Elizabeth von Arnim

Having just listened to The Enchanted April, I was struck by the similarities between the characters of Lady Caroline Dester in this book and Sally in Introduction to Sally. They both possess a beauty that makes men act stupidly. Lady Caroline finds it tiresome, but she has the resources and the doting parentage that ease the burden. Sally, is the daughter of a country grocer, and her father cunningly uses her to improve his business and then finds the best financial match for her. It's been a while since I've read the second title, but I recall that I found it immensely funny, though my jaw hurt from all the tongue in cheek wit.

I've got 6 of Elizabeth von Arnim's books, but I don't recall having finished any of the others. Last year I abandonned Elizabeth and her German Garden, which has the second largest count of her books here on LT. The descriptives were very nice, and I loved her attitude, but there didn't seem to be a story arch.

I think I've just picked up her other titles because I expected the same excellence, but they didn't hold my interest.

What has been your experience with her?

I loved Elizabeth and her German Garden. I mainly took it as autobiographical and her garden was her escape from the "man of wrath". So, I didn't really miss the story arch, since that's just the way life goes. Having once been married to someone similar to her husband I was empathetic. I've not tried her others, but plan to one day.