Publisher: Alien Ebooks
Harlem Renaissance author Nella Larsen (1891 –1964) published just two novels and three short stories in her lifetime, but achieved lasting literary acclaim. Her classic short story "Freedom" originally appeared in 1926.
A battle-scarred father. A disillusioned daughter. Can a grieving widower rebuild his splintered family to find peace at last? South Dakota, 1949. WWII veteran John Smith longs for the life he lost after the tragic death of his wife during childbirth. But in the desperation to provide for his two small children, he is manipulated into an unsuitable marriage by a young woman with a dark neurosis. Tormented by his own grief and the ravages of war, John is blind to his children’s turmoil and pain. Washington State, 1964. John’s sixteen-year-old daughter Calla dreams of a life beyond her vindictive stepmother. Forced to care for her younger siblings with a list of household demands larger than she is tall, Calla knows it’s only a matter of time until she can escape the abuse and begin anew at college. But her dreams crumble when her heartless stepmother claims the college fund for her own selfish purposes. As John fears he is too late to stop the war within his home, Calla vows to build a new life worth living. Can John survive the consequences of war on the home front? Can Calla find the strength to rediscover the meaning of family? A Man Called Smith is the heartwarming and heart wrenching story following the life of John Smith. If you like courageous characters and narratives told over multiple generations, then you’ll love Tanya E. Williams’ emotional tale.Show book
Chadwick Buford is a young Kentucky boy with the unnatural luck to keep getting complete strangers to take him and raise him for a time. After his foster parents die, Chad is taken in by the Turner family. Young daughter Melissa Turner falls in love with Chadwick. When Chad is separated from the Turners, he's then taken in by Major Buford. Although Chad doesn't know much about his own family past, the Major believes Chad is the descendent of a long lost relative of the man's. Chad makes friends with the rich kids of the Dean family. Daughter Margaret Dean falls in love with Chad. But when word gets out that Chad may be illegitimate, the Deans quickly sever ties with the young hero. Then the Civil War breaks out and Chad feels the call of the Union. Chad was quite successful during the war. When the war ends, he comes back home to marry Margaret Dean. Then tragedy strikes and Chad learns that poor, unrequited Melissa Turner has died. Feeling guilty, Chad decides not to have any happiness with Margaret and he sets off for the West to try and begin again.Show book
"Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress" is a novel by Charles Dickens, first published as a serialized work between 1837 and 1839. The story follows Oliver Twist, an orphan who escapes from a workhouse to seek his fortune in London. Oliver is naive and innocent, contrasting sharply with the corrupt and exploitative adults he encounters. He becomes involved with a group of juvenile criminals led by the cunning Fagin. The book explores social inequality and is an early example of the social-protest novel.Show book
In Agatha Christie’s baffling detective story, Nemesis, a letter from a dead man instructs Miss Marple how to conduct an investigation into a puzzlingly unspecific crime. In utter disbelief, Miss Marple read the letter addressed to her from the recently deceased Mr. Rafiel—an acquaintance she had met briefly on her travels. He had left instructions for her to investigate a crime after his death. The only problem was, he had failed to tell her who was involved or where and when the crime had been committed. It was most intriguing. Soon she is faced with a new crime—the ultimate crime—murder. It seems someone is adamant that past evils remained buried. . . .Show book
Zachary Mason’s brilliant and beguiling debut novel, The Lost Books of the Odyssey, re-imagines Homer’s classic story of the hero Odysseus and his long journey home after the fall of Troy.With brilliant prose, terrific imagination, and dazzling literary skill, Mason creates alternative episodes, fragments, and revisions of Homer’s original that, taken together, open up this classic Greek myth to endless reverberating interpretations.The Lost Books of the Odyssey is punctuated with great wit, beauty, and playfulness; it is a daring literary work that marks the emergence of an extraordinary new talent.A Macmillan Audio production.Show book
Corcoran takes some time off as Eureka County Deputy Sheriff to visit an old family friend and stumbles into a land fraud scheme. It gets mighty dangerous as a conspiracy develops, one layer at a time, and bodies begin to pile up. A rancher leaves his foreman in charge in order to get medical help for his daughter and the foreman claims the man abandoned his homestead claim. Corcoran being Corcoran, he meets a charming young lady whose father is an Oregon County Sheriff. He seriously contemplates giving up his badge and settling down.Show book
