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  Jeannot and Colin

  Voltaire

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  Voltaire was the nom de plume of François-Marie Arouet (1694-1778), a well known writer, poet, satirist and wit whose ascerbic criticism of many institutions of the day once earned him a period of imprisonment in the Bastille.In this tale of Jeannot and Colin, Voltaire not only tells an instructive tale, warning of the dangers of sudden wealth and social climbing, but also directs his satirical comments at the vacuous and fickle nouveau riche of his day, the catholic church, private education, and society in general.Jeannot and Colin are childhood friends. Both come from working-class backgrounds in a rural part of France, but Jeannot's parents, on a trip to Paris, strike it lucky in business and within a short time become very wealthy. They purchase a title, send fine clothes to their son, and order him to Paris. Jeannot's head is turned by the sudden elevation in his status and he lords it over the humble Colin when he leaves.In Paris, there is a lengthy discussion as to how Jeannot should best be educated for his new role as a young marquis. After rejecting Latin, geography, astronomy, history, and various other possible subjects, they settle on teaching him to dance and hold forth as a wit at dinner parties. All seems to be going well, when one day the bailiffs arrive and repossess all the family's assets. Jeannot is about to learn some very harsh life-lessons.

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  Rain

  W. Somerset Maugham

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  One of Maugham's most famous short stories, Rain unfolds in a soggy tropical paradise marred by self-righteous hypocrites trying to force their moral beliefs on a girl who basically just wants to have fun. At a running time of approximately 2 1/2 hours, it is too long for inclusion in a Short Story collection.(Summary by BellonaTimes)

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  Twelve Days of Winter - Omnibus...

  Stuart MacBride

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  A collection of interlinked tales of crime and retribution laced with dark humour, set around the festive season – from the No. 1 bestseller Stuart MacBrideOn the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me… 
  Twelve days, twelve stories. 
  Meet Fat Billy Partridge, possibly the worst cat-burglar ever; newbie drug-dealer Brian, who probably shouldn’t be taking advantage of the job’s fringe benefits; Philippe, a chef with anger-management issues and lots of very sharp knives; Mr Unwin, the undertaker with the golden touch; and Lord Peter Forsyth-Leven, MSP, learning the hard way that having it all means you’ve got so much more to lose… 
  Thieves, drug dealers, lap-dancers, gangsters and even the odd good guy populate these twelve interlinked tales of crime and retribution set around the festive season. 
  Stuart MacBride, the Sunday Times bestselling author, brings his unique blend of black humour and mystery to the fore in this collection of hard-boiled thrillers. His distinctive voice and top-notch storytelling make this a must-read for fans of detective fiction. 
  For fans of Ian Rankin (Standing in Another Man's Grave), Mark Billingham (The Last Dance), and Michael Connelly (The Dark Hours).

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  The Life Of Charlotte Brontë...

  Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell

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  Charlotte Bronte was a British author, the eldest of the three famous Bronte sisters who have become standards of English literature. She is best known for her novel Jane Eyre, one of the greatest classics of all times. Just two years after Charlotte's death, her friend Elizabeth Gaskell wrote her biography. Want to know more about Charlotte Bronte? If you do, please read this biography. Summary by Stav Nisser.Volume One of this biography is available here

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  No Surrender

  Constance Elizabeth Maud

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  Written from the midst of the struggle for female suffrage, Constance Elizabeth Maud’s novel No Surrender (1911) is a Call to Arms. It is a dramatic narrative portraying key players and historical events in the battle for the Vote for Women in Britain. Jenny Clegg is a Lancashire millgirl working long, hard hours under unhealthy conditions in order to support her mother and younger siblings, only to have her father take possession of her savings. In order to seek the rights to improved work conditions, equal pay, and many other human rights, she joins the movement of women seeking political representation. The perspectives of the genteel and working classes, men, as well as the Antis, are presented. (Summary by Lisa Reichert)

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  The Crocodile - Legendary author...

  Fyodor Dostoyevsky

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  Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky was born in Moscow on 11th November, 1821 to distinguished multi-ethnic parents from a Lithuanian background.   
   
  His childhood years were at the family home in hospital grounds which also contained an orphanage, an insane asylum and a cemetery for criminals.  The young Fyodor often disobeyed his father by talking to the ill in the hospital gardens.   
   
  His health was compromised at age 9 when he experienced his first epileptic fit. By the time he was a teenager both parents had died and he was now enrolled in a military academy where he graduated and eventually became a Lieutenant in 1842.  He left military service the next year. 
   
  In 1846 he published his first novel ‘Poor Cow’ to great literary acclaim.  His next was unable to emulate that success but his short stories helped provide an income.  Life as an author was definitely difficult. As he began his next work he was arrested and incarcerated for treason and participation in the political and literary Petrashevsky Circle. Although the case was weak and unjustified he was sentenced to 4 years of hard labour followed by 5 years of military service in a Siberian regiment.  
   
  Despite the undoubted hardships and setbacks in his life, and whether they helped or hindered his writing, his talents produced many exceptional works of literature including ‘Crime and Punishment’, ‘The Idiot’ and ‘The Brothers Karamazov’.   
   
  Dostoevsky’s ability to get under the skin of his characters and show the inner workings of their mind was hugely influential and ahead of its time.  Interwoven with this was the influence of the broader social, spiritual and political forces at work in a person's psyche.   
   
  Fyodor Dostoevsky struggled financially and remained in poor health for much of his adult life.  He died from a lung haemorrhage on 9th February, 1881. 
   
  In the Crocodile a man is swallowed whole and through this Gogol explores themes and ideas that no other author would attempt. Absurdist genius.

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