The Solitary Summer

N Seattle : Initially, I thought this would be a journal or contemplative type of book. First clue it is not is the "Man of Wrath", as the husband is known. From there, I slowly became more captivated by the characters and happenings. By books end I realized how much I enjoyed my time with the characters and wished there was more.

The book starts with a premise-Elizabeth is to have a summer free of guests, all to herself and her family and her beloved garden. Her husband, "The Man of Wrath", doesn't believe she will last; she will undoubtedly get bored and call for the assistance and entertainment of a friend. But Elizabeth's love of nature and solitude wins in the end, and anyone with a love of the same will love this book in turn. The Man of Wrath makes many more appearances in this book than the previous, Elizabeth and Her German Garden. While it might not have been initially the object, The Solitary Summer ends up being a love letter to her husband. And the dedication to him at the beginning proves this to be so. On a personal note, Elizabeth von Arnim is becoming one of my favorite writers. There's something to be said about an author who can write about nothing in particular and make it interesting. If one were to ask me what is the plot of this book, I would have trouble relating it. But I wholeheartedly recommend it. Whenever reading one of von Arnim's books, I find myself wanting to read passages aloud to my own Man of Wrath-an entry on Thoreau by a pond is particularly memorable. May I share? "Thoreau has been my companion for some days past, it having struck me as more appropriate to bring him out to a pond than to read him, as was hitherto my habit, on Sunday mornings in the garden. He is a person who loves the open air, and will refuse to give you much pleasure if you try to read him amid the pomp and circumstance of upholstery; but out in the sun, and especially by this pond, he is delightful, and we spend the happiest hours together, he making statements, and I either agreeing heartily, or just laughing and reserving my opinion till I shall have more ripely considered the thing. He, of course, does not like me as much as I like him, but I live in a cloud of dust and germs produced by wilful superfluity of furniture, and have not the courage to get a match and set light to it." And now I'm off to read more von Arnim.

I read this book because The Enchanted April is one of my favorite movies and I thought the author had an outlook on relationships that was different from the usual and in fact, uplifting. Solitary Summer is a sweet and relaxing read. I got lost in the beautiful prose and found that as I read, I became so removed from my everyday stresses that it was as if I had been meditating and not just reading.

What one among us hasn't felt the desire for peace and solitude so aptly described in this poignant work. I loved it!

This book captivated both me and my best friend. The issue of the book I read was printed in 1907 and is titled The Solitary Summer by the author of "Elizabeth and her German Garden". Nowhere else in the book does it ever reveal the author's name. The book starts out with a dedication "To the man of Wrath with some apologies and much love". The book is a diary (May-September) of a woman with 3 small babies (referred to only as my April baby, my May baby, my June baby) who wants to spend the entire summer to herself.The first page of the book begins. "May 2nd - Last night after dinner, when we were in the garden, I said, "I want to be alone for a whole summer, and get to the very dregs of life. I want to be as idle as I can, so that my soul may have time to grow. Nobody shall be invited to stay with me, and if any one calls they will be told that I am out, or away, or sick. I shall spend the months in the garden, and on the plain, and in the forests. I shall watch the things that happen in my garden, and see where I have made mistakes. On wet days I will go into the thickest parts of the forests, where the pine needles are everlastingly dry, and when the sun shines I'll lie on the heath and see how the broom flares against the clouds. I shall be perpetually happy, because there will be no one to worry me." And so begins her solitary summer, filled with books, the garden(s), nature, her thoughts and reflections. And conversations with her husband who does not believe she can endure an entire summer without visitors.