The Countess From Kirribilli, The Mysterious and Free-spirited Literary Sensation That Beguiled the World by Joyce Morgan-2021-419 Pages- A Biography of Elizabeth von Armin

 The Countess From Kirribilli, The Mysterious and Free-spirited Literary Sensation That Beguiled the World by Joyce Morgan-2021-419 Pages- A Biography of Elizabeth von Armin 

Born: August 31, 1866, Kirribilli, Australia

Died: February 9, 1941, Charleston, South Carolina, United States

Spouse: Frank Russell, 2nd Earl Russell (m. 1916–1931), Count Henning August von Arnim-Schlagenthin (m. 1891–1910)

Children: Elizabeth Reeves

Grandparents: John Beauchamp, Anne Stone

Cousin of Katherine Mansfield 

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Books by Elizabeth von Armin

Elizabeth and Her German Garden (1898)

The Solitary Summer (1899)

April Baby’s Book of Tunes (1900)

The Benefactress (1901)

The Adventures of Elizabeth in Rugen (1904)

Princess Priscilla’s Fortnight (1905)

Fräulein Schmidt and Mr Anstruther (1907)

The Caravaners (1909)

The Pastor’s Wife (1914)

Christine (1917) (published as Alice Cholmondeley)

Christopher and Columbus (1919)

In the Mountains (1920)

Vera (1921)

The Enchanted April (1922)

Love (1925)

Introduction to Sally (1926)

Expiation (1929)

Father (1931)

The Jasmine Farm (1934)

All the Dogs of My Life (1936)

Mrs Skeffington- 1940 -selected by The Book of the Month Club

Her marriage made her Countess von Arnim-Schlagenthin and her second Elizabeth Russell, Countess Russell. After her first husband's death, she had a three-year affair with the writer H. G. Wells, then later married Frank Russell, elder brother of the Nobel prize-winner and philosopher Bertrand Russell. She came to despise both of her husbands. She felt liberation when the oppressive Count

 von Arnim-Schlagenthin died and after her separation from Bertrand Russell's brother she ridiculously portrayed him so harshly in a novel that he wanted to sue her until his attorney advised him that would, just make him look worse. Husbands and fathers overall come across as oppressive, boring, and just a bother, as Morgan documents.She had a three-year affair with a man twenty years her junior. They remained close even after he married.

 Her father was Henry Herron Beauchamp(1825–1907), a wealthy shipping merchant, and her mother was Weiss Lassetter (1836–1919). She had four brothers and a sister. One of her cousins was the New Zealand-born Kathleen Beauchamp, who wrote under the pen name Katherine Mansfield. When she was three years old, the family moved to England, where they lived in London but they also spent several years in Switzerland.cousin once removed of Mansfield

. Although Elizabeth was older by 22 years, she and Mansfield later corresponded, reviewed each other's works, and became close friends. Mansfield, ill with tuberculosis, Switzerland from May 1921 until January with her husband John Middleton Murry from June 1921. The house was only a 30 minutes from Arnim chalet. visited her cousin's niece often during this period. They got on well, although Mansfield considered the much wealthier Arnim to be patronizing.Mansfield satirized Arnim as the character Rosemary in a short story, "A Cup of Tea", which she wrote while in Switzerland, a wicked story indeed.

Two of her books were made into Hollywood movies, Mrs Skeffington and Enchanted April, for which she received $50,000 each (the equivalent today of just over a million dollars.)   

Morgan abundantly illustrates that Elizabeth von Armin did not have a lot of luck with men and her relationships with her children were often troubled . We see how disturbed she was by the turn of Germany to Nazism. Unlike many of the aristocracy of England she abored Hitler from the start.

Toward the end of her life she became increasingly lonely, her old friends were mostly dead. There is to be such sadness in these lines about a writer who brought joy to so many:

"Elizabeth spent Christmas Day alone. She felt desolate and cried tears she thought had long dried up. When a lizard crawled across her carpet, she sat down next to it for company." (1940)

I found Morgan's poignant account of her deep love for dogs both moving and heartbreaking. Dogs gave her the loyalty she rarely found in those she loved.

I am very glad to have read this book.

"Joyce Morgan is the author of three books: two about creative Australians and one about the discovery of the world’s oldest printed book. Her biography of artist Martin Sharp was long-listed in 2018 for the Stella Prize, Australia’s key award for female writers. Joyce has been a journalist for four decades in Australia, England and Hong Kong, specialising in Arts and Culture. A veteran traveller, Joyce also leads cultural tours to Asia and beyond." From The author’s website