Showing results by publisher "Recorded Books" in Literary Fiction

Rasselas and his companions escape the pleasures of the "happy valley" in order to make their "choice of life". By witnessing the misfortunes and miseries of others they come to understand the nature of happiness and value it more highly. Their travels and enquiries raise important practical and philosophical questions concerning many aspects of the human condition, including the business of a poet, the stability of reason, the immortality of the soul, and how to find contentment.

Rodeo cowboy Joe Willie Wolfchild, riding an explosive bull called See Four and moments away from becoming World Champion, suffers a devastating accident. His parents and grandparents use all their native wisdom to ease him out of his subsequent bitter depression, but without success. Meanwhile, in a distant city, a troubled young kid named Aiden plans a holdup that goes wrong and lands himself in jail.

Eleven-year-old Ellie Sanders is forced to grow up quickly when her pregnant mother develops health problems and her father's attentions become diverted by a teenage produce peddler. To escape, Ellie creates a secret world of her own, where life still seems normal.

The Romance Reader is her absorbing tale of a headstrong, teenaged girl attempting to live in two worlds: one traditional, one modern. Since Rachel is the rabbi’s oldest child, everyone expects her to set a proper example for other young believers. But at night, after everyone is in bed, she hungrily reads books - forbidden books about romance and contemporary women. She wonders if the life she reads about in those pages actually exists. Do beautiful, daring women really travel alone?

Sent to prison, Tyrone Stokes left his wife to raise their son, Marcus, alone. Now Tyrone is free, but 17-year-old Marcus is on Louisiana's death row for the murder of a young white girl. Convinced of his son's innocence, Tyrone will sacrifice everything to keep Marcus alive. Cry Me a River offers the distinctive blend of emotional power, vivid imagery, and rich characters that has brought its author national acclaim.

No, the "Moonstone" isn't a celestial relic, it's a gigantic yellow diamond of unearthly beauty that was given to Rachel Verinder as a present on her 18th birthday - and stolen that very night! Betteredge, one of the most beloved butlers in English literature, is the focus of this seminal detective novel, which examines how one family's life is turned upside-down by the theft. And find out why the answers to all of life's problems can be found in the pages of Robinson Crusoe.

J. Sutter is a bonafide junketeer - a freelance writer, travelling from city to city, hungry for free meals and the discarded sales receipts of others to claim on his expense account. Travelling into the backwoods of West Virginia to write a piece on the unveiling of the new John Henry postage stamp and the ensuing John Henry Days festival, J. continues his nearly record-setting, three-month junket binge.

A New York Times Notable Book of the Year, The Devil's Dream is an animated, lyrical novel that is meant to be savored as spoken word. Consummate storyteller Lee Smith's creation will delight anyone who enjoys the sound of language and a good story.

Agatha's husband has bought her a first-class ticket on the scenic six-hour train from Toronto to Montreal as a gift―a one-day writing retreat so she can get some serious work done on her new book, a highly-anticipated follow-up to Agatha's runaway bestseller debut novel. But Agatha has other plans for her day out…plans that are unexpectedly derailed when the train breaks down in the middle of the frigid Canadian woods and one of Agatha's fellow passengers dies quietly in his seat.

And thus, Inés de la Rota—the youngest daughter of an Italian nobleman and a Colombian poet—begins to speak in a bitter, sweet voice. Against the backdrop of early twentieth-century Colombia, where the Catholic Church exercises total control over women, Orange Wine weaves an unforgettable story of sisterhood, love, passion, and betrayal. Isolated in a society that opposes her desires, Inés struggles with her identity as a mother, artist, sister, lover, and woman.

This fictionalized memoir of the award-winning author, Gloria Naylor, tells a story of a massive covert surveillance operation perpetrated against her by an official of the U.S. government.

The most ruthless ride-or-die women of Memphis saved their empire by nearly destroying the streets. But as unexpected new rivals rise and brutal secrets shatter lives, betrayal means winner rules all. Putting out chaos with gasoline is one play that even the women of the Dirty South can't control. One merciless kill vaults good-girl-gone-bad Ta'Shara into gangland's power elite - but an enemy she doesn't see is targeting everything she can't afford to lose.

Award-winning author Tiffany L. Warren has been celebrated by ReShonda Tate Billingsley for novels delivering “a riveting story and a faith boost.” In The Favorite Son, handsome brothers Camden and Blaine Drake sing God’s praises in their popular gospel group. But as rumors fly about one brother, a heartbreaking betrayal threatens to destroy the group—and their family.

USA Today best-selling author William W. Johnstone is a legend in the Western genre. In this 22nd Last Gunfighter novel, Frank Morgan and a handful of survivors are stranded in Western Canada. An old enemy of Frank’s has resurfaced, and with him a band of murderous Metis rebels armed with stolen U.S. Army Gatling guns. Now Frank and his ragtag bunch are the only thing standing between this dangerous foe and a bloodbath.

Shady Rest, Texas, has the dubious reputation for being the deadliest town in America. Getting yourself killed is as easy as blinking and twice as quick. Sure enough, Matt Jensen hasn't swallowed his whisky before the town's marshal is gunned down.

When the Armstrong family moves from New York at the dawn of the 1970s, Australia feels, to Alice Armstrong, like the end of the earth. Residing in a grand manor on the glittering Sydney Harbour, her family finds their life has turned upside down. As she navigates this strange new world, Alice must weave an existence from its shimmering mirage. Lies and self-deception are at the heart of this keenly observed story. This is a sharp, biting, and playful tale with a cast of unscrupulous characters adrift in a dream life of their own making.

At the outset of the 2008 financial crisis, Em has a dull marketing job generating reports of vague utility while she anxiously awaits news of her sister, Ad, who has gone missing - again. Confronted by unfathomable loss and recovery, Em begins to see how madness permeates everything around her. Em’s story is layered with other perspectives and voices.

In the seedy ABC boxing club in Nairobi, four musicians — The Diva, The Corporal, The Taliban Man, and Miriam — gather for a competition to see who can perform the best Tizita. Listening from the audience is Kenyan tabloid journalist John Thando Manfredi, whose own life makes him vulnerable to the Tizita.

Sins from the past have left a lingering stench in the Mitchell family. Amid a tumultuous roller-coaster ride through financial ruin, professional humiliation, personal failure, and marital discord, Joel, the youngest son, who was once considered the most eligible bachelor, has finally come to terms with his shortcomings and self-centered decisions.

Depressed from the complications of a head injury, Serena Manchester seeks solitude in the hometown she left almost 25 years before. Unknown to Serena, her hometown's landscape has changed and unseemly elements have seeped into the quaint Southern seaport town.