This 1922 novel finds a pair
of English ladies planning to flee the rainy environs of London for a month-long
vacation in Italy. The women are members of the same social club, but have never
spoken a word to each other. Their first conversation ensues after they both
see the same notice for a medieval castle on the Riveria.
When they learn the cost of the
excursion, they realize they need two more women to share the costs. So the
four of them (Mrs. Arbuthnot, Mrs. Wilkins, Mrs. Fisher & Lady Caroline)
find their ways to San Salvatore.
The women have little in
common, save that they are all struggling to make the best of troubled
marriages. But their relative social standing, different worldviews, and diverse
attitudes add enough conflict to add drama to the story. And yet they manage to
achieve their goals of rejuvenation.
The ladies have such a good
time that the married ones invite their husbands. Mr. Arbuthnot appears within
a day of his wife’s telegram, which confuses her, until it is revealed that he
was in fact invited by Lady Caroline, with whom he was conducting an affair.
And even the lovely
surroundings cannot completely handle this level of drama.
Source: The Classic TalesPodcast
