The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

This is the discussion thread for the Spring 2022 Group The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim. Please post your comments here. This thread is not restricted to those choosing this book for task 20.10, feel free to join in the discussion. Warning- spoilers ahead!

The requirement for task 20.10: You must participate in the book's discussion thread below with at least one post about the contents of the book or your reaction to the book after you have read the book.

Unfortunately I've had some bad luck with this season's group picks. After DNFing a couple of others, I pushed through this book. Very flowery language with not enough plot for my taste. It ended up being a 1 star for me, but I hope it works out better for others :)

I thought this story of love in different seasons of life was delightful. I gave it 3*. I especially liked Lotty and Mrs. Fisher. The men who appeared late in the story were less well developed as characters and only used to reflect the changes in each of the women. A wonderful example of stories written in the 20s.

I also found this delightful - that seems the perfect adjective. It felt just as if Cranford had had a granddaughter, who was taking a holiday in Italy. A wonderful read for springtime.

MEGSCL
I rated this book 3 stars. My review :

"Have you noticed...how difficult it is to be improper without men?”

I loved the opening of this book. Four women, strangers, team up to rent a castle in Italy for a month. The leave behind dreary London and demanding husbands. Unfortunately it didn't do much with this great set up. I kept getting distracted and losing interest in the story.

Ohh I loved this book and I didn't expect I would like it as much. The characters were all so relatable, and I felt a little like I was on a vacation with them.

So: an unexpected 5 stars from me...

I did find my mind wandered a bit while I was reading, but it didn't matter to the story, so it was a bit like watching a relaxing TV show.

Edit: I'm happy The Thursday Murder Club was such a disappointment (and now on my dnf list), otherwise I would never have picked this up.

I read this for the first time in 2013. I decided this was the perfect time to re-read it. (view spoiler)[Some of my favorite passages included the discussion about macaroni-- especially the common reference to spaghetti being long and worm like, Lotty not liking her mother inviting authors to dinner because she doesn't like books, and Mrs. Fisher's reference to "dusty old things". (hide spoiler)] It was a joy to read a book that provided a few chuckles and LOL moments : ) Although, I really didn't care as much for the male characters as I did for the female characters. I agree with Bea's take on the men as only being a tool to reflect back on the women. I enjoyed this just as much if not more this time around. I had originally planned on reading one of the other options but so glad I read this pleasant book instead. My rating will remain at 4 stars.

I had absolutely no intention of reading this book for the group read. I have already read Thursday Murder Club, quite recently, so I didn't want to reread it. I considered Clanlands because I enjoy Outlander and I actually liked the TV show associated with these guys, but I saw a few too many reviews that completely panned it. I felt too tired to deal with Oona lol.

This actually ended up being the perfect book for my current state of mind and exhaustion. It is just so gentle and relaxing, and it doesn't demand much in the way of thought or reflection. The female characters were interesting, there was a lot of quiet humor, and there wasn't a lot of plot to keep up with.

I only gave it 3* because I feel like if I had been in my normal reading mode I would have found it too slow, but it was the right book at the right time for me. I'm actually curious about the movie!

This book has been on my TBR list for a long time so I'm glad this season's selection gave me the push to finally read it. I liked this story and I found the four main characters interesting. I enjoyed learning more about their lives and relationships as the story unfolded. It did end a bit abruptly but not in a terribly unsatisfying way. Overall I gave it 3+ stars.

I have also had this on my TBR for awhile and was glad to see it as a group reads selection. I really enjoyed the first two-thirds of this book, when the ladies were gathering, traveling, and getting settled into the castle. I started struggling toward the end as men just started appearing and people were changing with little to no character growth other than "the magic of this place made me feel more human". Then all of a sudden it ended. I still think it's a good read, I just wish there had been more exposition once the men started showing up.

All in all a good read with some issues, 3 stars from me too.

I read the Thursday Murder Club and Oona Out of Order somewhat recently, and the wait list for Clanlands was too long at my library, so it was fortunate the Gutenberg choice was new to me.

This is a book I never read for school, and despite working in a video store for 5 years I never saw the film either. But I thoroughly enjoyed the story and will likely watch the film in the near future, if only just for the lovely scenery.

Having the 4 women at different ages and/or stages of life was brilliant. It made things much more layered and interesting than if they were all single friends in their 20's. I found their reactions to things and ways they treated the castle staff to be fascinating.

Amy FL

I listened to the audio version and am grateful that at 1.5 speed, it wasn't too long. I was tempted to DNF this one, but muddled through with the SRC winding down. It didn't keep my interest and was a one-star read at best.

This was a light pleasant read for me, but wasn't anything super inspiring. 3 stars overall. I liked it, but I can't say that I enjoyed it. One of my biggest pet peeve tropes in romance is insta-love, and that's what a lot of this book felt like, insta-love of place maybe, but still one magic moment that fixes everything.

I did enjoy the language of the piece though. The descriptions were lovely and did invoke a feeling of the beauty of the moment and the place. Each of the women had their positives and negatives, I think I maybe liked Rose best for al her seeming confidence she was perhaps the most nerve racked underneath. But there wasn't a lot of actual character development so much as the insta-love of the place magically fixed their lives and brought love home to them.

Still I took this book at a leisurely pace and didn't force myself through any of it. It was enjoyable to read and I appreciated being able to knock off another classic that I never previously got around to reading.