Elizabeth von Arnim Õ 4 characters
The heroine is described by her husband as eccentric and this book is also eccentric but delightful from The Man of Wraththe above husband to the children only named as The April baby Spring Baby etc. The main delight ,however, is the descriptions of Elizabeth's efforts at gardening (not always successful ) but always undertaken with such passion that the reader would very much like to walk along the paths and through the gardens to see and smell Elizabeth's beloved roses.Gardens she loves but people can be troublesome! Elizabeth and her German Garden Elizabeth is an unusual young woman for her time and place, Germany in the final years of the 19th century. Her emotional strength, her joy, and her solace, when comfort is needed, all come from her garden, into which she pours her creativity despite receiving little encouragement for this from the people in her life. Although the book is absolutely focused on creating a garden on a neglected estate, the reader gets a clear picture of the social constraints on women at that time, and of Elizabeth's marriage. She refers to her husband as the Man of Wrath throughout the book, and she calls her children by the months when they were born, April, May, and June. I found the book fascinating despite not being a particularly knowledgeable gardener, and I enjoyed the depictions of that distant world. Elizabeth and her German Garden Like so many books in the public domain, this charming book has been massacred. You'll find many versions for sale here, all public domain typed in by volunteers and with the format badly distorted, dialogue run into blocks so that you cannot tell who is speaking, musical passages replaced by the bracket [musical notes] Hardly the fate this lovely book deserves. The Virago Modern Edition is, I think, the only one in print that is by an actual publishing company, and their Kindle is actually cheaper than some of the bad copies. Beware!And this book is worth the trouble. It was written in 1898, and it's not as sweet as some say. Elizabeth consoles herself in her garden, celebrating her happy days (as opposed to her reluctant nights with her husband, the Man of Wrath). She plays with her beloved daughters, even as she grieves the house and garden in which she grew up and which she lost to her cousins for the crime of having been born a girl. With sly humor and a keen eye for the ridiculous, she makes it clear how a garden can be both consolation and joy, a sanctuary and a solace. If you like Jane Austen's humor, you'll probably find this very amusing as well (I laughed out loud a few times, and often smiled). Try it! But try a decent version. Elizabeth and her German Garden Elizabeth von Arnim was new to me, but I tried this out on the recommendation of a friend. It's a total delight. At first, there is a lot about the garden and how the author decided what to grow where. She gives some lovely descriptions of her house and garden as well as of the surrounding area, while at the same time revealing herself as someone with very clear views about her life and world. It takes place over a year, starting in the winter/spring. As time goes on, the focus moves from the garden itself to visitors, entertaining them, their reactions to aspects of Elizabeth's family life. For me, this was the best part of the book. I loved the author's dry wit as she describes her three daughters (referred to by the month of their birth eg the April baby), visitors and her husband (the Man of Wrath). She applies the same standards to herself as to others, with an amused ironical tone. It's a period piece of course, but a glimpse into the world of the turn of the twentieth century. The house, by the way, is north of Berlin, on the German Polish border. It's worth looking up the author's biography on the internet, to complement reading this book. Elizabeth and her German Garden very poor quality cheaply printed and thin book. It is like a pamphlet. Delivery was prompt. I hope the story is beautiful to make up for it. Elizabeth and her German Garden
Elizabeth and her German Garden : Arnim, Elizabeth von: : Boeken Elizabeth and her German Garden