Other books that might interest you

• 

  The Conjure Woman

  Charles Waddell Chesnutt

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Published in 1899 by Houghton Mifflin, Chesnutt's first book, The Conjure Woman, was a collection of seven short stories, all set in "Patesville" (Fayetteville), North Carolina. While drawing from local color traditions and relying on dialect, Chesnutt's tales of conjuring, a form of magic rooted in African hoodoo, refused to romanticize slave life or the "Old South." Though necessarily informed by Joel Chandler Harris's popular Uncle Remus stories and Thomas Nelson Page's plantation fiction, The Conjure Woman consciously moved away from these models, instead offering an almost biting examination of pre- and post-Civil War race relations.These seven short stories use a frame narrator, John, a white carpetbagger who has moved south to protect his wife Annie's failing health and to begin cultivating a grape vineyard. Enamored by remnants of the plantation world, John portrays the South in largely idealistic terms. Yet Uncle Julius McAdoo, the ex-slave and "trickster" figure extraordinaire who narrates the internal story lines, presents a remarkably different view of Southern life. His accounts include Aun' Peggy's conjure spells in "Mars Jeems's Nightmare," "Po' Sandy," "Sis' Becky's Pickaninny," and "Hot Foot Hannibal" as well as those of free black conjure men in "The Conjurer's Revenge" and "The Gray Wolf's Ha'nt." These conjure tales reveal moments of active black resistance to white oppression in addition to calculated (and even self-motivated) plots of revenge. (Introduction provided by Documenting the American South)

  Show book

• 

  Godwine Kingmaker

  Mercedes Rochelle

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Harold Godwineson, the Last Anglo-Saxon King, owed everything to his father. Who was this Godwine, first Earl of Wessex and known as the Kingmaker? Was he an unscrupulous schemer, using King and Witan to gain power? Or was he the greatest of all Saxon Earls, protector of the English against the hated Normans? The answer depends on who you ask. He was befriended by the Danes, raised up by Canute the Great, given an Earldom and a wife from the highest Danish ranks. He sired nine children, among them four Earls, a Queen and a future King. Along with his power came a struggle to keep his enemies at bay, and Godwine's best efforts were brought down by the misdeeds of his eldest son Swegn. Although he became father-in-law to a reluctant Edward the Confessor, his fortunes dwindled as the Normans gained prominence at court. Driven into exile, Godwine regathered his forces and came back even stronger, only to discover that his second son Harold was destined to surpass him in renown and glory.

  Show book

• 

  The Ballymara Road

  Nadine Dorries

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  On Christmas morning Kitty Doherty gives birth to her baby—who is immediately taken away for adoption in America. But Kitty's life is hanging by a thread, her only hope a dangerous journey through snow to Ballymara and her Irish family. Meanwhile, in Chicago, Sean and Alice try to set up a new life, far away from the families they have deserted in Liverpool.

  Show book

• 

  Uncle Tom's Cabin

  Harriet Beecher Stowe

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Harriet Beecher Stowe’s antislavery classic helped sow the seeds of abolition across the nation and became the bestselling novel of the nineteenth century  Since its publication in 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel has been instrumental in shaping American attitudes about slavery and race. Throughout its long publication history, this remarkable novel has been both beloved and criticized, and its impact on antebellum cultural attitudes cannot be denied. With a diverse and memorable cast of characters, this sentimental novel depicts both the grim realities of slavery and the tremendous strength of character that can triumph over adversity. In Uncle Tom, a noble and pious slave, readers see a man whose dignity, morality, and goodness are never compromised even by the horrors of slavery. Personifying the evils of the institution of slavery is Simon Legree, a ruthless plantation owner. This deeply affecting novel remains a cornerstone of American history. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.

  Show book

• 

  Hemingway’s Daughter

  Christine M. Whitehead

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Finn Hemingway knows for a fact that she's been born at the wrong time into the wrong family with the wrong talents, making her three dreams for the future almost impossible to attain.She burns to be a trial lawyer in an era when Ruth Bader Ginsburg is being told to type and when a man who is 500th in his law school class is hired over a woman who is first in hers.She yearns to find true love when the family curse dictates that love always ends for the Hemingways, and usually, it ends badly. And finally, she'd give up the first two dreams if she were able to triumph on the third.She longs to have an impact on the only thing that matters to her father: his writing. To accomplish that would require a miracle. All three dreams are almost impossible, but it's the "almost" that keeps Finn going.Ernest Hemingway had three sons but ached to have a daughter. This is her story.

  Show book

• 

  Brook Street: Thief

  Ava March

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  “March explores a secretive world of early 1820s London gentlemen who search for same-sex romance . . . a charming and spicy novella.” —Publishers Weekly 
   
  London, 1822 
   
  It was only supposed to be one night. One night to determine once and for all if he truly preferred men. But the last thing Lord Benjamin Parker expected to find in a questionable gambling hall in Cheapside is a gorgeous young man who steals his heart. 
   
  It was only supposed to be a job. Cavin Fox has done it many times—select a prime mark, distract him with lust, and leave his pockets empty. Yet when Cavin slips away under the cover of darkness, the only part of Benjamin he leaves untouched is his pockets. 
   
  With a taste of his fantasies fulfilled, Benjamin wants more than one night with Cavin. But convincing the elusive young man to give them a chance proves difficult. Cavin lives with a band of thieves in the worst area of London, and he knows there’s no place for him in a gentleman’s life. Yet Benjamin isn’t about to let Cavin—and love—continue to slip away from him. 
   
  “As always, Ava March gives us very emotional, sensual love scenes that really make her books romantic.” —Smexy Books 
   
  “The story of two men from diametrically opposed social classes in Regency England and the way they find each other and connect in a time when the love they share dares not speak its name . . . I couldn’t be happier to have given this book a chance.” —The Novel Approach Reviews

  Show book