I’m continuing my series on ranking all the books I’ve read by authors I like – I kicked off with Michael Cunningham, and now I’m onto the much more prolific Elizabeth von Arnim. With Cunningham, I’d read everything he wrote – with von Arnim, there is still quite a handful of her novels still sitting unread on my shelves. So if your favourite isn’t in the list, that’s why!
Ok, let’s go – from my least favourite to my most favourite.
14. Elizabeth and Her German Garden (1898)
Sacrilege! I actually like all fourteen of the Elizabeth von Arnim books I’ve read, but this one is in last place perhaps because I had such high expectations. It was such a big deal during her life, since she always appeared as ‘by the author of Elizabeth and Her German Garden’ or ‘Elizabeth’, but I found it didn’t have the spark of her best work.
13. Christine (1917)
Published under the pseudonym Alice Cholmondeley, it was initially marketed as genuine letters from a young English girl studying in Germany during 1914. It is fascinating, but one of her bleakest books.
12. Expiation (1929)
Opinions differ on this one, but I found this novel about adultery to lack the humour that is usually so characteristic of Elizabeth von Arnim. I found it a little wearingly earnest. But Persephone reprinted it and called it ‘laugh-out-loud hilarious’, so you may find that too!
11. Mr Skeffington (1940)
Elizabeth von Arnim’s final novel is about the once-beautiful Lady Skeffington trying to cling onto her appearance – and relive her youth by going to see the many men who have thrown themselves at her feet. I wrote in my review that I’d probably appreciate the book more in fifty years’ time. (Well, forty years now!)
10. In the Mountains (1920)
This is very much a novel of different parts – she starts with a nature-as-idyll description, but I much preferred the second, funnier half where two forceful English widows arrive at the narrator’s Swiss mountain home. In my review, I said: “It was a lovely, slim introduction to many of the things that make von Arnim charming, witty, and with an undercurrent of topical commentary that prevents the mixture being too sweet.”
9. The Adventures of Elizabeth in Rugen (1904)
There are quite a few sequels to Elizabeth and Her German Garden – this is the only one I’ve read, but I definitely preferred it to the original. It’s much funnier, particularly when Elizabeth is trying to avoid her burdensome Cousin Charlotte.
8. The Benefactress (1901)
The Benefactress might be higher if its story – a woman setting up home in Europe with three discontented women, and their gradual changes – hadn’t been done better by a novel we’ll find further up the list.
7. All the Dogs of My Life (1936)
Elizabeth von Arnim’s only autobiographical work is pretty cagey about the bigger upsets in her life, but I still enjoyed it a lot. She writes it through the lens of the different dogs she’s owned, and does rather expose herself as an appalling dog-owner.
6. Fraulein Schmidt and Mr Anstruther (1907)
Told in letters from Fraulein Schmidt (and we have to imagine the replies from Mr Anstruther) von Arnim expertly shows how infatuation can turn to hurt pride and the whole rollercoaster along the way. We really can picture the absent Mr Anstruther and the sorts of letters he probably writes.
5. Introduction to Sally (1926)
An impossibly beautiful young working-class woman is married off to the first man who asks, in a desperate attempt by her anxious shopkeeper father to ‘protect her morals’ – but it turns out that he doesn’t like much else about her. A sort of Pygmalion story, it’s delightfully funny with (as so often with E von A) a searing undercurrent of deeper emotions. Coming from the British Library Women Writers series later in the year!
4. The Caravaners (1909)
Elizabeth von Arnim’s most satirical work is gloriously funny. It’s from the point of view of a German man who can’t see how cantankerous, selfish and unreasonable he is. A few years ahead of the First World War, von Arnim spears German/Anglo relations – it’s the comic sister of Christine.
3. The Enchanted April (1922)
Her best-known work is deservedly loved. Four women head to picturesque Italy, described so enticingly, and go from selfish disunity into something rather idyllic. Saved from the saccharine by von Arnim’s dry wit as a narrator.
2. Father (1931)
Jen is perhaps my favourite creation of von Arnim’s. She leaves her father’s home upon his second marriage, keen to avoid a life of service to him. The novel has a lot to say about the role of women in the 1930s, but Jen is so spirited and naive a character that the whole thing feels joyful even when confronting real issues. So glad we got to do this one as a British Library Women Writers edition.
1. Christopher and Columbus (1919)
Nineteen-year-old twins Anna-Rose and Anna-Felicitas von Twinkler are half-German/half-English are packed off to America by their horrid Uncle Arthur when war breaks out. On the boat, they enchant Mr Twist, inventor of Twist’s Non-Trickling Teapot. Once arrived in America, after a series of events, they open a tea room. I LOVE a tea room plot. The twins’ dialogue is so fun, always sparkling and strange, and von A’s ironic turns of phrase are at their best in Christopher and Columbus. I think it’s still just about in print from Virago, otherwise I’d have tried to snap it up for the British Library, and I’d love to see more people meeting this wonderful cast of characters.
That was fun! Which Elizabeth von Arnims would you put at the top of your list?
Gosh, now that’s interesting! I would have put Garden and Skeffington much higher, and probably had Caravaners lower – despite the humour and satire of the latter, I did want to slap the insufferable Otto!!!
Oh he is the worst, but that’s what I loved about it :D
Sacrilege indeed! I did my own ranking a few years ago and we definitely have different opinions on lots of these: https://thecaptivereader.com/2018/08/31/a-celebration-of-elizabeth-von-arnim/
I only ranked the ones I had reviewed at the time but would put The Enchanted April towards the bottom (far too saccharine) and Father between The Princess Priscilla’s Fortnight and Christopher and Columbus. I think it’s a great introductory EvA and am so happy it can now be readily obtained to push onto new readers!
How funny that we both love her but in quite different orders! Though even my least favourite E von As are very enjoyable reads.
My favourite, apart from “The Enchanted April”, is “Vera” because it is so sinister. The building atmosphere is completely brilliant.
I am a bit nervous to read it, but also quite keen :D
Gosh, I’ve only read two, The Enchanted April and Elizabeth! I have to get to work! I have heard of Christopher and Columbus, though.
So many treats ahead of you! She wrote so much.
I don’t know your Number 1 choice, and now you’ve made me very curious about it. Unlike Karen, I really enjoyed The Caravaners, and unlike you, I did quite like Elizabeth and Her German Garden, although perhaps not as much as some of her other books. Very eager to read Introduction to Sally as well now…
I love how everyone has slightly (or very!) different rankings – that’s what makes it so fun. And really looking forward to more people reading Sally.
I loved the German Garden and the follow up Solitary Summer – but perhaps that’s because gardening is my next favourite hobby after reading so a lot of it struck a chord with me. Enchanted April would be top of my list (though I haven’t read all of them yet either); I would have put Caravaners lower down though as I there was a bit too much ‘Otto’ for me.
Yes, I know nothing at all about gardening and I do think that held me back a bit.
I’m pleased that All the Dogs of my Life was so high up your list. I really enjoyed that one but warned dog lovers and sensitive types to be prepared to shed some tears! I have read all your top five and find it quite hard to argue too much with your rankings. I probably liked Mr Skeffington more than you ( from an age point of view not the once beautiful!) but did not really particularly warm to Lady Skeffington at the beginning. I loved Christopher and Columbus and The Caravaners almost despite the blurbs – they were better than I expected. I have not read E and the German Garden. I feel I should but probably know too much about it to be very inspired. I did not like Vera (I was too scared!) and was surprised that Persephone chose Expiation because although I enjoyed it I definitely think there are funnier and better ones.
I like the idea of loving the books despite the blurbs, yes, I can understand that! And that has been my reservation about Vera – I’ve heard such good things about it, but I am nervous about it too…
Personally I loved Expiation and did find it laugh-out-loud hilarious, and really not at all earnest. Is there any hope of seeing more of her in the British Library Women Writers series?
I would love to see this kind of list for all prolific middlebrow authors, many of whom I have not yet sampled.
Good qu about the BLWW series – there aren’t many left that aren’t in print, and the ones that remain aren’t her best. So, not impossible, but there aren’t any of the remaining ones that I think are top tier.
So glad the BL is doing Sally. Wonderfully funny book.
Vera is, in my opinion, her best. Have you not read it?
There are six of her books I haven’t read yet, including Vera, but one day!
Thanks for this! I have lots of her yet to read, but The Enchanted April is a beloved book and one of my very favorites. I like that it is a bit saccharine.
I started Christopher and Columbus once and was not enjoying it at all, but you have made me want to pick it up again!
Yes, sometimes something just the right level of saccharine can be very welcome, can’t it?
Oh my. Well, I love Mr. Skeffington. The ending is so poignant. And Elizabeth and her German Garden is wonderful. Sorry. All the anxiety about her garden and her inexperience. And The Man of Wrath! I hope you read The Solitary Summer, the first sequel.
Thanks for reminding me about The Caravaners. I seem to recall laughing out loud while reading it years ago 🙂
I do have The Solitary Summer on my shelves, and I will certainly read it one day!
I am reading The Benefactress right now and am enjoying it but not loving it. I do love The Enchanted April, Solitary Summer, Elizabeth and her German Garden, and Father. The Caravaners was fun but I agree with other commentators that there was too much Otto. I might need to revisit Christopher and Columbus because I remember it was just okay.
I am wondering if I’d love C and C quite so much if I re-read now – it’s based on my memories of a decade plus ago – but hopefully I would.
I love this series, and this post in particular! I just finished reading my first von Arnim – Enchanted April – and loved it, so I have a lot to look forward to :) ALL of these sound so great.
Thanks Andrea – how exciting to be embarking on your Elizabeth von Arnim journey!
My favourite is In the Mountains….it is one of the more serious ones, a bit mysterious but oh my goodness , I have re read it so many times!
Oo an unusual choice, I love that you’ve picked it as favourite!
I think I need to add her to my list of writers whose books I intend to read in entirety. I really enjoyed the three of Elizabeth von Arnim’s that I’ve read: Elizabeth & her German Garden, The Enchanted April, and Love, which I can’t remember too well, but I think it’s about a May-December romance.
So many people mentioning Love. It’s such a bold choice of title, isn’t it?
I have more EvA to read, too, and just bought Fraulein Schmidt and Mr Anstruther. It’s hard to choose but I think my top three are Father, The Caravaners, and Love.
I clearly need to read Love, then! So glad to see Father in your top three.
Love, Father, and The Enchanted April are my tops. I didn’t finish E & Her German Garden – I didn’t like von Arnim’s snobbery in that one.
Yes, I don’t think she’d managed to temper it yet with humour.
I really enjoyed Princess Priscilla’s Fortnight, and Vera was also good but disturbing — I found it’s impressive EVA can write in such different modes. I had the opposite reaction from you to In the Mountains — I liked the parts about the mountains more than the parts about Mrs. Whathername.
I have to read C and C again; I just recommended it to an English student of mine, who needs something a bit lighter after Agnes Grey. I do hope she enjoys it!
Yes, she can be so versatile! And I’ve loved seeing all the responses, and how we all like different things from different books.
I wanted to let you know my English-language student absolutely loved Christopher and Columbus and wants to read more Von Arnim. I can point her to this post for some ideas!
Oh that’s brilliant, thanks for sharing!
Simon, this post is amazing! Elizabeth von Arnim is one of my top favorite authors of all time. It was wonderful to read your rankings for her books. I’m pushing Christopher and Columbus up right after Mr. Skeffington. I’m reading that one this month because I’ll also be turning 50 in May and the plot of Mr. Skeffington sounded perfect. Have you read “Love” by EVA? I really liked that one, too. I adored Elizabeth and Her German Garden, but I think I loved A Solitary Summer even more. I have Elizabeth in Rugen and I’m planning on reading that one in June. Thank you so much for sharing this EVA ranking! :D
I wish you every luck with Mr Skeffington, and hope it doesn’t compound the thoughts about ageing!! I haven’t read Love but I do have it. I had such fun doing this ranking and seeing the comments.
Number 5: ooh!
I did like Expiation but I don’t recall rolling in the aisles over it.
I still enjoyed it, but.. yeah, not the one I’d have chosen to reprint (evidently!!)
Can’t believe I missed this at the time! Anyway, I’m here now…
It’s lovely to see The Caravaners so high on your list…and I agree with your placement of German Garden at the bottom. It’s by far my least favourite of those I’ve read so far. In fact it almost put me off EvA altogether, largely because I found the central character unnecessarily cruel and snobbish. Introduction to Sally will probably be my next, so it’s great to see it in a good position here!
I just finished The Enchanted April. The only other novel of hers I’ve read is The Princess Priscilla’s Fortnight.
Based on those two, and what did and didn’t work about each of them, her forte was clearly “gentle satire”, and the more she leaned into the satire, the better she was. The Enchanted April is laugh out loud funny in spots — particularly the first few chapters, and the depictions of the four women (especially Lady Caroline and Mrs. Fisher.) And there are some nice spots throughout the novel, and the the depictions of the Italian landscape and the women’s reaction to it are nice.
But (mild spoilers) :
.
.
.
.
the ending is a) just too convenient; and b) a bit annoying. Granted that there was no real alternative for either Lotty or Rose given society at that time, I felt that both of them “settled” for their (hopefully reformed) husbands. I was actually rooting for Mr. Briggs and Rose to get together somehow. I grant that Rose apparently was truly in love with Frederick, and at least he’s not a crashing bore. Mr. Wilkins is a crashing bore even after he starts being nice to Lotty!
The nicest parts of the “love stories” were Mr. Briggs and Rose, so his reaction to Lady Caroline was a disappointment. And I remained unconvinced that Scrap ought to give in to Mr. Briggs’ “grabbing”, especially as he still doesn’t really know her.
All that said, it was fun.
As for The Princess Priscilla’s Fortnight, it’s a lesser book. There are some funny bits, and the predictable plot is still OK, but it’s entertaining enough, but probably won’t pass any of your other favorites.