HarperCollins is proud to present a range of best-loved, essential classics. Seeking escape from their unfulfilling marriages and monotonous lives in 1920s England, two women become transfixed by an advertisement to rent a medieval Italian castle for the month of April. Lotty Wilkins, who feels stifled by her solicitor husband, and pious Rose Arbuthnot, discontented in her relationship, are joined by two strangers – the glamorous socialite Lady Caroline Dester and the elderly Mrs Fisher – and embark on a journey of self-discovery and unexpected friendship that will change their lives forever.

First published in 1922 and later adapted into a film, Elizabeth von Arnim’s most celebrated novel is a love letter to the power of travel, transporting readers to the sun-drenched paradise of the Mediterranean.