Showing results by author "ciesse" in All Categories

The Bachelors' Club is a sanctuary for an elite group of London's unmarried men to gather. To qualify as a Bachelor, each had to undergo a strict background check to ensure that they were not only unmarried, but a zealot in the movement that held marriage to be an undue punishment...upon women. As our story goes, we learn many revealing things about these men's convictions and pasts, as well as insightful commentaries on life and society in 1890 that is markedly similar to today. Summary by Keith Salis

Pretty but socially clueless Bernice lets her know-it-all cousin push her around, but eventually, something's gotta give! (Introduction by BellonaTimes)

"Alice au Pays des Merveilles," publié originellement par Lewis Carroll en 1865 comme "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," fut traduit en 1869 par Henri Bué. Histoire de fantaisie, il s'agit d'une jeune fille, Alice, qui tombe dans un trou de lapin, et se trouve tout d'un coup dans un monde de merveilles. Là, elle rencontre plusieurs personnages curieux, comme le chat du Cheshire, le Chapelier, le Lièvre de Mars, Humpty Dumpty, la Fausse-tortue, la Reine de Coeurs, parmi d'autres. Pas destiné d'origine à se faire livre d'enfants, Alice s'embrouille dans un monde cauchemardesque, peuplé ...

Es findet ein großes Diner statt im Hause des Kommerzienrates Rosenthal v. Muffelseck, und unter den geladenen Gästen befindet sich auch der Geheimrat von Schatz. Der Geheimrat ist Gastrosoph, d.h., er sieht ein Gastmahl wie dieses als eine hohe Kunst, die mit einem Theaterstück vergleichbar ist. Zwischen den Geschmacksexplosionen bei Tische wendet er sich außerdem noch seiner Tischnachbarin, der schönen Gräfin Erlach zu, deren Hand er sich fast so sehr wünscht wie den nächsten Gang. Die Gräfin ist jedoch weniger an einer Partie für sich selbst interessiert als daran, die Tochter des...

"Sometimes, in a mood of Spanish castles, there flits across my fancy the vision of an ancient city on a hill-top, with lofty battlements thrust upward from the rock and towers that stand on tip-toe…. Our stage is the square of this ancient city, seen dimly in the night.... The time of our play is remote and I choose to think the world is flat, that comets are of evil prophecy and witches still ride on the windy moon...." Published in the same book as "Wappin' Wharf: A Frightful Comedy of Pirates", this story is subtitled "A Frightful Comedy of Beggars". The play describes skulduggery at the...

The estimable gentleman, Chunder Bindabun Bhosh, ESQ., B.A., travels from his native India to England, with his impeccable English and manners, which immediately mark him as a foreigner, and embarks on an enviable program of escapades. These stories are the product of the fertile imagination of Hurry Bungsho Jabberjee, B.A., a nom de plume for the humorist F. Anstey, which is a further nom de plume for Thomas Anstey Guthrie. Whether rescuing a nubile maiden from a charging bull or falling in love with said nubile maiden, Mr. Bosh, B. A. cannot help but perform with the requisite humor to ...

This begins with an odd inheritance at the end of a honeymoon, both parties being inexperienced. Then someone comes to visit, then another, until we've got a chaotic bedlam of New England's tragically off the wall odd-ball relations. Our protagonists may not communicate efficiently at first but at least they've got a sense of humour. The humourous style keeps up as well as some moments of lustre and rich feeling about the printed word itself. (Introduction by D. Wor)

Another delightful example of an English writer poking fun at his countrymen, or maybe all races' reactions to someone from a different background.A series of adventures of a well educated foreigner in London which originally appeared weekly in Punch, sometimes with illustrations, dealing with the difficulties of fully understanding a different culture.The hero's perfect English reminds one of a quote from "My Fair Lady" ..."His English is too good, he said, "that clearly indicates that he is Foreign. Whereas other people are instructed in their native language English people aren't." (Summary...

The pieces gathered into this volume were, with two exceptions, written for the entertainment of a private circle, without any view to publication. The editor would express her thanks to the writers, who, at her solicitation, have allowed them to be printed. They are published with the hope of aiding a work of charity,—the establishment of an Agency for the benefit of the poor in Cambridge,—to which the proceeds of the sale will be devoted. (Summary by Anne W. Abbot, ed)

Following Anne of Green Gables, the book covers the second chapter in the life of Anne Shirley. Anne of Avonlea follows Anne from the age of 16 to 18, during the two years that she teaches at Avonlea school. It includes many of the characters from Anne of Green Gables, as well new ones like Mr Harrison, Miss Lavendar Lewis, Paul Irving, and the twins Dora and Davy. (Summary from Wikipedia.org)

Published in 1910, the young sisters, Barbara and Mollie Thurston, are being invited by their skilled friend, Ruth Stuart, to go on a real-life adventure in a motor car, for Ruth is a girl who actually can drive a motor car, to Newport with a chaperone, Aunt Sallie, and friend Grace Carter. Horse shenanigans come into play as well as protecting themselves from a burglary. Many hopes arise in their revels as well as wondering if or when women shall get “the vote”. Much culminates in the upcoming tennis tournament taking place at their destination and the danger of a jewel thief amidst them,...

"Arcadian Adventures with the Idle Rich" is a work of humorous fiction by Stephen Leacock first published in 1914. It is the follow-up to his 1912 classic "Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town." Like that work, it is a sequence of interlocking stories set in one town, but instead of focusing on a small Canadian town in the countryside, it is set in a major American metropolis and its characters are the upper crust of society. Although currently not as well-known as the earlier book, "Arcadian Adventures" was extremely popular in North America at the time of its publication and for a while was ...

This is a collection of ten humorous short stories (Summary by Carolin)

The conversion of an indifferent father and mother, through the death of an only child, is well told in another story by Fr Finn, S.J. entitled Ada Merton. (Donahoe's Magazine 1897)

Lucy Maud Montgomery’s classic children’s novel, Anne of Green Gables tells the story of a red headed orphan girl with a personality you can’t help but love. Despite her “tragical” past, Anne’s optimism and imagination have helped her to always see the best in things. Anne’s life changes considerably when she is accidentally adopted by the Cuthberts, a brother and sister who thought they were getting a boy to help out on the farm. The Cuthberts decide Anne will have to be sent back to the orphange but before they know it, she has begun to work her way into their hearts. (Summary ...

This is a massive effort, taking place in England and the Middle East, with a cast of thousands... Well, not thousands, fortunately, but certainly a great many. There are three Bertrams present: Sir Lionel, his son George (our hero), and the wealthy uncle. The primary story involves the joining of two couples (following some rocky periods), and the disposal of the uncle's fortune. The more amusing bits focus on peripheral characters in the social settings of a fictional town and in travel on board ship or touring Egypt. Trollope digresses from time to time to lecture us on religion, politics, ...

Speeches: Literary and Social is a collection of speeches given by Charles Dickens in various settings, including banquets, public gatherings, and charitable events. It includes Dickens' thoughts on literature, society, and philanthropy, as well as his personal experiences as a writer and public figure. With his signature wit and charm, Dickens addresses topics such as education, poverty, and the importance of reading, while also sharing anecdotes and reflections on his own life. This book provides a fascinating glimpse into the mind and personality of one of the greatest writers in English ...

Dickens takes time off his novels to give an account of travels which he and his family undertook in France and Italy. There are vivid descriptions of the places, but also of the people and their lives. (Summary by Anthony Ogus)

Dickens portrayal of selfishness, in this case in the Chuzzlewit family. Old Martin has a great fortune, and everyone wants in on it, especially distant cousin Seth Pecksniff. Meanwhile, his grandson, young Martin, has fallen in love with his grandfather's ward Mary and is disinherited, sending young Martin on an adventure in America from which he will return a changed man. Will he win Mary? Also featuring the dastardly villain Jonas Chuzzlewit, young Martin's cousin, and the hilarious nurse/midwife Sarah Gamp, who is usually found in a state of intoxication. - Summary by Brad J Filippone

Early biography of Charles Dickens published just 17 years after Dickens' death. Summary by Colleen McMahon