Zorba, an irrepressible, earthy hedonist, sweeps his young disciple along as he wines, dines, and loves his way through a life dedicated to fulfilling his copious appetites.
Classic fiction
- Author:Kazantzakis, NikosSummary:
- Author:Tolstoy, LeoSummary:
The third and final novel in Tolstoy's Autobiographical Trilogy, following Childhood and Boyhood. In Youth, Leo Tolstoy's protagonist-now a fervent sixteen-year-old-eagerly prepares to strike out on his own. And as he does so, he begins to savor life in all its glory, both grand and miniscule. From his interactions with friends, old and new, to his perceptions of the beauty of nature, the young man has an entirely new world to look forward to. But harsh lessons are waiting to teach him that far-flung expectations are rarely fulfilled to the dreamer's specifications, and that disappointment, anger, and grief are constant foes that must be contended with if one is to truly live. Youth concludes Tolstoy's semiautobiographical trilogy, originally planned as a four-part series of novels tentatively called the "Four Epochs of Growth." The completed works together form a remarkable expression of the great Russian novelist's early voice and vision, which would ultimately make him one of the most renowned and revered authors in literary history. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
- Author:Asimov, IsaacSummary:
Two young boys find some very unusual new pets in this short story from a Grand Master of Science Fiction. Tagging along while his astronomer father visits an industrialist at his vast estate, young Slim is lucky enough to make fast friends with the industrialist's son, Red, who has recently caught some very strange animals on the property. The animals seem intelligent enough, and Red recruits Slim to help him train the odd creatures to do circus tricks. But the boys are about to discover their playthings aren't exactly animals-and they've allowed themselves to be caught for a reason...'outh is a riveting tale from the author of countless classics, including I, Robot and the Foundation Trilogy, which won the Hugo Award for Best All-Time Series. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
- Author:Brontë, EmilySummary:
On the wild moors of Yorkshire, childhood friends Catherine and Heathcliffe form a passionate bond that threatens all around them. Jealousy, vengefulness, unspeakable cruelty — this is Gothic fiction at its best. Published to mixed reviews, Brontë died not knowing that her one book would be considered the greatest of the Brontë sisters’ novels.
- Author:Gaskell, ElizabethSummary:
Secrets and scandals steer a young woman's life as she comes of age and finds love in Victorian England. Seventeen-year-old Molly Gibson has grown up under the watchful eye of her widowed father, the doctor Mr. Gibson. After one of his apprentices develops an interest in Molly, Mr. Gibson feels the only way to protect her is to send her to live with the Hamley family. With his daughter away, Gibson decides to remarry, giving Molly a new mother and sister. Although her stepmother is manipulative, Molly gains an ally in her stepsister, Cynthia, who is educated, worldly, and irresistible to just about any man she meets. Growing closer to the Hamleys and her new stepsister, Molly also finds herself mired in their scandals'and the town's gossip. If she hopes to set things right, she must risk her own reputation, as well as the man she secretly loves. By the author of Mary Barton and North and South, this is a story of love, family, and the challenges of both, as relevant today as it was in the nineteenth century.
- Author:Kipling, RudyardSummary:
Rudyard Kipling's thrilling science fiction novella follows the exploits of an intercontinental mail dirigible battling foul weather. Meanwhile, a planet-wide Aerial Board of Control enforces a rigid system of command and control in the skies and in world affairs, too. In Kipling's 1912 follow-up story, 'As Easy As A.B.C.,' set 65 years after With the Night Mail, the Aerial Board has complete control over the social and economic affairs of every nation. When a mob of disgruntled 'Serviles' in the District of Northern Illinois demands the return of democracy, the A.B.C. sends a team of troubleshooters and a fleet of 200 zeppelins to 'take such steps as might be necessary for the resumption of traffic and all that that implies.'
- Author:Barklem, JillSummary:
Step into the exquisite miniature world of the mice of Brambly Hedge in this beautiful new edition of the classic picture book. It was the middle of winter and very, very cold. The mice of Brambly Hedge forecasted snow. And they were right. In the morning they awoke to find their doors and windows hidden behind deep drifts. There hadn't been snow like this for years. "There's enough for a Snow Ball!" cried the mice with glee, and set to work in the time-honoured way to make an Ice Hall for the festivities. The little mice watched wide-eyed as all the preparations were made. Then at last everything was ready, and the Ball could begin ...
- Author:Milne, A. A.Summary:
The ten stories of Winnie-the-Pooh, performed by Peter Dennis. This is the only reading of these immortal stories authorized by A. A. Milne's son, Christopher Robin..
- Author:London, JackSummary:
After nearly starving in the desolate Yukon territory, a young wolfdog pup is taken in by a group of Native Americans and must grow into a savage and independent fighter to fend off the wolves and humans who threaten his survival. A companion to London’s other classic, Call of the Wild.
- Author:Milne, A. A.Summary:
From the unabridged collection "A.A. Milne's Pooh Classics," here are all of the poems and verses from When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six.
- Author:Haggard, H. RiderSummary:
When three adventurers, Bastin, Bickley, and Arbuthnot, are marooned on a South Sea island, they discover an ancient crystal sepulchre. Inside are two Atlanteans who have been in a state of suspended animation for 250,000 years! One of the awakened sleepers, Lord Oro, is the last of the Sons of Wisdom, a superior race who'd relied on their advanced technology to subjugate the planet's lesser peoples. The other Atlantean is Oro's daughter, Yva, heiress the title of Queen of the Earth. Unimpressed with the state of the world in the early 20th century, Oro sets out to do what he's apparently done once before: use a colossal gyroscope to drown the planet, and restart the course of human history.
- Author:Tolstoy, LeoSummary:
This epic saga of Russian life in the days of the Napoleonic wars centers on the loves and losses of five aristocratic families. Famous for its length, the novel uses the backdrop of great sociopolitical upheaval to throw into sharp relief intimately human questions. Juicy from first to last, it is a dazzling attempt to lay bare the Russian soul.
- Author:Conrad, JosephSummary:
Alone on a tropical island, a Swedish baron and a beautiful violinist discover the long-lost joys of love. But when two treasure hunters arrive on the beach, the lovers know that evil has invaded their romantic paradise -- an evil they are powerless to stop.
- Author:Postgate, RaymondSummary:
A woman is on trial for her life, accused of murder. The twelve members of the jury each carry their own secret burden of guilt and prejudice which could affect the outcome. In this extraordinary crime novel, we follow the trial through the eyes of the jurors as they hear the evidence and try to reach a unanimous verdict. Will they find the defendant guilty, or not guilty' And will the jurors' decision be the correct one' Since its first publication in 1940, Verdict of Twelve has been widely hailed as a classic of British crime writing. This edition offers a new generation of readers the chance to find out why so many leading commentators have admired the novel for so long.
- Author:Thackeray, William MakepeaceSummary:
This classic story of two nineteenth-century social climbers is the basis for countless films and TV series, and one of the UK's "Best-Loved Novels." Before the Real Housewives, there were Becky Sharp and Amelia Sedley. Ruthless and cunning, Becky may have been born in a lower class, but now that she's graduated from school, she's ready to climb up to a better life-and do whatever it takes to get there. Her friend Emmy, however, is the opposite. She may have mastered music, dancing, and embroidery like any young woman of her class, but she utterly lacks a backbone. Together these friends navigate the perils of Regency society as they search for love and happiness. Social battles are waged against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars, and when the smoke finally clears, there's no telling who will come out victorious. A satirical masterpiece, Vanity Fair was #14 on The Guardian's list of the 100 Best Novels and #122 in the BBC's "Big Read" poll for the UK's best-loved novel. It has inspired numerous adaptations, from early silent films to a 2004 movie by Mira Nair starring Reese Witherspoon as Becky.
- Author:More, ThomasSummary:
First published in 1516, during a period of astonishing political and technological change, Sir Thomas More's utopia depicts an imaginary society free of private property, sexual discrimination and religious intolerance. Utopia is the name given by Sir Thomas More to an imaginary island in this political work written in 1516. Book I of Utopia, a dialogue, presents a perceptive analysis of contemporary social, economic, and moral ills in England. Book II is a narrative describing a country run according to the ideals of the English humanists, where poverty, crime, injustice, and other ills do not exist. Locating his island in the New World, More bestowed it with everything to support a perfectly organized and happy people. The name of this fictitious place, Utopia, coined by More, passed into general usage and has been applied to all such ideal fictions, fantasies, and blueprints for the future, including works by Rabelais, Francis Bacon, Samuel Butler, and several by H.G. Wells, including his A Modern Utopia.
- Author:Conrad, JosephSummary:
This is the story of a young man unwittingly caught in the political turmoil of pre-revolutionary czarist Russia. When a bomb kills a hated Russian minister of police, along with several innocent bystanders, a young student named Razumov hides the perpetrator, who questions his moral strength and integrity.
- Author:Stowe, Harriet BeecherSummary:
Thought by many to have helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War by stirring the empathy of Northern whites for the plight of Southern slaves, this novel follows the long-suffering, deeply religious Uncle Tom through the trials of his servitude. Originally published as a weekly serial in The National Era, an abolitionist newspaper.
- Author:Joyce, JamesSummary:
Joyce records the events of a single day, June 16, 1904, in Dublin, Ireland, with its three principal characters--Stephen Dedalus, Leopold Bloom, and his wife Molly.
- Author:Stevenson, Robert LouisSummary:
When young Jim Hawkins picks a treasure map off a dead boarder, he’s drawn into a rollicking and dangerous journey filled with buccaneers and buried treasure — but, sadly, no Muppets. Stevenson’s timeless tale has inspired generations of children and countless adaptations, but few have captured the adventure and moral ambiguity of the original.