Elizabeth von Arnim was a prominent British writer who quickly rose to fame after her semi-autobiographical novel Elizabeth and Her German Garden. Von Arnim was a prolific author and she often wrote as an escape from what was an awful marriage. Some of von Arnim's other classics include The Enchanted April, The Pastor's Wife, and The Benefactress. In the Mountains is a novel that is set after World War I. The book, which is presented in the form of a journal, centers around an English woman who looks to escape personal issues in London by moving to the Swiss Alps.