A sequel to Henry Esmond, the novel is set, as is much of its precursor, chiefly in colonial Virginia. The Virginians follows the life of the family and descendants of Henry Esmond of Castlewood, Virginia. Although Esmond’s grandsons take opposing positions during the American Revolution, they reconcile after the... read more »
There is an old myth of a hero who renewed his strength each time he touched the earth, and finally was overcome by being raised in the air and crushed. Whether or not the Angles risked a like fate as they raised themselves away from the primitive virtues that had been their life and strength, no one can tell; but... read more »
Hailed by George Bernard Shaw as "one of the summits of human achievement," Butler's autobiographical account of a harsh upbringing and troubled adulthood satirizes Victorian hypocrisy in its chronicle of the life and loves of Ernest Pontifex. Along the way, it offers a powerful indictment of 19th-century England's... read more »
The story is set in England, France, and Spain, in the years during the Hundred Years' War (1366/67), against the background of the campaign of Edward, the Black Prince to restore Peter of Castile to the throne of the Kingdom of Castile. The climax of the book occurs before the Battle of Nájera. Doyle became... read more »
Following her marriage to Michael Mont, Fleur Forsyte throws herself into the Roaring 20s with the rest of London and takes life as it comes. But her marriage is haunted by the ghost of a past love affair, and however vibrant Fleur appears, those closest to her sense her unhappiness. Michael, devoted to Fleur but... read more »
The Young Buglers, A Tale of the Peninsular War is a book by British author G.A. Henty. It was published by Blackie and Son Ltd, London. It tells of the Peninsula War through the eyes of two orphaned brothers, Tom and Peter Scudamore. (source: Wikipedia) read more »
The Young Lovell is a romance of the Borders. The date is towards the end of the 15th Century, running up to the beginnings of the reformation, through it isn't in that sense concerned with religion. The action takes place in Northumberland and the strory contains any number of things concerning 'The Percy out of... read more »
To Let, the final volume of the Forsyte Trilogy, chronicles the continuing feuds of the two factions within the troubled Forsyte family. The shadow of the past returns to haunt the lives of a new generation, as Irene's son Jon falls in love with Soames's daughter Fleur with tragic consequences. Soames Forsyte has... read more »
Two decades have passed since the famous swordsmen triumphed over Cardinal Richelieu and Milady in The Three Musketeers. Time has weakened their resolve, and dispersed their loyalties. But treasons and strategems still cry out for justice: civil war endangers the throne of France, while in England, Cromwell... read more »
The fourth and final volume of the Herries Chronicles is a love story of 'effortless brilliance' which starts with the triumph of Judith Paris's hundredth birthday in the 1870's and then moves to the tragic disillusionment of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Set, predominantly, as before, amidst the grandeur... read more »
Monsieur le Vicomte is a remarkable man - not least because, for all concerned, he had been guillotined along with numerous French aristocrats. Yet by some twist of fate he managed to escape and seek refuge in Turin, out of the jurisdiction of the French authorities. But by an even more perverse twist of fate, he is... read more »
The most famous—and perhaps greatest—novel of all time, Tolstoy’s War and Peace tells the story of five families struggling for survival during Napoleon’s invasion of Russia.Among its many unforgettable characters is Prince Andrey Bolkonsky, a proud, dashing man who, despising the artifice of high society... read more »
Waverley is set during the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745, which sought to restore the Stuart dynasty in the person of Charles Edward Stuart (or 'Bonnie Prince Charlie'). It relates the story of a young dreamer and English soldier, Edward Waverley, who was sent to Scotland in 1745. He journeys North from his... read more »
Set in 1938, this novel tells the story of the Corbetts, a family preparing for the coming war. As the world begins to collapse around them, they decide to chance their one means of escape and take to their small yacht on the Solent. Peter Corbett, a local lawyer, his wife, Joan, and their three children make the... read more »
One of Melville’s most popular novels, White-Jacket is both a brisk sea adventure and a powerful social critique, which also contains some of Melville's best black humor (particularly the hilarious Surgeon of the Fleet episode). In 1843, after three years of voyaging in the South Seas, Melville signed up as an... read more »
The Crown Prince is partly right; the majority in the world is against him and what he stands for; but not against Germany and the Germans. read more »
Set against the religious struggles and civil wars of seventeenth century Scotland, John Buchan's gripping atmospheric tale in the spirit of Stevenson and Neil Munro. As a moderate presbyterian minister, young David Sempill disputes with the extremists of his faith, as all around, the defeated remnants of Montrose's... read more »
This powerful novel, a "Polish Gone with the Wind", is set in the 17th century and follows the struggle of the kingdom of Poland to maintain its unity in the face of the Cossack-led peasant rebellion. It was initially serialized in several Polish newspapers, chapters appearing in weekly instalments. It gained... read more »
From the creator of exciting, historically accurate fiction for young readers comes this tale of loyalty and courage in 11th-century Britain. Wulf and his best friend, Beorn, fight bravely for their Saxon king capturing castles, rescuing shipwrecked survivors, repelling Viking invaders, and fighting the Battle of... read more »