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 Decameron - cover

The Decameron

Giovanni Boccaccio

Publisher: Phoemixx Classics Ebooks

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Summary

The Decameron - Giovanni Boccaccio - The year is 1348. The Black Death has begun to ravage Europe. Ten young Florentinesseven women and three menescape the plague-infested city and retreat to the countryside around Fiesole. At their leisure in this isolated and bucolic setting, they spend ten days telling each other storiestales of romance, tragedy, comedy, and farceone hundred in all. The result, called by one critic "the greatest short story collection of all time" (Leonard Barkan, Princeton University) is a rich and entertaining celebration of the medley of medieval life.Witty, earthy, and filled with bawdy irreverence, the one hundred stories of The Decameron offer more than simple escapism; they are also a life-affirming balm for trying times. The Decameron is a joyously comic book that has earned its place in world literature not just because it makes us laugh, but more importantly because it shows us how essential laughter is to the human condition.Published on the 700th anniversary of Boccaccios birth, Wayne A. Rebhorn's new translation of The Decameron introduces a generation of readers to this "rich late-medieval feast" in a "lively, contemporary, American-inflected English" (Stephen Greenblatt, Harvard University) even as it retains the distinctly medieval flavor of Boccaccio's rhetorically expressive prose.An extensive introduction provides useful details about Boccaccio's historical and cultural milieu, the themes and particularities of the text, and the lines of influence flowing into and out of this towering monument of world literature.
Available since: 08/04/2021.

Other books that might interest you

  • Claimed for the De Carrillo Twins - cover

    Claimed for the De Carrillo Twins

    Abby Green

    • 0
    • 1
    • 0
    From a USA Today–bestselling author, a woman is forced to marry the man she loved and lost to keep custody of her children in this international romance.  
     
    She’d just whispered one word. “Please.” 
     
    Cruz De Carrillo cannot forget the searing kiss he shared with his shy maid, Trinity Adams. For the moment the Spanish billionaire walked away, horrified at losing his legendary control, Trinity quickly moved on to become nanny, guardian and stepmother to his brother’s sons! 
     
    Now Cruz must protect his orphaned nephews. When Trinity refuses to leave them, he knows there is one solution—a ring on her finger! It’s the only way Cruz can keep her in his castillo, under his watchful eye, and finish what he started—this time in his bed!
    Show book
  • The Morcai Battalion: The Rescue - cover

    The Morcai Battalion: The Rescue

    Diana Palmer

    • 0
    • 1
    • 0
    A gruff military commander can’t ignore his feelings for a shy colleague in this edge-of-your-seat, romantic space epic by a New York Times bestseller.   Rhemun, commander of the Cehn-Tahr Holconcom, has worked tirelessly to get where he is—and he's not going to let any human drag him back down. Especially not Lt. Commander Edris Mallory, whose very presence aboard the Morcaiserves as a too-painful reminder of a past tragedy he can neither forgive nor forget.    But Mallory has secrets of her own—ones she can’t afford to see come to light. Frantic to protect herself, she flees, abandoning her position. When Rhemun learns of her devastating situation, he realizes the all-consuming feelings he's harbored for her may not be hatred. But in a vast universe rife with peril, is it already too late?  Praise for The Morcai Battalion: Invictus  “This futuristic romance is action-packed and will please fans of Marcella Burnard and Katherine Allred. Readers new to the series will enjoy Kyle’s well-conceived universe and the different modes of government and acceptable social interaction that make for a wealth of possibilities in this tale.” —RT Book Reviews
    Show book
  • Never Laugh at love - cover

    Never Laugh at love

    Barbara Cartland

    • 1
    • 11
    • 0
    Anthea Forthingdale and her sisters Thais, Chloe and Phebe have all been named after famous poems.
    All very beautiful, after their father’s death at Waterloo the girls and their lovely mother, Christobel, are alone and isolated, living in poverty in a small Yorkshire village.
    Struggling for money and appropriate suitors for her daughter, In May 1819 Lady Forthingdale writes to an old friend, the Countess of Sheldon in London and asks if she will have her Godchild Anthea to stay for the rest of the London Season. The Countess is delighted to have Anthea as her guest because otherwise her husband wishes her to leave for the country.
    How Anthea meets the handsome Duke of Axminster in her Godmother’s house, how he appears bored and contemptuous with her when they dance at Almack’s, how Anthea caricatures the Duke with far-reaching and dramatic results and how she learns never to laugh at love, is told in this 182nd book by Barbara Cartland.
    Published 1976
    Show book
  • Beauty or Brains - cover

    Beauty or Brains

    Barbara Cartland

    • 0
    • 18
    • 0
    Barbara Cartland was the most prolific and popular romantic author of the Twentieth Century enchanting millions of readers with her unequalled tales of pure romance, dashing heroes, beautiful heroines, and of course, her trademark happy endings.
    
    Now, as a tribute to Her Majesty the Queen on her Diamond Jubilee and to Barbara’s enduring appeal to romantics everywhere, her publishers have  launched her past collection - The Eternal Collection.
    
    The collection includes - Elizabethan Lover, The Little Pretender, A Ghost in Monte Carlo and A Duel of Hearts which were all in circulation at the time Queen Elizabeth ascended to the throne in 1952. The books are available at the Kindle Store at Amazon.co.uk – or from Amazon.com.
    
    Ian McCorquodale, Barbara Cartland’s son, said, “My mother would have been so delighted that modern technology can now make her glorious and timeless romances so readily available to new generations of readers all over the world.”
    Show book
  • After Midnight - cover

    After Midnight

    Diana Palmer

    • 0
    • 1
    • 0
    A holiday attraction blossoms on a South Carolina island in this captivating romance from the New York Times–bestselling author of Before Sunrise. 
     
    On exclusive Seabrook Island, South Carolina, Nicole Seymour is simply Nikki—not the glamorous political fund-raiser she is in Charleston. It’s her spirited innocence and laughing green eyes that draw Kane Lombard to her from the moment they first meet on the beach. 
     
    Although he seems as casual and unassuming as any vacationer, Nikki knows who Kane really is: a wealthy Houston oilman—and her brother’s biggest political rival. When Kane discovers the truth about Nikki’s identity, his desire turns instantly to distrust. Now Kane and Nikki find themselves pitted against each other in a battle that tests their loyalties and their desires. But even the most passionate enemies sometimes become lovers—after midnight. 
     
    Praise for Diana Palmer 
     
    “Nobody tops Diana Palmer when it comes to delivering pure, undiluted romance.” —Jayne Ann Krentz, New York Times–bestselling author 
     
    “Nobody does it better.” —Linda Howard, New York Times–bestselling author 
     
    “A mesmerizing storyteller who captures the essence of what a romance should be.” —Affaire de Coeur
    Show book
  • The Bride's Baby of Shame - cover

    The Bride's Baby of Shame

    Caitlin Crews

    • 0
    • 1
    • 0
    From the USA Today–bestselling author, one night leads to shocking consequences in this thrillingly intense second romance in the Stolen Brides series. 
     
    Dutiful heiress Sophie has never challenged her gilded existence, even agreeing to a loveless arranged marriage at her father’s command. Until she meets ruthless, gorgeous, Sicilian billionaire Renzo. Their one passionate night awakens unimaginable desires in Sophie, but also leaves her pregnant and trapped in an engagement to the wrong man . . .  
     
    When Renzo uncovers her scandalous secret, he’ll stop at nothing to legitimize his child—including storming Sophie’s wedding and stealing her away to his castle in Sicily as his own bride. She may be exchanging one marriage of convenience for another, but could Renzo be the one who will finally set her free?  
     
    “Passionate, sexy, sometimes over the top—classic Harlequin Presents drama unfolds here . . . an enjoyable and entertaining romance.” —Harlequin Junkie 
     
    Don’t miss the first Stolen Brides book, Kidnapped for His Royal Duty, by New York Times–bestselling author Jane Porter.
    Show book