Today has been declared Elizabeth von Arnim day by Jane at Beyond Eden Rock in her year long celebration of underappreciated lady authors. I have read quite a number of von Arnim novels, I love her voice so much. One of her most famous books of course is Elizabeth and her German Garden, which was published anonymously in 1898. EvA went on to write two more ‘Elizabeth’ books – The Solitary Summer and The Adventures of Elizabeth in Rügen (1904). I don’t suppose it matters which order one reads these books, and in fact I read The Adventures of Elizabeth in Rügen a couple of years ago.
In many ways there is very little to say about The Solitary Summer – so you may be glad to hear that this post is likely to be fairly short.
“What a blessing it is to love books. Everybody must love something, and I know of no objects of love that give such substantial and unfailing returns as books and a garden.”
The Solitary Summer was a delightful little read, in the company of Elizabeth, The Man of Wrath, the April, May and June babies we spend the summer in the German countryside. Here, Elizabeth assures her doubting husband that she wants nothing more than to spend a summer alone – alone meaning no visitors, her husband and children will have to be present. Yet, Elizabeth longs to be free from the constant whirl of polite society.
“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.”
However, Elizabeth’s alone – is not quite my alone – and neither is it quite what she had envisaged. Aside from The Man of Wrath and the April, May and June babies, there is the governess, the gardener and a new parson to be appointed to her husband’s living. Toward the end of the summer – much to poor Elizabeth’s exasperation, there is a soldier, a lieutenant staying in her house – a man she exhausts herself just trying to avoid.
Elizabeth glories in her garden, realising she has made mistakes in the past – she takes her husband’s advice and employs a new gardener – and soon she is glorying in her larkspurs and roses. She sneaks out of the house early before anyone is awake, and glories in her garden as it wakes.
“Here was the world wide-awake and yet only for me, all the fresh pure air only for me, all the fragrance breathed only by me, not a living soul hearing the nightingale but me, the sun in a few moments coming up to warm only me.”
When the children don’t need occupying, or even when they do, there are forest walks to be enjoyed and mud banks to be scrambled down. When it is raining, Elizabeth has her books, her wants are really very simple, and very restful. Her joy in the simple things is really quite infectious. Unfortunately, my garden doesn’t inspire quite the same feelings in me and would take precisely 37 seconds to walk around.
In the company of Elizabeth, we meet the poor women of the village who are too afraid of cold/dirt to let their babies go out of doors. This allows us a (not entirely comfortable) glimpse of the different levels of German society. However, Elizabeth von Arnim is a wonderful observer of people, as always, she is warm, witty and wise – and I continue to love her writing very much.
“If one believed in angels one would feel that they must love us best when we are asleep and cannot hurt each other; and what a mercy it is that once in every twenty-four hours we are too utterly weary to go on being unkind.”
We realise in time, that Elizabeth does indeed love her Man of Wrath, he is even more affectionately portrayed in this book than in German Garden. Elizabeth seems happiest in her garden with her babies under the summer sunshine, and soldiers, parsons, husbands and babies apart – she did manage to get a more or less solitary summer.
What a pretty edition you have there with that lovely green Virago! I loved her Enchanted April when I read it a year or so ago, but I’m much less familiar with most of her other books. It’s actually really nice to hear about a lesser-known Arnim, particularly on this day of celebration of her work.
It is a pretty edition. The Enchanted April is such a joy, I shall have to find time for a re-read one day.
This sounds an absolute delight, just the thing either to round off summer or perhaps to remember it in the depths of winter. Lovely review.
Thank you. Yes, it occurred to me that I had chosen a good time of the year to read this one.
I read Elizabeth and Her German Garden for today’s celebrations. I really enjoyed it, so I will have to read this one too. It sounds just as lovely as the first book.
I have such fond memories of Elizabeth and her German Garden which I read with my book group. I definitely recommend moving on to this one.
I, too, love the cover! I’ve read the other two Elizabeth books and will look for this one. Super review, Ali!
I am sure you will enjoy this one too Grier.
Ny favourite Elizabeth von Arnim book is In the Mountains and last time I looked it was free as an ebook. It is a more serious book than the others, but so beautifully written. It is a joy to read
Yes I have read In the Mountains via free ebook. It is definitely one of my favourites, it is more serious, but so wonderful.
Great post. I love her books-especially the Enchanted April but also this and Elizabeth and her German Garden. In this one I loved that the June baby (?) was two-foot square.
Ha ha, I vaguely remember something like that. She does have a wonderful turn of phrase.
Found the sentence (in German Garden): “The June baby, who is two feet square and valiant beyond her size and years, seized a stick much bigger than herself and went after the cows, the cowherd being nowhere to be seen.”
Oh yes, that why it was only a vague memory, I read German Garden a while ago.
Lovely post Ali, and isn’t the book a delight? Funny and yet profound at the same time.
Thank you, yes funny and profound is exactly what it is. Truly joyful.
Thanks for the lovely review! The only book by von Arnim that I’ve read is the Enchanted April and it’s one of my favorite books- so uplifting and enchanting. I need to check her other books out especially since I enjoy gardening and love flowers.
I hope you will read more by Elizabeth von Arnim now, you really have a lot to look forward to. She was a wonderful writer.
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Having just read The Enchanted April earlier this year – and I loved it – I would love to read more von Arnim. Lovely review!
The Enchanted April was my first von Arnim, she wrote some wonderful books (I still have quite a number to read too) you have treats in store.
Ha – love your comment about your garden, I reckon I can be up and down my path and back in in about 20 seconds, having looked carefully at everything! I do like this one, I can’t remember when I read it but I know I liked that she does really love the Man of Wrath after all!
Yes, I was quite unsure about their relationship in German Garden, but this one felt more affectionate.
I loved this book, and I think it would love it even more now that I have a small garden too close to the sea for many of the things I would love to plant to survive.
I think you would too Jane, anyone with a love of gardens (if not gardening) would appreciate Elizabeth’s simple joy.
I remember giving Elizabeth and Her German Garden as a gift to a friend, a new homeowner and a new mother, and she was rather disappointed, feeling that the author didn’t enjoy house, husband or children very much. Somehow it had seemed like the perfect gift to my mind. *grins* I enjoyed the sequel too, but I don’t remember much about it (and I’ve never given it as a gift).
What a shame your friend didn’t appreciate Elizabeth and her German Garden. I know we can’t all like the same thing but that reaction is surprising. I think you can absolutely see that Elizabeth loves her family.