Join us on a literary world trip!
Add this book to bookshelf
Grey
Write a new comment Default profile 50px
Grey
Subscribe to read the full book or read the first pages for free!
All characters reduced
The Pretty Lady - cover

The Pretty Lady

Arnold Bennett

Publisher: Aeterna Classics

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Summary

'The Pretty Lady' is considered to be one of Bennett's most revealing and under-rated works. It is the story of a French prostitute, Christine, who has escaped from wartime Ostend, and set herself up in business in London. Though a refugee, she demands no pity; she is self-sufficient, practical and realistic. Christine is not a harpy preying on innocent soldiers, but a canny businesswoman, doing the best she can with the opportunities life has given her. Her main relationship is with G.J. Hoape, a wealthy man above the military age. Bennett in this novel presents a disturbing image of wartime society, fragmented, uneasy and divided. There are references to industrial unrest and to social injustices, and hints that the British press is less than frank about the war.
Available since: 06/12/2018.

Other books that might interest you

  • The Healer's Secret - An absorbing and romantic family saga - The Healer Book 1 - cover

    The Healer's Secret - An...

    Helen Pryke

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    All families have secrets. This family has a secret worse than most.Jennifer's life isn't going as she planned. Fired from her job and on the brink of divorce, her only salvation lies at the bottom of a wine bottle. When her mother insists she get away from everything, she reluctantly agrees to explore her Italian roots in Tuscany. Staying in her family's centuries-old cottage, she becomes embroiled in a mysterious tragedy involving her great-grandmother. As she delves further into her ancestors' history, she discovers there is more to her heritage than meets the eye. Ghosts from the past could give Jennifer something she thought she'd never have: a future. But that depends on whether she can resist temptation and avoid slipping back into her old ways.
    Show book
  • Wartime Brides - cover

    Wartime Brides

    Lizzie Lane

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    Bristol - 1945 The war has ended; the men are returning home to their loved ones, but for some things have changed.  Charlotte Hennessey-White's husband, David is no longer the gentle loving man he once was and Charlotte, so independent during the war, is devastated. Edna Burbage's strong fiancée, Colin has suffered appalling physical injuries. He won’t hold her to her promise of marriage, but she insists her feelings are unchanged. But is that true? Is she marrying him out of love or pity? And Polly Chandler's sweetheart, Gavin who’d she’d planned her whole future around, hasn’t come home at all. War and suffering have changed their men leaving the women to cope on their own. But they too are changed. They harbour secrets best kept that could do untold damage to these already fragile lives.
    Show book
  • In the Kingdom of Men - cover

    In the Kingdom of Men

    Kim Barnes

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    1967. Gin Mitchell knows a better life awaits her when she marries Mason McPhee. But nothing can prepare her for the world she and Mason step into when he takes a job with the Arabian American Oil company in Saudi Arabia. In the gated compound of Abqaiq, Gin and Mason are given a home with marble floors, a houseboy to cook their meals, and a gardener to tend the sandy patch out back. Even among the veiled women and strict laws, Gin's life has become the stuff of fairy tales. But when a young Bedouin woman is found dead, washed up on the shores of the Persian Gulf, Gin's world closes in around her, and the one person she trusts is nowhere to be found.
    Show book
  • Daughter of the Vine - cover

    Daughter of the Vine

    Gertrude Atherton

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    We are introduced to Englishman Dudley Thorpe on the evening of his arrival in California. At a ball, he is introduced to several belles, including the lovely Nina Randolph. Is this the start of something special? Dudley thinks so, but what about Nina? Why won't she open herself up to love? She is obviously attracted to Dudley. What is the dark secret she is hiding? Will it make a difference to Dudley's feelings? Who will be there for her in her time of need? Dudley or her odious cousin, Richard Clough? And what will San Francisco society make of it all?
    Show book
  • To Love and to Cherish - cover

    To Love and to Cherish

    Leigh Greenwood

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    When Laurie Spencer said 'I do,' she never realized she'd be trading one pair of shackles for another - until her husband's unexpected death leaves her with an opportunity to escape her controlling family for good. Determined to be independent, Laurie approaches sexy rancher Jared Smith with an offer she hopes he can't refuse. When unconsciously sensual Laurie offers a partnership, and she throws herself in as part of the deal, Jared's not sure he'll be able to respect the terms of their agreement and keep his eyes - and his hands to himself. There's something about Laurie that awakens every protective instinct Jared has...and when all hell breaks loose, there's nothing and no one who'll be able to keep this cowboy from her side.
    Show book
  • A Christmas Gathering - cover

    A Christmas Gathering

    Anne Perry

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    A cold case adds an extra chill to the holiday season as best-selling author Anne Perry whisks listeners to an elegant home in the English countryside for a Christmas of secrets, soul-searching, and forgiveness.As beautiful as it may be, their friends’ country house is not where Lady Vespasia wishes to spend Christmas with her new husband, Victor Narraway. She’d have preferred a relaxing holiday at home with him — especially as Victor, former head of the London Special Branch, seems to be hiding undercover dealings with the other guests who have gathered at the spacious estate.As tensions grow, the young and beautiful Iris Watson-Watt becomes the center of several men’s focus. Unbeknownst to Vespasia, Iris carries a sensitive package that she must pass to Victor in the hope of unmasking a British traitor. While Victor plots his moves, he is reminded of a similar case from 20 years before, when a young Frenchwoman also carried a clandestine message — one that resulted in her murder, unsolved to this day. Victor has always been tormented by his failure to protect her, and now, with all eyes on Iris, Victor must act fast before history repeats itself.With the joy of Christmas at risk of being forgotten and Vespasia feeling alone with a distracted husband, Victor must ultimately learn to forgive himself in order to save both his country and the spirit of the holiday.
    Show book