Altri libri che potrebbero interessarti

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  The Art of Breaking Ice

  Rachael Mead

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  In 1960, when the legendary icebreaker Magga Dan set sail for Antarctica, it contained a secret. Hiding on board was Nel Law, wife of expedition leader Phillip Law. She would make history by becoming the first Australian woman to set foot on the icy continent, but it was her art that would change everything. 
  Though a talented artist, Nel has always been defined by her role as ‘the explorer’s wife’, but in the clear expanse of the Southern Ocean, her true self is finally allowed to emerge. Despite misogyny from the all-male crew and increasing resentment from her mercurial husband, Nel’s art begins to flourish. Her new friend, a gentle ornithologist, encourages her to explore, but as the ship ploughs on towards Antarctica, rumours swirl, threatening her marriage and the tenuous peace between the controlling Phillip and his crew. In the clear, white light of the south, Nel will be forced to confront the truth of herself and the man to whom she has dedicated her life. 
  This stunning reimagining of Nel Law’s life reveals a ground-breaking artist searching for freedom in a world where women’s lives were still defined by their husbands.

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  Notre-Dame de Paris

  Victor Hugo

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  Notre-Dame de Paris is Victor Hugo's sweeping masterpiece of passion, fate, and social injustice, set against the majestic backdrop of fifteenth-century Paris. Known in English as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, this monumental novel brings to life a world of towering cathedrals, shadowed alleyways, wandering performers, and the stark divide between privilege and poverty. At its heart lies a powerful meditation on love, obsession, and the cruelty of societal judgment.
  
  The story revolves around the magnificent cathedral of Notre-Dame, which stands not merely as a setting but as a living symbol of history, faith, and human achievement. Within its walls and beneath its bells lives Quasimodo, the deformed and deaf bell-ringer whose outward appearance masks a soul capable of profound loyalty and tenderness. Raised by the austere Archdeacon Claude Frollo, Quasimodo has known little of the world beyond stone towers and echoing chimes.
  
  When the beautiful and free-spirited Esmeralda, a young Romani dancer, captures the attention of Paris with her grace and kindness, she unwittingly becomes the center of a tragic web of desire and obsession. Frollo, torn between religious devotion and overwhelming passion, descends into jealousy and moral conflict. Meanwhile, the handsome Captain Phoebus represents superficial charm and careless attraction, adding further tension to an already volatile situation.
  
  Hugo masterfully intertwines the fates of these characters, revealing how love can inspire sacrifice or ignite destruction. Through Quasimodo's silent devotion, Esmeralda's innocence, and Frollo's consuming obsession, the novel explores themes of beauty and ugliness, virtue and corruption, fate and free will. Hugo challenges readers to look beyond appearances and question the rigid moral codes of society.
  
  Beyond its unforgettable characters, Notre-Dame de Paris is also a vivid portrait of medieval Paris. Hugo's rich descriptions bring the bustling streets, grand festivals, and dark underworld of the city to life. He expresses deep reverence for Gothic architecture and laments the neglect of historical monuments, making the cathedral itself a central figure in the narrative. The novel played a significant role in inspiring the preservation of Gothic architecture in France.
  
  At once romantic and tragic, dramatic and philosophical, this novel stands as one of the greatest works of nineteenth-century literature. Hugo combines sweeping storytelling with social critique, exposing injustice while celebrating compassion and humanity. The result is a timeless tale that resonates across generations.
  
  Powerful, emotional, and unforgettable, Notre-Dame de Paris remains a cornerstone of world literature—a story of longing, sacrifice, and the enduring strength of the human heart set beneath the shadow of one of history's most iconic cathedrals.

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  By the King's Design

  Christine Trent

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  Strong-willed Annabelle Stirling is more than capable of running the family draper shop after the untimely death of her parents. Under her father's tutelage, she became a talented cloth merchant, while her brother Wesley, the true heir, was busy philandering about Yorkshire. Knowing she must change with the times to survive, Belle installs new machinery that finishes twice the fabric in half the time it takes by hand. But not everyone is so enthusiastic. 
  Soon, riled up by Belle's competitors, the outmoded workers seek violent revenge. Her shop destroyed, Belle travels to London to seek redress from Parliament. While there, the Prince Regent, future King George IV, commissions her to provide fabrics for his Royal Pavilion. As Belle's renown spreads, she meets handsome cabinetmaker Putnam Boyce, but worries that marriage will mean sacrificing her now flourishing shop. And after Wesley plots to kidnap the newly-crowned King--whose indiscretions are surfacing--she finds herself entangled in a duplicitous world of shifting allegiances. 
  Painting a vivid portrait of life in the British Regency, Christine Trent spins a harrowing tale of ambition, vengeance, love, and complex loyalties against the dynamic backdrop of the early Industrial Revolution. 
  This is a reissued version. 
  By the King's Design is Book 3 in the Royal Trades series.

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  The Monastery

  Walter Scott

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  The Monastery by Walter Scott is a richly atmospheric historical novel that blends mystery, romance, and the supernatural within the evocative setting of 16th-century Scotland. First published in 1820, the novel unfolds during a time of profound religious and social परिवर्तन, as the country transitions from Catholic traditions to Protestant reform.
  
  Set in and around a once-powerful religious house now facing decline, the story centers on a young heir whose fate becomes entwined with the shifting world around him. Orphaned and vulnerable, he is drawn into a complex web of guardianship, rivalry, and hidden intentions, where loyalty and ambition often collide. As he struggles to understand his place in this uncertain landscape, questions of identity, inheritance, and trust come to the forefront.
  
  One of the novel's most distinctive elements is its use of supernatural imagery, particularly the mysterious presence that seems to guide—or mislead—the characters at critical moments. This haunting influence adds a layer of intrigue and symbolism, reflecting the tension between old beliefs and emerging ideologies.
  
  Scott vividly portrays the cultural and spiritual upheaval of the era, capturing the clash between tradition and reform, faith and skepticism. Through a diverse cast of characters, he explores themes of power, change, and the enduring human search for meaning in times of uncertainty.
  
  With its blend of historical depth, imaginative storytelling, and emotional complexity, The Monastery offers readers a compelling journey into a world where history and mystery intertwine, and where the past continues to shape the course of human lives.

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  A Scandalous Match - The...

  Jane Dunn

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  Perfect for fans of Jane Austen, Janice Hadlow, Gill Hornby, and anyone with a Bridgerton-shaped hole in their lives. 
  ‘Angelica had always known her lack of high birth, fortune or influence debarred her from being presented as an eligible young woman worthy of marriage. To cap it all, being an actress assured she was utterly beyond the pale of respectability.' 
  Nightly at the Covent Garden Theatre in London, an enchanting actress is wowing the crowds with her affecting portrayal of Ophelia. Preyed on by rakes and opportunistic young bucks, feted by dukes and earls, even the Prince Regent himself, Angelica Leigh is a sensation. 
  But in Regency England, beauty and talent are not enough to be considered marriage material, so when the eminently eligible Lord Charles Latimer sets his heart on Angelica, his uncle is sent to intervene. 
  As a highly respected, hard-working and wealthy lawmaker, The Honourable Ivor Asprey, is himself seen as desirable husband material, but widowed with an eleven-year-old daughter Elinor, he has forsaken all thoughts of romance. Lord Latimer’s mother, the Duchess of Arlington, despairs of her son, despite being reassured by Ivor that his infatuation with the actress will pass. But there is something about Angelica Leigh that demands attention, and even the austere and upstanding Mr Asprey isn’t immune to her charms. 
  Sunday Times bestselling author Jane Dunn brings the Regency period irresistibly to life. 
  Praise for Jane Dunn: 
  'Brilliant, sparkling and very clever.' Elizabeth Buchan 
  'Jane Dunn’s THE MARRIAGE SEASON gives all the immersive pleasure of Georgette Heyer’s brilliantly confected Regency novels, in a sublime alternative world of joy. Bridgerton look out!' Melanie Reid, The Times 
  ‘Outstanding, perceptive and delightfully readable.’ Sunday Times Books of the Year ‘Jane Dunn has written a splendid piece of popular history with the ready-pen of a highly skilled writer, endowed with remarkable insight.’ Roy Strong, Daily Mail 
  ‘Jane Dunn is one of our best biographers.’ Miranda Seymour, Sunday Times 
  Readers love Jane Dunn: 
  ‘All the characters were so alive, I wasn’t ready for the book to end and longed to know more of what happens to them…** This is the Regency era come to vivid, believable, exciting life.** I can’t wait for the next book from this author.’ 
  ‘I can not rate this book high enough! As a lover as Georgette Heyer I've always looked for books that give as much historical detail as hers and I'm often disappointed, but not with this book! The characters are spirited and loveable and I can honestly say I didn't want to put it down.’ 
  ‘Without a shadow of doubt, this is the best novel I have read in ages. Regency addicts won't find many heaving bosoms or tumbling ringlets. What they will find is an ingeniously plotted story with the emphasis on the men, with all their wit and cynicisms. This is underpinned by strong women whose story it really is, who cleverly manage these men with perfection... I am recommending this book to everyone, and have bought two more as gifts.’ 
  ‘Jane has Dunn it again, reassuring us that this is how life really was – for the fortunate – when the boys came home from the Napoleonic wars, and making us feel at home then, nonetheless. Eat your heart out, Bridgerton!’ 
  ‘A beautifully written story full of twists and turns that transports you straight into Regency England.’

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  Mad King Robin - The Mad Shall...

  James Vella-Bardon

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  "Vella-Bardon has what it takes to become a literary giant" - Yorkshire Evening Post 
  A historical thriller, a gripping tale that you will not put aside until it is finished. 
  Scotland, 1306 – after slaying his lifelong rival to the throne in a chapel, Robert the Bruce is crowned king of Scotland at Scone. Yet even his own wife and countrymen laugh at his foolishness, calling him Mad King Robin. For his crowning has enraged the English king, whose army destroys the Bruce’s forces at Methven. The Bruce suddenly finds himself an excommunicated outlaw within his own realm, fleeing his enemies with a handful of loyal men. 
  During the eight years since Methven, the Bruce’s wife Elizabeth de Burgh has hated every day of her captivity by the English. Rumour and gossip reach her that the Bruce is out of hiding and reclaiming Scotland. Yet she has also heard that the English king is marching north, at the head of the largest English army ever assembled. 
  For 1314 is indeed the year when the Bruce, long emerged from hiding, has crushed his enemies and taken every castle in Scotland except Stirling. His rise, inspired by a mere spider, is scarcely believable. Yet it will take all of the Bruce’s ingenuity and insane bravery to attempt to end the English hold on Scotland. The last fight for his people’s future beckons along the Bannockburn, but can the Bruce’s army overcome impossible odds to win freedom? 
  Mad King Robin is a wonderful, riveting page turner, which tells the stirring tale of a nation’s desperate struggle against a much larger, brutal oppressor.

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