When the threat of poverty forces Kate Croy and Merton Densher to reconsider their engagement to one another, Kate becomes determined to find a solution. The answer comes in the form of Milly Theale, a rich, young American woman visiting London as a result of her failing health. With a dramatic plan to exploit Milly's wealth and her affection for Merton, Kate believes she will achieve all that she has hoped for. The subsequent unexpected and tragic...

Immerse yourself in the evocative world of Proust's masterpiece, Swann's Way. In quaint Combray, a tapestry of childhood memories unfurls for young Marcel. Fragrances like madeleine cakes ignite a kaleidoscope of the past, transporting him to sun-drenched landscapes and the comforting rituals of his grandmother's embrace. Amidst this idyllic haven, Swann, a family friend, falls prey to an all-consuming love for Odette, a woman shrouded in enigmatic...

Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy is perhaps the most pastoral of Hardy's Wessex novels. It tells the story of the young farmer Gabriel Oak and his love for and pursuit of the elusive Bathsheba Everdene, whose wayward nature leads her to both tragedy and true love. It tells of the dashing Sergeant Troy whose rakish philosophy of life was '...the past was yesterday; never, the day after', and lastly, of the introverted and reclusive gentleman...

Six weeks of shopping, taking tea with the most fashionable ladies and dancing with the most handsome gentlemen is what awaits young Catherine Morland when she makes her entree into the leisure society at Bath. But, oh, the thrill of an unexpected in

"Middlemarch" by George Eliot is a literary masterpiece that immerses readers in the tapestry of a small English town during the 19th century. This novel presents a rich and intricate exploration of human lives, ambitions, and societal dynamics. The story interweaves the lives of various characters, notably Dorothea Brooke and Dr. Tertius Lydgate, as they navigate personal aspirations, love, and the challenges of their time. Dorothea, an intelligent...

In The Matchmakers, a young widow with two small sons feels very fortunate that her widowed father was there to help her care for the boys and make the adjustment since her husband's death. But now, a bit smothered by his caregiving, she feels ready to go on but is concerned about how to get him to step back a pace. A friend suggests a fine older widow in the church, who might divert his attention. The older widow has a son who appears rather distant,...

In late eighteenth-century England, a spirited young woman copes with the suit of a snobbish gentleman as well as the romantic entanglements of three of her four sisters.

Launched into society at a glorious and very expensive debutante ball, Lily sees a world of unlimited possibility before her. But her fathers announcement that he is financially ruined, followed quickly by his death, leave Lily and her mother with only one assetLilys extraordinary beauty and charm. At the age of 29, now orphaned, Lily lives with an aunt who offers minimum, often grudging, hospitality and financial support. A wealthy husband could...

Emma, by Jane Austen, is about youthful hubris and romantic misunderstandings. It is set in the fictional country village of Highbury and the surrounding estates, and involves the relationships among people from a small number of families. As in her other novels, Austen explores the concerns and difficulties of genteel women living in Georgian-Regency England. Emma is a comedy of manners, and depicts issues of marriage, sex, age, and social status. Before...

He was Sam Clemens, steamboat pilot, before he was Mark Twain, famous author. His better-known name originated with the lingo of navigation, and much of his writing was informed by his shipboard adventures on one of the world's great rivers. In this classic of American literature, Twain offers lively recollections ranging from his salad days as a novice pilot to views from the passenger deck in the twilight of the river culture's heyday. Under the...