Enchanted August

June 8, 2015
Children's book publisher turned literary agent Bowen bases her smartly crafted beach read debut on the bestselling 1922 novel Enchanted April. The result is an updated vacation and travel treat that's a paean to coastal Maine and island living, and a treatise on loving the one you're with. At the castle-like Hopewell Cottage on aptly named Little Lost Island, Maine, a month-long rental is shared by disaffected Brooklyn friends Lottie and Rose; surly Beverly, whose lover left him filthy rich but inconsolably lonely; and indie film ingénue Caroline, who wants to escape the memory of an Oscar night embarrassment. Robert, the lute-playing owner of the cottage, chooses the disparate foursome with a listing guided by his own "Rule of Robert's Sign"âthat "those who most needed it would see it"âyet secretly hopes the rental will finally lead him to someone with whom he can share both his home and life. The stew of characters is delicious from the start, with Caroline and Beverly finding comfort in one another, Lottie rediscovering her family when lawyer husband Jon and preschooler Ethan reluctantly join her, Rose and writer husband Fred finding that love and family are worth fighting for, and Robert finally getting to tear up the rules. Bowen crafts an old-fashioned love story with humor and heart as well as a lush setting, quirky characters, and a well-paced narrative.

Sierra Boggess seems entirely too happy narrating this quirky, smart updated version of THE ENCHANTED APRIL, Elizabeth von Arnim's 1920s novel. Two women with marital problems spot an ad for a rental house on Little Lost Island in Maine. They add two others to help defray the cost, an aging gay gentleman and an actress hiding from a recent national gaffe. These four strangers spend August in an enchanted place, finding themselves and healing from some of life's hurts, all the while ricocheting between amusing and pulling on the heartstrings of the listener. Boggess uses slight differences in her character portraits, none of which are particularly outstanding, but the material is so good and her narration so enthusiastic that the overall listening experience is enjoyable. A.C.P. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine