Comments on: the enchanted april

By: jes

jes — Thu, 01 May 2008 01:12:24 +0000

strange, i’m going to have to go against everyone here. but i found the experience of reading the enchanted april (in its totality, mind you) somewhat irksome. i loved the language, the place, the people…but i so clearly and thoroughly identified with each woman–that is, i felt unappreciated like lotty, suffocated like lady caroline, unfulfilled like rose, and lonely and tired like mrs. fisher–that as i tried to escape myself, instead i had to meet myself on every page.

[yes, you’re right. i need a vacation.]

and that’s the thing, isn’t it? these ladies simply needed a vacation. i don’t think that it was necessarily the combination of people so much as the change of location that brought about this string of epiphanies.

there are a few places on earth that are san salvatore for me–when i stand in them for however small a moment, i am reminded of all the parts of myself. i feel whole. i feel capable. i feel like i can face it (whatever it happens to be at the moment).

why is that? why does standing out underneath a southern utah sky, somewhere outside capitol reef, in the middle of july, feeling the heat of the sand and the rocks make me feel like a human being again?

what is the function of an “escape place”? where is yours?

[and, kt, i think that rose didn’t feel fulfilled simply because she wasn’t herself. it’s like eternal PMS with a touch of immaturity. no matter what rose did she would have hated it and herself and everyone around her. it’s a mindset, don’t you think?]

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:54:49 +0000

This book took me a little bit to get into it. Maybe a chapter or two. But after that, I was hooked. I fell in love with Mrs. Wilkins, as did everyone else by the end of the book. She was odd and quirky, but was able to overcome herself. I thought it was interesting how the women all initially wanted to curb Mrs. Wilkins and ended up loving her and really becoming who they truly were meant to be. This book made me want to travel to Italy. It made me think of the beauty around me that I don’t take time every day to see and appreciate. It made me want to have my ears pinched affectionately (pg 174) and made me pinch Brad’s just to prove to him of my love! I wonder if they’ve made a movie of this book, I thought it was great!.

By: sarajane

sarajane — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:34:08 +0000

I think when Rose was in London spending all her time and energy on the poor she’s not really being selfless at all but actually is being selfish. She feels like her life is empty and thinks that by doing ‘good’ she can find some kind of fulfillment. Not that I don’t agree with the idea of finding joy in helping others but it seems that Rose was in it for her own heart, she was thinking of herself and not the hearts of those around her whom she was ‘helping.’ Its all about your attitude and I think she was looking inside and not out.

By: KT

KT — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:50:39 +0000

This book made me wish I could find my own private castle on a cliff in Italy for the month of April. (And have a happy little Italian cook get fresh food from all her relatives to feed me) Sigh.

I agree with Sarajane that there are a lot of good points on relationships in the book. It’s so hard to be selfless (I’m totally in awe of mothers and still can’t quite figure out how i’m going to do that) in a relationship, but when you actually are–or at least try to be–the rewards really are quite remarkable.

I think it’s interesting that when Rose is “selfless” at home in England with her charity cases, she feels that to be really good, she actually has to deny herself happiness. She certainly is giving of her self and denying her own wants/needs, but there seems to be something lacking. Is it that she wants to be unhappy–that she takes pleasure in misery? Or is there something else missing in that equation of selflessness=good things happen to you. What do you all think?