The Enchanted April (version 2)


Read by Helen Taylor

(4.8 stars; 323 reviews)

Four very different women, with very different reasons for wanting to escape a cold and dreary London, come together to share a month's holiday in a medieval castle. They are brought there by the promise of the advertised 'wisteria and sunshine', but they find so much more than they bargained for, as the place transforms them and changes their lives in ways they could never have expected. The novel is dominated by four wonderfully drawn characters: timid Lotty Wilkins, terrified of her domineering husband; sober and religious Rose Arbuthnot; rigid and judgemental Mrs Fisher; and the breathtakingly beautiful but disillusioned and unhappy Lady Caroline Dester. Von Arnim's story of their transformation under the Italian sun is warm, witty, intelligent, and as enchanting as the title suggests. - Summary by Helen Taylor (8 hr 37 min)

Chapters

Chapter 1 33:02 Read by Helen Taylor
Chapter 2 17:22 Read by Helen Taylor
Chapter 3 22:21 Read by Helen Taylor
Chapter 4 13:20 Read by Helen Taylor
Chapter 5 21:41 Read by Helen Taylor
Chapter 6 29:18 Read by Helen Taylor
Chapter 7 17:21 Read by Helen Taylor
Chapter 8 32:09 Read by Helen Taylor
Chapter 9 23:02 Read by Helen Taylor
Chapter 10 20:40 Read by Helen Taylor
Chapter 11 19:18 Read by Helen Taylor
Chapter 12 29:58 Read by Helen Taylor
Chapter 13 36:06 Read by Helen Taylor
Chapter 14 24:29 Read by Helen Taylor
Chapter 15 25:15 Read by Helen Taylor
Chapter 16 25:55 Read by Helen Taylor
Chapter 17 19:48 Read by Helen Taylor
Chapter 18 21:47 Read by Helen Taylor
Chapter 19 24:27 Read by Helen Taylor
Chapter 20 12:51 Read by Helen Taylor
Chapter 21 21:43 Read by Helen Taylor
Chapter 22 25:36 Read by Helen Taylor

Reviews

excellent reader & book


(5 stars)

the reader did a fantastic job! good clear voice and volume, great quality recording. the book is excellent. if you have ever rented a vacation home with a group of people you will completely relate to the events of the first few days and find yourself laughing. out of strangers and estranged marriages comes friendship and renewed love in a pleasant setting. a book a woman is more likely to enjoy then a man or child.

Great reader. Great book.


(5 stars)

Beautifully read. This will go on my " Yearly " list. The following is my take on the story this year. I wonder if more women had the opportunity of getting away to a beautiful place where they could find rest, peace, and love, if perhaps there would be less chaos in the world. I think we forget just how much power we have over our own environment. "When mama ain't happy, no one is happy" Now to find my beautiful, magical place.

Brutally funny writing. Excellent reading.


(5 stars)

Helen Taylor brings to life this fabulous book by Ms Von Armin. Women who want to get out of daily life the UK for very different reasons. Von Armin’s women all have a great back story of their own. So do the men. Cultural misses by tourists haven’t changed much over the centuries. I’ve read this several times over the past couple of years because it’s a reliably good, if excruciating read.

Ideal Narrator, First Reading


(5 stars)

A friend and The Literary Life Podcast prompted me to read this book, of which I had never heard before this year. Helen Taylor does and exceptional job reading this book. Her inflection, vocal changes to reflect the characters, and pace all make this book come alive. Her Mrs. Fisher is reminiscent of the BBC Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and I think it fits so perfectly. I expect I'll be revisiting this one many times!


(3.5 stars)

Fantastic reader, Helen Taylor. Made the story and characters really come alive. The story is quite hilarious as it portrays the characters, their social circle, and their hypocritical yet endearing qualities in an ironic and satirical manner. Would recommend this to fans of Austen and her social satire, even if on the whole this is much lighter in tone.


(5 stars)

I love this book so much!! Came across it by accident and was somehow taken in. (And this reader is simply wonderful! She truly brings the feeling of the book and the womens feelings to life!) The beauty and perhaps woman's outlook, and back thoughts kept me drawn in. Its a wonderful story that shows so vividly 4 different women, their outside as well as inside selves! On the other hand, does just as well showing the honest yet unknown selves of the men in the story. And when I came across the movie. I was just as fastly in love if not more with the women's characters. A highly recommend read, listen or watch.

a most brilliant reader of a lovely book


(5 stars)

I so much loved listening to this book. Indeed I believe I am a better person as a result. The characters are wonderful, their interaction is hilarious at times and it has a feel good factor to it. I just cannot thank Helen Taylor enough for volunteering to read as she most certainly can narrate books professionally.

Loved it!


(5 stars)

Loved the setting. Loved the characters and their transformation. Loved the happily ever after ending. Loved the humor and the moral to the story. And I especially loved the excellent reading by Helen Taylor. I only wish that there was more to the story, so I could go on listening to Helen Taylor reading it! Thank you Helen Taylor, and thank you, LibriVox.org.