Bleak House is a satirical look at the Byzantine legal system in London as it consumes the minds and talents of the greedy and nearly destroys the lives of innocents--a contemporary tale indeed. Dickens's tale takes us from the foggy dank streets of London and the maze of the Inns of Court to the peaceful countryside of England. Likewise, the ...more
The classic depiction of the harsh realities of American life, the dark side of the American Dream, and one man's doomed pursuit of love and success... "Mr. Dreiser is not imitative and belongs to no school. He is at heart a mysticist and a fatalist, though using the realistic method. He is, on the evidence of this novel alone, a power."-The New Yo...more
Widely regarded as Dickens’s masterpiece, Bleak House centers on the generations-long lawsuit Jarndyce and Jarndyce, through which “whole families have inherited legendary hatreds.” Focusing on Esther Summerson, a ward of John Jarndyce, the novel traces Esther’s romantic coming-of-age and, in classic Dickensian style, the gr...more
A tremendous bestseller when it was published in 1925, An American Tragedy is the culmination of Theodore Dreiser's elementally powerful fictional art. Taking as his point of departure a notorious murder case of 1910, Dreiser immersed himself in the social background of the crime to produce a book that is both a remarkable work of reportage and a m...more
From one of the most beloved and bestselling writers of romantic fiction in the world...Sabrina is young, lovely, and possesses a sparkling wit, but she feels dreadfully out of place in London Society. Luckily, Ophelia, the daughter of a family friend, has been chosen to usher Sabrina through the all-important first season.Even less keen to be in L...more
The many wondrous gifts of Johanna Lindsey -- her fiery and endearing characters, her enthralling stories, her ingenious blending of Passion, wit, and emotion -- are all on glorious display in this unforgettable tale about an unwanted title and an unexpected love.Has anyone in London ever taken part in the coming-out season with less enthusiasm tha...more
With an Introduction and Notes by Doreen Roberts, University of Kent at Canterbury Bleak House is one of Dickens' finest achievements, establishing his reputation as a serious and mature novelist, as well as a brilliant comic writer. It is at once a complex mystery story that fully engages the reader in the work of detection, and an unforgettab...more
Written in 1814, Mansfield Park is one of Jane Austen's most complex and fascinating achievements. This is a story of richness of character over the flash of personality, of innocence and substance winning out over worldly superficiality. This repackaged edition features a new Introduction by noted authority Margaret Drabble.