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Orphant Annie Story Book
by Johnny GruelleWritten in dedication to James Whitcomb Riley after the Hoosier poet's death, his most famous poem starts off this colorful book filled with charming tales of good-natured goblins, ponies that fly, and ladybugs that talk. Orginally published in 1921, this reissue, faithfully reproduced with beautiful full-color illustrations, teaches young readers lessons of courtesy, honesty, and kind behavior.
Vera: A Virago Modern Classic (Virago Modern Classics #402)
by Elizabeth von ArnimLucy Entwhistle's beloved father has just died, and aged twenty-two, she finds herself alone in the world. Leaning against her garden gate, dazed and unhappy, she is disturbed by the sudden appearance of the perspiring Mr Wemyss.This middle-aged man is also in mourning - for his wife, Vera, who has died in mysterious circumstances. Before Lucy can collect herself, Mr Wemyss has taken charge: of the funeral arrangements, of her kind Aunt Dot, but most of all of Lucy herself, body and soul. Elizabeth von Arnim's masterpiece, VERA is a forceful study of the power of men in marriage - and the weakness of women in love.
The Enchanted April (Read-along Ser.)
by Elizabeth von ArnimA charming Italian castle holds the key to happiness for four English women in this classic by the author of Elizabeth and Her German Garden. It begins on a rainy London afternoon in February. Four ladies, whose only common trait is dissatisfaction with life, answer an ad placed in the advice column of The Times. Addressed &“To Those Who Appreciate Wistaria and Sunshine,&” it offers the opportunity to rent a fully-furnished medieval Italian castle in Portofino along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea for the month of April—servants included. A peaceful holiday is all the ladies are expecting, but the sunny warmth of the Italian spring is about to change their lives . . . &“The Enchanted April sounds as if it would be an appallingly cloying cream puff of a fairy tale, but that would be to ignore that the author habitually kept a pot of lemon juice mixed with vinegar beside her ink-pot. With this bracing element there is additionally what can only be called a feast of flowers, hanging from every wall and pouring scent over the company.&” —The Times Literary Supplement &“[A] restful, funny, sumptuous, and invigorating vacation for the mind and soul.&” —500 Great Books by Women &“[A]n expression of the propensity of people to be blind to the real secret of happiness, and . . . how exquisitely men and women get upon each other&’s nerves and how they suffer from each other&’s egos.&” —National Review &“Lyrical . . . Dry, delicious humor . . . An April does not satisfy my greedy heart. I want all year.&” —Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
The Able McLaughlins: A Library of America eBook Classic
by Margaret WilsonThe riveting Pulitzer Prize–winning novel, available as an e-book for the first time. <P><P>Wully McLaughlin returns to his family’s Iowa homestead at the end of the Civil War to find his sweetheart, Chirstie McNair, alone and in distress, her mother dead and her wayward father gone. Perplexed by a new aloofness in Chirstie, Wully soon discovers that she has been raped and is pregnant. <P><P>To the shock of his parents and the tight-knit Scottish community in which they live, he marries Chirstie and claims the child, and the shame of its early birth, as his own. But the lingering presence of Chirstie’s attacker sets in motion a series of events that pit the desire for revenge against a reluctance to perpetuate the cycle of violence. <P><P>Often compared to Willa Cather’s One of Ours and Edna Ferber’s So Big for its earthy realism, its portrait of an immigrant community, and its depiction of Midwestern farm life, Margaret Wilson’s provocative debut novel, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for 1924, is ripe for rediscovery. <P><P>In a recent reappraisal Judy Cornes commends the novel’s “feeling for time and place: a sense of the unrelenting forces that both history and nature impose on the individual. . . . The Able McLaughlins remains an engrossing story with characters who constantly engage our attention.”
Castle Rackrent
by Maria EdgeworthCastle Rackrent's publication in 1800 signaled many firsts: the first historical novel, the first regional novel in English, the first "big house" novel, the first Anglo-Irish novel, and the first novel with a narrator who is neither reliable nor part of the action. This Norton Critical Edition is based on the Baldwin & Cradock edition that appeared as part of an eighteen-volume collected edition titled Tales and Novels of Maria Edgeworth (1832-33). It is accompanied by detailed explanatory annotations. Ryan Twomey focuses the volume's "Backgrounds and Contexts" on Edgeworth's importance as a writer, the influence of contemporary historical events on her writing (most importantly, the Act of Union of 1800, which united Ireland and Great Britain), and Castle Rackrent's impact on the development of the novel. These include a selection of Edgeworth's letters; five major contemporary reviews; biographical pieces; Sir Walter Scott on Edgeworth and her response to him; and excerpts from Edgeworth's juvenilia, The Double Disguise. "Criticism" is thematically organized to give readers a clear sense of Castle Rackrent's major themes: Irish writing and specifically the Irish novel, narrative voices, patriarchy and paternalism, and Edgeworth's Hiberno-English writing. Contributors include Seamus Deane, Marilyn Butler, Katherine O'Donnell, Julia Nash, Joyce Flynn, and Brian Hollingworth, among others. A chronology of Edgeworth's life and work and a selected bibliography are also included.
Emily of New Moon
by L. M. MontgomeryIn the celebrated Emily trilogy (of which Emily of New Moon is the first book), Montgomery draws a realistic portrait of a young girl's life on Prince Edward Island. The twin threads of bright and dark, love and cruelty, hope and despair intertwine in a pattern as significant as it is enduring. Along with Emily Climbs and Emily's Quest, Emily of New Moon portrays the beauty and anguish of growing up. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.
The Mother
by Grazia DeleddaIn a remote Sardinian hill village, half civilized and superstitious. But the chief interest lies in the psychological study of the two chief characters, and the action of the story takes place so rapidly and the actual drama is so interwoven with the mental conflict, and all so forced by circumstances, that it is almost Greek in its simple and inevitable tragedy. The book is without offence to any creed or opinions, and touches on no questions of either doctrine or Church government. It is jut a human problem, the result of primitive human nature against man-made laws it cannot understand.
Tomorrow About This Time (Grace Livingston Hill #52)
by Grace Livingston HillWhen lovely young Silver Greeves's grandmother died, her last words were "Go to him. He needs you." Meeting her father for the first time, Silver was touched by his tenderness and yet he seemed so defeated and alone. Then she met Athalie, her violent stepsister, whose wanton rages were dishonoring the family name. Suddenly, Silver knew exactly why she had come: to bring peace, gentleness and love into her father's home. Grace Livingston Hill's biography and nearly all of her one hundred novels are in your Bookshare library.
Emily Climbs: A Virago Modern Classic (The\emily Trilogy Ser. #2)
by L. M. MontgomeryEmily Climbs is book two in L. M. Montgomery&’s Emily Starr trilogy. Emily is desperate to attend Queen's Academy to earn her teaching license, but her conservative aunt refuses and instead offers her the chance to go to Shrewsbury High School with her friends. But there are two conditions. Condition one: she must board with her Aunt Ruth whom she disliked. Condition two: Emily must not write a word while in highschool. Initially Emily refuses, unable to even contemplate a life without writing. Her cousin, Jimmy, manages to get the terms changed slightly, saying that she cannot write anything that is not true, meaning no stories for the duration of her high school education. Emily doesn&’t think this much of an improvement, but it turns out to be an excellent exercise for her budding writing career. Through a series of adventures, Emily is furnished with materials to write stories and poems, and even sees begins to success. And at the same time she begins to realize romantic possibilities as she and Teddy Kent draw closer.
Emily Climbs: A Virago Modern Classic (The Emily Trilogy #2)
by L. M. MontgomerySecond in the trilogy about an orphan girl with big dreams from the beloved author of Anne of Green Gables and featured in Netflix&’s Russian Doll.Orphaned and sent to live with her stern aunts at New Moon Farm on Prince Edward Island, Emily Byrd Starr lives a solitary life. She finds comfort in language and writing. She loves to read the dictionary and frequently records all of her problems and worries in her journal—much more fun than knitting stockings.Fortunately, Emily has made some friends but they&’re heading off to high school in Shrewsbury. Emily&’s aunt Elizabeth allows her to go on the condition that she stop writing. With the help of her cousin, Emily manages to strike a deal.Once in Shrewsbury, Emily embarks on her climb toward success with her friends—Ilse, Teddy, and Perry—by her side. Everything begins to go so well. Emily starts writing stories and poems—she even writes for the town newspaper. Soon sparks begin to fly between her and Teddy. But when a fantastic opportunity come her way, Emily is forced to make a decision that will alter the course of her life forever . .
Love
by Elizabeth von ArnimRomance between a middle-aged widow and a younger man scandalizes 1920s London society in this classic novel by the author of The Enchanted April.Although they thoroughly enjoy watching performances of The Immortal Hour, it is no longer the sole reason Catherine and Christopher continue returning to the theater in King&’s Cross. On Catherine&’s ninth visit, and Christopher&’s thirty-sixth, the two theater lovers finally strike up a conversation, and sparks begin to fly. Christopher is infatuated with Catherine and is relieved to discover that her marriage has dissipated. While Catherine appreciates the attention from the handsome, flame-haired gentleman, there is one complication: she is forty-seven years old, and Christopher is twenty-five. But she cannot resist his charms. Soon their public relationship will shock everyone, including Catherine&’s daughter and son-in-law—who is not much older than Catherine!
The Mother's Recompense: Large Print (The\collected Works Of Edith Wharton)
by Edith WhartonKate Clephane has lived in exile in France since leaving her husband and infant daughter. She is being called back to New York by her now adult daughter to attend her daughter&’s wedding. Complicating already complicated matters her daughter is engaged to her one time lover Chris Fenno, a man who cannot be trusted, and worse yet Kate is still deeply in love with him. A novel of scandal and shame and the upper class.
The Painted Veil (Vintage International Ser.)
by W. Somerset MaughamA novel of love and betrayal set during a cholera epidemic from the acclaimed British author of Of Human Bondage, &“a great artist, a genius&” (Theodore Dreiser). &“[Theodore Dreiser] is the modern writer who has influenced me the most.&” —George Orwell Arriving in Hong Kong in the 1920s, newlywed Kitty Fane soon learns that being the wife of a British government bacteriologist gives her no particular social status. It only adds to her dissatisfaction with her life and her husband, Walter. Her marriage has been nothing but a mistake. But she soon embarks on an affair that transforms her very being. There is passion. There is hope. There is a future full of possibility. When Walter must go deep into mainland China to help treat the victims of a cholera epidemic, Kitty refuses to accompany him. To force her hand, Walter threatens to expose her affair. But Kitty, sure in her lover&’s whispered promises, pushes for a divorce. Her impulsive decision will throw a stark light on the truth and her own desperate illusions, thrusting Kitty into unfamiliar territory—both in the world around her and the soul within . . . The inspiration for the film starring Naomi Watts and Edward Norton, &“The Painted Veil with its sadness, its moral tension, its irony and compassion, its building evocations of lust and terror and remorse is a work of art&” (The Spectator). &“Reveals many of Maugham&’s strengths: an understanding of women, meticulous craftsmanship and raw emotion.&” —Daily Mail &“This short masterpiece tells of love, treachery, and a search for real substance in life.&” —DigBooks
The Professor's House: (a Bookmark Star Edition) (The\collected Works Of Willa Cather)
by Willa Cather&“An inquiry into the nature of civilization, of man&’s impulse to civilize and create,&” from the beloved author of O Pioneers! (The New Criterion).After completing his masterwork and garnering a great deal of money for it, history professor Godfrey St. Paul has purchased a new house. But when the time comes to move, he cannot bring himself to do so. Sitting in his comfortable study in his current house near the shore of Lake Michigan—and on the verge of a midlife crisis—he reflects on his past.At fifty-two, he has dedicated himself to his work, his garden, and his wife and two daughters, but despite all of his successes, he is unhappy with the course of his future. He retreats into his memories—his career and fond recollections of Tom Outland, his most outstanding student and once his son-in-law-to-be, who was lost in the Great War. He also thinks of his present and the daunting mystery of what lies ahead. And soon the introspection takes over . . . &“The Professor&’s House is Cather&’s masterpiece. It is almost perfectly constructed, peculiarly moving, and completely original.&” —A. S. Byatt, The Guardian
Downright Dencey
by Caroline Dale SnedekerThis treasure of a novel is set on the island of Nantucket just before the War of 1812. Much more than a tale of whaling ships and gentle Quaker eccentricities, it is a tale of friendship-the kind most truly espoused by these 'plain' folk, with all the struggle and complexity one should expect. Dionis (Dencey) Coffyn is a mystery to her mother, Lydia, whose stern exterior hides a heart that breaks every time her husband Captain Tom goes to sea. Within a context of outward simplicity of living and inward intricacy of relationship, Dencey matures from the little girl who, in unquakerly violence of temper, throws a rock that wounds the town outcast. She becomes a young woman ready to bear her part in life with grace and courage. "Downright Dencey" is a probing portrayal of the power of love to overcome social barriers and religious strictures.<P><P> Newbery Medal Honors book
Dusty Answer: A Novel
by Rosamond LehmannMamma was fast asleep at home, her spirit lapped in unconsciousness. Her dreams would not divine that her daughter had stolen out to meet a lover.And next door also they slept unawares, while one of them broke from the circle and came alone to clasp a stranger . . .'Judith Earle, over-earnest and inexperienced, has always been a little in love with each of the four cousins who come to stay next door and, on her return from Cambridge, becomes madly in love with one of them - Roddy, the 'sensation-hunter'. DUSTY ANSWER traces with delicate nostalgia childhood friendships and the pangs of thwarted young love.
Dusty Answer: A Novel (Virago Modern Classics #245)
by Rosamond LehmannMamma was fast asleep at home, her spirit lapped in unconsciousness. Her dreams would not divine that her daughter had stolen out to meet a lover.And next door also they slept unawares, while one of them broke from the circle and came alone to clasp a stranger . . .'Judith Earle, over-earnest and inexperienced, has always been a little in love with each of the four cousins who come to stay next door and, on her return from Cambridge, becomes madly in love with one of them - Roddy, the 'sensation-hunter'. DUSTY ANSWER traces with delicate nostalgia childhood friendships and the pangs of thwarted young love.
The Honor Girl (Grace Livingston Hill Series #57)
by Grace Livingston HillPretty, young Elsie Hathaway had received every honor imaginable. But on an errand home, she realized that there was much more to accomplish. Her father had fallen on bad times, her two brothers desperately needed her guidance-and she yearned for the respect of a doubting young man who eyed her every move. Like with the other Grace Livingston Hill novels, the author pens her story within a Christian context.
In My Father's Arms: A Son's Story of Sexual Abuse
by Walter A. DemillyTo the outside world, Walter de Milly’s father was a prominent businessman, a dignified Presbyterian, and a faithful husband; to Walter, he was an overwhelming, handsome monster. This paperback of In My Father’s Arms: A True Story of Incest adds a reflective preface by the author and a foreword by Richard B. Gartner, PhD, author of Beyond Betrayal: Taking Charge of Your Life after Boyhood Sexual Abuse.
All the Conspirators
by Christopher IsherwoodParents and children are still just as deadly but they are no longer invariably polite and restrained, and there are no longer (as Cyril Connolly once put it) "atrocities witnessed at tea in the drawing-room." Christopher Isherwood was only twenty-one when he began his first novel, All the Conspirators, in 1926; it was published in England two years later. In his introduction to the first American edition (published by New Directions in 1958), the author explained: "[All the Conspirators] records a minor engagement in what Shelley calls 'the great war between the old and young.'" In many ways this novel (like the classic Berlin Stories) is a "period piece" growing out of a particular historical situation--clashes between parents and children are still just as deadly but they are no longer invariably polite and restrained, and there are no longer (as Cyril Connolly once put it) "atrocities witnessed at tea in the drawing-room." But Isherwood's singular perceptions of the older generation holding on and the younger trying to wrench free are as valid today as they were half a century ago.
Ex-Wife
by Ursula ParrottAn instant bestseller when it was published anonymously in 1929—the story of a divorce and its aftermath, which scandalized the Jazz Age. It's 1924, and Peter and Patricia have what looks to be a very modern marriage. Both drink. Both smoke. Both work, Patricia as a head copywriter at a major department store. When it comes to sex with other people, both believe in &“the honesty policy.&” Until they don&‘t. Or, at least, until Peter doesn&‘t—and a shell-shocked, lovesick Patricia finds herself starting out all over again, but this time around as a different kind of single woman: the ex-wife. An instant bestseller when it was published anonymously in 1929, Ex-Wife captures the speakeasies, night clubs, and parties that defined Jazz Age New York—alongside the morning-after aspirin and calisthenics, the lunch-hour visits to the gym, the girl-talk, and the freedoms and anguish of solitude. It also casts a cool eye on the bedrooms and the doctor&’s offices where, despite rising hemlines, the men still call the shots. The result is a unique view of what its author Ursula Parrott called &“the era of the one-night stand&”: an era very much like our own.
Taking Chances (Virago Modern Classics #226)
by Molly KeaneThose who suffered because of her might think of Mary that she hurt others, herself she could not hurt; but Jer, knowing her better...knew she hurt herself perhaps most deeply. Since the death of her parents, Roguey, Maeve and Jer have cared for one another and for Sorristown, their elegant home. Together they have fished and hunted, unravelled secrets by bedroom fires and sipped gin cocktails. But this pattern of intimacy is about to be broken by Maeve's marriage to Rowley. A week before the wedding, her bridesmaid Mary arrives. Meeting her for the first time Rowley describes Mary as a 'factor for disturbance', little realising the extent to which his prophecy will prove true for each of them.
Young Entry (Virago Modern Classics #232)
by Molly KeanePrudence, at nineteen, is reckless, laughing, wild; the despair of her elderly guardians. With her best friend, the subversive but very female Peter, she rackets round the Irish countryside among her beloved horses and dogs. But she feels betrayed by Peter's growing interest in the new Master of Hounds, 'Saxon' Major Anthony Countless. And what is Prudence to make of handsome Toby Sage, neighbour, huntsman and accredited flirt? Or of an inexplicable haunting? First published in 1928, this high-spirited novel with its subtle erotic undercurrents, is a glorious story of a ramshackle, tolerant society and of Prudence's turbulent coming of age.
East Wind: The Saga of a Chinese Family (Oriental Novels Of Peal S. Buck Ser. #Vol. 8)
by Pearl S. BuckThe classic coming-of-age novel about a young Chinese woman torn between Eastern and Western cultures by the Nobel Prize–winning author of The Good Earth. Kwei-lan is a traditional Chinese girl—taught by her mother to submit in all things, &“as a flower submits to sun and rain alike.&” Her marriage was arranged before she was born. As she approaches her wedding day, she&’s surprised by one aspect of her anticipated life: Her husband-to-be has been educated abroad and follows many Western ideas that Kwei-lan was raised to reject. When circumstances push the couple out of the family home, Kwei-lan finds her assumptions about tradition and modernity tested even further. East Wind: West Wind is a sensitive, early exploration of the cross-cultural themes that went on to become a hallmark of Buck&’s acclaimed novels. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Pearl S. Buck including rare images from the author&’s estate.
The Fool of the Family
by Margaret KennedyContinuing the story of the Sanger family that began in The Constant Nymph, this novel focuses on Caryl, the only member of the Sanger family who seems to lack talent and a spirit of adventure. Central to the novel is Caryl's complex relationship with his talented, wayward brother Sebastian. When Sebastian seduces Fenella, the girl Caryl hopes to marry, lifelong tensions come to a head.