Elizabeth and her German Garden

Three friends and I searched for books by Elizabeth several years ago. Almost all our copies were found in used and/or antique bookstores. It was wonderful fun to find a rare book by Elizabeth, but even more wonderful was to have a chance to read each of her 22 books! They are all marvelous, but Elizabeth and Her German Garden, Solitary Summer, The Enchanted April, Vera, and Love are some of my favorites. There are two biographies of Elizabeth, and I encourage reading them if you want to know more about this highly intelligent and accomplished woman. One biography is 'Elizabeth' by Karen Usborne, the other Elizabeth of the German Garden by Leslie de Charms (one of Elizabeth's daughters). Two of her books have been made into movies, "Enchanted April" and "Mr. Skeffington". I am so pleased to see some of her books back in print! I own all 22 and plan to reread all of them in the near future. I hope that Elizabeth will be rediscovered by a whole new generation of women...and men too.

To me, this is much the best of Von Arnim's writing. Describing the joys and tribulations of a young English woman marrying a German aristocrat she centres on the haphazard creation of her garden and the activities of her children in an examination of European mores. Her tone is anything but dusty. A top-selling author of her day she seems to have more in common with - the best - Sunday newspaper columnists of today than with her contemporaries. She battles both with chauvinism and the demands of running a country house which threaten to quell her free-wheeling attitude to life, in a style as fresh as it was at the turn of the century.

This book was referred to in Rosamunde Pilcher's "The Shell Seekers". It sounded interesting to me and so I ordered it.Since it was written in 1898, it tells of a life very different than any today. As an Englishwoman, it was difficult for her to live in the stuffy German society in the city. Having a garden and house in the country where she did quite what she wanted kept her sane. Of course, having a houseful of servants helped.She has a wonderful sense of humor while describing all the little things that she cannot do as the lady of the house. It must have been a very difficult situation.I loved the term she gave her husband, "The Man of Wrath". I'm going to look for more books by this author.

This is the story of Elizabeth, who speaks in a facetious and teasing manner...her husband sees her as typical "woman", therefore he can laugh at her and be charmed with her ways...she sees him as "the man of wrath", bound by natural laws to be serious, to be the dose of practicality. These may be stereo-typical views of the sexes, after all, the book was written in 1898. Elizabeth is writing in a biographical, journal style, telling of her days preparing their country estate to be inhabited by her and her "babies". She indulges in "the purest selfishness" by daydreaming with books in her garden. The story is full of sweet, endearing moments. She was an avid reader and has interesting comments on where certain authors are best read; she tells charming stories of her children and their ideas about the "Lieber Gott", and has a, sometimes, sharp sense of humor in regards to the people who will come and disrupt her solitary lifestyle. I would strongly recommend any of her other books you can find-particularly Solitary Summer (which is a continuation of this story), Mr. Skeffington, Enchanted April, and Jasmine Farm