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In 1861, as this story opens with the Yankee raid on the salt works at Cedar Key, Florida, a Confederate dollar is worth 90 cents in gold or silver. The Yankee soldiers, in their zeal to destroy the important Confederate salt works, kill young Henry Ferns step-pa, who has brought Henry to the Gulf Coast town on his first train ride. From that moment on, Henry's mind is locked on revenge. His goal to find the Yankee killers leads him throughout the South and much of the North as the war spreads. He studies medicine and offers aid to whichever side he needs to move through at the time. Through shrewd dealings he manages to amass $40,000 in Confederate paper money. Henry realizes that the Yankees are going to win the war or, at best, the South will end it a draw. In either case, the Confederate money will not be worth as much as silver or gold, so he sets out to change it into specie. Henery's adventures take him into both sides of the Battles of Shiloh Church, Chickamauga, and Olustee. With his charismatic personality and keen judgment, Henry manages to thrive even as the war rages, persisting in changing his paper fortune into silver and gold. He is as generous with his family, friends, and those he perceives to be in need as he is ruthless with those he knows to be his enemies. By the time Sherman marches through Atlanta in late 1864, the Confederate dollar has declined to 28 for one in silver or gold. When Sherman reaches Savannah, its worth is 45 to one. When Lee surrenders the next April, its worth is 80 to one. One month later it has fallen to 1,000 to one. Shortly after this, Henry undertakes a daring raid on the hidden Confederate treasury to bring him to his financial goal.

Excerpt:'Wilford Heaton is not my real name, for why should I publish it to the world? The reason I do not give it is, first, because I have no desire to be made the object of idle curiosity or speculation, and secondly, although the explanation herein given will clear the honour of one of the most powerful of the Imperial Houses in Europe, I have no wish that my true name should be associated with it. I have, however, a reason for writing this narrative—a very strong reason. The story is an enthralling one; the adventures stranger, perhaps, than ever happened to any other living person. I have resolved to relate the plain unvarnished facts in their sequence, just as they occurred, without seeking to suppress or embellish, but to recount the strange adventures just as they are registered in the small leather portfolio, or secret dossier, which still, at this moment, reposes in the archives of a certain Ministry in one of the European capitals. There have recently been stories afloat—strange stories. At first I laughed at all the absurd rumours, but very quickly I saw how seriously distorted the real facts had become, for ingenious paragraphs of certain so-called Society papers, grasping the story eagerly, worked it up into a narrative which reflected very seriously upon the honour of one who is dearest in all the world to me. Well, my tale—or exposure—is written here. In order that those who read may clearly follow the curious chain of circumstances, it is necessary for me to go back some eight years or so—not a long period as far as time goes, but to me a veritable century. I was young, just turned twenty five. I was decently well-off, having come into an income of nearly a couple of thousand a year left me by my father, a sum which put me beyond the necessity of entering business, pursuing the daily grind, or troubling about the morrow. My career at Oxford had, I fear, been marked by a good many shortcomings and many youthful escapades, but I ended it by taking my degree of Bachelor of Medicine, shortly afterwards pursuing the fashionable habit of “going abroad.” Within two years, however, I returned to London world-weary—like so many other young men who, being left comfortably off, commence to taste the enjoyment of life too early—and settled down in a suite of smoke-begrimed rooms in Essex Street, Strand.'

A Buzzfeed Best Book of the MonthFrom popular historical fiction author David Liss (A Conspiracy of Paper) comes the tale of a clueless young man embroiled in a deadly supernatural mystery in Victorian London. Rooted in strange conspiracies and secret societies, this absurdist comedic romp combines strange bedfellows with murderous creatures, resulting in an unexpectedly delightful consequences.“Intricate plotting, exquisite pacing, crackling suspense, and fascinating historical rabbit hole revelations.”—Shelf AwarenessThomas's problems are more serious than those of a typical young Victorian gentleman. His elder brother may be sabotaging the family's bank. His childhood friend has died under mysterious circumstances. Far worse, leaves are sprouting on Thomas's skin. Perhaps it is all the fault of the long-rumored “Peculiarities” lurking in London's grey fog?Proper society scoffs at the notion of magic, even as it seeps into their buildings, transfiguring the rich and poor alike. If Thomas is going to save the family business —and stop turning into a tree—he'll need help from some rather improper companions. Desperate for counsel, he seeks the advice of a lycanthropic medium and London's unacceptable occult society, including a strange fellow named Aleister Crowley.

Commonly hailed as his masterpiece and his own personal favourite, Dickens's novel “David Copperfield” was first published as a serial in 1849–50 and as a book in 1850. The story revolves around the titular character and spans his growth from infancy to maturity, chronicling the people and places of his life as he develops as a person. A must-read for fans of Dickens's work and well deserving of a place on every bookshelf. Charles John Huffam Dickens (1812–1870) was an English writer and social critic famous for having created some of the world's most well-known fictional characters. His works became unprecedentedly popular during his life, and today he is commonly regarded as the greatest Victorian-era novelist. Although perhaps better known for such works as “Oliver Twist” or “A Christmas Carol”, Dickens first gained success with the 1836 serial publication of “The Pickwick Papers”, which turned him almost overnight into an international literary celebrity thanks to his humour, satire, and astute observations concerning society and character. This classic work is being republished now in a new edition complete with an introductory chapter from “Appreciations and Criticisms of the Works of Charles Dickens” by G. K. Chesterton.

Martin Chuzzlewit is suspicious — and with good reason. His relatives think he's dying and they're flocking to his side from near and far in eager anticipation of inheriting his vast wealth. Their greed and selfishness has made him a misanthrope, and when he finds his namesake grandson romancing his ward, the old man's wrath drives young Martin off to America to seek his fortune. Already famous as the author of The Pickwick Papers and Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens declared this, his sixth novel, as'immeasurably the best of my stories.'The scheming Mr. Pecksniff, the corrupt Mrs. Gamp, the criminal Jonas Chuzzlewit, and other vividly realized characters populate this powerful black comedy, which features a parody of American mores and manners inspired by the author's 1842 visit to the United States. A captivating tale of hypocrisy and redemption, the novel is distinctive among Dickens'work for its combination of antic humor, searing satire, and lively melodrama.

The complete trilogy following the double life of a young black man in mid-twentieth-century New York: “Reading Wright is a steep, stinging pleasure.” —Dwight Garner, The New York TimesIn this incisive, satirical collection of three classic American novels by Charles Wright—hailed by the New York Times as “malevolent, bitter, glittering”—a young black intellectual from the South struggles to make it in New York City. This special compilation includes a foreword by acclaimed poet and novelist Ishmael Reed, who calls Wright “Richard Pryor on paper.”As fresh and poignant as when originally published in the sixties and seventies, The Messenger, The Wig, and Absolutely Nothing to Get Alarmed About form Charles Wright's remarkable New York City trilogy. By turns brutally funny and starkly real, these three autobiographical novels create a memorable portrait of a young working-class black man caught between the bohemian elite of Greenwich Village and the seedy underworld of male prostitution and drug abuse.Wright's fiction is searingly original in bringing to life a special time, a special place, and the remarkable story of a man living in two worlds. This updated edition shines a spotlight once again on this important writer—a writer whose work is so crucial to our times.

George Robert Gissing was born on November 22nd, 1857 in Wakefield, Yorkshire.He was educated at Back Lane School in Wakefield. Gissing loved school. He was enthusiastic with a thirst for learning and always diligent. By the age of ten he was reading Dickens, a lifelong hero.In 1872 Gissing won a scholarship to Owens College. Whilst there Gissing worked hard but remained solitary. Unfortunately, he had run short of funds and stole from his fellow students. He was arrested, prosecuted, found guilty, expelled and sentenced to a month's hard labour in 1876. On release he decided to start over. In September 1876 he travelled to the United States. Here he wrote short stories for the Chicago Tribune and other newspapers. On his return home he was ready for novels. Gissing self-published his first novel but it failed to sell. His second was acquired but never published. His writing career was static. Something had to change. And it did. By 1884 The Unclassed was published. Now everything he wrote was published. Both Isabel Clarendon and Demos appeared in 1886. He mined the lives of the working class as diligently as any capitalist. In 1889 Gissing used the proceeds from the sale of The Nether World to go to Italy. This trip formed the basis for his 1890 work The Emancipated. Gissing's works began to command higher payments. New Grub Street (1891) brought a fee of £250. Short stories followed and in 1895, three novellas were published; Eve's Ransom, The Paying Guest and Sleeping Fires. Gissing was careful to keep up with the changing attitudes of his audience. Unfortunately, he was also diagnosed as suffering from emphysema. The last years of his life were spent as a semi-invalid in France but he continued to write. 1899; The Crown of Life. Our Friend the Charlatan appeared in 1901, followed two years later by The Private Papers of Henry Ryecroft. George Robert Gissing died aged 46 on December 28th, 1903 after catching a chill on a winter walk.

Great Expectations is Charles Dickens's thirteenth novel. It is his second novel, after David Copperfield, to be fully narrated in the first person. Great Expectations is abildungsroman, or a coming-of-age novel, and it is a classic work of Victorian literature. It depicts the growth and personal development of an orphan named Pip. The novel was first published in serial form in Dickens'weekly periodical All the Year Round, from 1 December 1860 to August 1861. In October 1861, Chapman and Hall published the novel in three volumes. Great Expectations was to be twice as long, but constraints imposed by the management of All the Year Round limited the novel's length. Collected and dense, with a conciseness unusual for Dickens, the novel represents Dickens'peak and maturity as an author. According to G. K. Chesterton, Dickens penned Great Expectations in'the afternoon of [his] life and fame.'It was the penultimate novel Dickens completed, preceding Our Mutual Friend. It is set among the marshes of Kent and in London in the early to mid-1800s. From the outset, the reader is'treated'by the terrifying encounter between Pip, the protagonist, and the escaped convict, Abel Magwitch. Great Expectations is a graphic book, full of extreme imagery, poverty, prison ships,'the hulks,'barriers and chains, and fights to the death. It therefore combines intrigue and unexpected twists of autobiographical detail in different tones. Regardless of its narrative technique, the novel reflects the events of the time, Dickens'concerns, and the relationship between society and man. The novel has received mixed reviews from critics: Thomas Carlyle speaks of'All that Pip's nonsense,'while George Bernard Shaw praised the novel as'All of one piece and Consistently truthfull.'Dickens felt Great Expectations was his best work, calling it'a very fine idea,'and was very sensitive to compliments from his friends:'Bulwer, who has been, as I think you know, extraordinarily taken by the book.'ABOUT AUTHOR: Charles John Huffam Dickens (1812 – 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's most memorable fictional characters and is generally regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian period. During his life, his works enjoyed unprecedented fame, and by the twentieth century his literary genius was broadly acknowledged by critics and scholars. His novels and short stories continue to be widely popular. Born in Portsmouth, England, Dickens was forced to leave school to work in a factory when his father was thrown into debtors'prison. Although he had little formal education, his early impoverishment drove him to succeed. Over his career he edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, 5 novellas and hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education, and other social reforms. Dickens sprang to fame with the 1836 serial publication of The Pickwick Papers. Within a few years he had become an international literary celebrity, famous for his humour, satire, and keen observation of character and society. His novels, most published in monthly or weekly instalments, pioneered the serial publication of narrative fiction, which became the dominant Victorian mode for novel publication. The instalment format allowed Dickens to evaluate his audience's reaction, and he often modified his plot and character development based on such feedback. For example, when his wife's chiropodistexpressed distress at the way Miss Mowcher in David Copperfield seemed to reflect her disabilities, Dickens went on to improve the character with positive features. Fagin inOliver Twist apparently mirrors the famous fence Ikey Solomon; His caricature of Leigh Hunt in the figure of Mr Skimpole in Bleak

Introduction and Notes by Dr T.C.B. Cook Following the success of Pickwick Papers and Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby was hailed as a comic triumph and firmly established Dickens as a'literary gentleman'. It has a full supporting cast of delectable characters that range from the iniquitous Wackford Squeers and his family, to the delightful Mrs Nickleby, taking in the eccentric Crummles and his travelling players, the Mantalinis, the Kenwigs and many more. Combining these with typically Dickensian elements of burlesque and farce, the novel is eminently suited to dramatic adaptation. So great was the impact as it left Dickens'pen that many pirated versions appeared in print before the original was even finished. Often neglected by critics, Nicholas Nickleby has never ceased to delight readers and is widely regarded as one of the greatest comic masterpieces of nineteenth-centure literature.

Includes the unabridged text of Dicken's classic novel plus a complete study guide that helps readers gain a thorough understanding of the work's content and context. The comprehensive guide includes chapter-by-chapter summaries, explanations and discussions of the plot, question-and-answer sections, author biography, analytical paper topics, list of characters, bibliography, and more.

Set against the magnificent backdrop of Alaska in the waning days of World War II, The Cloud Atlas is an enthralling debut novel, a story of adventure and awakening—and of a young soldier who came to Alaska on an extraordinary, top-secret mission…and found a world that would haunt him forever.Drifting through the night, whisper-quiet, they were the most sublime manifestations of a desperate enemy: Japanese balloon bombs. Made of rice paper, at once ingenious and deadly, they sailed thousands of miles across the Pacific...and once they started landing, the U.S. scrambled teams to find and defuse them, and then keep them secret from an already anxious public. Eighteen-year-old Louis Belk was one of those men. Dispatched to the Alaskan frontier, young Sergeant Belk was better trained in bomb disposal than in keeping secrets. And the mysteries surrounding his mission only increased when he met his superior officer—a brutal veteran OSS spy hunter who knew all too well what the balloons could do—and Lily, a Yup'ik Eskimo woman who claimed she could see the future.Louis's superior ushers him into a world of dark secrets; Lily introduces Louis to an equally disorienting world of spirits—and desire. But the world that finally tests them all is Alaska, whose vastness cloaks mysteries that only become more frightening as they unravel. Chasing after the ghostly floating weapons, Louis embarks upon an adventure that will lead him deep into the tundra. There, on the edge of the endless wilderness, he will make a discovery and a choice that will change the course of his life. At once a heart-quickening mystery and a unique love story, The Cloud Atlas is also a haunting, lyrical rendering of a little-known chapter in history. Brilliantly imagined, beautifully told, this is storytelling at its very best.

A thoroughly uplifting novel about a neurodivergent young man who unexpectedly builds a community and saves a friend in need by following—in a way only he can—his mother's words of wisdom.Joe-Nathan likes the two parts of his name separate, just like dinner and dessert. Mean Charlie at work sometimes calls him Joe-Nuthin. But Joe is far from nothing. Joe is a good friend, good at his job, good at making things and at following rules, and he is learning how to do lots of things by himself. Joe's mother knows there are a million things he isn't yet prepared for. While she helps to guide him every day, she is also writing notebooks of advice for Joe, of all the things she hasn't yet told him about life and things he might forget. By following her advice, Joe's life is about to be more of a surprise than he expects. Because he's about to learn that remarkable things can happen when you leave your comfort zone, and that you can do even the hardest things with a little help from your friends.

Follow the captivating journey of young Pip, an orphan with dreams of escaping his humble beginnings. Unexpectedly, he receives a mysterious fortune from an unknown benefactor, altering his life forever. As Pip navigates the treacherous waters of love, ambition, and betrayal, he encounters a colorful cast of characters, including the reclusive Miss Havisham and the enigmatic convict, Magwitch. Dickens'timeless classic takes readers on a rollercoaster of emotions, exploring themes of identity, ambition, and the true meaning of wealth. Delve into the intricacies of Victorian society in this masterfully crafted tale that stands as a testament to the enduring power of redemption and self-discovery.ABOUT THE AUTHORCharles Dickens (1812-1870) was a world-renowned English writer. He is famous for his novels that depict the social realities of Victorian England. Among his most well-known works are'Oliver Twist'(1837-1839),'David Copperfield'(1849-1850),'Great Expectations'(1860-1861), and'A Christmas Carol'(1843). Dickens was a keen observer of the society of his time, shedding light on inequalities, poverty, and injustices. His writing style was characterized by humor, vivacity, and compassion for marginalized characters. Dickens contributed to shaping English literature, and his legacy still endures today.

This carefully crafted ebook:'Sentimental Education (Autobiographical Novel)'is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. Sentimental Education is an autobiographical novel. The story focuses on the romantic life of a young man at the time of the French Revolution of 1848. The novel describes the life of a young man (Frédéric Moreau) living through the revolution of 1848 and the founding of the Second French Empire, and his love for an older woman. Flaubert based many of the protagonist's experiences (including the romantic passion) on his own life. The novel's tone is by turns ironic and pessimistic; it occasionally lampoons French society. The main character, Frédéric, often gives himself to romantic flights of fancy. Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880) was an influential French writer who was perhaps the leading exponent of literary realism of his country. He is known especially for his debut novel, Madame Bovary and for his scrupulous devotion to his style and aesthetics. The celebrated short story writer Maupassant was a protégé of Flaubert.

This carefully crafted ebook:'The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. Tom Jones or, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling is a comic novel by English playwright and novelist Henry Fielding. It is both a Bildungsroman and a picaresque novel. It was first published on 28 February 1749 in London, and is among the earliest English prose works to be classified as a novel. It is the earliest novel mentioned by W. Somerset Maugham in his 1948 book Great Novelists and Their Novels among the ten best novels of the world. The novel is highly organized, despite its length. Samuel Taylor Coleridge argued that it has one of the'three most perfect plots ever planned.'Tom Jones is generally regarded as Fielding's greatest book and as a very influential English novel.

Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffman was born on the 24th January 1776, the youngest of three children, in Königsberg, then in Prussia but now part of the Kaliningrad Russian enclave.His parents separated when he was two and for many years life was to be provincial and, despite his talents for the creative arts and the classics, much was passing him by.At 20 Hoffman obtained employment as a clerk and to the art that now surrounded him. Two years later he was in Berlin attempting a career as a composer with an operetta called ‘Die Maske'. His gift for drawing caricatures and sharing them often got him into trouble that was easier to avoid.The years of Napoleon ravaging Europe were bad for Hoffman; he moved often and took on works as varied as theatre management and music critic. In this his talents were now more evident. His works on Beethoven where highly regarded by the master himself.His literary breakthrough came in 1809, with ‘Ritter Gluck', about a man who believes he has met the composer 20 years after his death. However the various jobs and the wars continued and plagued any career advancement despite his constant travel for opportunities, often through dangerous territories.In the wake of Napoleon's defeat in 1814, Hoffmann returned to Berlin where his opera ‘Undine'was performed by the Berlin Theatre. Life was now more settled and many of his most famous works were written at his time.From 1819, Hoffmann was struggling with both legal disputes and ill health. Alcohol abuse and syphilis were physically weakening him and from 1822 paralysis set in. His last works were dictated to his wife or to a secretary as all around him society descended into an anti-liberal agenda, stifling dissent with threats of legal action and even treason. The ailing Hoffman was among them.E T A Hoffmann died on the 25th June 1822 in Berlin of syphilis. He was 46.

François-Anatole Thibault was born on the 16th April 1844 in Paris, France, the son of a bookseller and bibliophile.He studied at the Collège Stanislas, a private Catholic school, and after graduating joined his father in the bookstore, which specialised in works on the French Revolution. Several years later he secured a position as cataloguer at Bacheline-Deflorenne and at Lemerre before being appointed librarian for the French Senate in 1876.His literary career had begun as a journalist and as a poet before publishing his novel ‘Le Crime de Sylvestre Bonnard'in 1881. Praised for its elegant prose, it won him a prestigious prize from the Académie Française, which later elected him to its storied ranks.His works were profound and thoughtful and often couched in surreal and outlandish expressions; whether penguins baptized by a near-blind Abbott transformed themselves into humans or of a guardian angel who becomes an atheist, his stories turned established thought into startling literature.His short stories run in the same vein. The premise may seem plausible but his distinctive style turns them into an individual viewpoint which invokes both discussion and admiration.In his private life his relationships with women were often turbulent. A Socialist, he was a fervent supporter of the Russian Revolution and the early years of the French Communist party.He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1921 but the following year his entire canon of works was placed on the prohibited list of the Catholic Church, which he thought of as a credit to his name.Anatole France died on the 12th October 1924 in Tours. He was 80.

Sentimental Education is an autobiographical novel. The story focuses on the romantic life of a young man at the time of the French Revolution of 1848. The novel describes the life of a young man (Frédéric Moreau) living through the revolution of 1848 and the founding of the Second French Empire, and his love for an older woman. Flaubert based many of the protagonist's experiences (including the romantic passion) on his own life. The novel's tone is by turns ironic and pessimistic; it occasionally lampoons French society. The main character, Frédéric, often gives himself to romantic flights of fancy. Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880) was an influential French writer who was perhaps the leading exponent of literary realism of his country. He is known especially for his debut novel, Madame Bovary and for his scrupulous devotion to his style and aesthetics. The celebrated short story writer Maupassant was a protégé of Flaubert.

From the acclaimed author of I Will Never See the World Again, this poignant coming-of-age novel finds moments of remarkable humor in a present-day Istanbul rife with economic and political hardships.Fazıl's comfortable existence studying literature is upended by his family's sudden financial ruin, followed swiftly by the death of his father. Forced to sell his belongings and move to an old boardinghouse, he discovers a new side of the city, populated by immigrants, poets, sex workers, and busboys, all struggling to get by. On a tip from a fellow resident, Fazıl finds work to support himself through university, as an extra on a TV show, where he meets two women who will change his life. Sıla, a striking young student, shares his love of Virginia Woolf and uniquely understands his current predicament: once well-off, she too has lost everything, after the government unjustly seized her father's business. While they begin a tentative romance, Fazıl is also drawn to the show's vivacious leading lady, Hayat, whose carefree, sensuous outlook differs so greatly from his own. Written from his prison cell, Ahmet Altan's latest novel offers a witty, insightful view of modern Turkey and the lives of its “new poor” that shows how we can find light in the darkest times.

Colette's celebrated novels about an older courtesan and her young lover, now in a new translation and published in one volume.Colette's Chéri (1920) and its sequel, The End of Chéri (1926), are widely considered her masterpieces. In sensuous, elegant prose, the two novels explore the evolving inner lives and the intimate relationship of an unlikely couple: Léa de Lonval, a middle-aged former courtesan, and Fred Peloux, twenty-five years her junior, known as Chéri. The two have been involved for years, and it is time for Chéri to get on with life, to make something of himself, but he, the personification of male beauty and vanity, doesn't know how to go about it. It is time, too, for Léa to let go ofChéri and the sensual life that has been hers, and yet this is more easily resolved than done. Chéri marries, but once married he is restless and is inevitably drawn back to his mistress, as she is to him. And yet to reprise their relationship is only to realize even more the inevitability of its end. That end will come when Chéri, back from World War I, encounters a world that the war has changed through and through. Lost in his memories of time past, he is irremediably lost to the busy present. Paul Eprile's new translation of these two celebrated novels brings out a vivid sensuality and acute intelligence that past translations have failed to capture.

This carefully crafted ebook:'Madame Bovary + Salammbô + Sentimental Education (3 Unabridged Classics)'contains 3 books in one volume and is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. Madame Bovary, written by Gustave Flaubert, was published in 1857 in French. The story focuses on a doctor's wife, Emma Bovary, who has adulterous affairs and lives beyond her means in order to escape the banalities and emptiness of provincial life. Though the basic plot is rather simple, even archetypal, the novel's true art lies in its details and hidden patterns. Salammbô (1862) is a historical novel by Gustave Flaubert. It is set in Carthage during the 3rd century BC, immediately before and during the Mercenary Revolt which took place shortly after the First Punic War. Sentimental Education (1869) is a novel by Gustave Flaubert, and is considered one of the most influential novels of the 19th century. The novel describes the life of a young man living through the revolution of 1848 and the founding of the Second French Empire, and his love for an older woman. The novel's tone is by turns ironic and pessimistic; it occasionally lampoons French society. The main character, Frédéric, often gives himself to romantic flights of fancy. Gustave Flaubert ( 1821 – 1880) was an influential French writer who is counted among the greatest novelists in Western literature. He is known especially for his first published novel, Madame Bovary (1857), for his Correspondence, and for his scrupulous devotion to his art and style.

Western Australia, 1909. William Watson's beloved father is set on an expedition to the north-west to map water sources in the Pilbara. Invited along, fifteen-year-old William embarks on the outback journey of a lifetime. At sea and on land, William will forge lasting friendships with his fellow travellers, and transform his relationship with his father as together they face the darkness in some men's hearts - including the cruel and vengeful Sergeant Jardine.This is a classic rite-of-passage novel that follows one young man on his journey of growth and self-discovery.

'powerful'Booklist'riveting'Publishers Weekly'[Zimler is] a master craftsman, and this book is Art… a riveting murder mystery… spectacular'India Today After his Jewish family fled the Catholic Inquisition in Portugal, Tiago Zarco lives a tranquil existence in colonial India, enjoying secret sojourns with his sister into the heady festivities of the local Hindu culture while evading the ruling Portuguese authorities. But as he comes of age in sixteenth-century Goa, Ti struggles to keep the far-reaching influence of the Inquisition from destroying his family and pulling him apart from the Hindu girl he loves. And when an act of betrayal sees his father imprisoned, he is forced to hunt down the traitor and make an unimaginable choice, triggering a harrowing journey that will show him the depths of human depravity and the poisonous salvation of revenge. At once passionate, furious and hopeful, Guardian of the Dawn is both a saga of horrifying religious persecution and a riveting, tender multicultural love story.'Richard Zimler's style is so limpid and encompassing that you begin to find your bearings in 16th-century Portuguese-occupied Goa faster than you may have thought possible.'The Guardian'remarkable'Times Literary Supplement'An exciting adventure story'The Independent

A New York Times Editor's Choice Best Book of 2023 by Esquire, Apple Books, HuffPost, GQ, Cosmopolitan, and Goodreads.Finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut NovelVCU Cabell First Novelist Award'Brazen, exhilarating, fun, and surprising! I couldn't predict where this novel was going, but I was definitely along for the ride.'-- Ling Ma, author of Severance A blazingly original and stylish debut novel about a young man whose reality unravels when he suspects his mysterious employers have inadvertently discovered time travel—and are using it to cover up a string of violent crimes... Four days before Christmas, 8-year-old Bo loses his mother in a tragic accident, 28-year-old Brandon loses his job after a hostile takeover of his big-media employer, and 48-year-old Blue, a key witness in a criminal trial against an infamous now-defunct tech startup, struggles to reconnect with his family. So begins Jinwoo Chong's dazzling, time-bending debut that blends elements of neo-noir and speculative fiction as the lives of Bo, Brandon, and Blue begin to intersect, uncovering a vast network of secrets and an experimental technology that threatens to upend life itself. Intertwined with them is the saga of an iconic'80s detective show, Raider, whose star actor has imploded spectacularly after revelations of long-term, concealed abuse. Flux is a haunting and sometimes shocking exploration of the cyclical nature of grief, of moving past trauma, and of the pervasive nature of whiteness within the development of Asian identity in America.

The Sunday Times Bestseller'A full-spectrum triumph'Guardian A sensational new novel from the bestselling author of Less Than Zero and American Psycho that tracks a group of privileged Los Angeles high school friends as a serial killer strikes across the city. His first novel in 13 years, The Shards is Bret Easton Ellis at his inimitable best. LA, 1981. Buckley College in heat. 17-year-old Bret is a senior at the exclusive Buckley prep school when a new student arrives with a mysterious past. Robert Mallory is bright, handsome, charismatic, and shielding a secret from Bret and his friends, even as he becomes a part of their tightly knit circle. Bretxe2x80x99s obsession with Mallory is equalled only by his increasingly unsettling preoccupation with The Trawler, a serial killer on the loose who seems to be drawing ever closer to Bret and his friends, taunting them with grotesque threats and horrific, sharply local acts of violence. Can he trust his friends xe2x80x93 or his own mind xe2x80x93 to make sense of the danger they appear to be in? Thwarted by the world and by his own innate desires, buffeted by unhealthy fixations, Bret spirals into paranoia and isolation as the relationship between The Trawler and Robert Mallory hurtles inexorably toward a collision. Gripping, sly, suspenseful, deeply haunting and often darkly funny, The Shards is a mesmerizing fusing of fact and fiction that brilliantly explores the emotional fabric of Bretxe2x80x99s life at 17 xe2x80x93 sex and jealousy, obsession and murderous rage.

By Right of Sword is the story of a master swordsman Hamylton Tregethner, who decides to leave England in disgrace admitting that he has messed up everything over there. He reveals that he is going to Russia and hopes he gets killed by Turkish bullets in the country. But an encounter gives him a new idea to disguise himself as a Russian nihilist, Rupert Balestier, whose sister had supported Hamylton in the decision. The novel is packed with action and drama; its absorbing plot and incredibly portrayed characters contribute to the novel's success.

A fresh and vivid translation of Flaubert's influential bildungsroman Gustave Flaubert conceived Sentimental Education, his final complete novel, as the history of his own generation, one that failed to fulfill the promise of the Revolution of 1848. Published a few months before the start of the 1870 Franco–Prussian War, it offers both a sweeping panorama of French society over three decades and an intimate bildungsroman of a young man from a small town who arrives in Paris when protests against the monarchy are increasing. The novel's protagonist, Frédéric Moreau, alternates between aimlessness and ambition as he searches for a meaningful life through love affairs and republican politics. Flaubert's narrative includes scenes of high drama, as scattered protests across Paris swell into revolution, and quiet moments of self-aware romanticism, crafting a story that possesses the sweep and scope of a historical novel combined with deep emotion and scandalous intimacy. Suffused with tragedy and the poignancy of lost chances and wasted lives, Sentimental Education is sharpened by satirical observations of what Flaubert condemned as the Second Empire's endemic hypocrisy and willful blindness. This vibrant, new translation by Raymond N. MacKenzie includes an extensive critical introduction and annotations to help the modern reader appreciate Flaubert's achievement. Sentimental Education intertwines the personal, the intimate, and the subjective with the political, social, and cultural, embedding Frédéric's story in the larger arc of what Flaubert saw as France's decline into mediocrity and imbecility in its politics and manners.

The Fire in the Flint is a 1924 novel by civil rights activist and writer Walter White, it was published by Knopf. The novel was written during the Harlem Renaissance and contains themes consistent with the New Negro Movement as well as promoting anti-racist themes and shedding light on racial oppression during the early 20th century. The novel tells the story of Dr. Kenneth Harper, an African American doctor and World War I veteran, who moves back to his hometown in Georgia to open a clinic and practice medicine after graduating from medical school. Dr. Harper, who is initially unwilling to be involved in racial tensions in the town, eventually fights against the Ku Klux Klan after he is subjected to hostile racism from the white residents.

The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition, Vol 8 is a collection of works written by Robert Louis Stevenson. It is part of the'Swanston Edition'of Stevenson's works, which was published in the early 20th century. The collection likely includes a variety of Stevenson's writings, including fiction, poetry, and essays.

This novel features the character of David Copperfield, and is written by Charles Dickens in the first person. Dickens wrote this book as a description of Copperfield's life until middle age, with all the adventures and the numerous friends and enemies Copperfield met along his way. It is his journey of change and growth from infancy to maturity, as people enter and leave his life and he passes through the stages of his development.

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is semi-autobiographical, following Joyce's fictional alter-ego through his artistic awakening. The young artist Steven Dedelus begins to rebel against the Irish Catholic dogma of his childhood and discover the great philosophers and artists. He follows his artistic calling to the continent. As part of our mission to publish great works of literary fiction and nonfiction, Sheba Blake Publishing Corp. is extremely dedicated to bringing to the forefront the amazing works of long dead and truly talented authors.

Dear (never-been-quite-over-you) Crush,It's been a few years since we were together,but I can't stop thinking about the time we almost...Wren Roland has never been kissed, but he wants that movie-perfect ending more than anything. Feeling nostalgic on the eve of his birthday, he sends emails to all the boys he (ahem) loved before he came out. Morning brings the inevitable Oh God What Did I Do?, but he brushes that panic aside. Why stress about it? None of his could-have-beens are actually going to read the emails, much less respond. Right?Enter Derick Haverford, Wren's #1 pre-coming-out-crush and his drive-in theater's new social media intern. Everyone claims he's coasting on cinematic good looks and his father's connections, but Wren has always known there's much more to Derick than meets the eye. Too bad he doesn't feel the same way about the infamous almost-kiss that once rocked Wren's world.Whatever. Wren's no longer a closeted teenager; he can survive this. But as their hazy summer becomes consumed with a special project that may just save the struggling drive-in for good, Wren and Derick are drawn ever-closer…and maybe, finally, Wren's dream of a perfect-kiss-before-the-credits is within reach.A feel-good summer LGBTQIA+ New Adult RomCom, perfect for fans of Red White & Royal Blue, Boyfriend Material, and What If It's Us.

Jack Corey is a spoiled, rich 22 year old who spends his time skylarking with friends and drinking. On the way home from the beach late one night, those friends create all kinds of havoc as Jack struggles to keep his drunken eyes on the road. The hilarity gets out of hand after the friends decide to play Bandit. They end up shooting a man in another car! Not on purpose, but they did shoot him and everyone panicked, urging Jack to drive away in a hurry. Which, to his eventual shame, he did. By the time he got home, he was sober and worried about what to do. Should he tell his mother? Nah, she wouldn't care, as long as there was no damage to her car (at least so he tells himself). Should he go to the police and confess? No!! The injured man was bleeding badly when Jack drove away, he might be dead and then Jack would have to go to prison. So what to do? (Goodreads)

Excerpt:'The morning was hot, and Kit Musgrave, leaning on the African liner's rail, watched the volcanic rocks of Grand Canary grow out of the silver haze. He was conscious of some disappointment, because on the voyage to Las Palmas he had pictured a romantic white city shining against green palms. Its inhabitants were grave Spaniards, who secluded their wives and daughters in old Moorish houses with shady patios where fountains splashed. Now he saw he had got the picture wrong. Las Palmas was white, but not at all romantic. A sandy isthmus, swept by rolling clouds of dust, connected the town and the frankly ugly port. The houses round the harbor looked like small brown blocks. Behind them rose the Isleta cinder hill; in front, coal-wharfs and limekilns, hidden now and then by dust, occupied the beach. Moreover, the Spaniards on board the boats about the ship were excited, gesticulating ruffians. Bombay peddlers, short, dark-skinned Portuguese, and Canario dealers in wine, tobacco, and singing birds, pushed up the gangway. All disputed noisily in their eagerness to show their goods to the passengers. Yet Kit was not altogether disappointed. Somehow the industrial ugliness of the port and the crowd's businesslike activity were soothing. Kit had not known much romantic beauty, but he knew the Lancashire mining villages and the mean streets behind the Liverpool docks. Besides, he was persuaded that commerce, particularly British commerce, had a civilizing, uplifting power.'

Fourth book in author/racer'BS'Levy's cult-classic The Last Open Road series, it follows the development of narrator Buddy Palumbo's family, romantic, and business adventures plus the parallel story of his rich, charming, spoiled, devil-may-care but totally self-centered race-driver friend Cal Carrington's adventures as he climbs the dangerous ladder to a spot on the Ferrari formula one team and enjoys/is confused and tormented by an on-again/off-again relationship with beautiful young Hollywood starlet Gina LaScala, who was introduced in book two of the series. Once again, all the history, both motoring and otherwise, is presented very much as it happened.

Jack Grant arrives in Western Australia in 1882, having been expelled from his public school and then sent down from an agricultural college. He experiences hunting, farming, gold mining, fights and his first love of women. His character is forged by the Australian landscape and its hard, no-nonsense people. From the young boy emerges a tough Lawrentian hero. (Goodreads)

Exerpt:'A creaking complaint of loose and rattling boards rose under the old mountaineer's brogans as he stepped from the threshold to the porch. His eyes, searching the wooded mountain-side, held at first only that penetration which born woodsmen share with the hawk and ferret, but presently they kindled into irascibility as well.'

One chance to be a hero. Jim Lord always knew he wanted to be a cop. But getting stuck working as a school resource officer after a tour in Iraq isn't what he pictured for his life. Still, he manages to find a sense of purpose, as well as love, at Portage High... until a moment of cowardice strips it all away. Undone emotionally and professionally, Jim spirals into a drunken depression before a friend pulls him back from the brink. Determined to usher in a new chapter, Jim embarks on a journey of self-discovery that leads him south. Along the way Jim is confronted by forces that make him face his internal demons and push him to prove he's a man of action. Brimming with dynamic characters and scenery, Jim Lord is a stirring novel that asks what it takes to be a hero.'Action packed story of redemption.'- Advanced ReviewFans of Rambo and Gran Torino will love this action book.

Excerpt:'It has not happened to many men, as I think, to have fallen into the hands of as cruel and bloodthirsty a monster as ever defiled God's earth, and to have escaped to tell the tale. Yet it is of this that I have come to write; and of all the hardships and perils which I went through from the time I fled from my father's house to seek for treasure in the East Indies; and of the battles in which I fought; and of the madness of love and jealousy which I knew; and of how the man I trusted became my enemy, and pursued me with his vengeance; and of the treasure which I found in the palace of the Hindoo king; and of how I returned at last to my own home. Nor do I greatly expect that the hearing of these things will be effectual to hinder those who come after me from adventuring in their turn, for young blood will have its way, like sap in the veins of a growing tree. But there are times when I think that if I could have looked forward and seen what was to come, and all the dire straits through which I was to pass—both among my own countrymen and in those distant lands—I might have given a different welcome to my cousin Rupert when he came riding into Brandon, on the evening of that day which was to be the last of my boyhood.'

'What do we seek through millions of pages? Still hopefully turning the pages -- oh, here is Jacob's room.'Who is Jacob Flanders? Virginia Woolf's third novel, published in 1922 alongside James Joyce's Ulysses and T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land, follows this elusive title character from a sunlit childhood on the Cornwall coast to adventures in Cambridge, London, and Athens. Women fall in love with Jacob; young men desire his company and conversation. But Woolf keeps her scornful, charming protagonist at a distance, enveloping Jacob in mystery as he enters adulthood and the Great War thunders across Europe. A daring work that reimagines every element of the traditional novel, Jacob's Room tells a new story for a new century. In 1922, Lytton Strachey pronounced Jacob's Room'a most wonderful achievement—more like poetry, it seems to me, than anything else, and as such I prophesy immortal.'One hundred years after its publication, Woolf's first full-length work of experimental fiction pulls us into the inexhaustible mysteries of intimacy and mortality.

Before the onset of his irreversible decline, Eddie Socket always suspected he was on the verge of something. Now that “something” has arrived in the form of Merrit Mather, an attractive older gentleman of impeccable taste in everything from sweaters to his numerous sexual conquests. That Merrit happens to be the lover of Eddie's agitated boss, Saul, hardly fazes the smitten Eddie; that the elusive Merrit loses interest in Eddie with dizzying speed hardly dims his ardor. While Eddie continues his futile chase, he finds solace in his roommate, Polly, involved in her own implausible affair with a self-involved banker. Both Eddie and Polly eventually conclude that solitude is their best option. But even that is not possible as Eddie finds his life taking an unexpected turn—a turn that that serves as the catalyst for Eddie, love-ravaged Polly, and the indomitable Saul to reclaim their lives.First published in 1989 and winner of the 1990 Lambda Literary Award for Best Gay Debut Novel, The Irreversible Decline of Eddie Socket is one of the first novels to respond to the global AIDS crisis. A comedy of absurdist horror, it weaponizes the comic as a way of intensifying the tragic aspects of AIDS, which were especially acute in the early 1980s, and the scars of which are still visible today.

Marco McGann's lost his job, his home, his girlfriend, and his mind.When he wakes from a drug-induced nap to find a man ransacking his apartment, he snaps and vows to take control of his life. And, more importantly, convince his ex Sarah to take him back.Marco's desperation, and a series of red herrings, leads him to believe that Sarah's been kidnapped. So, like a coked-up Philip Marlowe groping around in the dark, he sets out to save her.

Charles Dickens foi um influente escritor inglês, o mais famoso romancista da era vitoriana. Nascido em 1812, na cidade de Portsmouth, mesmo sem a oportunidade de receber uma educação formal, tornou-se um dos grandes escritores da literatura mundia e autor de livros memoráveis. A obra A Vida e Aventuras de Nicholas Nickleby é um desses livros. O romance retrata os percalços de um jovem britânico, Nicholas Nickleby que, com a morte do pai, tornou-se responsável pela família. Como a família não tinha emprego nem dinheiro, sua mãe escreve para Ralph Nickleby, irmão de seu marido recém-falecido, solicitando ajuda. Ralph é um homem rico e desalmado, mas mesmo assim o jovem Niicholas, direciona seus esforços para ajudar a sua família e seus amigos. Os livros de Dickens apresentam tramas e personagens que carregam traços em comum e que invariavelmente atraem e encantam o leitor. A forma como ele retrata esses dramas com um peculiar senso de humor é sempre um deleite com suas coincidências improváveis, as reviravoltas, e seus personagens caricatos e adoráveis.'A Vida e Aventuras de Nicholas Nickleby'é uma agradabilissima leitura.

Cow Country goes back to some of Bower's earlier works. Buddy is crossing the Staked Plains with his family and a herd of Longhorn cattle. He is all boy, as were all of Bower's youngsters whenever they appeared in the various books. He has adventures along the trail but survives them all to reach manhood at age 21, when he is promptly turned out into the world by his father. Well, that sounds a bit harsh. Bud (only his mother can still call him Buddy) is given a choice: ten thousand dollars and life in Europe making music or the gift of a select group of cattle so he can go off somewhere and start his own ranch. (Goodreads)

The second novel in author/racer'BS'Levy's hilarious, historically accurate coming-of-age story about a blue-collar, 19-year-old New Jersey gas station mechanic/narrator Buddy Palumbo getting swept up in the glamorous, dangerous, upper-crust, and occasionally decadent world of open-road sportscar racing during the Eisenhower fifties. This time, Buddy's adventures take us from the shop floor of the gas station where he works to the shotgun seat of a Ferrari driven by a crazy, colorful, and charismatic Mexican in the 1952 La Carrera Panamericana, an unbelievable-but-true open-road race that ran from the southern tip of Mexico to the Rio Grande, all the way to an artists, academics, beatniks, and jazz musicians New Years Eve party that runs from the entire floor of an apartment building in Greenwich Village to Times Square. Winner of a 2000 Benjamin Franklin Book of the Year award.

The first book in author/racer'BS'Levy's cult-classic THE LAST OPEN ROAD series, it's a classic coming-of-age story as well as an entertaining and oft-hilarious history of the early days of American road racing during the early 1950s, when upper-class sportsmen and the black sheep of wealthy families raced the latest and fastest new sports cars from Europe--Jaguars, Ferraris, Porsches and MGs--on chamber-of-commerce encouraged, ad-hoc road circuits through and around towns and villages like Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, and Watkins Glen, NY. It was an innocent, glamorous, dangerous and sometimes decadent era, and Levy's colorful cast of characters interact with the real-life people, machines and events of the time. Best of all, it's seen through the eyes and mind of a good-hearted/learning-to-be street smart New Jersey gas-station mechanic named Buddy Palumbo, whom several reviewers have likened to Holden Caulfield in Catcher in the Rye. But it's more than simply a'car guy'book. As the reviewer for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram put it:'Levy's characters weave in and out of a tale that features classism, elitism and racism; that is about triumph and tragedy and right and wrong. It's a rich, compelling story that deserves a wide audience.

The third novel in author/racer'BS'Levy's cult-classic The Last Open Road series, it follows the adventures and developing work, life, and romantic relationships of its narrator, Buddy Palumbo, as he takes over running the shop, weathers the first year of marriage, and dabbles in selling cars. It's fully accurate and in-the-moment regarding the culture, news, and current events of the day and also visits many classic race events, including being in the pits and on the scene for the worst accident in motor racing history at the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans, when Pierre Levegh's Mercedes catapulted/exploded into the main grandstand crowd, killing over 80 people.

A compelling story of characters enduring various hardships in rural New Mexico. This debut novel tells the story of nine-year-old Raymond, nicknamed “Ray Moon” by Molly, his adoptive caretaker, a waitress, and the former partner of his recently deceased uncle. These two outcasts rely on one another for survival, and their bond forms the heart of this book. Living in a trailer atop a mesa in the high desert of New Mexico in 1968, Raymond ages quickly amid hostile circumstances. With the help of a keen imagination that Molly inspires, he navigates various forms of loss and exploitation amid enduring hardship. Kevin Honold's deft and trance-like prose is interspersed with sharp insights and brings attention to the displacement of Native Americans, the hardships of capitalism, the ills of misogyny, and the raw hurt of living a displaced or marginalized life. This is a story of endurance, memory, and unceasing change. Molly was selected by Dan Chaon as the winner of the 2020 Autumn House Fiction Prize.

The new novel from the award-winning translator of Sweet Bean Paste Winner of the Naoki Prize Winner of the Society of Authors Sasakawa Foundation Prize Perfect for fans of The Guest Cat and Before the Coffee Gets Cold'It's no wonder the author won the prestigious Naoki Prize for this novel, which is at times heartwarming and suspenseful, detailing true resilience and survival.'Belfast Telegraph'Everyone, please read this English translation and keep a handkerchief nearby.'Nozomi Abe, Sasakawa Prize judgeOne dog changes the life of everyone who takes him in on his journey to reunite with his first owner in this inspiring tribute to the bond between humans and dogs and the life-affirming power of connection. Following a devastating earthquake and tsunami, a young man in Japan finds a stray dog outside a convenience store. The dog's tag says “Tamon,” a name evocative of the guardian deity of the north. The man decides to keep Tamon, becoming the first in a series of owners as the dog journeys south to find the boy whom disaster tore him from. Over the course of five years, Tamon will be taken into six vastly different homes, the final one belonging to his beloved first owner, Hikaru, a boy who has not spoken since the trauma of the tsunami. An agent of fate, Tamon is a gift to everyone who welcomes him into their life. At once heart-rending and heart-warming, intimate and panoramic, suspenseful and luminous, this bestselling, award-winning novel weaves a feel-good tale of survival, resilience, and love beyond measure. “Heartrending... Powerfully demonstrates how love and loyalty can overcome obstacles... and how a dog's love can save a person in every possible way.” Booklist “Affecting... Moving... Never feels sentimental or overdrawn... [Seishu Hase] proves himself a gifted storyteller.” Publishers Weekly “Heartbreakingly moving in its simplicity... A touching meditation on shining lights in the face of trauma and hopelessness.” Kirkus Reviews

Roper's Row is a moving story of the struggles of a semi-handicapped young man to become a successful M.D. and of the two women who are the bedrock in his life...