The enchanted April, by Elizabeth von Arnim

I really enjoyed this 1922 novel about four women who travel to Italy, renting an old castle for a month. All of the women are unhappy for different reasons, but they find that their month away has given them the time and space to heal and face their respective concerns. The writing reminds me of E.M. Forster's classics Howards End, and A room with a view with their witty dialogue and comical situations, but also real-life sorrows and anxieties. This is a scholarly edition with a lengthy introduction, bibliography, chronology of von Arnim, and explanatory notes, which were very helpful.