Elizabeth von Arnim, born Mary Annette Beauchamp, was an Australian-born British author, whose literary works undoubtedly revolved around ladies centric styles and stories. Some of her popular novels consist of Elizabeth and Her German Garden, The Singular Summer, The Princess Priscilla’s Fortnight, and Fraulein Schmidt and Mr. Anstruther. The Benefactress, published in 1902 tells the story of Anna Estcourt and individuals who play an influencing role in her life.The Characters The story revolves around 4 essential characters: * Anna Estcourt-a girl in her
mid-twenties who chooses not to get wed in her deep desire to be complimentary. * Susie- Anna’s dominating and pretentious sister-n-law, who thinks that young girls blessed with great looks, should use it to their advantage to find an ideal match. * Joachim-Anna’s maternal uncle who holds the crucial to the independent life
that she imagines. * Axel Lohm -a young guy in his early thirties who owns an estate and all the self-reliance that Anna desires.The Plot Anna Estcourt is raised by her far-off brother and bossy sis in law, Susie. Under the latter’s control, Anna’s life is
more like
that of a puppet which dances to the tunes of the puppeteer. Owing to lack of money, she finds it hard to break without the constrained life she leads; till one day when her maternal Uncle Joachim comes going to the family. Though differing in suitables, Anna and her uncle soon become excellent buddies. Uncle Joachim, who empathizes with Anna comprehends her desire to be independent, yet hopes that someday, she too will get married to the right guy. A couple of months after his see, Anna learns of her uncle’s death and the truth that he had left all his ownerships to be inherited by her; consisting of a stretching Pomeranian Estate in Germany. Commemorating her new discovered independence, Anna relocates to Germany and calms down in the estate, believed with some initial trouble. She discovers it challenging to understand and comply with the regional custom-mades and her relationship with her neighbors soon turns a rocky one. Nevertheless, she calms down quickly and decides to dedicate her life to serve the gentlewomen in the locality. She puts her inheritance to great usage in this way and tosses open the doors if her estate to distressed girls. The task, as she understands in due course, turns out to be a taxing affair. Her only reprieve in the crowd of hostile next-door neighbors is Axel Lohm, a boy in his thirties, who Anna’s uncle would have found to be a good suitor for her. He owns an estate, to which he had actually been committing his whole time, besides raising his siblings after their moms and dads ‘death. Axel leads an independent life that Anna imagine, yet encounters as a lonely person. He soon falls for her however attempts his finest to reduce his feelings as he comprehends that Anna would not reciprocate them. However, with troubles accumulating, Anna gradually realizes that true flexibility is exceptionally frustrating and isolating. In the lack of a companion to share her concerns with, Anna reckons that her dream for outright self-reliance has its own limitations. Freeditorial is an online library and book publisher, which provides readers with totally free e-books such as The Life of John Ruskin, Secret of the Sea, The Patrician, The Benefactress, Later, Number 70 Berlin and a number of other books written by Thomas Hardy, Virginia Woolf, John Galsworthy, Edith Wharton, Elizabeth Von Arnim(freeditorial.com/en/books ), etc., to download or read online. pixabay
