Following the first book, this second diary extends for five months after Elizabeth pledges to spend the summer without visits. She still needs to address the imperatives of her consciousness and the officers on training, but she goes to the end of September without any growth on her soul.

Elizabeth, you remember Thoreau whom you so love? Well I've read him too, but I had some problems with him. He and I disagree on many things, but at the same time I enjoyed wading through him. I remember the ice bubbles particularly.
I say all this to soften what comes next, I feel the same way about you. Not that it was a wade to get through your, slightly smaller than Walden, book, it wasn't! But I fundamentally disagree with some of your attitudes. At other times however, you would say something so I was so in agreement with, that I made audible noises of agreement, and I enjoyed your garden and the surrounding wild places you explored very much. I would love to be a goose girl.

If you want a plot, skip this book! It is more a meditation on life lived with nature on Elizabeth's estate in northern Germany. She wants to spend the summer alone, without guests, absorbing the beauty of her garden, the fields and the woods, and thinking about Life. How alone one can be on an estate full of servants is not much addressed beyond the gardeners learning to become invisible when she is in the garden. Her husband, the Man of Wrath, and their three little daughters, the April, May and June babies, make appearances, and the outside world does intrude occasionally, but for the most part Elizabeth gets her solitary summer. Von Arnim writes with sly and gentle humor.

The follow up of Elizabeth's other book Elizabeth and her German Garden is probably as delicious as that one. However, these days my brain finds it hard to focus while there is so much going on in my life, so I couldn't enjoy this one as much. Regardless, this has managed to keep my attention!
Elizabeth's observations on women's conditions are quite sharp for a late 19th century book!

4 stars because this is such a deliciously summery book that I routinely fell asleep while reading in the summer sun and it took 28 months to finish it. It is delightful and the Man of Wrath has many cameos.

My review Is posted on my blog:
https://afondnessforreading.com/2020/...

This is the sequel to Elizabeth and Her German Garden. It is a series of essays (two for each month from May through October). The book is not about solitude at all, but about the desire for solitude in someone who finds herself surrounded by people. Here again a sweet, humorous account of a woman, her family and her lifeline--the garden.

This is a sequel to Elizabeth and Her German Garden. The author decides to spend a whole summer on her estate without visitors or social events. Of course, it isn’t totally solitary - as well as her family and servants, there are impoverished tenants to visit, and then a number of soldiers are billeted on them, including a talkative lieutenant whose presence drives Elizabeth to distraction.

Nevertheless, the reader is treated to some beautiful descriptions of nature and the joys of peaceful relaxation. Elizabeth’s delight in the trees and flowers bubbles over, she is enthusiastic and positive, and she takes the minor difficulties that she encounters with good humour and kindness. This was a pleasant and delightful read, and I actually enjoyed it more than the previous book as this felt fresher and more spontaneous.

It was time for me to read another book by Elizabeth von Arnim. When I originally started reading her, I fell head over heels in love. Well so to speak. After reading now 13 (!) of her works I am a big fan although my ardor has cooled a bit. I vacillated between 3 and 4 stars for this but what the hell — I am biased towards Elizabeth!

"The Solitary Summer" is quite simply a delightful read, full of wonder and wit. It reads much like a personal journal, with two entries each month from May to October. The author describes her home life and garden, capturing humorous exchanges with her husband and children and musings on misc. topics including books, seasons, solitude, and God. I'd recommend reading it in on a summer afternoon, preferably outside in a patch of sunlight.

The Man of Wrath and the April, May and June babies appear again, and the whimsy and poetic language continues from Elizabeth and her German Garden, but the best bits for me are her descriptions of her tenants and the 'charity' she doles out. Also her attempts to escape the gruesome small talk of a visiting officer are very comically written.

Made me appreciate my garden more.