With a cast of endearingly imperfect characters and set against the beauty of a gorgeous New England summer, Enchanted August brilliantly updates the beloved classic The Enchanted April in a novel of love and reawakening that is simply irresistible.
ENCHANTED AUGUST
Indie Next Pick
Maine Literary Prize Finalist
As recommended by People | Glamour.com | Good Housekeeping
"A bewitching story with characters as rich and delightful as summertime in Maine, Enchanted August indulges its readers with stories of friendship, love and new beginnings."—Mary Kubica, author of The Good Girl
“Brenda Bowen writes with humor and with love about the spell cast on the unsuspecting by a cottage by the sea." -- Jennifer Finney Boylan, bestselling author of She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders
"Bowen has conjured up a delightful and inviting island summer complete with all the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of Maine to create a feast for the senses…this feel-good story will make an enjoyable summer read for romance lovers.” —Booklist
“A paean to coastal Maine and island living, and a treatise on loving the one you're with. . . a smartly crafted beach read….an old-fashioned love story with humor and heart” —Publishers Weekly
“With touches of Shakespearean comedy, this is. . . bright and kind and optimistic. A thoroughly pleasant summer read as breezy as
the island itself.” —Kirkus Reviews
THE ENCHANTED APRIL
by Elizabeth von Arnim
Introduction by Brenda Bowen
The charming, slyly comic novel of romantic longing and transformation
that inspired the Oscar-nominated film
Escaping dreary London for the sunshine of Italy, four very different women take up an offer advertised in the Times for a “small medieval Italian Castle on the shores of the Mediterranean to be let furnished for the month of April.” As each blossoms in the warmth of the Italian spring, quite unexpected changes occur.
An immediate bestseller upon its first publication, in 1922, The Enchanted April set off a craze for tourism to the Italian Riviera that continues today. Published here to coincide with a contemporary retelling, Enchanted August by Brenda Bowen, it’s a witty ensemble piece and the perfect romantic rediscovery for fans of Jess Walter’s Beautiful Ruins and Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love as well as of Downton Abbey and the hit movie The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.
