Elizabeth and Her German Garden

By: Elizabeth von Arnim

Narrated by: Nadia May

Length: 3 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

Indoors are servants, meals, and furniture. There, too, is The Man of Wrath, her upright Teutonic husband, inspiring in Elizabeth a mixture of irritation, affection, and irreverence. But outside she can escape domestic routine, read favorite books, play with her three babies and garden to her heart's content. Through Elizabeth's eyes we watch the seasons, from May's "oasis of bird-cherries and greenery" to the time when "snow carpets her Pomeranian wilderness". And each season brings with it new events as friends and neighbors come and go, all wonderfully recorded with Elizabeth's uniquely witty pen.

(P)2000 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Rarely is there a book that when read once, one wishes to start rereading right away. Here is one. Elizabeth's memoir is read with elan and obvious relish by Nadia May." (AudioFile)

What a delight to read!

I enjoyed this book. I can relate to Elizabeth in many ways from being a beginner gardener to preferring my own company over others!

Spoiled, Privileged and Rich--Complaints in Diary

I read this book because Elizabeth von Arnim wrote the beautiful story, The Enchanted April. The way she represented the inner workings and vulnerability and awakening joy of those 4 women made me feel close to her. She truly conveyed the hopes and fears of the women in that book. This is somewhat of a diary. I guess I shouldn't judge her on her personal writings, but it reflected a spoiled, hauty, self centered, self indulgent rich wife. There didn't seem to be a speck of humility or vulnerability in her. She referred to her children as "The May Baby or The April Baby" and was constantly handing them off to maids and servants to tend them so she could get to her garden. She complained of visitors to her estate, having to go to lavish balls and parties, and the preference for being utterly alone and not bothered with motherly or household duties---such as supervising and ordering servants around. She mightily complained of her gardeners ineptness and bad character. I couldn't relate to being spoiled, privileged and rich. The narrator perfectly depicted the snooty tone in her reading with her high pitched, clipped voice. I gave up half way through. Not a fun read for me.

Delightful Even Paced Delicious

I was warned by my daughter (this is one of her very favorite books) that I’d find this book too slow. The cadence however was exceptionally pleasing. Witty and deeply well thought and written.

Very enjoyable

I so enjoyed this book as it was refreshing in many ways. I could visually see the flowers and take in the pleasure Elizabeth had in her garden. I recommend this book for any one who loves plants, flowers, and, gardening.

For those who can't tell, this is SATIRE

The snobbiness of writing style and judgemental tone is meant to be off-putting. Do the reviewers complaining about that really think it was written in earnest? The narration is spot on. Would have benefitted from a semblance of plot.

A surprising delight!

The driest, most delicious humor. On a par with Jane Austen for supremely polite wickedness and unerring, honest portrayals of human nature (inward thoughts and outward behavior). An instant favorite. Elizabeth Von Arnim is vastly underrated in the pantheon of British literature.

Very funny!

This book was surprisingly hilarious in its subtle cattiness between the houseguests. The descriptions of the garden are great if you love gardening, as I certainly do! I was so pleasantly surprised that I hated that it wasn’t longer!

Any gardeners joy.

I really enjoyed the narrator and the tale. it wasnt at all typical, but painted a beautiful picture that carried me along.

Such a great read for springtime

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, especially if the friend loved the outdoors.

What did you like best about this story?

Elizabeth's relationship with her garden and unconventional way of thinking about it.

What about Nadia May’s performance did you like?

She's one of the great narrators. She always makes the characters and stories come vividly to life.

If you could rename Elizabeth and Her German Garden, what would you call it?

A Year in My German Garden

Not as good as Enchanted April

I bought this book because I LOVED Enchanted April .I found myself bogged down after the first disc HOW COULD ONE BOOK BE SUCH A GREAT ONE AND THIS ONE SO MEDIOCRE?I l really like Nadia May so I thought It would be a winner. The narration is fine its the story that fails to capture my attention. Nadia May narrated "The Childrens Hour" by Marcia Willett and it it excellent.I will still pay attention to anything narrated by Nadia May but hesitate about any more of Von Armins books.