Showing results by narrator "Peter Joyce" in All Categories

Written in 1926... and published posthumously [without the authors customary revision] in 1930, The Virgin and the Gypsy is a minor masterpiece in short story writing. It provides an excellent introduction to Lawrence’s work, being a succinct distillation of his ideas about sexuality and its ability to transcend class barriers.

This painfully funny slice of Cuban-American life in the suburbs is a cross between a Hispanic soap opera and an ethnic comedy with political overtones. This deft play can turn serious or silly in an instant and you’ll need a scorecard to keep track of the cascading and frequently arboreous calamities. A full-cast performance featuring: Max Casella, Peter Michael Goetz, Valerie Harper, Alexuna Lambros, Anna Sophie Loewenberg, Jonathan Silverman, and Joyce Van Patten.

Visions have always been...my pasture. I almost think there is no wisdom comparable to that of exchanging the realities of life for dreams. Old castles, old pictures, old histories take one back into centuries that cannot disappoint. I waked one morning from a dream of which all I could recover was that I had thought myself in an ancient castle and that on the uppermost banister of a great staircase I saw a gigantic hand in armour. In the evening I sat down to write, without knowing in the least what I intended to say or relate.

A Master of Craft was written in 1900. It was said of W.W.Jacobs that he was one of the few writers who succeeded in being deliberately humorous. In this yarn, dedicated to his wife, he tells of marital mishap and misadventure among mariners in the East End of London. Will Poppy Tyrell find happiness? What are the dark secrets of Cap’n Flower? Rest assured that all will be revealed and there will be a happy ending.

"This story is the record of a struggle between two temperaments, two consciences and almost two epochs. It ended, as was inevitable, in disruption. Of the two human beings here described, one was born to fly backward, the other could not help being carried forward. The affection of these two persons was assailed by forces in comparison with which the changes that health or fortune or place introduce are as nothing.

Dr. Wortle's School... is Trollope's most merciless attack on the false moralising and hypocrisy of the Victorian age. When Dr. Wortle, in good faith, hires a couple as teacher and matron at his school, scandal about their marriage is subsequently brought to light. Will the doctor submit to the social pressures brought to bear on him by the gossip, the local newspaper and the bishop or hold true to his humanism, perhaps losing his respect, school and livelihood as a result?

O. Henry was the greatest short-story writer of his day. His characters may be from America at the turn of the century, but their foibles and eccentricities are known to us all, irrespective of culture or time. This selection includes such classics as: 'The Gift of the Magi', 'A Service of Love', 'Makes the Whole World Kin', 'Let Me Feel Your Pulse', and, of course, 'Between Rounds'.

It is 1899. Old Jolyon has long since been buried at Robin Hill, and with the death of Aunt Susan in 1895 and Roger’s funeral opening this instalment of the Saga, the Forsytes are fast becoming aware of their mortality. Yet more problems beset the family.

Arthur Morrison... grew up in the East End of London and was familiar with life on the dockside. He tells the story of ‘The Hole in the Wall’ through the eyes of young Stephen Kemp, taken to live with his grandfather after the death of his mother. Nat Kemp is determined to keep his grandson apart from the seamier side of the Docklands but Stephen has a natural inquisitiveness that will not be quelled.

This is Volume Three of the greatest romantic narrative novel of the early 19th century. John Halifax, Gentleman, tells the story of an orphan boy whose first words in the story are “Sir, I want work; may I earn a penny?” By hard work, diligent study and an unshakeable faith in his God John attains wealth and happiness, despite much hardship and heartbreak throughout his life.

One of Henry James’ main themes was the interaction between the Old World and the New. Restless Baroness Eugenia Munster and her charming bohemian brother Felix are visiting their American cousins in Boston, New England. The effect these two extravagant characters have on their austere Puritan relations forms the substance of the book and is told in a series of scenes or ‘sketches’.

Jon and his mother go to Spain. The son manages to curtail the visit after six weeks.Meanwhile, Jolyon strengthens his relationship with his eldest daughter, June, who reveals that she sympathises with the young lovers. It is June who helps Fleur in her search for the history of the feud within the family. Prosper Profond, who continues to ingratiate himself with the Forsyte clan, inadvertently discloses the truth.

As Jolyons condition worsens he writes a letter to Jon explaining the history of the feud, intending to use it only as a last resort. The boy eventually reads his father’s ‘confession’ and Jolyon is brought down by the stress. The young Mont continues to pay court to Fleur. Soames, hedging his bets, researches the boy’s background and finds that an alliance with the nobility might have its attractions.

Mr. Reuben Wray, a retired actor who has had little public success, flees Stratford-upon-Avon fearing pursuit by the police. He arrives in Tidbury in the Marsh and sets up shop teaching elocution. Two local villains notice he carries a rather large cash box and attempt to steal the contents. When their plans come to naught and they exact their revenge Mr. Wray is left devastated and it takes Annie, his granddaughter, and her intended, Martin, to rectify the situation.

A wonderfully evocative tale of the courtship of Fancy Day, newly arrived schoolmistress, by Dick Dewy, carrier of goods, during the four seasons of one year in Wessex. Most of Hardy’s work had tragedy woven into the narrative but ‘Under the Greenwood Tree’ is full of whimsy and good humour. The story is not without its serious comment, however, as Hardy reflects on class division and the disappearance of heritage in the rural community.

In this, the second collection of Hornungs’ stories to be recorded by Assembled Stories, the darker side of Raffles is laid bare. Inspector Mackenzie begins to suspect that the finest cricketer of his generation may not be wielding a straight bat, a suspicion further confirmed by the appearance of Reginald Crawshay, master criminal, late residence HM Prison, Dartmoor, at Raffles’ rooms at the Albany.

A compelling drama and a merciless scrutiny of a newly monied upper-middle-class family at the turn of the 20th century, The Forsyte Saga has a sumptuous range of characters. If you have enjoyed The Forsyte Saga on television in the past, you will be familiar with this engrossing story; if not, prepare to be completely captivated and engaged by one of the best tales ever told.

The Forsyte feud continues into the next generation with Jolly and Val involved in a drunken bout of fisticuffs.Soames continues to pursue Irene driving her to seek refuge in Paris. Believing that she has a lover, he puts her under surveillance to obtain evidence. Jolyon travels to Paris on the pretext of discussing business and he and Irene spend some time together unaware their movements are being watched.

This is Volume one of the greatest romantic narrative novel of the early 19th Century. John Halifax, Gentleman, tells the story of an orphan boy whose first words in the story are “Sir, I want work; may I earn a penny?” By hard work, diligent study and an unshakeable faith in his God John attains wealth and happiness, despite much hardship and heartbreak throughout his life.

Emily Eden was the daughter of the 1st Baron Auckland, a close confidant of Pitt. She was thus well placed to observe the manners and mores of nineteenth century aristocracy. A huge admirer of Jane Austen, her works reflect this in their perception, tongue in cheek humour and benevolence toward the victims of her pen. 'The Semi Attached Couple' is a revealing insight of attitudes and customs within marriage.