05/07/2024
Marriage of Elinor
Elinor has decided to marry. But who is the man she has chosen? No one seems to know. Is he of good character? Does he have a “past”? Or even a wife? – Summary by LynneT [chương_files]
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05/07/2024
Cross Brand
Jack Bristol shot the sheriff and stole his horse. He rode off, not into the sunset, but into the mountains. The mountain man held him captive for months and then released him. Why? And why did the girl scream with terror when she saw his face? Read this 1922 pulp Western to find the answers. Max Brand was one of many pseudonyms used by Frederick Schiller Faust (1892 – 1944), an American author known primarily for his thoughtful and literary Westerns. – Summary by david wales [chương_files]
05/07/2024
Short Life
At two years old, Timmy was an imbecile, incapable of talking or controlling his own body. At four years old, he abruptly stood up and began speaking in full sentences. Within a few years, he was a genius. But it was all a terrible mistake, one that might put the whole universe at risk. – Summary by Peter Eastman [chương_files]
05/07/2024
Nell and Her Grandfather
If you have heard of the Dickens novel, The Old Curiosity Shop, and remember Nell Trent, the beautiful and virtuous young girl of “not quite fourteen”, an orphan, who lived with her maternal grandfather in his shop of odds and ends, then you will understand that these stories take place in the same time period as the book and have the same lovable and quirky characters. Not written by Dickens, of course, they try and succeed in my mind to carry on our enjoyment of hearing of the escapades of the people and England we love. – Summary by Phil Chenevert [chương_files]
05/07/2024
Bagpipers
A story of two sets of lovers and the development of their relationships, set in rural France in the mid 19th century. – Summary by PeterTucker [chương_files]
05/07/2024
Vertical City
As the city above soars gloriously skyward, the denizens of the city writhe in its dirty underbelly. The Vertical City is a collection of six short stories by Fannie Hurst (American). Each story, tells in gritty, dramatic style, of ugly inner city tragedy: unwed mothers, women doing what they need to do in order to escape poverty, or loneliness… A mother can literally give her life in the attempt to provide a better life for her child, and even then she may fail because her love, protection and guidance, cannot overcome the depravity of the environment. Stories included here are: She Walks In Beauty, Back Pay, The Vertical City, The Smudge, Guilty, and Roulette. Summary by Lisa Reichert [chương_files]
05/07/2024
Nyckfull kvinna del 1 – Den Obundna flickan
Emilie Flygare-Carlén var under 1800-talet en av Sveriges mest populära och lästa författare. En Nyckfull kvinna, som gavs ut i fyra delar, har den unga Edith Sternfelt som centralgestalt. Hon är på ytan en mycket självmedveten, självsäker och nyckfull kvinna, men bär samtidigt på en stor osäkerhet. I första delen, Den obundna flickan, presenteras läsaren/lyssnaren för en rad personer som har viktiga roller på olika sätt. Av dessa är ”farbror Janne”, Ediths döde fars bror, en framträdande person. Han kallar sig ”en man av ränseln” och trivs bäst när han får göra strövtåg genom landet i sällskap med sin lille kortväxte följeslagare Primus. Janne är en både ömsint och vis man, och har ett gott öga till sin brosrdotter, som står hans hjärta nära, även om han är oroad över hennes nyckfullhet. Modern, hovrättsrådinnan, änka och ägare till det stora bruket Dagby i Värmland, styr med fast, och ibland något despotisk, hand sina underlydande, och försöker även styra sin äldsta dotter. Hon är är både oroad och förtretad över hur Edith avvisat en lång rad friare, och planerar, utan Ediths vetskap, att presentera henne för en lämplig kandidat, en greve. Samtidigt pågår en konflikt i Ediths inre. Hon dras alltmer till den nye unge bruksförvaltaren, herr Helmer, något hon försöker att förneka för sig själv och omvärlden, genom att vara högdragen och nedlåtande mot honom. Kring dessa rör sig också en rad andra personer som kommer att påverka varandra och den fortsatta historien. (Sammanfattning: Lars Rolander) En nyckfull kvinna – […]
05/07/2024
На краю света (On the Edge of the World)
Повесть основана на подлинном случае миссионерской деятельности архиепископа Нила (1799-1874), но написана с характерным для Лескова гротеском и тщательной шлифовкой персонажей. Затронута необычная для русской литературы 19-го века тема свободы вероисповедания. “Making up things is hard labour for me, so I’ve always felt the need for having before me real faces which could intrigue me with their spirituality; then they get hold of me and I infuse them with new life, using some real-life stories as a basis,” wrote Leskov about the characters of this book. Bigger than life characters meet at a missionary expedition to the Siberian North. The subject of freedom of faith is unusual for the 19-century Russian literature. – Summary by Mark Chulsky (& Wikipedia) [chương_files]
05/07/2024
Phantom Regiment; or, Stories of “Ours”
The title and a quick glance at the chapter titles of James Grant’s The Phantom Regiment–such as “The Romance of the Month,” “The Halt in Cork Wood,” “Rio de la Muerte (Spanish for death),” Pedro, the Contrabandist,” “A Legend of Fife,” “The Midnight March”–will lead you to realize that this book is filled with excitement, mystery, intrigue, adventure, and cultural conflict with an emphasis on Scottish soldierly daredevilry and pride. It has all the elements that make for an enjoyable and an exciting listen. (Summary by Jim Locke) [chương_files]
05/07/2024
Wing of Azrael, Volume 1
Mona Caird, a British writer and feminist, criticized in numerous non-fiction writings the state of marriage as it existed in her time. Her novel The Wing of Azrael reflects her criticisms. This is the first volume of three. In volume 1, Viola Sedley has attracted the admiration of both Philip Dendraith, a young nobleman, and Harry Lancaster, who, like Viola, comes from a more modest background. Viola’s parents are facing imminent financial hardship, and her marriage to Philip would be advantageous to them. Viola, however, has a distaste for Philip that turns into a marked aversion after she witnesses his cruelty towards animals. Moreover, Harry, who knows Philip’s character, has given her vigorous warnings against marrying him. Torn between her feelings of antipathy towards Philip and her sense of obedience and obligation to her family, Viola must make a difficult choice. (Summary by Scarbo) [chương_files]