Résultats lu par "Sara Nichols" dans Toutes les catégories

"The Moonstone" by Wilkie Collins is a groundbreaking detective novel often regarded as the first of its kind in English literature. The story revolves around a priceless Indian diamond — the Moonstone — stolen from a Hindu temple and later presented to Rachel Verinder on her eighteenth birthday. That same night, the gem mysteriously disappears from Rachel's room, setting off a wild and complex investigation. Through multiple narrators, including the loyal servant Gabriel Betteredge and the eccentric Miss Clack, the narrative unfolds with twists, misunderstandings, and revelations.

Viewed from an historical perspective, Jane Austen's novels should not exist. She was born during a period where female writers (if they dared to write at all) were dismissed, ignored, and dissuaded from writing altogether. The fact that Ms. Austen went ahead and created the novels contained in this collection—which have gone on to become some of the most treasured books in literary history—is nothing short of a miracle.

In this story, we are introduced to the Bennet family: Mr. and Mrs. Bennet...and their five daughters, each of whom (according to Mrs. Bennet) must find rich husbands as soon as possible. When Mr. Bingley - a wealthy bachelor - takes up residence in a nearby estate, the Bennets kindle hopes that he might be a good match for their eldest, Jane. Invited to a party at Bingley's estate, they are introduced to Mr. Bingley, his two sisters and his close friend Mr. Darcy, whose aloof and off-putting manner hides his secret interest in the Bennet's second oldest daughter, Elizabeth.

"The Monkey's Paw" is the best-known work of writer W.W. Jacobs. Generally acknowledged as one of the most disturbing and brilliant works of short horror fiction ever created, the story was first published in a larger collection of scary stories released in 1902 called "The Lady of the Barge." When the story begins, we meet the White family — an older couple and their adult son — who are given a strange and mysterious talisman: the eponymous dried monkey's paw that is said to grant the owner three wishes.

The autobiographical first novel by Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto, A Daughter of the Samurai tells the incredible true story of a young girl born into a high-status family in Nagaoka, Japan, whose father, a samurai, is stripped of his power when the feudal system in Japan collapses and his family is thrown into turmoil and uncertainty. Originally destined to become a priestess, young Etsu is instead betrothed to a wealthy Japanese merchant in Cincinnati, Ohio, and makes the unlikely and culturally jarring journey from the Japanese countryside to the American Midwest.

Collected here are three of E.M. Forster's classic novels: "A Room With a View," "Howards End" and "A Passage to India," each a stand-alone masterpiece and all of them celebrated as among the finest novels of early 20th century literature.

Pooh and all of his friends are here: Piglet, Eeyore, Rabbit, Owl, Kanga, Roo, and Christopher Robin. In this volume, a new character is introduced as the bouncy, lovable Tigger finds his way into the Hundred Acre Wood, where he quickly joins up with Pooh and his friends!

Mrs. Dalloway was the breakthrough novel by Virginia Woolf that solidified her reputation as one of the most important writers of her era. Written in a new, free-wheeling style for the time, the book details a day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, a British socialite in post-First World War England. The book takes place in a single day, and describes the eponymous lead character as she prepares for and hosts a party. Looping backwards and forwards in time, the listener is given a glimpse into the mind of Mrs. Dalloway, and several of her guests.

The Prairie Trilogy is a series of three novels centered around life in the Midwest during the late 19th/early 20th centuries by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Willa Cather. First, in "O Pioneers!," we meet Alexandra Bergson, who inherits the family farm after her father dies and leaves her to care for her three siblings. While many immigrant families are giving up their farms and moving back to the city (or to their home countries), Alexandra decides to try to tough it out on the prairie.

Presented here are three of the six novels written by the legendary British author Jane Austen, each a beloved and cherished masterpiece of Regency-era literature. In Volume I, we present Austen's timeless classics "Pride and Prejudice," "Mansfield Park" and "Persuasion." Though the books only received modest attention and few reviews at the time of their first release ("Persuasion" was, in fact, published posthumously), all of these books have gone on to become best-sellers are now considered to be among the finest examples of 19th century literature.

Long hailed as one of the most brilliant and beloved authors of the Edwardian era, E.M. Forster's works have become among the most critically acclaimed and cherished novels of the past hundred years and have been adapted numerous times for the stage and screen. "A Room With a View" and "Howards End" are presented here in their original and unabridged formats, narrated by renowned audiobook performer Sara Nichols, best known for her readings of Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre" and Willa Cather's Prairie Trilogy.

Dashiell Hammett was already a well-established hard-boiled mystery writer by the time he released what would turn out to be his masterpiece, The Maltese Falcon in 1930. But with the release of this novel, Hammett would be catapulted to the forefront of American crime writers. The novel has been adapted several times for the screen and the 1941 film version—starring Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor—has become a film noir classic.

"His Last Bow" is a classic mystery collection from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It also contains the very last story featuring Doyle's greatest creation: the legendary and enigmatic consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes. Along with the coda to the Holmes canon, this collection also contains a number of Holmes favorites, including The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge and The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans. But without a doubt, the final story - "His Last Bow" - is the most exciting entry in this one-of-a-kind volume.

The story centers on Sybylla Melvyn, a headstrong girl growing up in rural Australia whose family is plunged into debt by their alcoholic father. Young Sybylla's story follows her romance with suitor Harold Beecham, her forced servitude to one of her father's creditors and her attempts to become a famous writer.

In 1886, a struggling young doctor and part-time author named Arthur Conan Doyle picked up his pen and created what is arguably the most famous character in the history of mystery and detective fiction: the consulting detective known as Sherlock Holmes. Forty years later, Doyle would conclude this astonishing series of adventures having penned four full novels and fifty-six short stories featuring Holmes and - in most of these stories - his friend and crime-fighting partner, Dr. John Watson (who often served as the fictional chronicler of these tales).

"The Snow Queen" is the classic Christmas tale from internationally revered children's author Hans Christian Andersen. The story centers on the challenges faced by two childhood friends Gerda and Kay, whose relationship is shattered when Kai is infected by dark magic and disappears, spirited up to the Snow Queen's palace in the sky.

Presented here are two holiday classics: E.T.A. Hoffmann's "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" (which formed the basis for the Christmas ballet "The Nutcracker") and Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," (upon which Disney's "Frozen" is based). First, we meet young Marie, young girl who is given a precious nutcracker as a Christmas present by her godfather, the enigmatic Drosselmeier.

"The Blue Castle" is one of the few books author L.M. Montgomery (author of the "Anne of Green Gables" series) wrote for an adult audience. It is a romantic novel set in early 20th-century Ontario, Canada, that follows the emotional and romantic awakening of Valancy Stirling, a 29-year-old spinster trapped in a stifling, judgmental family. Valancy appears trapped, living a dull, joyless life while her relatives order her about. Her only escape is her imagination, where she dreams of a beautiful place she calls the Blue Castle-a symbol of freedom, love, and happiness.

Presented here are the final three books of the Sherlock Holmes canon: the novel "The Valley of Fear" and two short story collections: "The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes" and "His Last Bow," all penned by Holmes' legendary creator, the great Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Despite his attempt to kill off his world-famous detective years earlier, Doyle here — decades later — finally brings Sherlock Holmes' adventures to a close. First, we present the stories collected in "Case-Book," including the thriller "The Adventure of the Three Garridebs" and the haunting "Adventure of the Sussex Vampire."

In O Pioneers, we meet the Bergsons, a family of farmers in the fictional town of Hanover, Nebraska who have emigrated to America from Sweden. When the family patriarch dies, the running of the farm falls to the eldest daughter, Alexandra, who struggles to make the farm viable and provide for the family. Eventually, the focus turns to the romantic entanglements of Alexandra and her brother as well as touching upon the enormous difficulties of running a farm at the turn of the last century.