Showing results by publisher "Spoken Realms" in Literary Fiction

A Romance of Wastdale, published in 1895, is a novel by the British writer A.E.W Mason. In 1921, it was turned into a film of the same name directed by Maurice Elvey and made by Stoll Pictures, Britain’s biggest studio of the silent era. The novel is set in the scenic area of Wastdale, Cumbria, situated in the Lake District National Park and surrounded by some of England’s highest mountains. Wastdale Head has been a starting point for walks and climbing trips into the mountains, in this context, this story of mountains, mountaineers, romance, and treachery unfolds.

A tale of betrayal, revenge, loyalty, and redemption, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a true classic. Hester Prynne settles in a little town in Puritan-era Massachusetts while awaiting her husband’s arrival from England. Hester becomes pregnant, exposing her sin in the eyes of the townsfolk. Her penalty: wearing an embroidered A on her bosom for the remainder of her life. When Hester’s husband arrives in the town anticipating a joyous reunion with his young wife, he instead begins a cankering quest to uncover the father of Hester’s child.

A Christmas Carol in Prose: Being a Ghost Story of Christmas by Charles Dickens. From the author's preface: "I have endeavored in this ghostly little book to raise the ghost of an idea, which shall not put any readers out of humor with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly." First published in December 1843, the story has been in continuous print ever since. A true treasure that never grows old.

The Lone Wolf: A Melodrama, by Louis Joseph Vance, was first published in 1914 and was the first of what eventually became an 8-book series. The main character, Michael Lanyard, also known as The Lone Wolf, is a jewel thief who in later stories reforms and becomes a private detective. In this first book, we learn of his difficult past and his journey that led to this pre-war moment, when he gets entangled with both a Paris crime mob and a woman, confronts his present and future course, and then seeks ways to escape his life of crime.

F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is more than one of America's most-read, taught, and debated novels. Gatsby represents a paradigm shift in the novel form, a deep dive into the intimacies of the dark and selfish aspects of human nature. The novel is an over-the-top display of the Jazz Age as seen through the eyes of a staid and - by his own account - honest Midwestern man, Nick Carraway.

Mark Twain's "Extracts from Adam's Diary" first appeared in 1893. He based Adam and Eve on himself and his beloved wife Olivia ("Livy") to create a humorous counterpoint the traditional Garden of Eden story, this time centered on what life may have been like for the first man. In this story, we hear Adam trying to work out what the "new creature with long hair" is all about. She names things, much to Adam's annoyance. She follows him around. Then suddenly, there's another creature, which eventually Adam decides is his son Cain. It's all about confusion and curiosity, and finally, love for Eve.

Life has never been easy for DonnaMae. After losing her mom as a young girl, she learns to navigate a world full of uncertainty with her dad and brother. Just when she begins to find her footing, a devastating betrayal from someone she trusted turns her world upside down.

Listeners will be enthralled by the twists and turns of this classic Hollywood tale of friendship, fame, and betrayal. Schulman's sharp and witty writing, combined with Vendetti's engaging narration, will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. So grab your headphones and get ready to dive into the glamorous and cutthroat world of show business in "Because we're Friends."

American expatriate Frederick Winterbourne has long resided in Switzerland, where society follows strict rules for proper behavior. When Daisy Miller of Schenectady, New York arrives in Vevey, however, Winterbourne soon finds that he must reckon with his own assumptions about what makes someone "proper" and "good."

"The Open Boat" by Stephen Crane is a profound short story that captures the struggle for survival experienced by four shipwrecked men adrift in a small dinghy after their steamer, the Commodore, sinks. The narrative is based on Crane's real-life experience of being stranded at sea, and it explores themes of nature's indifference, the bond between humans in the face of adversity, and existential reflections.