Literative

Today we're celebrating Halloween and John Keats' birthday with a poem about a famous femme fatale: La Belle Dame sans Merci (the beautiful lady without pity). Readers beware! Literative is now on Patreon! Readers who join for free can access the Literative library of published episodes, enjoy additional posts and images, and use the collections to find your next listen. Our paid subscribe...

We have reached Chapter 22, the final episode in our read-along of The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim. San Salvatore has worked its magic on Rose and Frederick Arbuthnot, who now seem as happily and even more passionately reconciled than our other couple, Lotty and Mellursh Wilkins. But is there a happy ending in store for Lady Caroline and for Mrs. Fisher? And what about poor Mr. Briggs?...

Today we go on to Chapter 21 of The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim. Frederick Arbuthnot is shocked to find his wife, Rose, at San Salvatore because he came there to see Lady Caroline, who knows him as Ferdinand Arundel. The dinner gong has sounded and the moment of truth approaches. Literative is now on Patreon! Readers who join for free can access the Literative library of published episo...

Today we go on to Chapter 20 of The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim. Lady Caroline is so amused by Mr. Arundel that she invites him to dinner, while Rose, still basking in the glow of Mr. Briggs' admiration, makes a decision about her husband, Frederick. Literative is now on Patreon! Readers who join for free can access the Literative library of published episodes, enjoy additional post...

Today we go on to Chapter 19 of The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim. It seems that Mr. Wilkins was right to predict trouble with the arrival of Mr. Briggs, whose interest in Rose evaporates as soon as he sees Lady Caroline. Desperate to avoid her unwelcome admirer, Lady Caroline flees the castle only to discover another surprise visitor. Literative is now on Patreon! Readers who join for fr...

Today we go on to Chapter 18 of The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim. Mr. Briggs, the owner of the castle, pays an impromptu visit and makes no effort to hide his admiration of Rose Arbuthnot. Rose, Lotty, and Mrs. Fisher all find Briggs charming, but Mr. Wilkins' professional opinion is "Trouble here!" Literative is now on Patreon! Readers who join for free can access the Lite...

Today we go on to Chapter 17 of The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim. Rose finally writes to her husband, inviting him to join her to San Salvatore, and she is beside herself with anxiety until a telegram arrives . . . with a message she never expected. Literative is now on Patreon! Readers who join for free can access the Literative library of published episodes, enjoy additional posts and...

Today we go on to Chapter 16 of The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim. It is the second week of the Italian holiday, and all the ladies recognize a remarkable change in Mr. Wilkins. If San Salvatore can save Lotty's marriage to Mellursh, what other miracles await? Literative is now on Patreon! Readers who join for free can access the Literative library of published episodes, enjoy additio...

Today we go on to Chapter 15 of The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim. After his explosive introduction to San Salvatore, Mellursh Wilkins is getting on surprisingly well with his four hostesses. But now it's time to pay the bills from the first week, and additional scores must be settled. Literative is now on Patreon! Readers who join for free can access the Literative library of publish...

Today we're celebrating not only Banned Books Week but 150 years of the American Library Association. Happy birthday, ALA! To honor both of these events, we'll discuss one of the important moments in ALA's history, the creation of the Freedom to Read Statement. "The people should have the freedom to read and consider a broader range of ideas than those that may be held by any sing...

Today we go on to Chapter 14 of The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim. This is it, the moment everyone has been dreading. Lotty's husband, Mr. Wilkins, arrives at San Salvatore and soon learns the meaning of the word pericoloso! Literative is now on Patreon! Readers who join for free can access the Literative library of published episodes or use the collections to find your next listen. O...

Today we go on to Chapter 13 of The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim. The servants at San Salvatore are bored with their current guests, who seem to have no life in them, but appearances are deceiving! We eavesdrop on the private thoughts of Lady Caroline, Mrs. Fisher, and Rose Arbuthnot to discover how the first few days at San Salvatore have changed their understanding of themselves . . ....

Today we go on to Chapter 12 of The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim. For the first time, all four women gather for a rather tense meal at San Salvatore, and Mrs. Wilkins makes a startling announcement: she's invited her husband to join them. Literative is now on Patreon! Readers who join for free can access the Literative library of published episodes or use the collections to find your...

Today we go on to Chapter 11 of The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim. Rose Arbuthnot is bewildered by the changes that she observes in herself and in Lotty Wilkins. Can the beauty of San Salvatore really be responsible for this transformation? Literative is now on Patreon! Readers who join for free can access the Literative library of published episodes or use the collections to find your ne...

Today we go on to Chapter 10 of The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim. Lady Caroline considers what the future might hold for someone who has "wasted so much time being beautiful," and Mrs. Fisher discovers intruders in her inner sanctum. Literative is now on Patreon! Readers who join for free can access the Literative library of published episodes or use the collections to find you...

Today we go on to Chapter 9 of The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim and learn more about the two women Rose and Lotty have invited to share their holiday at San Salvatore. Mrs. Fisher and Lady Caroline Dester arrived early so they could claim the best rooms and finest views for themselves. Each insists she wants only solitude, but what do they really need? Literative is now on Patreon! Reade...

Today we go on to Chapter 8 of The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim. Lotty encourages Rose to stop fussing and just enjoy the beauty that surrounds her. Meanwhile, Lady Caroline withdraws from everyone so that she can do something she's never wanted to do before . . . think. Literative is now on Patreon! Readers who join for free can access the Literative library of published episodes or use...

Today we go on to Chapter 7 of The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim. Mrs. Fisher arrived a day early and has already taken over the management of San Salvatore. Lotty doesn't mind, but Rose refuses to be treated as a guest during the holiday she organized. Literative is now on Patreon! Readers who join for free can access the Literative library of published episodes or use the collections to...

Today we go on to Chapter 6 of The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim. After the nightmare of their midnight arrival, Lotty Wilkins and Rose Arbuthnot wake up to find that San Salvatore is even more heavenly than they'd imagined. But there is already trouble in paradise. Literative is now on Patreon! Readers who join for free can access the Literative library of published episodes or use the c...

Today we go on to Chapter 5 of The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim. Mrs. Wilkins and Mrs. Arbuthnot arrive in Italy, but a series of misadventures with a late train, a disobedient horse, and a band of mysterious men leaves them wishing they'd learned Italian and wondering if they will ever reach San Salvatore. Literative is now on Patreon! Readers who join for free can access the Literative...

Today we go on to Chapter 4 of The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim. Mrs. Wilkins and Mrs. Arbuthnot are finally leaving for Italy, but how will their husbands react? Literative is now on Patreon! Readers who join for free can access the Literative library of published episodes or use the collections to find your next listen. Our paid subscribers, Friends of the Pod, enjoy early access...

Today we go on to Chapter 3 of The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim. Mrs. Wilkins and Mrs. Arbuthnot find that the cost of the Italian castle obliges them to share their holiday with other people, but only two women answer their ad. Literative is now on Patreon! Readers who join for free can access the Literative library of published episodes or use the collections to find your next listen.&...

Happy Labor Day! We're celebrating with poems by Walt Whitman and Joseph O. Legaspi that honor the dignity of the individual laborer and the importance of working together to build a better world. Get the full story at www.patreon.com/Literative .  Resources: Academy of American Poets.  https://poets.org/academy-american-poets ---. Joseph O. Legaspi.  https://poets.org/poet/jos...

Today we go on to Chapter 2 of The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim. Mrs. Wilkins and Mrs. Arbuthnot respond to the advertisement about the Italian castle, but Mrs. Arbuthnot struggles to justify (even to herself) her desire for a holiday. Literative is now on Patreon! Readers who join for free can access the Literative library of published episodes or use the collections to find your next l...

We begin our reading of The Enchanted April, Elizabeth von Arnim's beloved 1922 novel. Chapter 1: On a miserably rainy London day, Mrs. Wilkins and Mrs. Arbuthnot meet over a newspaper advertisement: "To Those who Appreciate Wistaria and Sunshine." Literative is now on Patreon! Readers who join for free can access the Literative library of published episodes or use the collections to find your nex...