Showing results by narrator "Sara Nichols" in All Categories

Few families in history can boast of the incredible literary achievements of the Brontë sisters - Anne, Emily and Charlotte - who penned three of the most beloved novels ever written: Anne's "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall," Emily's "Wuthering Heights" and Charlotte's "Jane Eyre." Collected here are all three of these classic novels, plus a pair of essays penned by Charlotte fiercely defending her sister's books and drawing attention to the literary misogyny of the time, which forced the sisters to publish their novels under male pseudonyms.

E. Nesbit's classic novel Five Children and It was a blockbuster success when it was serialized in The Strand magazine in 1902 and published as a stand-alone novel later that year. It has never been out of print since its initial publication.

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 story revolves around three disparate families: the idealistic Schlegels (consisting of Margaret, Helen and brother Tibby), the wealthy Wilcox family (parents Henry and Ruth and their children) and the impoverished Basts (Leonard and his wife Jacky). When the Wilcox family moves to London and discover they are living close to their new acquaintances the Schlegels, a friendship is kindled between the infirm Ruth Wilcox and Margaret Schlegel. Ruth - who has a strong attachment to her country house called Howards End - pens a note leaving the house to Margaret.

In the story, we meet young Fanny Price, an impoverished young girl who is sent to live with her wealthy family in Mansfield Park, her aunt and uncle's country estate. Fanny, seen as uncultured and boorish by her relatives, is mistreated by all of them...save cousin Edmund, for whom she kindles a secret crush. What follows is a series of love triangles (and quadrangles) among the various cousins and their prospective paramours, familial tragedies, scandals and ill-conceived affairs, all culminating in the question...will true love win in the end?

In "The Song of the Lark," we follow the life of budding artist Thea Kronbog, who rises from complete obscurity in a tiny Colorado town to become a world-renowned opera singer. A fascinating look at life in the early 20th century as well as a deep dive into the life and struggles of a creative artist rising to the top of her profession, "The Song of the Lark" was universally praised for its realism and meticulous depiction of Thea's journey. One of the most important and powerful novels of the early 20th century, "The Song of the Lark" is presented here in its original and unabridged format.

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 Dorothy Parker's earliest works: two collections of poetry—Enough Rope and Sunset Gun as well as her short, hilarious collection of stories recounting all of the men she managed to avoid marrying named (appropriately) Men I'm Not Married To.

Jane Austen's "Northanger Abbey" took a meandering course toward publication. Originally written in 1803 as a satire of the popular Gothic novels of the day, the book was not published until after Austen's death in 1817. The story concerns seventeen-year-old Catherine Morland, who has lived her entire life in the small village of Fullerton with her parents and nine siblings. This sedate (and frankly boring) life is upended when Catherine receives an invitation to visit the resort city of Bath and thus break out of her humdrum existence.

"The Secret Garden" is Frances Hodgson Burnett's most beloved and popular book, a childre's classic that has been adapted dozens of times for the stage and screen. When Mary Lennox — an ill-tempered and lonely orphan — is sent to live with her gloomy uncle in England, her future prospects appear dim. Her only companions are her cousin Colin, who is wheelchair bound, and the local boy Dickon Sowerby...and none of the children seem to have anything in common.

Frances Hodgson Burnett is one of the most beloved writers of children's books in history. Two of her novels, "A Little Princess" and "The Secret Garden", regularly find themselves near the top of any list of favorite children's books and they have both been adapted to the stage and screen dozens of times.

A Little Princess is Frances Hodgson Burnett's beloved novel of privilege, hardship, and redemption. It is regularly listed among the finest children's books ever written and has been adapted to the stage and screen dozens of times.

Author Edith Wharton is best known for her books set amongst the upper-echelon of New York society, including "The House of Mirth" and "The Age of Innocence," (the latter of which won her the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction). But Wharton also wrote two American classics that take place in rural settings: the then-scandalous tale of youthful rebellion,"Summer" and her haunting novel of love and regret, "Ethan Frome." Both have gone on to be considered among the finest novels of the early 20th century.

Author Edith Wharton was born to an extremely wealthy family and was raised among the elites of New York society. This gave Wharton a front-row seat to the goings-on, intrigues and drama of that strange and fascinating world, which she exposed and satirized in her two best known novels: "The House of Mirth" and "The Age of Innocence" (the latter of which won her the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the first for a female writer).

"Summer" is one of only two novels Edith Wharton wrote that takes place in a rural setting (the other being her classic "Ethan Frome.") Given the subject matter (and the behavior of its lead character), the book was considered scandalous in its day, but it is now considered a classic of early 20th century American literature. The story follows the life and sexual awakening of Charity Royall, a young girl living in a small town who has dreams of moving out of her poverty-stricken community.

"The House of Mirth" was the breakthrough novel for Edith Wharton and its immediate commercial and critical success put her on the American literary map. Based on Wharton's own experiences among the elite of the New York City social set in the late 1890's, "The House of Mirth" is both a fascinating glimpse into the upper-reaches of high society and a searing satire of the cruelties, frivolities and hypocrisy of the city's ultra-rich.

"Ethan Frome" is one of Edith Wharton's best known works and has become a staple of American literature classes around the globe since it was first published in 1911. The story is a simple tale of desire, regret and forbidden love. The title character, Ethan, has resigned himself to living in a loveless, sterile marriage with his wife Zenobia. But when his wife's young cousin Mattie moves into the house and both she and Ethan are drawn together, it begins a romance that can only end in heartbreak... or tragedy.

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!

When the New Mexico territory is annexed by the United States in the mid-1800's, the Catholic Church decides it is time to re-assert its authority in the region which, due to centuries of neglect, is now a haven for corrupt priests. The Vatican chooses Father Jean Marie Latour, a French Jesuit living in Ohio, to accomplish this task, and soon after elevating him to bishop, sends him on his journey into the Wild West.

My Ántonia relates the story of two young arrivals in Nebraska in the 1880s: Jim Burden and Ántonia Shimerda. Jim is an orphan, traveling to Nebraska to live with his grandparents, while Ántonia is emigrating to Nebraska with her Bohemian parents and siblings. The novel follows the pair as they become fast friends and experience life (and great challenges) on the Western prairie.