Fraulein Schmidt and Mr Anstruther

by Elizabeth von Arnim

This enchanting novel tells the story of the love affair between Rose-Marie Schmidt and Roger Anstruther. A determined young woman of twenty-five, Rose-Marie is considered a spinster by the inhabitants of the small German town of Jena where she lives with her father, the Professor. To their homes comes Roger, an impoverished but well-born young Englishman who wishes to learn German: Rose-Marie and Roger fall in love. But the course of true love never did run smooth: distance, temperament and fortune divide them. We watch the ebb and flow of love between two very different people and see the witty and wonderful Rose-Marie get exactly what she wants.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Romance, 20th Century, Germany, British Literature, Modern Classics

392 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1907

About the author

Elizabeth von Arnim, born Mary Annette Beauchamp, was an English novelist. Born in Australia, she married a German aristocrat, and her earliest works are set in Germany. Her first marriage made her Countess von Arnim-Schlagenthin and her second Elizabeth Russell, Countess Russell. After her first husband's death, she had a three-year affair with the writer H.G. Wells, then later married Earl Russell, elder brother of the Nobel prize-winner and philosopher Bertrand Russell. She was a cousin of the New Zealand-born writer Katherine Mansfield. Though known in early life as May, her first book introduced her to readers as Elizabeth, which she eventually became to friends and finally to family. Her writings are ascribed to Elizabeth von Arnim. She used the pseudonym Alice Cholmondeley for only one novel, Christine, published in 1917.

Reviews

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always feel somehow as if I'd simultaneously dived to the darkest depths and done nothing more than lay in a garden on a summer's day when I read von Arnim. Her work is the most insistent drumbeat for women's independence and for extending women freedom and personhood I've read, while at the same time it can also be a small voice, self-deprecating and with a wise smile swearing she is foolish and worthless and best left alone (no please, please, really leave her alone, right now please). Of course it isn't perfect, but I never remember that by the end. The bracing honesty in her writing overwhelms me, perhaps even more so because what she says is not always something she can count on being impressive. She is wonderful. I am no different and no more worthy of it, but I am kinder to myself and to others for days after I finish one of her books. One day I hope she has as many modern-day fan girls as she deserves.

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I previously thought that ping ponging through timelines & multiple POV were my least favourite novel forms, but I have now decided that honour belongs to the epistolatory style - it is just too limited.

Fräulein Schmidt becomes engaged to Mr. Anstruther who board with her & her scholarly father. When he returns to England the engagement does not survive, but they continue to correspond.

In spite of Rose-Marie's great personal charm & the often witty writing, there were significant passages of trivia, where my attention wandered.

The book was heading for a 2.5★ rating (average for me) but was rescued by an ending I didn't expect & I greatly admired Rose-Marie's bravery.

I'm glad I persevered with this book, (in spite of it being very short, it took me nearly two weeks to read it) but I won't ever read it again.

https://wordpress.com/view/carolshess...

[JimZ · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, this is a solid 3-star rating — definitely worth reading. I have to tell you that this started out as a 2-star book. This is my 7th book I have read by Elizabeth and I am a devotee. I felt terrible while preparing to give it a 2-star rating...how to explain such a thing in my review? 😯

I took 4 pages of notes because I needed/wanted to keep track of what Fräulein Schmidt was saying to Mr. Anstruther in her letters to him. Here is a progression of those notes of mine that are solely judgmental in nature regarding how I was feeling about the book as I was reading it, to give you an idea of how the rating from 2- to 3-stars evolved:
• Chapter XI. Terribly boring chapter. I don’t know what she’s talking about.
• Chapter XIII. I’m bewildered. I don’t get this DRIVEL.
• Chapter XVIII. Oh geez this is depressing
• Chapter XXXI. I skimmed some of this. This is getting boring.
• Chapter XXXIV. Funny, the old Elizabeth creeping through.
• Chapter XLI. 2 stars and fading. I don’t see the purpose of this.
• Chapter XLII. Funny.
• Chapter XLIV. Funny first 1½ pages. (later on) That was a good chapter.
• Chapter XLV. Wow. What writing.
• Chapter LIV. lol…. (later on) good writing
• Chapter LXVIII. Too funny

This novel consists of letters written by Fräulein Rose-Marie Schmidt to Mr. Henry Anstruther from November 6 of one year to February 4 some 16 months later. Prior to the first letter Mr. Henry Anstruther had just left the town of Jena, where Rose-Marie Schmidt lived, back to where he lived, England. Immediately prior to his leaving, he professed his love to Rose-Marie and proposed to her. He had lived in the house where she lived with her father for one year because he was boarding at their house and was taking German lessons from Rose-Marie’s father (who I think was a professor). But Mr. Anstruther during the year he lived with them had never had any intimate conversations with Rose-Marie, and so the last minute “Will you marry me?” was a surprise, but a pleasant surprise to Rose-Marie. In her initial letters to him, she waxes eloquent about his sterling character and how worthless she is and and how lucky she is that he, with his intellect and him in good standing in the upper echelons of English society, chose her to be his wife. That’s where I was nauseated in the reading of this novel. Like…“Elizabeth is writing this?! Sounds like a Harlequin Romance novel.”

Well, certain events transpire over the 16 months of letter writing, and for those who know me you will be kept ignorant of those events at least by me, because I am loathe to disclose spoilers. 😊 I will say that I grew to respect Fräulein Rose-Marie Schmidt, and I found her to be intelligent, witty, and at times laugh-out-loud humorous. And I liked the way the story ended —it was unexpected.

Notes:
• While a humorous read, one is aware via her writing about the sorry lot of women back then in European society. Women who were in high society, women of a lower class, women who were maids, girls, doesn’t matter — the male always trumped the female. I just finished a memoir by Molly Hughes, “A London Child of the 1870s” and was reminded in that memoir of pretty much the same thing…the inequality of males and females. (written in the same era as this novel)
• The edition of the novel I have is a Vintage Classic from Penguin Random House UK (2017). It has a nice color drawing on the front cover (softcover) of a young women with eyes closed leaning against a fence with an apple tree behind her and rose bushes in front of her and a backdrop of a blue sky with white clouds…which fit very well the novel’s setting. I liked the cover.
• The book was originally written in 1907. Elizabeth (von Arnim) at that time was 41 years old with 5 children and married to Count Henning August von Arnim-Schlagenthin, a Prussian aristocrat. This was her 8th book and it was written nearly ten years after her first book which was a best-seller back then and is much loved today, Elizabeth and Her German Garden.

Reviews from bloggers (Caution: the first review is OK in not giving too much away but the next three reviews give away parts or all of the novel that contribute to its enjoyment. I would recommend only reading these reviews [all well written] after reading the novel!):
https://thecaptivereader.com/2012/11/...
https://reading19001950.wordpress.com...
http://reviewsbywriters.blogspot.com/...
http://desperatereader.blogspot.com/2...

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, that ending wasn't what I had expected, but it should have been.

[Dana Loo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ho apprezzato tantissimo questo mio primo von Arnim, non avrei potuto avere approccio migliore. In forma epistolare e con uno stile narrativo impeccabile, lettera dopo lettera, assistiamo all'evoluzione di una giovane donna che, dopo aver assaporato per un brevissimo periodo le gioie dell'amore racchiuse in un solo bacio ed una promessa, ne viene improvvisamente privata. Dopo un comprensibile momento di sbandamento, diventiamo testimoni del suo rifiorire, del suo trasformare l'ordinario della sua grigia quotidianità in qualcosa di straordinario, che nn è altro che una presa di coscienza di sé, della propria forza, intelligenza, maturità e grande acume. A tratti corrosivo, ironico, sarcastico è sopratutto una denuncia dei pregiudizi sociali dell'epoca e del ruolo minoritario della donna che in questo caso lotta per affermare la propria dignità e il proprio valore. Sebbene scritto più di cent'anni fa è un romanzo estremamente moderno...

[Troy Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. A gorgeous work by one of my favourite authors. A book to just lie back and luxuriate in.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having discovered not long ago that Elizabeth Von Arnim novels are available free from such sites as Project Gutenberg, Many books.net and Girlebooks, I promptly downloaded four. I am puzzled how Amazon can justify still charging for these kindle books . I think however that these are the sort of books I might like to own in book format and will continue to keep an eye out for reasonably priced copies. In fact I found a nice Virago green edition of The Enchanted April just yesterday while in Hay on Wye.

This is just the second Elizabeth Von Arnim novel I have read, the first earlier this year was The Enchanted April. This is quite different from that novel, and although I enjoyed it, I can’t say that I enjoyed it as much. There is much to commend it though and the writing is certainly lovely. The novel is an epistalory novel, with a difference, as there is just one correspondent, the Miss Schmidt of the title. She is in Jena a small town in Germany and she is writing to Roger Anstruther in London, a former lodger with her family. As the novel opens she is addressing him as Roger, telling him she loves him., However it becomes clear that the replies she is receiving are not so effusive and the reader fears for Rose-Marie Schmidt, and is sure that Mr Anstruther is not worthy of this lively and intelligent letter writer. It is therefore quite poignant when Rose-Marie’s letter openings change to Dear Mr Anstruther.

The letters continue over the next year and through Fraulein Schmidt’s letters we see the changes that come to both their lives. The fortunes of the Schmidt family change quite considerably, but Rose-Marie embraces life and all it brings and tells all to her friend Mr Anstruther in her most charming letters full of chatty observations, small town anecdotes and worldly big sister type advice.

Rose-Marie Schmidt is a lovely character, it’s a testament to the excellent writing of Elizabeth Von Arnim, that the personality of this intelligent optimistic young woman comes through so sympathetically in the descriptions of her quiet life and interactions with the people around her.

[Laura McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite the horrid title, this is one of the loveliest books I've read. Really, Von Arnim (or her publisher) came up with some nice titles--The Enchanted April, The Solitary Summer--to name a couple. But they must have not put forth the effort on this one, which is a shame.

But the title is at least descriptive. It is an epistolary novel containing the correspondence from Fraulein Schmidt to Mr Anstruther. What makes it different from most other epistolary novels is that you read only the letters from one person, Fraulein Schmidt. Which is just as well, because you will immediately gather that Fraulein Schmidt's letters are some of the most beautiful pieces of prose recorded on paper while Mr Anstruther's letters must be much less worthy of praise.

Before reading this, I had decided that I didn't like Von Arnim's fiction as well as her autobiographical work. I was wrong. It is more her first person voice that I am in love with. I'm sure this novel contains items of autobiographical nature, however it is undoubtedly fiction. But what a joy! I can't recommend this one highly enough.

Be forewarned that there are some terribly frustrating parts, full of heartache and heartbreak. But in the end, one is happy to have felt it and lived through it and possibly even look back with gratitude after time as healed one's wounds, than to never have felt anything at all.

This should be just out at Gutenberg and soon out at Girlebooks--the text was a proofreading project I did with Marc at freeliterature.org.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are neither of us wise, but it is surprising how talking to a friend, even to a friend as unwise as yourself, clears up your brains and lets in a new light.

I almost didn't keep reading. I'm writing this in case, you a potential reader, pick up this book on a five star recommendation and felt as I did the first 47 pages into the big. The breathy, saccharine filled gushing love letters to Roger were too much. I began to wonder how von Arnim could fill an entire novel of these types of letters. This is an epistolary novel all written in letters by Fraulein Rose-Marie Schmidt to Mr. Roger Anstruther. Then a polarizing event occurs (which seemed inevitable) that changes the entire flow and tone of the novel. Brilliantly done.

Now I'll get to the review but I had to give this warning to potential readers who might have been tempted as I was to not continue with the novel.

There is no help, except what you dig out of your own self; and if I could make you see that I would have shown you all the secrets of life. -Rose Marie Schmidt

Fraulein Schmidt starts this novel as a starry eyed newly affianced at the advanced age of twenty six. It is a secret engagement (There's your first red flag. Never enter into a secret engagement, ladies and gentleman). She corresponds with her fiancee, Roger, eagerly and spritely in her love for him. As events occur in the book, we see a complete transformation and evolution in both she and Roger. Though since these letters are entirely from her viewpoint, one has to read between the lines on Roger's transformation. The novel follows a little over a year in which Rose- Marie sees rapid changes in her life. These changes follow a move, making new friends, taking in new boarders, learning to grow crops, and embracing the person she was on track towards becoming if her step-mother and the societal expectations hadn't derailed her briefly.

Why Did I Love It So?

I loved it so for the sheer depth and expanse. We see a stern, rebuking Rose-Marie, a gushing girl Rose-Marie, a hungry esthetic trying out vegetarianism Rose-Marie, a friend and confidant Rose-Marie, a questioning religious teachings Rose-Marie despite devotion showed on the anniversary of her mother's death, a devoted daughter to an absent minded professor of a father who cannot manage money without her, but ultimately a brilliant young woman who loves poetry and nature. I think a strength of von Arnim's writing is beautifully and eloquently describing nature and the changing seasons. This book was part nature writing, part discourse on philosophical and religious beliefs, dabbling in romance but all the while it was about a changing relationship between a man and a woman. I didn't expect to find the deepness in the story that I did.

I really want to study von Arnim as a person after reading this novel. I may be reading into things, but the questioning rawness of religion and God made me wonder if these were experiences von Arnim had. There is one particular scene where Rose-Marie goes to Herr Pastor for a confession. She assumes he is a "doctor of the spirit" and hoping to find spiritual healing. He instead berated and scolded her. Saying "Ach, miserable maiden, it is not with such as thee that Paradise is peopled. The taint of thy parentage is heavy upon thee. Thou art not, thou canst be, thou has never been a child of God." These cutting words just seemed so specific and knowing. I have to wonder what types of interactions with religion that von Arnim had.

Instead, we see a healing take place when Rose-Marie and her father move to the country. They sell/give away many worldly possessions to take a smaller house on an even smaller income than they previously had. Yet, we see the novel take a cerebral turn as Rose-Marie observes nature, reads poetry and wonders at the poets' lives, meets new friends that challenge her thinking and also require assistance, and her ever changing evolving role in Mr. Roger Anstruther's life. This was such a brilliant novel to read. A definite reread and I want to spend a month in a small cottage in the German countryside now. Probably in September where I can angle to hopefully get an invitation to a kaffeeklatsch for cake, coffee, and a bit of gossip.

[Gwynplaine26th · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insieme a "Il giardino di Elizabeth" uno dei migliori Von Armin, anno 1907.
Acuto e schietto, brillante e ironico, un romanzo epistolare che versa in un soliloquio incredibilmente affascinante, dove determinazione si sostituisce ad amore, poi fuga e velato disprezzo (anche nelle altrui critiche la Von Armin è genialmente raffinata). Ottimo sotto ogni punto di vista e questa vecchia edizione ha una copertina vintage assai preferibile di quella pacatamente "harmony" che si trova adesso in libreria.

"So che siete intelligente, che avete una mente brillante, un intelletto assolutamente apprezzabile; ma a che vi serve quando il resto di voi è tanto debole? Siete di una cavillosità malsana". (pag.83)

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful! A story told in completely in the letter of Fraulein Schmidt to her former lodger and sometime lover, Mr. Anstruther. I sure hope he hopped on a train from Berlin to Jena...

[Kubi]

Maybe my favorite von Arnim so far, though I feel slightly guilty for saying so in consideration of The Enchanted April. But this did go down easier for me than Elizabeth and her German Garden. Rose-Marie Schmidt is such a singular character. The poor "spinster" (at 26 haha) daughter of a scholar, Rose-Marie's life seems dreary at first glance but is actually "very rich within." Wry and intelligent, a lover of poetry, possessed of a great sense of humor, she cannot be kept down (at least for very long). The novel, told through letters she writes to Mr. Roger Anstruther, is filled with her exuberance and wit. There is an early heartbreak from which our heroine emerges galvanized and totally herself. For the rest of the book, we have the pleasure of getting to know Rose-Marie as the willful, eloquent woman she is. In her wonderful letters, she tells amusing anecdotes about her life in the German countryside, appreciates nature and the seasons, reviews literature and music, and provides honest and perceptive advice to her recipient. Rose-Marie is, above all, strong in her conviction of extracting joy from any circumstance, that seeking pleasure is as noble a goal as any. Here, Rose-Marie is a mouthpiece for von Arnim's revolutionary ideas about women and the elusive independence with which they can (should) pursue happiness on their own terms. The ending is inevitable - we fall head over heels in love with Fraulein Schmidt.

[Marina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recensione originale: https://sonnenbarke.wordpress.com/202...

Questa volta la mia amata Elizabeth von Arnim mi ha fatto penare un po’, ma alla fine ne è valsa la pena. Fino a circa il 70% del libro ho sbadigliato e mi sono annoiata, poi il romanzo si è ripreso egregiamente.

Questo libro, tradotto in italiano da Bollati Boringhieri come Lettere di una donna indipendente o, nella nuova edizione, Una donna indipendente, è un romanzo epistolare nel quale le uniche lettere che leggiamo sono quelle scritte da Fräulein Schmidt, mentre possiamo solo intuire il contenuto delle lettere di Mr Anstruther da quello che scrive Rose-Marie. Una forma che mi è piaciuta molto, devo dire.

Nelle prime lettere Mr Anstruther è chiamato “caro Roger”: infatti, i due si sono fidanzati in segreto. Il signor Anstruther era ospite a casa di Rose-Marie a Jena, in Germania, dove prendeva lezioni di tedesco da suo padre. Poco prima di tornare in Inghilterra, i due si sono dichiarati il proprio amore di nascosto dalle rispettive famiglie, e le prime lettere che si scambiano sono appassionate come ci si potrebbe aspettare da due giovani innamorati.

A un certo punto però il signor Anstruther rompe il fidanzamento, del resto senza conseguenze dal momento che nessuno ne era a conoscenza. Infatti Rose-Marie è povera e lui sente di poter aspirare a ben altro, inoltre ha già pronta una nuova fidanzata. Dopo un po’ riprende a scrivere a Rose-Marie e iniziano una corrispondenza, diventando così buoni amici.

Dopo poco tempo però il signor Anstruther lascia anche la nuova fidanzata e, dalle lettere di Rose-Marie, capiamo che c’è un’inquietudine in lui. Rose-Marie fa finta quasi fino alla fine di non capire di che si tratti, ma pian piano risulta evidente che il signor Anstruther ha scoperto di essere realmente innamorato di lei. I due continuano comunque a scriversi.

Le lettere della signorina Schmidt sono piene di piccoli aneddoti quotidiani e riflessioni sulla vita, molto nello stile di von Arnim. Però contrariamente agli altri nove (!) romanzi che ho letto di questa autrice, questa volta mi sono molto annoiata a leggere delle piccole vicissitudini quotidiane di questa giovane ventiseienne. Come dicevo, però, le cose a un certo punto cambiano e sono contenta di aver perseverato quando avrei voluto abbandonare la lettura.

Mr Anstruther si scopre di nuovo innamorato di Fräulein Schmidt e diventa sempre più insistente. Rose-Marie, dopo l’iniziale cocente delusione dovuta all’essere stata lasciata, si scopre invece una donna indipendente e capacissima di gioire della propria quotidianità fatta di natura, amore per il padre, libri e in seguito anche una bella amicizia con una nuova vicina di casa. Ma Anstruther è sempre più insistente e non vuole credere al fatto che Rose-Marie si sia rifatta una vita, sebbene da single e vivendo ancora con il padre. Diciamolo, a un certo punto il signor Anstruther diventa niente meno che uno stalker. A questo punto abbiamo la conferma di come Rose-Marie sia davvero indipendente e non possiamo che prendere le sue parti.

Penso che valga la pena leggere questo libro per l’ultimo terzo e anche per qualche riflessione interessante di Rose-Marie. Non lo considero di certo tra i libri più riusciti di Elizabeth von Arnim (e infatti mi pare che non sia neanche tanto conosciuto), ma se avete letto altro di questa autrice e volete approfondire ne vale comunque la pena. Sconsigliatissimo cominciare la sua conoscenza con questo libro. Consigliato perseverare anche se all’inizio sembra noioso.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young German girl writes charming letters to a former student of her father, who has returned to England after declaring his love for her. His father disapproves so she agrees to break the engagement and remain friends. This is the most delightful book I've read in a long time. I doled out Fraulein Schmidt's letters one by one to make them last as long as possible. It's hard to believe this book is out of print, but fortunately, it's available from Project Gutenberg and as an ebook from online book sellers.

"My step-mother looked at me at least once on each of these miserable days, and said 'Rose-Marie, you look very odd. I hope you are not going to have anything expensive. Measles are in Jena, and also the whooping cough.'

'Which of them is the cheapest,' I inquired.

'Both are beyond our means,' said my step-mother severely."

"The broken spout is a brisk reminder of the transitoriness of coffee-pots and of life. It sets me hurrying about my business, which is first to replace it, and then by every possible ingenuity to make the most of the passing moment. The passing moment is what you should keep your eye on, my young friend. It is a slippery, flighty thing; but properly pounced upon, lends itself fruitfully to squeezing."

[Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't be put off by the unromantic title - this is a gem of a book! It consists entirely of one young woman's letters to her friend and would-be lover, Mr. Anstruther. And they are delightful letters. In true Von Arnim style, the book overflows with glorious descriptions of every day things. I don't know any other author who can make an apple or a coffee pot sound so wonderfully romantic or describe the beauty of the first snows so perfectly that one almost expects to find snowflakes on their shoulders. But it's not all about inanimate things. Her conversations with family and friends are particularly witty and several times I laughed out loud. There are deeper philosophies too - like the futility and meanness of trying to change the person you love.

This book will make you feel happy to be alive.

[Elinor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book, but I ended up simply liking it. The match between a reader and a book is always a highly personal one, and in this case the book fell short of my desire for a stronger plot. It is beautifully written, but meanders along very slowly, and I found myself wishing that something more would happen. This epistolary novel takes the form of letters written by a single writer, a young German woman, to the Englishman who has jilted her. Over time the letters reveal her to be an extremely clever and optimistic character, and I came to picture her environment in great detail. However, it did not live up to Enchanted April, by the same author.

[Francesca · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5

È il mio primo approccio a questa scrittrice e il giudizio è completamente positivo.
Il romanzo si svolge in forma epistolare, ma riesce a dare una visione completa dei personaggi, della loro individualità, dei paesaggi, della storia stessa.
Rose-Marie, la protagonista, mi è piaciuta moltissimo: solo nelle prime pagine dà l’impressione di comportarsi come l’ennesima innamorata insulsa, dopo dà prova di vera personalità e carattere.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

YES. I am once again convinced that Elizabeth von Arnim is no mere fluff writer. I had my doubts about the epistolary style of this book...and, of course, about the truly horrible title, (really, Elizabeth?) but they were quickly swept away, sentence by sentence. Beautiful writing, beautiful story, and I really was not sure what the final outcome would be until the very last sentence. Wholeheartedly recommended.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A warm and wonderful epistolary novel, first published in 1907. All the letters are from Fraulein Schmidt to Mr. Anstruther. She's intelligent, amusing, perceptive, and independent. He's irritating and unreliable. I wish more people read Elizabeth von Arnim - Enchanted April is the best, but I loved this as well.

[Hallgerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh how you want to shout at Roger Anstruther when you read this book...and to go to Jena to have coffee with Rose-Marie. I wish someone would write me letters like these.

[Judith Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! See my (short!) blog: http://www.judithjohnson.co.uk/blog/f...

[Marta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fräulein Schmidt And Mr Anstruther (1907)

Bellissimo romanzo epistolare dove le risposte di lui, come spesso accade, non sono rilevanti ai fini della comprensione. Certo avrei preferito che lui alla fine andasse a cercarla, ma era uno di quelli lamentosi che parlano e basta .

"Ora me ne andrò a dormire, a sognare di te, suppongo, dato che ti ho pensato per tutto il giorno; forse avrò un pizzico di fortuna e ti sognerò mentre mi parli." pag. 56-7

[MissFede · Rating 4 out of 5]

The right book a the right time. What a delight!

[Lila · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an epistolary novel consisting of a series of letters from Fraulein Schmidt, the daughter of a poor Goethe scholar to a British man, Mr. Anstruthe, who had boarded with them to study German. Through the letters it became apparent that he jilted her in favor of a wealthy woman once he got home and he, in turn, was jilted. This is all learned through the one-sided communication as we only see her letters. By describing the events in home of Jena, a university town closely linked to Goethe, she teaches Anstruthe just what it means to be a mid-20s woman in small town left with no marriage prospects and why she now prefers to live unwed. The ending is ambiguous. The reader is left to consider if she has gotten revenge and has totally rejected him or will take him back. Humorously, she manages a free translation of her father's book and gets it published (by leaving out the valued statistics).

[Daniela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, lo so... rischio di non essere più credibile se ogni volta metto tutte queste stelline ai libri della Von Arnim! Ma che ci posso fare? Il suo stile, sempre così diverso da libro a libro, è straordinario. Le sue storie mi coinvolgono moltissimo.
Questo, per esempio, è sensazionale. Ecco che l'autrice ci fa leggere le lettere che la giovane Rose-Marie scrive al suo amico/innamorato. Leggiamo solo la sua voce, eppure intuiamo quello che dall'altra parte il ragazzo le risponde. Lettere magnifiche, di una donna prima innamorata, poi delusa e ferita, poi distaccata e rigida, poi sensibile e disponibile....
E poi, non dimentichiamo che il genere epistolare io lo adoro.
Bello, bello, bello!

[Eva · Rating 3 out of 5]

An epistolary novel, giving us only one side of the conversation. We spend a year with Fraulein Schmidt's letters to almost-fiance Mr Anstruther. A lot of this was lovely, talking about the simple life of an educated woman during what must be the end of the 19th century. But a lot of this also dragged, considering the format was very limiting and Fraeulein Schmidt likes to muse about the beauty of meadows. I fluctuated between 2 or 3 stars, but then the ending thankfully went the way I hoped it would. Even though it rendered our main character's actions either a bit clueless or rather cruel.

[Kilian Metcalf · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, but not hugely. It is nowhere near the quality of The Enchanted April or Elizabeth's German Garden. For starters, I'm not crazy about epistolary novels, and this book didn't do much to change my mind. I found the ending particularly unsatisfying. It's as if the protagonist is determined to be as contrary and unpleasant as possible. She succeeded in putting me off, that's for sure. If you like this type of novel, you might enjoy it more than I did.

[Patrizia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mi sento sempre sovrastata dalle eroine di Elizabeth von Arnim, così limpide, semplici, coraggiose, padrone di sé, ironiche, intelligenti – specie quando acquistano ulteriore luminosità dal contrasto con un personaggio opaco, presuntuoso, instabile, vittimista, ottuso… devo aggiungere altro? Un uomo, come tanti altri.

[Dianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy Elizabeth von Arnim's writing, and this book doesn't disappoint. However, I found the epistolary format a bit wearing as all the letters are from only one of the two people corresponding. It's kind of a long read and a bit repetitious, though the writing is always wonderful. Not so sure about that ambiguous ending, though...or WAS it ambiguous?!!

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read of the friendship between Rose Marie Schmidt and Mr. Anstruther and what became of it. Very realistic. Rose Marie has a humorous personality and I liked the writing style in her letters to Mr. Anstruther.