The story of a cold hearted man named Jack Kells who falls in love with Miss Joan Randle, a girl his legion has taken captive near the Idaho border. (Summary by Wikipedia)
20 episodes
A naive young girl strikes out on her own and ends up leading a double life in this engaging tale of love lost and found. Summary by Judi Mason
26 episodes
Betty has graduated from the Pines and is now with her parents at their new home on Long Island. When Betty finds out that her father is having trouble paying the mortgage, she decides to spread her entrepreneurial wings and help with the family finances. But can a young girl in 1907 earn enough money to make a difference? Does Betty have the spirit and determination to stick with her plans, even when others try to discourage her? ( Holly Jenson)
27 episodes
Isabel Carnaby returns from India. She starts looking for a place in upper class British society. At the begining, people are sceptical of her because she is an orphan. But she will surprise everybody. - Summary by Stav Nisser.
25 episodes
Marie Corelli's book The Life Everlasting examines the world of past lives, mysticism, secret societies and twin souls against a backdrop of a true love based on the highest ideals. The plot follows our heroine from a yachting trip around Scotland with eccentric characters such as an atheist millionaire and his hypochondriac daughter, to the entering of a secret society of ancient mystics where she is determined to achieve initiation. Ms. Corelli's beautiful, flowing, and descriptive writing style make this novel a joy of upliftment and inspiration. - Summary by Lisa Statler
21 episodes
It seems that all the people close to Betty are going through major life changes. Lois is certainly spending a lot of time with Dunmore Lane these days. Is Betty about to lose her friend and confidante forever? Even Miss Minturne is behaving strangely. If she's falling in love, as Betty suspects, what will happen to the income that Betty is depending on to pay off the mortgage on the farmhouse? Meanwhile, before Betty is even aware of it, her friends have begun to wonder if someone is falling in love with her. Although Betty scoffs at the idea, there is a certain gentleman who just might fit her romantic ideal of a knight errant. But with so many young men smitten with Betty and her magnetic personality, which one, if any, will win her heart in the end? - Summary by Holly Jenson
27 episodes
Between April of 1840 and December of the following year, Charles Dickens published Master Humphrey's Clock - a weekly periodical that presented short stories ostensibly read by the title character and his circle of friends - as well as correspondence to the fictional club. Ultimately, the periodical included the complete novels "The Old Curiosity Club" and "Barnaby Rudge." These two novels are, however, referenced in the recording, when Master Humphrey and his friends refer to them. This recording presents all the published material except for the two novels. - Summary by Brad "Hamlet" Filippone
11 episodes
The stabbing death of a beautiful young woman in a London park at night and the disappearance of her sister; a shocked and heartbroken young suitor; a terrified landlady and her simple husband; a recently unemployed man, the narrator, who is requested to investigate the crime; and the mysterious title character who, as his name suggests, has a devilishness about him in his psychic ability to read minds and to perform other supernatural acts. These are some of the individuals in this inventive, absorbing mystery by the prolific and popular British author, B. L. Farjeon. There are really two mysteries here: the murder and the strange – person? – known as Devlin. ( Lee Smalley)
31 episodes
Lady Lydiard has an uncomfortable bit of business to settle, and intends to do so with a five hundred pound note. But just as she is about to complete the letter with which she is to send the note off, an emergency occurs in the house, and for a little while everyone is preoccupied - be it with the sick dog Tommie, the management of the house, or a kindling love. But when everything settles down again, the note is missing. Who took it? - Summary by Carolin
22 episodes
Through a variety of experiences of the effects of the First World War, an art student is drawn into pacifism. Rose Macaulay's satirical novel is passionate, and witty - Summary by Anthony Ogus
18 episodes
"LibriVox is a hope, an experiment, and a question: can the net harness a bunch of volunteers to bring books in the public domain to life..."
Hugh McGuire, LibriVox's founder, August 9, 2005This year is the 12th anniversary of our beloved LibriVox. The readings in this collection celebrate that "bunch of volunteers" who make up the worldwide LibriVox community. The readings are held together by their connection to the words "twelve" or "dozen" The collection is multilingual. The selections, which are chosen by the readers, include fiction, nonfiction, poems, short stories, and articles.Cast list for "The Baker's Dozen"Major Richard Dumbarton: Peter YearsleyMrs. Carewe: Devorah AllenMrs. Paly-Paget: Sue AndersonStage Directions: MaryAnn Spiegel
31 episodes
A selection of short works about Christmas. (Summary by david wales)
11 episodes
Celestina was adopted by Mrs. Willoughby from a convent in France. No one knows who her parents are. Her secret birth causes problems for her in the marriage market. But this novel is not only a courtship novel. It is about creating and keeping friendships, finding the meaning of family, the difference between love and obsession, and the development of Celestina from a dependent child to a strong woman of virtue. - Summary by Stav Nisser.
49 episodes
Nuoren Wertherin kärsimykset (saks. Die Leiden des jungen Werthers, 1774) on Johann Wolfgang von Goethen kirjoittama kirjeromaani. Löyhästi omaelämäkerrallisesta romaanista kehkeytyi saksalaisen Sturm und Drang -liikkeen tärkeimpiä teoksia. Sillä oli myös vaikutusta myöhempään romantiikan kirjallisuuteen. Romaanin ansiosta Goethesta tuli yksi ensimmäisistä kirjallisuuden tähdistä jo elinaikanaan. - Summary by Wikipedia
13 episodes
THE PERMANENT HUSBAND, also published as The Eternal Husband, is a psychological novella by the acclaimed Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky. The plot revolves around the intense and complex relationship between Velchaninov and Trusotsky. Velchaninov, the protagonist, is a former lover of the recently deceased wife of Trusotsky, the title character.
Some critics have ranked this novella among Dostoeyevsky’s best works because of its style and structure. Alfred Bem has called it "one of the most complete works by Dostoyevsky in regards to its composition and development. – Adapted from Wikipedia
An excellent commentary may be found here.
(Lee Smalley)
17 episodes
“The Jolly Parisiennes” by Émile Zola is a very clever, brilliant and interesting romance of a “grande passion” with an undercurrent of political intrigue. The plot is ingenious both in conception and execution, while the tone of the novel is exceedingly bright and vivacious. A peculiar phase of Parisian society is most agreeably dealt with. The heroines, Louise Neigeon and Berthe Gaucheraud, are very jolly ladies indeed, but they never forget that they are ladies, even in their merriest and most eccentric moods. They are handsome, graceful and captivating, tempering their seeming recklessness with the refinement of education and luxury. No wonder the young provincial hero, George de Vaugelade, was bewildered in their society and utterly lost his head. The other characters are a Countess with well-attended receptions; Felix Budin, a rather blasé young Parisian; Gaucheraud, a fat politician; and Monsieur Neigeon, a shadowy Deputy. “The Jolly Parisiennes” is a novel that everybody will read and relish. Several other novelettes by Zola are also in the volume. They are in the genuine Zola style, strong and interesting every one of them. - Summary by the Publisher
37 episodes
Valjean de nuevo es capturado y condenado a trabajos forzados de por vida. Encarcelado en el puerto militar de Toulon rescata a un marinero atrapado en el aparejo de la nave. Los espectadores piden su liberación. Valjean finge su propia muerte por dejarse caer al mar. Las autoridades le dan por muerto. Entonces viaja hasta la posada de los Thérnardier en busca de Cosette. Descubriendo como tratan a la hija de la difunta Fantine, Valjean decide llevársela y adoptarla como su hija. Viven en los barrios parisinos más pobres hasta que son aceptados en un convento, al que llegan huyendo, una vez más, de Javert. Summary by Wikipedia
76 episodes
Mercy Merrick is living a difficult life on the streets, but when she meets the young and charismatic clergyman Julian Gray, she desires to leave this life behind and start afresh. She packs her things and volunteers as a nurse in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870. It is, however, very difficult to leave your life behind, and even harder to start a new life in a society so dependent on social connections. So when she sees that Grace Roseberry is killed by a shell, Mercy assumes Grace's identity and social position... - Summary by Carolin
30 episodes
Carol Milford, a college-educated, progressive, ambitious young woman, is self-sufficient working as a librarian in St. Paul, when she meets a country doctor, Will Kennicott, who convinces her to marry him and move to the rural Minnesota town of Gopher Prairie. She arrives with dreams of beautifying the town, of establishing art and culture, of improving lives and promoting child welfare, but whose spirit is gradually and inexorably crushed by small-town attitudes, ignorance and bigotry. First published in 1920, Main Street is Sinclair Lewis' first major novel, and was a phenomenal success at the time. In 1930 Lewis would be the first American to receive the Nobel Prize for literature. - Summary by Mark Nelson
40 episodes
Elective Affinities (Die Wahlverwandtschaften) was Goethe's third novel. It depicts human relationships in a Romantic crucible, and is the sourcebook and inspiration for many literary and filmic adaptations and variations. - Summary by Nicole Lee
37 episodes
The Dark Other is a horror novel by Stanley G. Weinbaum. The novel concerns Patricia Lane who is in love with Nicholas Devine, a quiet and gentle writer. Devine undergoes sudden changes becoming cold and calculating. Frightened by this, Lane consults psychologist Dr. Carl Horker who rescues her from Devine. Devine again attacks Horker, and overcomes him. He is then shot by Lane and rushed to a hospital where a surprise is found. (Summary adapted from wikipedia)
32 episodes
This is the story of two young American painters residing in Paris in a moderate way. Others are more flamboyant than them, for example Larrabee Harman, whose life is one continuous scandal, one of which involved the cousin of one of the painters. Observing him one evening on the Boulevard in the company of a famous dancer, the next day we meet him again: Victim of a car accident, carried to the hospital, not expected to live. But his life is tied to the lives of the two painters in odd ways... - Summary by Carolin
23 episodes
This is the third book in The Chronicles of Barsetshire, the first two being The Warden and Barchester Towers; however, although some characters from the first two books are referred to, there is no need to read/ listen to them first to enjoy Dr. Thorne. It is mainly concerned with the romantic problems of Mary Thorne, niece of Doctor Thomas Thorne (a member of a junior branch of the family of Mr. Wilfred Thorne, who appeared in Barchester Towers), and Frank Gresham, the only son of the local squire, although Trollope as the omniscient narrator assures the reader at the beginning that the hero is really the doctor.Themes of the book are the social pain and exclusion caused by illegitimacy, the nefarious effects of the demon drink and the difficulties of romantic attachments outside one's social class. The novel also gives a vivid picture of electioneering and all the barely legal shenanigans that accompany the event. Most of the action takes place in a village of Barsetshire and a country house not far off.When their father dies, Doctor Thomas Thorne and his younger, ne'er-do-well brother Henry are left to fend for themselves. Doctor Thorne begins to establish a medical practice, while Henry seduces Mary Scatcherd, the sister of stonemason Roger Scatcherd. When Scatcherd finds out that Mary has become pregnant, he seeks out Henry and kills him in a fight.While her brother is in prison, Mary gives birth to a girl. A former suitor offers to marry her and emigrate to the United States to start a new life but refuses to take the baby. Doctor Thorne persuades her to accept the generous offer, promising to raise his niece. He names her Mary Thorne but wishing neither to have her illegitimacy made public nor to have her associate with the uncouth Roger Scatcherd, he keeps her birth secret. He tells Scatcherd that the baby had died.After his release, Scatcherd rises quickly in the world as a railway project undertaker. In time, his skills make him extremely rich. When he completes a seemingly-impossible important project on time, he is made a baronet for his efforts. Throughout his career, he entrusts his financial affairs to Doctor Thorne. When Thorne becomes the family doctor to the Greshams, he persuades Scatcherd to lend ever growing sums to the head of the family, the local squire, who has troubles managing his finances. Eventually, much of the Gresham estate is put up as collateral. - Summary by WikipediaNow read on . . .
47 episodes
This story ran as a serial in 1852 in the New York Sunday Dispatch, and for more than 160 years was buried in obscurity, unknown to the world as novel written by Walt Whitman. Zachary Turpin, a graduate student specializing in Whitman's works, had seen in his notes a sketch of a novel including the characters Covert, Wigglesworth, Smytthe and Jack Engle, but no work including these characters had ever been found. After poring over endless pages of newspapers of the era however, Turpin found this advertisement for an upcoming serial:
“A RICH REVELATION. --This week's SUNDAY DISPATCH will contain the LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF JACK ENGLE, an auto-biography, in which will be handled the Philosophy, Philanthropy, Pauperism, Law, Crime, Love, Matrimony, Morals, &c., which are characteristic of this great City at the present time, including the Manners and Morals of Boarding Houses, some scenes from Church History, Operations in Wall-st., with graphic Sketches of Men and Women as they appear to the public, and as they appear in other scenes not public. Read it and you will find some familiar cases and characters, with explanations necessary to properly understand what it is all about.”
And on finding those lines, Turpin unearthed the treasure.
The story is told in the first person by Jack Engle and has the feel of a Dickens tale set in New York City, with its rags to riches story and lively and engaging characters. (Margaret Espaillat)
11 episodes
Judah Leib Gordon was born to well-to-do Jewish parents who owned a hotel in Vilnius, Lithuania. He took a leading part in the modern revival of the Hebrew language and culture. His satires did much to rouse the Russian Jews to a new sense of the reality of life, and Gordon was the apostle of enlightenment in the Ghettos. His Hebrew style is classical and pure. Much of his poetry revolves around biblical and historical themes. His works were intended to disseminate Enlightenment values and had a profound impact on Jewish life. Many feel his romantic works lack the same militancy as his poetic works, though his advocacy resurfaces in his realistic novels. Two Days and One Night in a Hotel, first published in 1868, is set in a shtetl (a small Jewish village in Eastern Europe), where life was full of contradictions. (Summary by Wikipedia and Omri Lernau)
9 episodes
Following a shipwreck Stella is preparing to die but is unexpectedly rescued. A love triangle of an unusual sort develops where an inventor of the mobile phone, back in 1900, who is engaged, becomes involved with a woman who has a passionate mystical influence on him. The story explores the nature of death and how we should look forward to it as being a great step to a greater world. (Patrick79 )
25 episodes
Manon Lescaut es uno de los romances mas intensos de la Literatura, un recorrido intrincado por la pasión, la virtud y la razón en un tramo en el que todo evoluciona como un torrente desbocado, un rio bravo en el que nadie puede aguantar con los pies firmes ni mantener el rumbo hacia un destino seguro, pero tampoco quiere abandonar un barco que avanza irremediablemente hacia el desastre.
Una obra deliciosa y terrible que ha inspirado dos óperas, varias películas y series de televisión. La eterna historia de un amor loco en el que todo lo consume un fuego abrasador llamado Manon. (Ramón Higueras)
13 episodes
Esta obra narra la vida de David Copperfield desde su infancia hasta la madurez. El padre de David muere seis meses antes de que él naciera, y siete años después, su madre se vuelve a casar, pero David y su padrastro no se llevan bien, y DAvid es enviado por ello a un internado. A medida que David va labrando su vida, nos encontramos con una deslumbrante variedad de amigos, compañeros, familiares, el amor, los celos,la miseria, la avaricia, la traición, unos personajes inolvidables y otros que no querremos recordar, hasta el descubrimiento, al final de su vida, de una felicidad completa. (Resumen de Basquetteur)
61 episodes
The Markets of Paris is a remarkable work, and is the one which Zola calls his very best novel, and of which he is far more proud than of any others in his Rougon-Marquart series – prouder than of L’Assommoir. It must have been in his early manhood, when poor and friendless, he lived among the people, that much of the information which makes these pages so startlingly vivid, was acquired. How many mornings, long before dawn, must he have visited these markets – how many hours and days must he have spent there, to have mastered the habits, manners and ways of these people, who are a class by themselves, and of whom we do not lose sight, from the beginning to the end of the book. He introduces us to the Parisian charcutier – the cook shop – and in La Belle Lina, the mistress of the establishment, we find the sister of Gervaise, the woman who stirred the depths of our hearts with pity, in L’Assommoir. In truth The Markets of Paris stands as utterly alone in modern French literature, as it is distinct and apart, from any other work even by Zola himself. It is a book for all to read.
- Summary by Carolin
14 episodes
"If, two years ago, when I was sixteen, I hadn’t wanted money to buy a white frock with roses on it, which I saw in Selfridge’s window, a secret crisis between the United States and Mexico would have been avoided; and the career of a splendid soldier would not have been broken.”
Read here what happened to the girl, the soldier, and the white frock. - Summary by Carolin
25 episodes
Arkady Dolgoruky, is a 19-year-old intellectual. He is the illegitimate son of a landowner and dreams to become rich. In his quest to fulfil his dream, he meets people who teach him many kinds of ideologies. Thus, the work reflects Russian society. - Summary by Stav Nisser and Wikipedia.
32 episodes
A classic Victorian sensation novel filled with romance, mystery, and murder with the emphasis on romance. -summary by Celine Major
11 episodes
A classic Victorian sensation novel filled with romance, mystery, and murder with emphasis on romance. - summary by Celine Major
12 episodes
A classic Victorian sensation novel filled with romance, mystery, and murder with emphasis on romance. - summary by Celine Major
15 episodes
Eunice and Helena are sisters brought up by their father, the Reverend Abel Gracedieu. They grow up quietly and happily, until some dark secrets about their past come to light. One of the daughters is adopted: her mother was executed for murdering her husband. When the murdered husband's mistress and brother both enter the picture, a series of events is set into motion to finally reveal the truth. Which of the two young women must confront her difficult heritage? - Summary by Carolin
65 episodes
Kein geringerer als Dante Alighieri wird hier zum Erzähler. Am Fürstenhof in Verona gibt er seine Geschichte über den Mönch Astorre zum Besten, der, um seinem sterbenden Vater den letzten Willen zu gewähren, sein Mönchsgelübde bricht und heiratet, obwohl er dazu im Inneren keineswegs bereit ist. Er glaubt, einen richtigen Entschluss gefasst zu haben, als er sich mit Diana, der Witwe seines Bruders, verlobt. Doch das für ihn völlig neue weltliche Leben stellt ihn vor Bewährungsproben... - Summary by Eva K.
13 episodes
Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness?
A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)
42 episodes
Honora Klaper is beautiful, distinguished, smart, and charming. A woman who turns heads. She is on an errand. No, it is not an errand to get a man. No, it is not an errand to make money. It is a revolutionary errand: to get an education! Not just "an education", she wants to be educated in Cambridge University. Set in a time when education of women was uncommon, and written by a lady who was educated in Cambridge herself, this book tells about the rewards and the struggles of a woman to win an education. - Summary by Stav Nisser.
23 episodes
The Precipice is a story of the romantic rivalry among three men, condemning nihilism as subverting the religious and moral values of Russia. It was originally published in 1869 in Vestnik Evropy. Later critics came to see it as the final part of a trilogy, each part introducing a character typical of Russian high society of a certain period: first Aduev ("A Common Story"), then Oblomov ("Oblomov"), and finally Raisky, a gifted man, his artistic development halted by "lack of direction". According to scholar S. Mashinsky, as a social epic, The Precipice was superior to both A Common Story and Oblomov. Goncharov considered The Precipice to be his best work, in which he managed to realize his artistic ambition to the full. "Dreams and aspirations of Raisky for me sound like a sonorous chord, praising a Woman, Motherland, God and love," he wrote in a letter to Mikhail Stasyulevich. ( summary by tovarisch, based on Wikipedia articles)
38 episodes
A fast-paced old time western. Squint Taylor, a rancher and long time resident of Dawes, is challenged by a crooked newcomer for the position of mayor. Through unscrupulous dealings carried on by a crooked Carrington, Squint lis cheated out of winning the mayoral election. Taylor, and some honest citizens fight to retake the town from the Carrington crowd. Of course, it wouldn’t be a true western without one of the main characters being a beautiful young woman. (Summary by Richard Kilmer)
35 episodes
A convoluted tale of espionage. This entertaining story is set in World War I. It has interesting characters. and I found my sympathies equally divided between the spy and his relentless pursuer. In my opinion, one of Oppenheim’s best. (Summary by Richard Kilmer)
28 episodes
Written by one of the most prolific authors of the 19th century The Fatal Three although not as sensational as some of her other novels serves up some very fascinating characters. It also raises some very interesting questions regarding moral & religious education, Victorian marriage laws, mental illness and how one's upbringing can determine one's fate.
Delightful country homes and exquisite scenery provide the usual perfect backdrop for this enjoyable read by Mary Elizabeth Braddon. - Summary by Celine Major
25 episodes
Ever since 1759, when Voltaire wrote "Candide" in ridicule of the notion that this is the best of all possible worlds, this world has been a gayer place for readers. Voltaire wrote it in three days, and five or six generations have found that its laughter does not grow old. - Summary by Philip Littell
31 episodes
אריה "בעל גוף" הוא סיפור קצר מאת חיים נחמן ביאליק והיצירה הראשונה שפרסם בפרוזה. הסיפור התפרסם בהמשכים בכתב העת הספרותי השילוח בשנת 1899. דמותו של אריה מבוססת כנראה על אדם אמיתי שחי בעיר הולדתו ז'יטומיר.
"Arye Ba'al Guf" is a short story by Hayyim Nachman Bialik and the first work he published in prose. The story was published serially in the literary journal Shiloah in 1899. The figure of Arye is probably based on a real person who lived in the city of his birth, Zhytomyr, Ukraine. (Summary by Omri Lernau)
11 episodes
The vain, flirtatious and presumptuous husband hunting Mrs. Barnaby delves into high-class society of which she knows very little leading to some rather awkward and moments and ridiculous mistakes. Add the love and distresses of her lovely and demure niece Agnes, Mrs. Trollope's sharp wit, and you have the perfect recipe for a lighthearted Victorian romance. (Celine Major)
42 episodes
The Garden God: A Tale of Two Boys is Forrest Reid’s tender, bracingly tragic reflection on adolescence, pantheism, Platonism, and homoerotic desire. A classic of “Uranian” literature, it tells the story of Graham Iddesleigh, a fifteen year old boy whose early childhood is spent in cloistered seclusion. He idles his time roaming his family’s idyllic country estate, fantasizing about an imagined friendship with an ancient Greek god. But all this changes when his father sends him off to boarding school. Once there, Graham soon meets the ethereal Harold Brocklehurst, a fellow schoolboy who is an exact double of Graham’s imaginary friend. Thus begins an unforgettable love and friendship that shapes and reinvigorates both boys—but can their bond withstand the sudden and inexplicable strike of tragedy? - Summary by ChuckW
13 episodes
Sixteen Christmas stories or essays. (David Wales)
16 episodes
Guy Mannering is a young astrologer, just down from Oxford. While travelling in Scotland, he loses his way and unexpectedly comes to stay at Ellangowan, just as the son of Godfrey Bertram is born. Guy Mannering consults the stars to tell the fortune of the new-born, but as the boy is destined to face much danger in his life, Mannering decides not to alarm the new parents just yet. He seals his predictions in a letter and instructs Betram to open it when the boy is five years old. But even a learned astrologer could not have foreseen how the fates of Guy Mannering and the Bertram family are intertwined.. - Summary by Carolin
61 episodes
Fresh from school, mistreated and neglected by her father and stepmother, sixteen-year-old Dawn consents to marry a friend of her father's whom she has only met, but the wedding does not go as planned. Scared and confused, she runs away after the ceremony. Many adventures follow lovely and resourceful Dawn on her journey to becoming an independent woman. - Summary by karlkzumich
28 episodes
EXCERPT: The existence of Mrs. Barnaby (this name is once more used as the one by which our heroine has hitherto been best known), the existence of Mrs. Barnaby, up to the hour in which she pledged her vows to Major Allen, before the altar of the principal church in Sydney, had, on the whole, been a very happy one. She had, in fact, very keenly enjoyed many things, which persons less fortunately constituted might have considered as misfortunes and to the amiable and well-disposed reader a continuation of the history of such a mind can hardly fail of being useful as an encouragement and example.
35 episodes
