8 h 49 minAudiobook4 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if escaping a royal court is easier than learning how to live in an English village?
Princess Priscilla wants a day that belongs to her. At her German court, officials and relatives watch, guide and plan her life from morning to night. Clever and restless, she leaves for England, hoping to live unknown for a short time among people who see a newcomer, not a princess.
But a quiet village has rules of its own. Its people have habits, opinions and ways of speaking that Priscilla does not understand. In The Princess Priscilla's Fortnight, Elizabeth von Arnim brings gentle wit to this meeting of royal expectations and ordinary life, asking what freedom costs and what makes a day worth living.
What you’ll discover
- A restless royal heroine Follow Priscilla's wish to exchange a carefully planned existence for days she can call her own.
- Village life through fresh eyes See English cottages, gardens and local manners through a newcomer unprepared for their unwritten rules.
- The price of freedom Explore the gap between dreaming of a simple life and learning how to live it.
- Satire with a kind heart Enjoy an ironic voice that laughs at court and village manners without treating Priscilla cruelly.
- Kindness beyond the court Meet the English acquaintances whose kindness and habits give Priscilla a taste of ordinary life.
Is it for you?
This book suits readers who like light, witty fiction, English gardens and village scenes, and stories of escape. It may suit you less if you want fast plots, heavy drama or a deep psychological novel.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A princess who longs to be ordinary
- She escapes to a quiet English village
- Simple life is harder and sweeter than it looks
- A light touch with serious questions
Who’s who
- Princess PriscillaA young German princess, clever and restless, who wants to taste an ordinary life far from her court.
- The royal courtThe officials and relatives who plan Priscilla's days and expect her to keep her proper place.
- The villagersThe people of a quiet English village, who know nothing of Priscilla's rank and treat her as a newcomer.
- The new English acquaintancesThe people Priscilla meets in England, whose kindness and habits show her what ordinary life is like.
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- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
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- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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The Princess Priscilla's Fortnight
by Elizabeth von Arnim· 1905
A German princess seeks an ordinary life in England.
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Language: English
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 4
A princess who longs to be ordinary
The story starts with Priscilla, a young princess of a German court. Her rank means she is watched, guided and scheduled from morning to night. She has every comfort, but she has almost no choice about how she spends a single hour.
Von Arnim treats this with humor rather than self-pity. Priscilla is clever, curious and a little restless. The court around her is full of rules, duties and people who think they know what is best for her.
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The author
Elizabeth von Arnim
1866–1941 · British-Australian novelist
Elizabeth von Arnim was an Australian-born British novelist celebrated for her wry, sunlit comedies of manners — most famously The Enchanted April, the story of four women transformed by a month in an Italian castle.
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What is The Princess Priscilla's Fortnight about?
It is a comic novel about a young German princess who tires of strict court life and goes to England to live quietly for a short time, discovering both the joys and the difficulties of freedom.
Who wrote The Princess Priscilla's Fortnight?
Elizabeth von Arnim wrote it. She also wrote Elizabeth and Her German Garden and The Enchanted April, and she is known for light, sharp novels about women seeking independence.
When was The Princess Priscilla's Fortnight written?
It was published in the early twentieth century, a few years after von Arnim's first success with her German garden book. It is a work of fiction and not a true story.
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