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Officers and Gentlemen
by Evelyn WaughThe second part of the Sword of Honour Trilogy, inspired by the author’s experiences in World War II.
After being bounced from his regiment in the war, Guy Crouchback, the youngest member of a declining British aristocratic family, falls in with a commando-brigade-in-training led by Tommy Blackhouse, Crouchback’s ex-wife’s second husband (but not her last).
Guy is posted to Egypt and finds himself in the middle of the frantic evacuation of Crete. Can he distinguish himself in service this time, or will he once again stumble?
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Of Human Bondage
by W. Somerset MaughamWhen Philip Carey’s parents pass away he is sent to live with his Aunt Louisa and Uncle William, a vicar.
Because of his club foot and his odd childhood, Philip has trouble fitting in at school, and passes up a scholarship at Oxford to try and make his own way.
He tries an apprenticeship, and pursues a career as a painter, before finally settling on a career in medicine.
But nothing is ever simple for Philip Carey, and the often banal realities of real life confound him at every turn.
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O Pioneers!
by Willa CatherWidely known as Willa Cather’s first great novel and the first of the “prairie trilogy,” O Pioneers! is a work of fiction that conveys both the sharp physical realities and the mythic transformation of the American frontier and those who settled in it. Alexandra Bergson, the heroine of the novel, arrives in Nebraska with her family and grows up to make a prosperous farm despite the losses she experiences—but her love of the land comes at a cost. Filled with clear prose and a characterized landscape, this novel is about personal sacrifice, family loyalty, emotional and romantic ties, and belonging. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
No Pockets in a Shroud
by Horace McCoyIs the pen really mightier than the sword – or the gun?
Mike Dolan is an investigative journalist with his eyes on a baseball bribery scandal until his editor kills the story.
Mike quits his job and starts his own magazine, determined to unearth corruption and make the world a better place. But as he goes after more and more dangerous and powerful people, will he find that he’s bitten off more than he can chew?
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Ninteen Eighty-Four
by George OrwellGeorge Orwell's dystopian masterpiece, Nineteen Eighty-Four is perhaps the most pervasively influential book of the twentieth century, published with an introduction by Ben Pimlott in Penguin Modern Classics. 'Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past' Hidden away in the Record Department of the sprawling Ministry of Truth, Winston Smith skilfully rewrites the past to suit the needs of the Party. Yet he inwardly rebels against the totalitarian world he lives in, which demands absolute obedience and controls him through the all-seeing telescreens and the watchful eye of Big Brother, symbolic head of the Party. In his longing for truth and liberty, Smith begins a secret love affair with a fellow-worker Julia, but soon discovers the true price of freedom is betrayal. If you enjoyed Nineteen Eighty-Four, you might like Orwell's Animal Farm, also available in Penguin Modern Classics. 'His final masterpiece . . . enthralling and indispensible for understanding modern history' Timothy Garton-Ash, New York Review of Books 'The book of the twentieth century . . . haunts us with an ever-darker relevance' Independent
My Antonia
by Willa CatherOriginally published in 1918, My Ántonia is considered one of Willa Cather’s best works and was praised as a masterpiece. It is the final book of her “prairie trilogy” novels, preceded by O Pioneers! and The Song of the Lark. After the death of his parents, ten-year-old Jim Burden arrives in Nebraska to live with his grandparents and makes fast friends with the Shimerda children, particularly Ántonia, who live on a neighbouring farm. When tragedy strikes Ántonia’s family, she and Jim drift apart, seeing each other only infrequently over the next two decades and building their own lives. But after twenty years, Jim visits Ántonia and they reconnect, reflecting on the ways in which they’d been tied together all those years. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
Murder Must Advertise
by Dorothy L. SayersMad Men weren’t the first advertisers with dark secrets. When an advertising copywriter is murdered under suspicious circumstances, Lord Peter Wimsey must go undercover to solve the case; by day, as a respected member of an advertising agency, and by night, as a wild bohemian. When he starts to sniff out evidence of a cocaine ring connected to the murder, things become rather more dangerous than Lord Peter bargained for. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
Murder in the Cathedral
by T. S. EliotA vivid exploration of the fundamental contradiction of martyrdom. Though best known for his poetry, T.S. Eliot was also an accomplished playwright. Murder in the Cathedral is a beautiful, haunting poetic take on the martyrdom of Archbishop Thomas Becket in 1170. Becket sees his death coming, but embraces it. This strange duality - a martyr's death as both tragic and glorious - serves as the basis for the action. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale
by Herman Melville“Call me Ishmael.” Thus begins one of the classics of American literature.
A masterful tale of revenge, Moby Dick follows the relentless quest of Captain Ahab to find and slay the whale that stole his leg. The story touches of topics ranging from the technicalities of whale oil to the existence of God, and all things in between.
It is Melville’s most ambitious novel, bending genres and styles, and is still considered one of the greatest achievements in American writing. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values.
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Miss Mapp
by E. F. BensonThe second volume of E.F. Benson's wildly satirical take on the Edwardian English upper class. The books were recently adapted by the BBC into a mini-series starring Sherlock's Mark Gatiss. Miss Elizabeth Mapp is the self-appointed guardian of good manners and propriety for her upper-crust neighbours in the small town of Tilling, but her job isn't easy, as they are beset from all sides by potential scandals and romantic entanglements (but not the ones that Mapp herself engineers - those are, of course, the good kind). Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
Miss Lonelyhearts
by Nathanael WestMiss Lonelyhearts is a decidedly off-kilter, darkly comic tale set in New York in the early 1930s. A nameless man is assigned to produce a newspaper advice column. It was meant to be a joke. But as endless letters from the Desperate, Sick-of-it-All and Disillusioned pile up for Miss Lonelyhearts's attention the joke begins to escape him.Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
Men at Arms
by Evelyn WaughThe first part of the Sword of Honour Trilogy, inspired by the author’s experiences in World War II.
Guy Crouchback, the youngest member of a declining British aristocratic family, is on self-imposed exile in Italy, ashamed of his failed marriage.
When World War II breaks out, he sees a chance to turn his life around, and to combat the evils of modernity.
As it turns out, war is not so glamorous as he’d imagined, and he finds himself an officer in an old, stodgy regiment, surrounded by eccentric and buffoonish characters, like his friend Apthorpe, a career soldier with an exceedingly complicated past. Guy is determined to do right by himself, and by his Catholic faith, but circumstances will not make it easy.
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Martin Eden
by Jack LondonA brilliant critique of class hierarchies and The American Dream. Martin Eden is in love with Ruth Morse, but their union cannot be. Eden is a poor, uneducated sailor, and Ruth comes from a bourgeoisie family.
To allow them to be together, Martin commits to a tireless enterprise of education and self-refinement, hoping to elevate himself to the upper classes through literary achievements.
But if he makes it, will Martin like what he finds?Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you high quality, classic works of literature in e-book form.
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Mapp and Lucia
by E. F. BensonThe fourth volume of E.F. Benson's wildly satirical take on the Edwardian English upper class. The books were recently adapted by the BBC into a mini-series starring Sherlock's Mark Gatiss. Miss Elizabeth Mapp is the undisputed queen of the social scene in the village of Tilling - undisputed, that is, until the arrival of Emmeline "Lucia" Lucas, someone just as clever and determined as she is. The two women, backed by their respective coteries, clash for dominance over the local society scene. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
Madame de Treymes
by Edith WhartonFanny de Malrive, an American living in Paris, is trapped in a loveless marriage. She wants nothing more than to divorce her estranged husband and marry her childhood friend John Durham. But even if her husband could overcome his conservative, religious family and culture to acquiesce, she fears losing custody of their son. In hopes of finding a solution, Durham meets with Fanny's sister-in-law, the enigmatic Madame de Treymes, who suggests that she might be willing to appeal to her brother on his behalf--if, that is, he will help settle her illicit lover's gambling debts. Such a proposition surely won't have a catch...
Madame Bovary
by Gustave FlaubertOne of the greatest novels ever written, in a classic translation from Karl Marx's daughter. Emma, a farmer's daughter, marries Chris Bovary, an earnest young doctor, hoping that he will be the gateway to the world of passion and wealth that she has read about in her novels, but when the married provincial life proves bland compared to her fantasies, Madame Bovary turns to adultery and excess indulgence. Will her new life fulfill her, or will it destroy her first? The novel has been filmed numerous times, with the most recent adaptation starring Mia Wasikowska and Paul Giammati. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
Lucia's Progress
by E. F. BensonThe fifth volume of E.F. Benson's wildly satirical take on the Edwardian English upper class. The books were recently adapted by the BBC into a mini-series starring Sherlock's Mark Gatiss. Published in America as The Worshipful Lucia. Continuing to live in the village of Tilling, the novel chronicles her continued clashes with Miss Mapp as the two vie for control over the local social scene. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
Lucia in London
by E. F. BensonThe third volume of E.F. Benson's wildly satirical take on the Edwardian English upper class. The books were recently adapted by the BBC into a mini-series starring Sherlock's Mark Gatiss. The little town of Riseholme is too small to contain the ambitions of determined social climber Lucia, and she sets her sights on her greatest challenge yet - the fashionable world of London. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
Love Among the Ruins
by Evelyn WaughEvelyn Waugh dips his toes into the world of science fiction. In a future, dystopian Britain, Miles Plastic is in prison for arson. Which isn’t so bad, really – the prisons are actually quite nice. When he is released, he finds himself a nice, wholesome job at a state-run euthanasia clinic trying to control the crushing volume of voluntary applicants. At the clinic he meets Clara, a beautiful, bearded woman, and falls in love. But, as it turns out, love formed at a euthanasia clinic is fraught with its own unique challenges.
Lord Peter Views the Body
by Dorothy L. SayersThe first collection of Lord Peter Wimsey short stories. In this collection brilliant amateur detective Lord Peter Wimsey tackles a variety of confounding cases, covering everything from crossword puzzles to a spectral carriage.
Literary Lapses
by Stephen LeacockStephen Leacock is one of Canada's most celebrated humourists and was, for a period in the early 20th century, the most-widely read English language author the world over. His success comes in no small part due to Literary Lapses, his first collection of fiction. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
Light in August
by William FaulknerLight in August, a novel about hopeful perseverance in the face of mortality, features some of Faulkner’s most memorable characters: guileless, dauntless Lena Grove, in search of the father of her unborn child; Reverend Gail Hightower, who is plagued by visions of Confederate horsemen; and Joe Christmas, a desperate, enigmatic drifter consumed by his mixed ancestry.Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
Life in the Backwoods
by Susanna MoodieLife in the Backwoods in Susanna Moodie's follow-up to her first memoir, Roughing It in the Bush. She and her family leave the home they've carved out in the bush for new opportunities in Canada's frontier. Once again she chronicles their struggles, sorrows, and joys as they try to build a life for themselves in a place that can be equal parts bounteous and unforgiving. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.
Lady Chatterley's Lover
by D. H. LawrenceE. L. James has nothing on D. H. Lawrence. The upper class Constance Chatterley is trapped in a marriage with a paraplegic and emotionally distant husband. She finds a release in a torrid affair with her gardener, through which she is able to discover the physical joy that is a necessary compliment to mental fulfillment. Because of the graphic nature of the content, the book was highly controversial and could not legally be published in England until 32 years after it was written, when it was the subject of an obscenity trial. It was also banned in several countries. Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.