Giants Bread

Agatha Christie

Synopsis

We rely on your support to help us keep producing beautiful, free, and unrestricted editions of literature for the digital age. Will you support our efforts with a donation ? Vernon Deyre lives with his parents, Nurse, and a selection of imaginary friends including the enigmatic Mr. Green, at the Deyre's ancestral home of Abbots Puissants. As he grows, his nebulous fears crystallize into more specific forms, most notably in the Beast: a terrifying piano that symbolizes the way music makes him feel. His early inability to engage with music stems from the lack of his hearing the right kind of music, as a later experience at a concert makes very clear. This Titanic Concert triggers an epiphany and sets Vernon on a new life path that will sweep his friends along with him, regardless of their own needs. Agatha Christie , already famous for her Poirot crime stories among others, had determined that a pen name would give her the freedom to pursue other types of literature. Giant's Bread , originally published in 1930 under the name of Mary Westmacott, was the first of six of these non-crime novels. The press, while stymied over which author had adopted the pen name, were enthusiastic, praising in particular the characterizations. Agatha Christie (died 1976) was a significant literary figure of the 20th century. Their work has endured across generations and continues to be read and studied worldwide. As a work of classic literary fiction, Giants Bread exemplifies the narrative craft and social insight that defined great storytelling of its era. Literary fiction of this period was characterized by careful attention to character psychology, social milieu, and the moral questions that animated public discourse.

Disponible depuis: 19/05/2026.

Longueur d'impression: 344 pages.

D'autres livres qui pourraient vous intéresser

The Shamraken Homeward Bounder -...

William Hope Hodgson

William Hope Hodgson was born in Essex, England on November 15th, 1877. 
Over his short career he produced a large body of work which explored and covered many genres. From horror, to science fiction, to stories on the sea, where he had spent much of his early life. 
In 1899, at the age of 22, he opened W. H. Hodgson's School of Physical Culture, in Blackburn offering tailored exercise regimes for personal training.  
Eventually the business shut down and he immersed himself in writing.  An article in 1903 ‘Physical Culture versus Recreative Exercises’ led the way into fiction writing.  In 1904 came his first short story ‘The Goddess of Death’.  It was the beginning of an intensely creative period in his life. 
He wrote novels, poetry and many, many short stories including series on the Sargasso Sea and Captain Gault. 
One of his most memorable creations was his Carnacki, Supernatural Detective creation.  This fused together his passion for sleuthing and interest in the Occult.  It was a memorable success. 
When war drew its shadow over Europe Hodgson received a commission as a Lieutenant in the Royal Artillery. In 1916 he was thrown from a horse and suffered a serious head injury; he received a mandatory discharge, and returned to writing. 
Hodgson recovered sufficiently to re-enlist but at the Battle of Ypres in April 1918 he was killed by an artillery shell.

Voir livre

Journey to the Center of the...

Jules Verne, Classic Audiobooks,...

Journey to the Center of the Earth is one of Jules Verne's most imaginative and scientifically curious novels. It tells the story of Professor Otto Lidenbrock, an eccentric geologist who deciphers a mysterious manuscript revealing a secret path to the Earth's core. Along with his timid nephew Axel and their stoic Icelandic guide Hans, the trio embarks on a subterranean expedition filled with prehistoric creatures, underground oceans, and breathtaking discoveries.Combining scientific speculation with fantasy, Verne invites the reader into a hidden world beneath our feet, rich with danger and wonder. This pioneering work of science fiction continues to inspire generations with its sense of exploration, curiosity, and the endless possibilities of the unknown.

Voir livre

The Country Doctor

Honoré de Balzac

A doctor comes to a wretched village in the Grande Chartreuse and, over twelve years, makes it prosperous — roads, a school, a market, an industry — and tells the story of his life to a soldier who has come to hear it. Balzac worked at night on fifty cups of coffee a day and died at fifty-one; this is his political book, a village built on paper, and the Napoleonic legend recited by an old soldier in the middle of it is one of his great set pieces.

Voir livre

No Thoroughfare

Wilkie Collins, Charles Dickens

Walter Wilding has lived his life secure in the knowledge that he was the son of his mother. But a chance encounter shocks him to his deathbed, leaving his friend and Executor George Vendale charged with the finding of the real Walter Wilding. Meanwhile, George pitches woo to Margerite Obenreizer, but has to deal with her dastardly guardian and uncle. The story twists and turns from the wine cellars of England, to Soho and then to the Alps of Switzerland, where George discovers that Mr Obenreizer is right about one thing to the last... "So little is the world, that one cannot keep away from persons." Originally written as a stage play by Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens, it was later turned into a collaborative novel by the two.  
Narrated by Michael Ward.

Voir livre

The Advanced Lady

Katherine Mansfield

The Advanced Lady is a short story by Katherine Mansfield: “Do you think we might ask her to come with us,” said Fräulein Elsa, retying her pink sash ribbon before my mirror. “You know, although she is so intellectual, I cannot help feeling convinced that she has some secret sorrow. And Lisa told me this morning, as she was turning out my room, that she remains hours and hours by herself, writing; in fact Lisa says she is writing a book! I suppose that is why she never cares to mingle with us, and has so little time for her husband and the child.”

Voir livre

The Wife of His Youth - From...

Charles W. Chesnutt

Charles Waddell Chesnutt was born on 20th June 1858 in Cleveland, Ohio, to parents who were both ‘free persons of color’. His paternal grandfather was a white slaveholder, and Chesnutt although he identified as African-American noted that he was seven-eighths white.
By age 20 Chesnutt had married and settled in Cleveland. After reading law and passing the bar exam he established a lucrative court reporting business, which rapidly elevated his financial standing.
The Atlantic Monthly published his short story, and the first by an African-American, ‘The Goophered Grapevine’. This was quickly followed by 2 volumes of his short stories mainly themed with racial identity that were more complex than those of many of his contemporaries.
Encouraged by Atlantic editors, Chestnutt moved to writing novels. It published his first ‘The House behind the Cedars’ in 1900.
As well as business interests and his writing he also toured on the national lecture circuit, primarily in northern states.
Despite this his novels received poor sales but excellent reviews and so a self-fueling literary career based on novels was beyond his reach.
With the turn of the new century Chesnutt turned more energies to his court reporting business and in 1910, he served on the General Committee of the newly founded National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) becoming one of the early 20th century's most prominent activists and commentators.
Chesnutt is now regarded as an integral part of the Harlem Renaissance which did much to reinforce Black culture as a thriving, vibrant and essential part of 20th Century culture.
Charles W Chesnutt died on 15th November 1932. He was 74.

Voir livre