The Enchanted April

Credits and rights

Original writer

Elizabeth Von Arnim

Publisher of this edition

BoingyBooks Classics

Original publisher

Project Gutenberg

Adaptation credits

John Shoufler / BoingyBooks Classics — digital edition

Original source / edition

The Enchanted April (1922)

License

Public Domain

License link

https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

Rights and adaptation notice

This work is in the public domain. John Shoufler published this digital edition through BoingyBooks Classics. The original work remains public domain and may be copied, adapted, and shared.

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim (1922)

Four very different Englishwomen escape their dreary London lives by renting a medieval Italian castle for the month of April. Under the spell of wisteria, sunshine, and the Mediterranean, each woman is transformed.

Historical Significance:
Elizabeth Von Arnim wrote The Enchanted April from personal experience — she had lived in Italy and knew the transformative power of the Mediterranean on repressed English souls. Published in 1922, it was a bestseller on both sides of the Atlantic. The 1991 stage adaptation and 1992 film (nominated for three Academy Awards) revived interest in this enchanting novel. With 45,000+ Gutenberg downloads, it is one of the most popular comfort reads in the public domain — a book people return to when they need to believe in the possibility of happiness.

This public domain classic was originally published in 1922. Free to read and share.