Elizabeth und ihr deutscher Garten

Elizabeth has convinced her husband to move to the countryside. She wants to redesign the magnificent estate garden and enjoy the tranquility of rural life. Her head is full of ideas, and she struggles with the fact that she can contribute so little herself—only secretly does she sometimes take the spade early in the morning to escape the pressures of household duties, servants, guests, and even the furniture. She plans and makes mistakes, celebrates small successes, delights in everything that sprouts and blooms, observes her three little daughters (the April, May, and June babies), and playfully bickers with her husband, whom she affectionately calls the "angry one." Bold, sharp-tongued, and lovingly satirical, she caricatures the life of her time and effortlessly imparts her exuberance to the reader.