Love

By: Elizabeth von Arnim

Narrated by: Eleanor Bron

A gentle romance begins innocently enough in the stalls of a London theatre where Catherine is enjoying her ninth and Christopher his thirty-sixth visit to the same play. He is a magnificent young man with flame-coloured hair. She is the sweetest little thing in a hat. There is just one complication: Christopher is 25, while Catherine is just a little bit older. Flattered by the passionate attentions of youth, Catherine, with marriage and motherhood behind her, is at first circumspect, but finally succumbs to her lover's charms.

©1925 Elizabeth von Arnim (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Forward for Its Era

This book must be read in the context in which it was written. Things the modern reader takes for granted as normal today, are emerging concepts in the 1920s (long fought for, but only slowly being made manifest) - such as gender equality, and universal suffrage. Arnim paints a portrait of paternalistic men, who for all their avowed love, ensnare their wives in plans meant to help, but which ultimately harm. They appear at first to be morally and emotionally strong men who are revealed as being blind to the reality of situations. While, their devoted, frail, and clinging wives, are in actuality the strength behind them - being forced by their compromised situations to see things as they really are and to act accordingly.

With examples that may seem subtle today, but which would be apparent to a contemporary audience Arnim explores the cultural revolution that is threatening the concepts of wife and mother and womanhood in the 1920s. She looks at aging and how it effects men and women differently in their behavior toward each other and in how they are perceived by the world. While the desire to appear young has always existed, the 1920s saw the development of industries to promote and champion the promise of youth. She focuses on the purchase of lipstick as an incident. (Lipstick until the 20s was used almost exclusively by prostitutes, face powder being the only acceptable cosmetic for a lady.) Marriage was a demarkation in a woman's life. Before marriage there was one code of conduct, appropriate social activities and clothing acceptable for a single "girl". After marriage, regardless of the age of the now "woman", a different more restricted code of conduct, social activities and clothing was expected. Like flipping a switch, a woman was expected to adjust her attitude, behavior, and appearance the moment she was married.

Elizabeth von Arnim is writing at the beginning of what promised to be a "modern" and "enlightened" era. The 1920s saw a revolution in politics, culture, fashion, and art. So much that had been unthinkable just 20 years before seemed to happen over night and was shaking long established traditions and cultural norms. The roles women played changed more in this decade than in almost a century before. They had been given the right to vote (1918 UK, 1920 USA - Nancy Astor takes her place in Parliament Dec. 1919). They had entered the work force en-masse durning WWI, and as the 20s rolled in they remained in positions that once were almost exclusively the provenance of men - secretaries, clerks, managers, nurses. The concept of the "working girl" captured the popular imagination. Fashions freed women physically from corsets and stays and long confining skirts, and this freedom becomes manifest in women entering the the amateur and public sports arena. None of this seems surprising today - or perhaps it is surprising that a world ever existed when this seemed radical.

Anachronistic

I lost many hours of sleep when this story really got going after a slow start . The writer draws you into caring about this situation so not a problem these days. There are sly, subtle bits of feminism that make you laugh out loud and other bits of highly frustrating unnecessary wallowing that tempt you to pull out your hair. If you can handle these, you, to, may lose some sleep.

Love

Absolutely loved it. She’s a great author with a lot of insight into why people fall in love and what holds them there.

Great narration. Good writing. Mediocre story.

It was a quick and enjoyable listen. I cannot say, however, that the subject of age gap in love is so much worth exploring.

What a Surprise!

Von Arnim is a new discovery and ought to be much better known than she is. She is one of the great female writers of the 20th century. This book is tremendously sensitive, perceptive, funny and heartbreaking. Feminist without beating you over the head with it. Give it a try!

Love

So touching and so real. Life in the raw, how love can and will be the most important and powerful emotion in our existence.

Very Relevant to today

There are so many parallels in this book to the way life is in 2023. I hated the ending and will never recommend the book because of the sadness. Only an extremely brilliant female, who was way ahead of her time, could have written that story.
Sad to say that she really had her thumb on the truth behind many religious leaders.

Excellent

Excellent story. An important subject and beautifully portrayed. Narration was good. Courageous and compassionate characters.

Enchanting

What a gorgeous delightful ending to an enchanting story. Yes I do believe it was.

A wonderful surprise

I wasn’t expecting to read something as compelling as anything written by Austen or the Brontës. It far outpaces them all in honestly displaying romantic love and its thinness in the face of how women endure growing old in its shallow gaze. Told in beautiful language, and the great Eleanor Bron is masterful in bringing it to the life it deserves.