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Description
In 1901 the 'real' Elizabeth holidayed on the Baltic island of Rugen with just her maid, a coachman, a carriage piled with luggage, and a woman friend. But from such unpromising beginnings Elizabeth weaves a captivating farrago round her encounters. There's the bishop's wife and her personable son, a dressmaker and, astonishingly, a long-lost cousin -- Charlotte -- who is trying to evade the pursuit of her professor husband. Meanwhile, Elizabeth's friend goes on knitting, and knitting, and knitting, in a travel story of great charm, wit and perception.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Philotera
This is a Virago Press book, and I generally enjoy reading books by (oftentimes) forgotten women authors. Elizabeth von Armin, who wrote a series of books that were very popular in her lifetime (beginning with Elizabeth's German Garden) earned her popularity through her character's quirky
This, her second book, reminded me how the pleasure of reading is often times now lost in the pursuit of plot. A book like this must be read for the enjoyment of the words and time spent with the narrator.
Ultimately, I had to stop reading it because no matter how charming I found Elizabeth, (who is very charming indeed) the inherent classism of her world and sexism of the time she lived in became way too stifling for me. So I stopped.
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personalityy (a thinly disguised version of herself), sense of humor, and gift for exceptional visual description.This, her second book, reminded me how the pleasure of reading is often times now lost in the pursuit of plot. A book like this must be read for the enjoyment of the words and time spent with the narrator.
Ultimately, I had to stop reading it because no matter how charming I found Elizabeth, (who is very charming indeed) the inherent classism of her world and sexism of the time she lived in became way too stifling for me. So I stopped.
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LibraryThing member murderbydeath
I can't believe how long it took me to read this book. It was my second Elizabeth von Arnim book, after reading Elizabeth and Her German Garden, and i have to say it was harder going at first. Her Adventures in Rügen start off in a much more florid style of writing than she used in German Garden;
And it was. By the fourth day (page 87), the Elizabeth I had expected started showing up. Coincidentally it was about this time that her idyllic trip round Rügen started to become less idyllic and more comic. By the fifth day (page 115) I was pretty well hooked, and where as the first 115 pages took me three weeks to read, the remaining 185 took just a few days. As the book, and her trip, progress, the writing becomes more concise and the pace ratchets up higher and higher until it reaches its final, devious, and hilarious conclusion. I loved the last two chapters, they had me chuckling regularly, and the ending was absolutely perfect.
A few notes about my copy of this book: I was lucky to find a 1904 copy in beautiful condition that includes a pristine pull out map of Elizabeth's trip. A few things about it made me smile though: the cover title spells the island's name as Ruegen, but everything else in the book uses Rügen. Both are correct (as ue is the alternate for ü), but the inconsistency left me curious about why. Also, my edition's copyright is in the USA, but it states that it is strictly intended for circulation in "India and the British Colonies" only, and the publisher is Macmillan, London. So we have a book written in Germany, printed by a London publisher, copyrighted in the USA, for circulation in India and the colonies.
This is why I love old books.
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her verbosity was challenging, to say the least, and I found myself putting the book down and passing it by for days on end. I was determined though, because I had to believe the writing I loved in German Garden would be in there somewhere.And it was. By the fourth day (page 87), the Elizabeth I had expected started showing up. Coincidentally it was about this time that her idyllic trip round Rügen started to become less idyllic and more comic. By the fifth day (page 115) I was pretty well hooked, and where as the first 115 pages took me three weeks to read, the remaining 185 took just a few days. As the book, and her trip, progress, the writing becomes more concise and the pace ratchets up higher and higher until it reaches its final, devious, and hilarious conclusion. I loved the last two chapters, they had me chuckling regularly, and the ending was absolutely perfect.
A few notes about my copy of this book: I was lucky to find a 1904 copy in beautiful condition that includes a pristine pull out map of Elizabeth's trip. A few things about it made me smile though: the cover title spells the island's name as Ruegen, but everything else in the book uses Rügen. Both are correct (as ue is the alternate for ü), but the inconsistency left me curious about why. Also, my edition's copyright is in the USA, but it states that it is strictly intended for circulation in "India and the British Colonies" only, and the publisher is Macmillan, London. So we have a book written in Germany, printed by a London publisher, copyrighted in the USA, for circulation in India and the colonies.
This is why I love old books.
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LibraryThing member lauralkeet
Set in the early 20th century, Elizabeth is a young mother who decides to take a solo walking holiday in Rügen, a German island in the Baltic sea. Elizabeth is not completely on her own; she is accompanied by a maid and a coachman. But for ten days she is free of family and marital obligations,
Charlotte attaches herself to Elizabeth, turning her solo holiday into something quite different. While Elizabeth von Arnim had strong feminist tendencies and was no fan of staying in a troubled marriage herself, her character Elizabeth strongly believes Charlotte should be reunited with her husband and goes to great lengths to try to make that happen. The Englishman and his mother keep popping up to bring comic relief, but I still found the characters and their journey a bit tiresome.
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and determined to enjoy herself. There are a few early mishaps, such as arriving in a village only to find all the inns are full, and Elizabeth makes the acquaintance of a young Englishman traveling with his mother. And then, out of nowhere, Elizabeth’s cousin Charlotte turns up, and as they catch up on the time since they last saw one another, Elizabeth learns that Charlotte is estranged from her husband – a unique situation for women of that era.Charlotte attaches herself to Elizabeth, turning her solo holiday into something quite different. While Elizabeth von Arnim had strong feminist tendencies and was no fan of staying in a troubled marriage herself, her character Elizabeth strongly believes Charlotte should be reunited with her husband and goes to great lengths to try to make that happen. The Englishman and his mother keep popping up to bring comic relief, but I still found the characters and their journey a bit tiresome.
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LibraryThing member emilymcmc
This is the lady equivalent of Starship Troopers: You can read a satiric commentary, or read a lovely and addicting travel narrative of Baltic resort life 100 years ago. Words are carefully, beautifully chosen (even the descriptions of scenery are interesting), and it's worth a look just to admire
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the casual precision of language and tone. Meanwhile, everyone in the book is so miserable. The women are furiously, silently frustrated with the social conventions that force them to do what they least want to; the men are oblivious and talk endlessly. It's a wildly fun read. Show Less
Language
Original publication date
1904