Showing results by author "ciesse" in All Categories

This is a collection of 26 selections, both fiction and nonfiction, in which each topic begins with a different letter of the alphabet.

Forced into marriage to a man who is older and wealthier, young Theodora Fitzgerald contemplates her fate in love, until she meets and falls in love with another. - Summary by Amy Deuchler

The epigram to this work from Christoher Marlowe applies to the plot of this story: "My men like satyrs grazing on the lawns / Shall with their goat-feet dance the antic hay." The plot follows Huxley and his cohorts in a search for meaning and hope and love in post WWI London.

One of the most famous Italian books in history, The Betrothed was written by Alessandro Manzoni in 1827. The two main characters, Renzo and Lucy, are engaged to be married when Lucy tragically disappears. Little does Renzo know that Lucy has been kidnapped by a criminal, The Unnamed, feared by all the people of Northern Italy, where the story is set. Despite the threat of death and the fear of never laying eyes on one another again, Renzo and Lucy maintain a deep love for each other throughout the book that displays the true sacrifice and commitment of marriage. The book was recommended by ...

The unconventional Scotland Yard detective Angel Esquire is no fool to be hoodwinked by the murder of the old crook Reale as he anticipates the coup that follows. Jimmy is unconventional too but at the other side of the law and what follows is the nail-biting adventure. - Summary by Yoganandh T

This collection recognizes Black History Month, February 2007. Two excellent resources for public domain African American writing are African American Writers (Bookshelf) and The Book of American Negro Poetry, edited by James Weldon Johnson. Johnson's collection inspired the Harlem Renaissance generation to establish a firm African-American literary tradition in the United States. (Summary by Alan)

Despite its optimistic title, Shakespeare's All's Well That Ends Well has often been considered a "problem play." Ostensibly a comedy, the play also has fairy tale elements, as it focuses on Helena, a virtuous orphan, who loves Bertram, the haughty son of her protectress, the Countess of Rousillon. When Bertram, desperate for adventure, leaves Rousillon to serve in the King's army, Helena pursues him. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett)Cast:Bertram: David NicolClown: Denny SayersCountess of Rousillon: Ruth GoldingDiana: Arielle LipshawDuke of Florence: Robert FletcherFirst Gentleman: Brett W. ...

"There are some women who will brew mystery from the decoction of even a very simple life. Matilda is one of them, remarked the major to himself as he filled his pipe and settled himself before his high-piled, violet-flamed logs..."A sweet, heartfelt, old-fashioned romance. The middle-aged adults take a kindly interest in the affairs of the young people, with many having friendships across generations in a way not often seen today. Experience life with Phoebe, David, Caroline, Andrew, and the Buchanans in a small town in the Harpeth Valley, Tennessee in the early 1900s.This book reflects many ...

This is a sequel of sorts to 37 American Poems, one of my first solos. Concentration here is on late 19th to early 20th Century works by US poets. (Summary by BellonaTimes)

« L'Aiguille creuse » est l'emplacement secret du Trésor des rois de France. Découvert par Arsène Lupin, un jeune étudiant Isodore Beautrelet s'emploie à le retrouver à son tour.La joute entre ces deux personnages, qui se respectent et s'apprécient, se déroule sur les terres de Normandie.Résumé par Bidou

Here are 37 distinctively American poems, covering the mid-17th - early 20th Centuries, from Anne Bradstreet to Dorothy Parker's sole PD work. (Summary by BellonaTimes)

This book of favorite fairy tales was compiled and illustrated by Peter Newell. it includes Jack The Giant Killer; Cinderella; Sleeping Beauty; Little Red Riding Hood; Aladin and the Wonderful Lamp, The Ugly Duckling, Beauty and the Beast, Snow White and Rose Red, The Wild Swans, Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves, and 4 others that are not so famous. The stories included were based upon the those that various famous men remembered as their favorites when children(Summary by Phil Chenevert)

Love fairy tales? We all do, and here are some of our "Favorite Fairy Tales." Come join us to the land of China to hear the story of "Aladdin", hear about Jack and how he climbs to treasure in "Jack and the Beanstalk," come to the woods and eat a candy house in "Hansel and Gretel." And there are so many more to listen to! - Summary by T. CraftAdditional editing by afutterer

This book, written in the mid 19th century and illustrated by Charles H. Bennett, provides an entertaining introduction to topics in science for children. In each chapter, the author uses a popular myth or fairy tale to lay the groundwork for an equally fascinating "fairy tale of science" full of interesting facts and real life examples. (Summary by J. M. Smallheer)

The stories in this collection come from the oral traditions of the people from Swaziland, Matabeleland (Ndebele people) and Zululand in South Africa. The authors, Mrs. E. J. Bourhill and Mrs. J. B. Drake, or more properly the collectors and editors of the stories assert that: "All the stories in this book are real Fairy Tales, just as much as Jack the Giant-killer or The Sleeping Beauty. By this I mean that they are traditional, handed down by word of mouth. Nobody knows how old they are, or who told them first." The stories are full of witches and magicians and monsters, as well as heroes ...

The quiet country life of the Caxton family is interrupted by a visit to London. There the son, Pisistratus, is offered the position of secretary to a leader in Parliament. That parliamentarian's wife was loved as a girl by both Pisistratus' father and uncle; but she had passed them both by to make a marriage better suited to an ambitious woman. By a freak of fate, Pisistratus now falls in love with her daughter Fannie. Meanwhile, Pisistratus' uncle is estranged from his own son. Between each person's pride, the rift doesn't seem possible to settle. Pisistratus does what he can to heal the ...

A collection of short, sweet fairy tales from Brazil, including How the Tiger Got His Stripes, and Why The Bananas Belong to the Monkey. - Summary by Beth Thomas

This is a collection of well known fairy tales by various authors, including the Brothers Grimm, Charles Perrault and many others. (Summary by Elli)

This book, subtitled "How and Why Tales from Brazilian Folk-Lore", is a collection of short stories, most of them etiologial myths from Brazilian Indian Folklore. (Summary by Leni)

This collection of fairy tales include many that you may never have heard of. Published in 1884, Andersen obviously enjoyed putting many unique stories in it that he found fun to tell and listen to but which may not have been known to his growing audience of children and people. The short life of Hans Christian Anderson that starts the book will be included in this recording, even though it was written by the editor and not by Anderson. - Summary by phil chenevert