Altri libri che potrebbero interessarti

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  A Set of Six

  Joseph Conrad

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  Each of the stories in this collection is spun from a simple, if typically wry and bleak, idea. In "Gaspar Ruiz", a South American general who has fought in a war of independence tells his guests a long tale about a notorious strong man that explains the origin of his current domestic arrangements. "The Informer" leads the reader into the depths of a political conspiracy, dealing very slyly indeed with questions of truth and pretence. In "The Brute", we are asked whether we can believe there could be such a thing as a positively malevolent ship, while "An Anarchist" introduces us to an unfortunate man who has had a vision of society itself as malevolent and has not been able to rest in peace ever since. "The Duel", the most obviously likeable tale in this collection, recounts the history of an unfortunate feud between two officers of Napoleon's army that caused them to fight a series of duels over many years. "Il Conde" rounds out the collection, giving a new twist to the saying "See Naples and die".

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  The Strong - A tale from the...

  Marcel Schwob

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  Mayer André Marcel Schwob was born in Chaville, Hauts-de-Seine, France on 23rd August 1867 into a cultivated Jewish family.  
   
  As a child he devoured the works of Poe and Stevenson in French and then again in English.  His attachment to the bizarre and dark was already forming. 
   
  His education at the Lycée of Nantes earned him the 1st Prize for Excellence.  In 1881, he was in Paris with his maternal uncle to study at the Lycée Louis-le-Grand.  Schwob quickly developed his multilingual abilities and then studied philology and Sanscrit at the École pratique des hautes études before completing his military service in Vannes with the artillery. 
   
  After completing a Bachelor of Arts in 1888 he became a professional journalist and worked for the Phare de la Loire, the Événement and L'Écho de Paris. 
   
  The 1890’s marked his establishment as a brilliant writer with the publication of six short story collections.   
   
  He fell ill in 1896 with a chronic, incurable intestinal disorder.  He also suffered recurring bouts of influenza and pneumonia.  Intestinal surgery was given several times, at first with success but, by 1900, after two more surgeries, he was told that nothing more could be done for him.  Schwob now existed on kefir and fermented milk. 
   
  By the turn of the century, despite failing health, and often too ill to write, he embarked on several long travels, including to Vailima in the South Pacific where his literary hero Stevenson had died.  
   
  Schwob was regarded as a symbolist writer and a ‘precursor of Surrealism’.  He wrote over a hundred short stories, journalistic articles, essays, biographies, literary reviews and analysis, translations and plays.  
   
  Marcel Schwob died on 26th February 1905 of Pneumonia.  He was 37.

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  The Widow's Last Secret

  Lora Davies

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  Victorian England, 1846: A gripping and powerful story about one woman’s incredible courage in the face of heartbreak, and a secret that – if revealed – could destroy everything. 
   
  Six years ago, Bella Farrow lost everything. Desperate and starving, she made a terrible mistake that forced her to abandon her home, her livelihood and her family. And when the only person she trusted – her beloved, steadfast husband – was killed in a tragic accident, Bella was left alone. She had to make her own way, while keeping her past hidden upon risk of imprisonment, or worse… 
   
  Now Bella is living a quiet life under a secret identity and making a good, honest living. But then a young, handsome man named James Earlham comes to town, and everything changes. Their instant connection disturbs her heart, her peace and her safety. Because Bella knows that for their love to flourish, she will have to reveal the secret that has remained hidden all these years – and put her trust in James. 
   
  Bella’s heart tells her to confess everything. But can she be sure James is really who he says he is? Can Bella truly be herself with him? Or is she putting her life in the hands of the one person who could betray her? 
   
  A page-turning novel about secrets, mistaken trust and the impossibility of hiding from your past, The Widow’s Last Secret is a must-read for fans of Kerry Barrett, Kate Morton and Tracy Rees.

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  Short Stories Set in Boston -...

  Washington Irving, Nathaniel...

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  In the small state of Massachusetts sits its capital, Boston.  Famed seat of learning, of culture, of history, and a beacon for the ages.    
   
  Here, in this volume, authors of the stature of Willa Cather, Washington Irving, H P Lovecraft and more set carefully crafted characters into narratives set in this glistening city in ways that trouble, explore and bring new understanding as to why this city is such a draw for authors and their stories down the ages.  
   
  1 - Stories Set in Boston - An Introduction 
  2 - The Devil and Tom Walker by Washington Irving 
  3 - David Swan by Nathaniel Hawthorne 
  4 - A Wagner Matinee by Willa Catha 
  5 - Pickman's Model by H P Lovecraft 
  6 - Peter Rugg, The Missing Man - Part 1 by William Austin 
  7 - Peter Rugg, The Missing Man - Part 2 by William Austin

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  Shattered Dreams

  Penny Fields-Schneider

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  Jack's quest for happiness is thwarted by heartbreak in Book Two of the Portraits in Blue Series 
  As Jack leaps onto the train to Malaga, he has no thought for the responsibilities that await him on the other side of the world. All he knows is that he isn’t ready to leave Sofia, the girl who captured his heart in Paris, nor her talented twin brother, Andres. The twins’ idyllic farm offers sweeping views of the Mediterranean, days spent painting for the Galleria Toulouse, and the enduring charm of Spanish village life. Even so, the trio’s happiness is soon plagued by misunderstandings and complications. Tragedy, heartbreak and declining economic circumstances force Jack and Sofia to leave the life they love and travel across the world to Australia to seek financial security and family connections. There, the heady lure of Melbourne’s art world beckons them and they fall under the spell of the charismatic but dominating Justus Jorgensen. Jack and Sofia enthusiastically embrace the visionary’s dreams. Tirelessly, they commit to the creation of Montsalvat, an art enclave whose buildings are modelled on seventeenth century Europe, where residents live free from the bonds of social conventions. While the bohemian lifestyle of Montsalvat proves stimulating, Jack is increasingly disturbed when a darker side of Jorgensen’s personality emerges. Even utopian dreams have costs. What Jack does not anticipate is that everything he loves will be threatened, with tragic consequences that test his very sanity. 
  The second of the four book Portraits in Blue Series

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  The Messengers

  D. M. Roy

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  After numerous negotiations the Indigenous still remained scattered throughout the wilds of Northern Ontario, Canada. In spite of treacherously cold conditions, they remained steadfast to the land, refusing to give up their lifestyle while trying to survive from Mother Nature’s unpredictable temperament. Captain Jesse Burn’s illegitimate son was among them. Father and son, a pair of strong-willed rival enemies, co-existed in a strange and deadly kinship while getting caught up in a changing way of life that neither would accept.
   
  It was during November 1898. when Jesse had received his orders as a dedicated, respected officer in the Armed Forces. He had a job to fulfill regardless of the number of lives lost during the process. After Colonel McEwan shook Jesse’s hand and walked out, Jesse stared at the 
  closed door for a long time. He glanced at the document containing the list of names he was to apprehend, knowing that most of those men would rather die in battle than be taken alive. Jesse scanned further down the list and suddenly froze. He opened his desk drawer and pulled out a 
  bottle of whiskey hidden near the back. After many swallows, he leaned back in his chair; his eyes were pools of liquid blue. His son’s name was on that list. 

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