Other books that might interest you

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  The Schoolboy's Story

  Charles Dickens

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  The Schoolboy's Story is a short stories by Charles Dickens. Charles John Huffam Dickens (7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's most memorable fictional characters and is generally regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian period. During his life, his works enjoyed unprecedented fame, and by the twentieth century his literary genius was broadly acknowledged by critics and scholars. His novels and short stories continue to be widely popular. Born in Portsmouth, England, Dickens was forced to leave school to work in a factory when his father was thrown into debtors' prison.
  Being rather young at present--I am getting on in years, but still I am rather young--I have no particular adventures of my own to fall back upon. It wouldn't much interest anybody here, I suppose, to know what a screw the Reverend is, or what a griffin SHE is, or how they do stick it into parents--particularly hair-cutting, and medical attendance. One of our fellows was charged in his half's account twelve and sixpence for two pills--tolerably profitable at six and threepence a-piece, I should think--and he never took them either, but put them up the sleeve of his jacket.

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  Heartland

  Daren Shiau

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  Hailed as “the definitive Singaporean novel”, this new edition of Heartland is accompanied by a new preface by author Daren Shiau and a publisher’s foreword that contextualises the novel’s imprint on the Singapore literary landscape since its first publication in 1999. 
   
  An iconic work, Heartland explores the paradox of rootedness and rootlessness in fast-changing Singapore. Set in the early 1990s, the novel follows the years of Wing Seng as he leaves school and is conscripted into full-time National Service. As Wing tries to reconcile his past with his future amid transitions through different phases of life, he finds meaning in his intense attachment to his surrounding landscape. Yet, as relationships and the years slip by, Wing is forced to question his own certainties and the wisdom of the people he values. 
   
  Set in Singapore’s heartland at the turn of the century, Heartland’s capturing of the texture of everyday life provides the backdrop essential to the bildungsroman’s exploration of identity, belonging and connection in an increasingly urbanised Singapore.

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  The Scarlet Pimpernel

  Baroness Emma Orczy

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  "They seek him here... they seek him there..." 
  It is the bloody height of the French Revolution. Men, women and children are put to death under the blade of the remorseless Guillotine, all to feed a baying mobs lust for blood and murder. Their only hope of salvation comes from a band of 20 brave men from across the channel. Noble daredevils who seek to snatch Madame Guillotine's prey from her clutches, all in the name of sport and excitement. Twenty men; nineteen to obey, and one to command. And that one, hated and hunted by the French Republic, known throughout all of Europe as the most daring, the most cunning member of that band. Identified only by his tell-tale signature: The Scarlet Pimpernel! 
  Narrated by Michael Ward.

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  Sense and Sensibility

  Jane Austen

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  Jane Austen's timeless novel, Sense and Sensibility, follows the lives of two sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, as they navigate the complexities of love, societal expectations, and personal growth in early 19th-century England. 
  The story begins with the Dashwood family facing a sudden change in their circumstances. After the death of their father, the estate of Norland Park passes to their half-brother John, leaving the sisters and their mother in a precarious financial situation. Forced to relocate to the modest Barton Cottage in Devonshire, the Dashwood women must adapt to a new way of life while confronting the challenges of the marriage market. 
  Elinor and Marianne, though sisters, are quite different in their personalities and approaches to life. Elinor, the elder sister, embodies the qualities of sense—practicality, restraint, and a keen understanding of the social norms of the time. Marianne, on the other hand, represents sensibility—a passionate, emotional, and impulsive nature that often puts her at odds with the expectations of society. 
  As the sisters encounter potential suitors and navigate the intricate web of relationships, they each face unique obstacles and personal growth. Elinor finds herself drawn to a man whose circumstances are complicated by a secret engagement, while Marianne's heart is captured by a charming but unreliable admirer. 
  Through a series of unexpected twists and turns, both sisters learn valuable lessons about the importance of balancing emotion and reason, the true nature of love, and the strength of family bonds. As they confront their own preconceptions and the expectations of others, Elinor and Marianne discover that the path to happiness is not always straightforward.

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  A Responsibility - From their...

  Henry Harland

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  The bookshelves of American literature are incredible collections that have gathered together centuries of very talented authors.  From this continent their fame spread and whilst among their number many are now forgotten or neglected their talents endure.  Among them is Henry Harland.

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  Fyodor Dostovesky - A Short...

  Fyodor Dostoevsky

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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. 
   
  1 - Fyodor Dostoyevsky - A Short Story Collection - An Introduction 
  2 - The Dream of a Ridiculous Man by Fyodor Dostovesky 
  3 - An Honest Thief by Fyodor Dostoyveskey 
  4 - Bobok by Fyodor Dostoyevsky 
  5 - The Beggar Boy at Christ's Christmas Tree by Fyodor Dostoyevsky 
  6 - The Crocodile. An Extraordinary Incident - Part 1 by Fyodor Dostoyevsky 
  7 - The Crocodile. An Extraordinary Incident - Part 2 by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

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