What: Twin adolescent girls, recently orphaned and shunned by their remaining relatives, find themselves en route from England to the United States in 1916. One of Elizabeth von Arnim's greatest strengths as a writer is deliberate, insightful, witty character development, and she works her usual magic with Anna-Rose and Anna-Felicitas. They may be twins who finish each other's thoughts, but they're also two distinct, vibrant individuals.
Comparable to: A combo of Angela Thirkell and E.M. Delafield, but fewer characters than Thirkell and more points of view than Delafield. There's also a strong thread of Vita Sackville-West-ishness.
Representative quote: "Uncle Arthur was the husband of Aunt Alice. He didn't like foreigners, and said so. He had never liked them and had always said so."
You might not like it if: You think twins are inherently creepy, and not in a good way.
How to get it: Not only is it Kindle-able, it's free.
Connection to previous Wreckage: Elizabeth von Arnim also wrote The Enchanted April (Rec. #113).
I mentioned Angela Thirkell and Vita Sackville-West in the "Comparable to" section above. Thirkell's Summer Half was Rec. #40 and Cheerfulness Breaks In was Rec. #240. Sackville-West's The Heir was Rec. #276.
[Originally posted 3/1/11.]
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