Altri libri che potrebbero interessarti

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  The Windfall - A tale about the...

  Vicente Blasco Ibáñez

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  Vicente Blasco Ibáñez was born in Valencia, Spain on 29th January 1867.  
   
  At university, he studied law and graduated in 1888 but never felt the urgency to practice - he was more interested in politics, journalism, literature and women.   
   
  Politically he was a militant Republican partisan and, in his youth, founded a newspaper, El Pueblo (The People). The newspaper was taken to court many times and he made many enemies. In one incident he was shot and almost killed. In 1896, Ibáñez was arrested and sentenced to a few months in prison. 
   
  Despite this colourful background he found time to write novels. His first published work was ‘La Araña Negra’ (The Black Spider) in 1892, a work that he later repudiated although at the time it was a useful vehicle for him to express his anti-clerical views. 
   
  In 1894, he published ‘Arroz y Tartana’ (Airs and Graces), about a late 19th Century widow in Valencia trying to keep up appearances in order to marry her daughters well.   
   
  Ibáñez’s next sequence of books studied rural life in the farmlands of Valencia and failed to gain much of an audience.   
   
  His writing now took on a new direction with its now familiar sensational and melodramatic themes in 1908 with ‘Sangre y Arena’ (Blood and Sand), which follows the career of Juan Gallardo from his poor beginnings as a child in Seville, to his rise to becoming a famous matador in Madrid 
   
  However, his greatest success was ‘Los Cuatro Jinetes del Apocalipsis (The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse) in 1916, which tells a tangled tale of the French and German sons-in-law of an Argentinian land-owner who find themselves fighting on opposite sides in the First World War.  It was a literary and commercial sensation and became the best-selling book of 1919.  It also propelled Rudolph Valentino to stardom in the 1921 film. 
   
  Ironically his fame in the English-speaking world has come not as a novelist but as the stories behind some of Hollywood’s greatest silent movies. 
   
  Vicente Blasco Ibáñez died in Menton, France on January 28th, 1928, the day before his 61st birthday.

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  Sister Teresa - The Woman Who...

  Bárbara Mujica

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  “This brilliant fictional biography of Saint Teresa of Ávila breathes new life into a sacred subject” (Booklist).   She is Saint Teresa—known as a mystic, reformer, and founder of convents, and the author of numerous texts that introduced her radical religious ideas and practices to a society suffering through the repressive throes of the Spanish Inquisition. In Bárbara Mujica’s masterful tale, her story—her days of youthful romance, her sensual fits of spiritual rapture, secret heritage as a Jewish convert to Catholicism, cloak-and-dagger political dealings, struggles against sexual blackmail, and mysterious illness—unfolds with a tumultuous urgency. Blending fact with fiction in vivid detail, painstakingly researched and beautifully rendered, Mujica’s tale conjures a brilliant picture of sisterhood, faith, the terror of religious persecution, the miracle of salvation, and of one woman’s challenge to the power of strict orthodoxy, a challenge that consisted of a crime of passion—her own personal relationship with God.   “This engaging novel depicts Teresa of Ávila as an extraordinary woman whose visions, church reform ideas and writing may well have been inspired by God . . . Surprisingly light and entertaining.” —Publishers Weekly   “A lifelong friend remembers Teresa of Ávila, ‘Spain’s most beloved saint,’ in this richly entertaining historical novel from Mujica . . . An earthy, humanizing portrait.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)   “Mujica brings this tumultuous time in history to vivid life. A very interesting and compelling novel which focuses more on Teresa’s entire life rather than simply her religion.” —Historical Novel Society

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  New Spark The: Benjamin Franklin...

  Charles Crawley

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  Ever wondered what Benjamin Franklin would be like born in the age of smartphones and flying drones? Get ready for "The New Spark: Benjamin Franklin, 2025"! This fun, fictional biography imagines young Ben, not with kites and lightning, but with pixels and programs. Follow his hilarious and insightful journey from screen-obsessed toddler to tech-tinkering kindergartener, culminating in his groundbreaking invention: the 'Ben-Blocker,' an intelligent ad-blocker that cleans up the internet for everyone! Written and narrated by Charles Crawley, is a delightful fictional biography that asks: what if? Forget the 18th century – this Ben Franklin is captivated by screens, dismantles robot vacuums for fun, and develops a burning dislike for online ads.

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  Orlando

  Virginia Woolf

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  Step into the Most Bold and Imaginative "Biography" Ever Written.
  
  Spanning three centuries and two genders, Virginia Woolf's Orlando is a dizzying, poetic journey through history and identity. The story begins in the Elizabethan era with Orlando, a young nobleman and aspiring poet who enjoys the favor of the Queen. After falling into a deep sleep that lasts days, Orlando awakens in the 18th century to find they have undergone a mysterious transformation: they are now a woman.
  
  Unburdened by the constraints of time or biology, Orlando lives through the Enlightenment, the Victorian era, and into the "present" day of 1928. Throughout this incredible voyage, Woolf explores the fluidity of the human spirit, the art of writing, and the shifting roles of men and women in society.
  
  Written as a "love letter" to Vita Sackville-West, Orlando is a cornerstone of queer literature and a daring departure from the traditional novel. It remains one of Woolf's most accessible and joyful works—a high-spirited blend of historical fiction, satire, and fantasy.
  
  Experience a story that transcends time and gender. Buy "Orlando" today and discover a masterpiece of modern imagination.

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  Forgotten Ruler The: Book...

  Alexander Pike

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  This content is an independent and unofficial summary created for informational and educational purposes only. It is not affiliated with, authorized, approved, licensed, or endorsed by the original author or publisher. All rights to the original work belong to its respective copyright holders. This summary is not intended to substitute the original book, but to offer a concise overview and interpretation of its main ideas.
   
  
  
   
  The Forgotten Ruler is a poignant and atmospheric tale of lost legacy, buried truths, and the echo of power long erased from history. In a land where monuments have crumbled and names once revered are now whispers in the wind, a curious historian stumbles upon the traces of a monarch whose reign was deliberately erased. As relics emerge and forbidden records resurface, a gripping mystery unfolds—one that challenges the official narrative and threatens those who would keep the past buried. Through shifting loyalties, ancient ruins, and the haunting question of what makes a ruler truly great, The Forgotten Ruler explores the fragile line between memory and myth. Rich in intrigue, emotion, and timeless resonance, this audiobook is perfect for listeners who savor historical fantasy, slow-burning revelations, and the rediscovery of voices long silenced.

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  Once a Monster - Mythical...

  Robert Dinsdale

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  Hauntingly read by Justin Avoth.'Robert Dinsdale mixes history and mythology with great panache . . . Richly textured and with an appropriately labyrinthine plot, this is a book that explores the monster inside man — and vice versa. Book of the Month' Sunday TimesMan or monster? Hero or villain?London, 1861: Ten-year-old Nell belongs to a crew of mudlarks who work a stretch of the Thames along the Ratcliffe Highway. An orphan since her mother died four years past, leaving Nell with only broken dreams and a pair of satin slippers in her possession, she spends her days dredging up coals, copper and pieces of iron spilled by the river barges – searching for treasure in the mud in order to appease her master, Benjamin Murdstone.But one day, Nell discovers a body on the shore. It’s not the first corpse she’s encountered, but by far the strangest. Nearly seven feet tall, the creature has matted hair covering his legs, and on his head are the suggestion of horns. Nell’s fellow mudlarks urge her to steal his boots and rifle his pockets, but as she ventures closer the figure draws breath – and Nell is forced to make a decision which will change her life forever . . .From the critically acclaimed author of The Toymakers comes an imaginative retelling of the legend of the Minotaur, full of myth and magic and steeped in the grime of Victorian London; perfect for lovers of historical fiction with a mythical twist such as Stone Blind and Circe.Praise for Once A Monster:'Imaginative mash-up of the mythical with Victorian gothic.' - The Times'A wonderful magic trick of a story, full of very human monsters and monstrous humans. Dinsdale is a beautiful, evocative story teller. - Stuart Turton, bestselling author of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

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