Fräulein Schmidt and Mr. Anstruther

An English lodger's departure turns everyday life in Jena into a flood of letters for Rose-Marie Schmidt. Writing to Roger Anstruther after his sudden proposal, she moves between delighted declarations and practical worries about money. Her family takes in students of German, and she knows how little she can bring to a marriage. Potato soup, household linen and the customs of German weddings sit beside her excitement, giving this novel in letters a sharp sense of ordinary life.

Elizabeth von Arnim gives Rose-Marie room to joke, question her own judgments and think about the value of a life seen from within. As she reflects on her circumstances, she challenges the assumption that a woman's future must be measured by marriage prospects. Plans for keeping pigs and spending afternoons with poetry express her idea of contentment on modest means. Readers interested in women's independence and the social expectations surrounding courtship will find these concerns carried by a candid, humorous personal voice.