly updates the beloved classic The Enchanted April in a novel of love and reawakening that is simply irresistible.

Reproduction of the original.

If you love Bridgerton, you'll love Georgette Heyer! 'The greatest writer who ever lived' Antonia Fraser 'Absolutely delicious tales of Regency heroes. . . Utter, immersive escapism' Sophie Kinsella 'One of my perennial comfort authors. Heyer's books are as incisively witty and quietly subversive as any of Jane Austen's' Joanne Harris 'Heart-stoppingly gorgeous' Harriet Evans 'Georgette Heyer is second to none' Sunday Times ___________ Hero Wantage is desperate to change her fate. When the dashing Lord Sherry proposes out of the blue, Hero is overjoyed - she'll escape a life as a governess and, once they wed, he can finally claim his inheritance. But as Hero attempts to social climb in glamorous London society, Sherry is concerned that her naivety will ruin them both and takes drastic action. The chaos that follows will push friendships - and hearts - to breaking point. ___________ Readers love Friday's Child ... ***** 'This novel is all fun, cuteness, laughter, warmness, goodness and awesomeness. Definitely a top favourite!!' ***** 'Recommended for.... anyone who loves to read and be entertained!' ***** 'I could just not keep the book down once I started.' ***** 'This is one of my top 3 Georgette Heyer books.' ***** 'Absolutely delightful!'

“A downright delightful read. . . [with] everything you want from a small town summer read: sweetness, charm, and a side of romance.” –HelloGiggles A delightful novel about two headstrong sisters, a small town's efforts to do right by the community, and the power of a lost dog to summon true love Nora, the owner of the Miss Guthrie Diner, is perfectly happy serving up apple cider donuts, coffee, and eggs-any-way-you-like-em to her regulars, and she takes great pleasure in knowing exactly what's "the usual." But her life is soon shaken when she discovers she and her free-spirited, younger sister Kit stand to inherit the home and land of the town's beloved cake lady, Peggy Johnson. Kit, an aspiring--and broke--filmmaker thinks her problems are solved when she and Nora find out Peggy was in the process of selling the land to a big-box developer before her death. The people of Guthrie are divided--some want the opportunities the development will bring, while others are staunchly against any change--and they aren't afraid to leave their opinions with their tips. Time is running out, and the sisters need to make a decision soon. But Nora isn't quite ready to let go of the land, complete with a charming farmhouse, an ancient apple orchard and the clues to a secret life that no one knew Peggy had. Troubled by the conflicting needs of the town, and confused by her growing feelings towards Elliot, the big-box developer's rep, Nora throws herself into solving the one problem that everyone in town can agree on--finding Peggy's missing dog, Freckles. When a disaster strikes the diner, the community of Guthrie bands together to help her, and Nora discovers that doing the right thing doesn't always mean giving up your dreams.

"The Solitary Summer' by Elizabeth Von Arnim is a witty and heartwarming account of a summer full of relaxation and rejuvenation. Written in the form of diary entries, the book follows the narrator, written as a version of Elizabeth, as she lives her life surrounded by nature and her three children. Heartaches, days of reading, and a summer full of needed solitude have made this book strike a chord with countless audiences to this day.

THE STORY: When two frustrated London housewives decide to rent a villa in Italy for a holiday away from their bleak marriages, they recruit two very different English women to share the cost and the experience. There, among the wisteria blossoms a

'To Those who Appreciate Wistaria and Sunshine. Small medieval castle on the shores of the Mediterranean to be let For the month of April, above a bay on the Italian Riviera.' Four very different women—the dishevelled and downtrodden Mrs Wilkins, the sad, sweet-faced Mrs Arbuthnot, the formidable widow Mrs Fisher, and the ravishing socialite Lady Caroline Dester—are drawn to the shores of the Mediterranean that April. As each, in turn, blossoms in the warmth of the Italian spring and finds their spirits stirring, quite unexpected changes occur. The Enchanted April (1922) is a deceptive and timely novel immured in a post-war context, a period noted for its wistful and sometimes satiric writings. Von Arnim's novel is part of this oeuvre and portrays an escape to a carefully described pastoral enclave away from encroaching urbanisation and the spread of new technologies, in an era when the Great War had left many emotionally and physically starved. The journey to San Salvatore by four unhappy women is an escape from stifling parochialism, constraining social and gendered expectations as well as stultifying insularity, but the evocation of an extraordinarily aesthetic and 'enchanted' location suggests more than personal recuperation. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.