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  Hunchback of Notre-Dame The...

  Victor Hugo

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  Book 9: The Hunchback of Notre-Dame or Notre-Dame de Paris is a French Gothic novel by Victor Hugo, published in 1831. - The story is set in Paris in 1482 during the reign of Louis XI. The gypsy Esmeralda (born as Agnes) captures the hearts of many men, including those of Captain Phoebus and Pierre Gringoire, but especially Quasimodo and his guardian Archdeacon Claude Frollo. Frollo is torn between his obsessive lust for Esmeralda and the rules of Notre Dame Cathedral. He orders Quasimodo to kidnap her, but Quasimodo is captured by Phoebus and his guards, who save Esmeralda. Gringoire, who attempted to help Esmeralda but was knocked out by Quasimodo, is about to be hanged by beggars when Esmeralda saves him by agreeing to marry him for four years.

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  The Awakening

  Kate Chopin

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  The Awakening is a novel by Kate Chopin, first published in 1899. Set in New Orleans and on the Louisiana Gulf coast at the end of the 19th century, the plot centers on Edna Pontellier and her struggle between her increasingly unorthodox views on femininity and motherhood with the prevailing social attitudes of the turn-of-the-century American South. It is one of the earliest American novels that focuses on women's issues without condescension. It is also widely seen as a landmark work of early feminism, generating a mixed reaction from contemporary readers and critics. The novel's blend of realistic narrative, incisive social commentary, and psychological complexity makes The Awakening a precursor of American modernist literature; it prefigures the works of American novelists.The most famous and inspirational works of Kate Chopin include: The Awakening, At the Cadian Ball, At the Cadian Ball, The Story of an Hour, The Story of an Hour, Désirée's Baby, The Storm, A Pair of Silk Stockings and many more.

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  Oil!

  Upton Sinclair

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  “Passionate. . . . [The] lively satirical account of capitalist greed . . . and socialist struggle,” that inspired the film There Will Be Blood (The Guardian). From the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Jungle, a novel set against the backdrop of the political corruption fueling the California oil industry during the Harding administration. Oil! is a tale of the capitalist insatiability that comes between an oil baron and his son, whose growing sympathies with the labor movement and socialist ideals fuels the riff between them. Peopled with politicians, financial investors, oil magnates, a Hollywood star, and a crusading evangelist, Oil! is also a spirited social commentary on the class struggle at the heart of the divide in post–World War I America. Written by an author heralded for his compelling narratives exploring themes of social justice, Oil! is as relevant today as it was when it was first published in 1927. “A marvelous panorama of Southern California life. It is storytelling with an edge on it.” —The New Republic   “A tremendous piece of work.” —The Nation  

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  The Adventure of the Tall Man

  Arthur Conan Doyle

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  When searching through Conan Doyle's papers, Hesketh Pearson, a biographer of his, came across a plan for an unwritten story. As Richard Lancelyn Green notes, "there is no evidence to show that it is by [Conan Doyle] and strong internal evidence to suggest that it's not". Various authors have attempted to complete the story (named "The Adventure of the Tall Man" by Peter Haining) and put it alongside the canon. Some are very close to Doyle's plot, others including variations. However no 'official' completion has been made.

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  Kitty's Class Day

  Louisa May Alcott

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  Louisa May Alcott’s Kitty’s Class Day is a delightful short story that blends youthful vanity, sisterly devotion, and gentle moral lessons with Alcott’s trademark wit and warmth. 
  Seventeen-year-old Kitty Heath is determined to shine at Harvard’s Class Day celebrations, outfitted in a fashionable Paris organdie gown with daisies in her bonnet and a train she insists upon having. Behind her excitement stands her devoted sister Priscilla, quietly sacrificing to make Kitty’s dreams possible. But amid flirtations, mishaps, and a humiliating tumble, Kitty learns that true happiness lies not in appearances or admiration, but in the steadfast love of family and the honest affection of her cousin Jack. 
  Charming, humorous, and heartfelt, this timeless tale captures the follies and triumphs of girlhood, offering listeners both laughter and life lessons.

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  The Odyssey

  Homer Homer

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  The Odyssey is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the Iliad, the poem is divided into 24 books. It follows the Greek hero Odysseus, king of Ithaca, and his journey home after the Trojan War. After the war itself, which lasted ten years, his journey lasted for ten additional years, during which time he encountered many perils and all his crewmates were killed. In his absence, Odysseus was assumed dead, and his wife Penelope and son Telemachus had to contend with a group of unruly suitors who were competing for Penelope's hand in marriage. 
   
  The Odyssey was originally composed in Homeric Greek in around the 8th or 7th century BCE and, by the mid-6th century BCE, had become part of the Greek literary canon. In antiquity, Homer's authorship of the poem was not questioned, but contemporary scholarship predominantly assumes that the Iliad and the Odyssey were composed independently, and the stories themselves formed as part of a long oral tradition.  
   
   Scholars still reflect on the narrative significance of certain groups in the poem, such as women and slaves, who have a more prominent role in the epic than in many other works of ancient literature. This focus is especially remarkable when considered beside the Iliad, which centers on the exploits of soldiers and kings during the Trojan War. 
   
  The Odyssey is regarded as one of the most significant works in the Western canon. The first English translation of the Odyssey was in the 16th century. Adaptations and re-imaginings continue to be produced across a wide variety of mediums. In 2018, when BBC Culture polled experts around the world to find literature's most enduring narrative, the Odyssey topped the list. Here is the great tale as an exciting extended Icon Audiobook!

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