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  Sanditon

  Jane Austen

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  Jane Austen's final, unfinished novel centres on Charlotte Heywood as she arrives in an up-and-coming seaside town. As she meets a host of characters, from her hosts' family to visitors from the West Indies, Austen's final novel gives us a concise insight into the deception, snobbery, and unexpected romances that occur in the world of her characters.

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  The Man Within

  Graham Greene

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  "Greene had wit and grace and character and story and a transcendent universal compassion that places him for all time in the ranks of world literature . . ." —John le Carré 
   
   
    
  Graham Greene's first published novel tells the story of Andrews, a young man who has betrayed his fellow smugglers and fears their vengeance. Fleeing from them, with no hope of pity or salvation, he takes refuge in the house of a young woman, also alone in the world. Elizabeth persuades him to give evidence against his accomplices in court, but neither she nor Andrews is aware that to both criminals and authority, treachery is as great a crime as smuggling. The first step in a brilliant career, The Man Within offers a foretaste of Green's recurring themes of religion, the individual's struggles against cynicism, and the indifferent forces of a hostile world.

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  The Machine Stops

  E. M. Forster

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  Are you a fan of classic literature and looking for a fresh and modern way to experience it? Look no further than the digital audio version of E. M. Forster's "The Machine Stops" and "The Story of the Siren"! 
   
  These short stories are timeless classics that explore the themes of technology, human connection, and the power of storytelling. With our digital audio version, you'll be transported to a world where machines rule and humans struggle to find their place in it. You'll experience the thrill of discovery as the characters navigate a world beyond their comprehension. 
   
  And with the inclusion of "The Story of the Siren", you'll also get to indulge in the beauty of Forster's prose as he unravels the tale of a man's encounter with a mythical creature. This haunting and lyrical story will capture your imagination and leave you breathless. 
   
  Our digital audio version of these stories is perfect for anyone who's always on the go. Listen while you're commuting to work, working out at the gym, or even just while you're doing chores around the house. With our expertly crafted narration and production quality, you'll feel like you're right there in the story, experiencing every moment as if it were real. 
   
  So why wait? Download our digital audio version of "The Machine Stops" and "The Story of the Siren" today and experience the magic of E. M. Forster's writing like never before!

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  The Queen of Spades - The...

  Alexander Pushkin

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  Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin was born on 26th May 1799 in Moscow into a family of Russian nobility. 
   
  Raised by nursemaids and French tutors in French he learnt Russian only via the household staff. 
   
  He graduated from the prestigious Imperial Lyceum, near St Petersburg and plunged into the vibrant and raucous intellectual youth culture of what was then the capital of the Russian Empire.  
   
  In 1820, he published his first long poem, ‘Ruslan and Ludmila’, with much controversy about both subject and style.  Pushkin was heavily influenced by the French Enlightenment and gravitated, with other literary radicals, towards social reform angering the Government. 
   
  His early literary work and reputation was poetic and written as he travelled around the Empire or engaged himself in various rebellions against the Ottoman Empire.  A clash with his own government after his poem, ‘Ode to Liberty’, was found among the belongings of the Decembrist Uprising rebels meant two years of internal exile at his mother's rural estate.  His friends and family continually petitioned for his release, sending letters and meeting with Tsar Alexander I and then Tsar Nicholas I.   
   
  In 1825, whilst at his Mother’s estate, Pushkin wrote his most famous play, the drama ‘Boris Godunov’.  
   
  Upon meeting with Tsar Nicholas I, Pushkin obtained his release and began work as the Tsar's Titular Counsel of the National Archives.  However, because of the earlier problems the tsar retained control of everything Pushkin published, and he was banned from travelling at will. 
   
  Around 1828, Pushkin met the 16-year-old Natalia Goncharova, one of the most talked-about beauties of Moscow.  After much hesitation, Natalia accepted his marriage proposal after she received assurances that the government had no intentions to persecute the libertarian poet.  When the Tsar gave Pushkin the lowest court title, Gentleman of the Chamber, he became enraged, feeling that the Tsar intended to humiliate him. 
   
  In the year 1831, during Pushkin's growing literary influence, he met Nikolai Gogol.  Recognising his gifts Pushkin supported him and published his short stories in his own magazine ‘The Contemporary’. 
   
  By the autumn of 1836, Pushkin was falling into greater and greater debt and facing scandalous rumours that his wife was having an affair.  
   
  In January 1837, Pushkin sent a ‘highly insulting letter’ to his wife’s pursuer, Georges-Charles de Heeckeren d'Anthès.  The only answer could be a challenge to a duel. 
   
  It took place on 27th January.  D'Anthès fired first, critically wounding Pushkin; the bullet entered at his hip and penetrated his abdomen.  Two days later Alexander Pushkin died of peritonitis.  He was 37. 
   
  One of Pushkin’s most lauded stories ‘The Queen of Spades’ takes on gambling and the need for just a tiny piece of information that will turn the game in his favour and take life to a level that is sure to be both deserved and his by right.

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  Moll Flanders

  Daniel Defoe

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  Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe is a gripping tale of survival, sin, and redemption in 17th-century England. Born in Newgate Prison, Moll narrates her tumultuous life as she strives for security and wealth in a harsh, unforgiving society. Through a series of marriages, thefts, and betrayals, Moll navigates poverty and prosperity, driven by desperation and ambition. Her journey takes her from London to Virginia and back, entangled in moral ambiguity and societal critique. Despite her crimes, Moll’s resilience and wit make her a compelling antiheroine. Ultimately, she seeks redemption after years of vice, reflecting on her choices with a mix of regret and pragmatism. Defoe’s vivid storytelling blends social commentary with an unflinching look at human frailty, making Moll Flanders a timeless exploration of identity, morality, and the pursuit of happiness.

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  Of Human Bondage - The Classic Tale

  W. Somerset Maugham

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  The Narrow Corner is a novel by the British writer W. Somerset Maugham, published by William Heinemann in 1932. A quote from Meditations, iii 10, by Marcus Aurelius, introduces the work: "Short, therefore, is man's life, and narrow is the corner of the earth wherein he dwells." In the story, set "a good many years ago" in what is now Indonesia, a young Australian, cruising the islands after his involvement in a murder in Sydney, has a passionate affair on an island which causes a further tragedy. William Somerset Maugham was an English playwright, novelist, and short-story writer. He was among the most popular writers of his era and reputedly the highest-paid author during the 1930s. Both Maugham's parents died before he was 10, and the orphaned boy was raised in Whitstable, Kent by a paternal uncle, who was emotionally cold. He did not want to become a lawyer like other men in his family, so he trained and qualified as a physician. His first novel Liza of Lambeth (1897) sold out so rapidly that Maugham gave up medicine to write full-time. 
   
  In 1915 he wrote Of Human Bondage, widely considered his masterpiece. During the First World War, he served with the Red Cross and in the ambulance corps before being recruited in 1916 into the British Secret Intelligence Service. He worked for the service in Switzerland and Russia before the October Revolution of 1917 in the Russian Empire. During and after the war, he traveled in India, Southeast Asia and the Pacific. He drew from those experiences in his later short stories and novels.

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