Showing results by author "Mary Webb" in All Categories

Mary Webb’s award-winning novel adapted for radio with a full cast, plus a dramatised biography of the celebrated author Novelist and poet Mary Webb is as closely associated with Shropshire as Thomas Hardy with Dorset and the Brontës with Yorkshire. She wrote six books set against the...

Born at the time of Waterloo in the wild countryside of Shropshire, England, Prudence Sarn is a passionate girl, cursed with a harelip - her “precious bane”. She is cursed for it, too, by the superstitious people among whom she lives. Prue loves two things: the remote countryside of her birthplace and, hopelessly, Kester Woodseaves, the weaver. The tale of how Kester gradually discerns Prue’s true beauty is set against the tragic drama of Prue’s brother, Gideon, a man who is out of harmony with the natural world and whose recklessness may ensnare them all in tragedy.

Short stories have always been a sort of instant access into an author’s brain, their soul and heart. They can lift our lives into locations, people and experiences with a sweep of landscape, narration, feelings and emotions that is difficult to achieve elsewhere. In this decade the equality of the sexes is now law. In real life it’s patchy. Power refuses to ebb or cede. In literary terms though women are again second to none with writing that strides confidently forward addressing the issues, the characters and the stories in unique and individual ways.

In Gone to Earth, the haunting cry of fox hunters echoes as their quarry retreats to its den, leaving them in pursuit of an elusive spirit. Mary Webb weaves the poignant tale of Hazel Woodus, a young woman whose deep connection with her half-tame fox cub starkly contrasts with her struggles to navigate the complexities of human relationships. Caught between the affections of two very different suitors—the Manors Squire and the local Minister—Hazels journey unfolds in the enchanting rural landscape of late 1800s Shropshire. Written in 1917, this timeless story explores the intersection of ...

In the heart of Shropshire, young Deborah finds herself irresistibly drawn to a new preacher, leading her to make a bold choice to live with him as if they were husband and wife, despite the absence of marriage. She intuitively grasps that love is akin to discovering a mystical golden arrow—a lesson that still eludes Stephen. Their unconventional relationship, which merges the practicalities of rural life with a breathtaking appreciation of the natural world, mirrors the struggles of her brother Joe and his bride Lily. Lily, restless and yearning for freedom, views her marriage as a means of...

In this tale, set in the wild hills of Shropshire, the harsh farming life is vividly depicted. Prudence Sarn, due to a facial deformity, is cursed as a witch by fierce and morose neighbors. Only the weaver, Kester Woodseaves, can see her real beauty.

Deborah, a young girl from a Shropshire farm family, falls so deeply in love with the new preacher that she agrees to live with him as man and wife without marriage. She instinctively understands that finding love is like finding the mystical golden arrow--a lesson that Stephen has yet to learn. Their relationship, combining the most pragmatic aspects of rural life with a sublime vision of the natural world, is paralleled by that of her brother Joe and his bride Lily, a restless girl who sees her marriage only as an escape from her domineering father. - Summary by Anne Erickson

http://www.adfreebooks.com - 500+ audiobooks, all ad freeDeborah, a young girl from a Shropshire farm family, falls so deeply in love with the new preacher that she agrees to live with him as man and wife without marriage. She instinctively understands that finding love is like finding the mystical golden arrow--a lesson that Stephen has yet to learn. Their relationship, combining the most pragmatic aspects of rural life with a sublime vision of the natural world, is paralleled by that of her brother Joe and his bride Lily, a restless girl who sees her marriage only as an escape from her ...

A 60-year-old cold case and a big city sheriff seeking redemption—it’s time for the dead to rise. A thwarted youthful romance blends with the blues and Mama Cheche’s mojo. Controversy ensues when a blues singer groom goes missing in Cleveland, Mississippi. All becomes a tangled web. Paula and Mary have written this redemptive tale in such a way that transports you to the Delta. You can feel the gentle breeze coming across the Sunflower River and hear the mellowed notes jumping off the blues man’s guitar.

A bumper collection of classic ghost stories and strange supernatural tales.

'Mr. Tallent's Ghost' is an amusing tale about an eccentric writer who likes to read his appalling and tedious novels aloud to his relatives...or indeed anyone who will listen. He persuades a lawyer to draw up a will devoting his entire fortune to funding the publication of his writing. Shortly after this, news of Mr. Tallent's death arrives. The disinherited relations dispute the will vigorously, and soon after this, the ghost of Mr. Tallent begins to haunt the relatives and the executor.

Set in rural Shropshire shortly after the Napoleonic Wars, Precious Bane is narrated by the central character, Prue Sarn, whose life is blighted by having a harelip. Only the weaver, Kester Woodseaves, perceives the beauty of her character, but Prue cannot believe herself worthy of him. Her brother Gideon is overridingly ambitious to attain wealth and power, regardless of who suffers while he does so.

When young heiress Vivian Seymour is found shot to death, corporate attorney Gail Brevard, who's never before handled a criminal matter, is suddenly assigned the case by the partners in her firm. She realizes immediately that no one - not her superiors, not the judge, not the Prosecuting Attorney (her old nemesis, Turner Redland), not the movers and shakers of society - want her to win. She's been set up to lose! The 19-year-old man charged with the murder, Damon Powell, is entrapped by a web of circumstantial evidence.

In the lush Shropshire countryside, free-spirited Hazel Woodus is torn between two men: the gentle parson Edward Marston and the passionate, fox-hunting squire Jack Reddin. Her wild side, deep connection to nature, and love of animals–especially Foxy, her pet fox–make for clear internal conflict: she wants to find contentment in her chaste marriage to Edward, but the allure of Reddin is inescapable....

In this collection of short stories some of our most popular and well-known authors are grouped together with an unfortunate tag: dead at 46. These authors are not run-of-the-mill or ten a penny; many are literary leviathans who left enduring works of literature and sadly may have left us many more had they lived. We will never know.

Prue Sarn es una joven a la que todos rechazan por tener labio leporino. Así las cosas, las Parcas pronostican que nunca conocerá el amor. Sin embargo, es fuerte y poseedora de una gran belleza interior. La superstición hace que muchos la rechacen y la acusen de ser una bruja, pero la dulzura de su espíritu hace que se enfrente a todo eso para superarlo. Su hermano, que también se enfrenta al mundo, lo hace por motivos muy distintos; está harto de ser pobre y lo que quiere es hacer dinero. Su ambición es tan fuerte que casi resulta lujuriosa.