Elizabeth and Her German Garden
Book review: ‘Elizabeth and Her German Garden’ by Elizabeth Von Arnim
This book is a delightful read which gave a glimpse into the life of a wealthy German lady in the 1800s, who gently mocks the conventions of marriage and motherhood. The chapters show her life through the seasons and depict a rural world that seems long past. Elizabeth truly lives for her garden, but her precious time outdoors is often interrupted by her three children and playing a rather reluctant host to visitors and wife to her ‘Man of Wrath’.
The fictional Elizabeth finds consolation in the beauty of nature and keeps her sanity and humour by remaining outside the conventions of society and the demands of ‘feminine duty’. Off the Shelf Book Club gave this book a score of 9 out of 10