Banished from his own lands by a usurping brother, Prospero and his daughter Miranda have been living on a deserted island for years, until fate brings the brother within the range of Prospero’s powers. Will he seek revenge, or reconcilement? More great books at LoyalBooks.com
Tags: audio books, audiobook, Comedy, Dramatic Works, ebooks, free audio books, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, play, The Tempest, William Shakespeare
Eleven year old Rebecca Rowena Randall travels to Riverboro, Maine, to live with her spinster aunts, Jane and Miranda Sawyer. Her father has been dead for three years and her mother is unable to cope with her brood of seven growing children. Rebecca is being sent to her aunts’ farm to try to improve her prospects in life and also ease the family’s burden. The aunts had actually wanted her older and more placid sister, Hannah, who is more handy round the house to be sent, but Rebecca’s mother sends the dreamy, more imaginative Rebecca instead. Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin was published in 1903. The fictional town of Riverboro is based on Hollis, Maine, where the author herself spent her childhood. Kate Douglas Wiggin’s life took a monumental turn with a chance encounter – her unexpected meeting with Charles Dickens on a train when she was 11 years old. She engaged the famous author in a lively chat that she later described in a memoir A Child’s Journey with Dickens published in 1912. She began writing to supplement the family income and achieved great success with many of her books and stories. She wrote for both children and adults and some of her works included scholarly non-fiction on education and child rearing. However, she is best known for her classic children’s books like Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, Mother Carey’s Chickens and Rose o’ the River. She was also a talented musician and is credited with several melodious compositions. This book has much in common with another book written two years later, one which is equally famous and loved by children the world over – Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Though Anne’s story continued over eleven more books, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm was followed by just one sequel written by Wiggin, The New Chronicles of Rebecca. A distant cousin of her husband’s, Eric Wiggin, wrote a few more Rebecca books in the 1990’s and also updated the original. Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm traces the heroine’s growth and maturity from an impulsive, carefree child into a responsible, mature young woman, who is able to use her imaginative gifts wisely and profitably. The book was adapted for the stage by the author herself in 1909 and filmed several times. The most popular film version has Shirley Temple playing Rebecca. More than a hundred years after it first came out, the book remains a firm favorite with children and adults the world over. A great addition to your collection of classic children’s books!
Categories: Arts, Education, Kids & Family
Tags: audio books, audiobook, Dramatic Works, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, instruction, Kate Douglas Wiggin, Kids, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, Teen/Young adult
William Shakespeare’s most well-known play is more than most people realize. While it is the story of star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet, it is also the story of two families in the middle of a bitter feud. Many people avoid the story because they believe it will be too difficult to read, but this is not true at all. Within a few paragraphs, the play captures your imagination and attention. Juliet is 13 years old and is love with the son of her father’s enemy. Her father has promised that she will marry another boy when it is time, but she refuses to accept the suit. One night, Romeo sneaks into a ball in Juliet’s home (in hopes of seeing a girl he is in love with) when he overhears Juliet speaking of her love for him. He steps out of the shadows and they decide to marry. They are married the next day in secret. It is discovered that Romeo snuck into the ball and Juliet’s cousin is angry and challenges him to a duel. When Romeo refuses to fight, a man is killed and Romeo is banished from the country. Juliet is thrown into a depression and her father decides she needs to get married right away. However, the Friar who helped Juliet marry Romeo comes up with a plan to get Romeo back and to unite the families. The plan unravels quickly, though. The story of Romeo and Juliet has everything that a reader could want. Like many of Shakespeare’s works, it has comedy and tragedy, but it also has love, family, duals, good and evil. Do not pick up the book assuming that knowing about the tragedy will ruin the story. The tale of how both families got to this point is one that will not soon be forgotten. The lessons of love and forgiveness are ones that are just as important more than 400 years after the play was written.
Categories: Arts
Tags: audio books, audiobook, Dramatic Works, ebooks, free audio books, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, play, romance, Romeo and Juliet, tragedy, William Shakespeare
Further Chronicles of Avonlea is a collection of short stories by L.M. Montgomery and is a sequel to Chronicles of Avonlea. Published in 1920, it includes a number of stories relating to the inhabitants of the fictional Canadian village of Avonlea and its region, located on Prince Edward Island. The book was published without the permission of L.M. Montgomery, and was formed from stories she had decided not to publish in the earlier Chronicles of Avonlea. Montgomery sued her publishers, L.C. Page & Co, and won $18,000 in damages after a legal battle lasting nearly nine years. More great books at LoyalBooks.com
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Tags: audio books, audiobook, Dramatic Works, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Further Chronicles of Avonlea, Kids, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Short stories
Two sisters, one practical and full of commonsense, the other a passionate and emotional creature, an uncaring brother and his avaricious wife, a handsome rake and a faithful gentleman – these are some of the unforgettable characters who make Jane Austen’s first published novel, Sense and Sensibility such a delightful, witty and timeless classic. The novel was published under the pseudonym “A Lady” by its shy and retiring nineteen-year-old author, Jane Austen, in 1811. She was the daughter of a country rector and lived all her life in the circle of her large and loving family in a little village in Hampshire, England. There is very little autobiographical material available about her, as her well-meaning relatives burned and destroyed most of her diaries and letters after her death. Sense and Sensibility is a charming story of two sisters who see life from two very different viewpoints. When their father suddenly dies, leaving his entire estate to their half-brother John, the sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, their mother and youngest sister Margaret are thrown at the financial mercy of John and his mean-minded wife, Fanny. Mrs Dashwood and her daughters soon realize that they are not welcome at their former home Norland Hall. Fanny’s brother Edward Ferrars, who is quite different from his greedy and graceless sister, arrives and begins to form an attachment to Elinor, which is violently opposed by Fanny. Mrs Dashwood is hurt and bewildered, but finally realizes that they have no option but to leave. They move to Devonshire, where Mrs Dashwood’s cousin, Sir John Middleton welcomes them and helps them to find suitable lodgings. While out walking one rainy evening, Marianne suffers a small accident and is rescued by the suave and dashing John Willoughby. She falls passionately in love with him. The story takes several interesting twists and turns, driven by the opposing natures of the two sisters. More than two hundred years after publication, this delightful tale still manages to capture the reader’s imagination as it echoes universal truths of passion, love, social status and ethics. Sense and Sensibility is a coming of age novel, marked by Jane Austen’s deliciously ironic and sharp wit and famously under-stated style that will certainly appeal to modern-day readers. More great books at LoyalBooks.com
Categories: Arts, Society & Culture
Tags: audio books, audiobook, Dramatic Works, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Historical Fiction, jane austen, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, play, romance, Sense and Sensibility
King Henry IV, Part 1 is the second of Shakespeare’s eight Wars of the Roses history plays, with events following those of King Richard II. As the play opens, King Henry IV (formerly Henry Bolingbroke) and Henry Percy (Hotspur) argue over the disposition of prisoners from the Battle of Holmedon. The King’s attitude toward Mortimer and the Percy family prompts them to plot rebellion. In the meantime, his son Prince Hal is living the low life in the company of Sir John Falstaff. As the time of battle nears, Prince Hal joins his father and is given a high command. The play’s climax is the Battle of Shrewsbury, in which Prince Hal and Hotspur meet and fight, with Prince Hal and the forces of the King prevailing. The action continues in King Henry IV, Part 2. From the start this has been an extremely popular play both with the public and with critics.
Categories: Arts, Society & Culture
Tags: audio books, audiobook, Dramatic Works, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Historical Fiction, King Henry IV, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, play, William Shakespeare
Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey is a book about the life of Catherine Morland and her romantic relationships. The novel is divided into two parts; the first part begins with Catherine’s visit to Bath and her relationship with Henry Tilney and the other people she met there, and the second part starts with the arrival of Frederick Tilney and her visit to Northanger Abbey. This book alongside Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility is considered one of the major works of Jane Austen. The novel had undergone many revisions before its publication and it was even originally titled “Catherine.” It adopted the title Northanger Abbey when it was published posthumously in 1817. Catherine Morland, the main character in the book is an attractive girl in her late-teens who was invited by her family’s friends, the Allens to go with them to Bath for a holiday. There she discovered many things in life which she hasn’t known before. She met many new friends there including Isabella, who became her close friend and rival to some of her relationships. Aside from her, she also met Henry Tilney, a person who turned out to be very special to her. Catherine also met John, Isabella’s brother who’ll later attempted to propose marriage to her. Meanwhile, her brother James met Isabella during their vacation and eventually had a serious relationship with her. Northanger Abbey isn’t just a novel about the romantic relationships of the different characters in the story. It also discusses other issues in society at that time like marriage for property and financial gain and the shallow attitude of some people have when it comes to love. Many critics also call this book a “Gothic parody.” For sure, people who have already read “Sense and Sensibility” or “Pride and Prejudice,” will also love this book. More great books at LoyalBooks.com
Tags: audio books, audiobook, Comedy, Dramatic Works, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Horror/Ghost stories, jane austen, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Northanger Abbey, romance, satire
A secret shared by four convicts and two prison guards, a daughter in search of her missing father, a strange gift of a single pearl received every year, a fabulous treasure buried in the ancient Agra Fort in India, an eccentric detective being consulted to solve a deadly puzzle. All these events are set against the turbulent backdrop of the Great Indian Mutiny of 1857 in the second Sherlock Holmes novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Sign of the Four. Mary Morstan, a lovely young woman, comes to the Baker Street lodgings shared by Holmes and Dr Watson. Her mother died when she was very little and her father, an army Captain stationed in India, sent the child back to England to live in a boarding house. She had never seen her father, but ten years earlier, when she was seventeen she received a letter from him saying he had retired, was on his way home and asking her to meet him at the Langham Hotel in London. However, at the Langham, she discovers that her father stepped out the previous evening and never returned. Since then, every year, on her birthday she has been receiving a present from an anonymous giver. It is a very expensive, lustrous, single pearl. And now, she has received a mysterious letter asking her to come to the Lyceum Theater at seven in the evening, bringing two friends with her. For Sherlock Holmes, this is an enigma that’s simply crying out to be solved! Added to this are masterly touches that provide more insights into Holmes’ unconventional persona. His uncanny ways of tracking through sight, sound and smell, his knowledge of diverse subjects and his fondness for obscure quotations in foreign languages are all aspects that went into the creation of the immortal detective. Following the publication of The Sign of the Four, Doyle began concentrating on the short story format featuring Holmes and Watson. This met with immediate success and led to a revived interest in the novels and the rest, as they say, became literary history. The Sign of the Four has been adapted extensively on stage, screen, TV and radio. In fact, more than eighteen different film versions have been made since 1913-2013, marking a century of perennial interest in the maverick sleuth and his faithful assistant!
Categories: Arts
Tags: Adventure, audio books, audiobook, Dramatic Works, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, MYSTERY, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Sign of the Four
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. Set in the Kingdom of Denmark, the play dramatizes the revenge Prince Hamlet exacts on his uncle Claudius for murdering King Hamlet, Claudius’s brother and Prince Hamlet’s father, and then succeeding to the throne and taking as his wife Gertrude, the old king’s widow and Prince Hamlet’s mother. The play vividly portrays both true and feigned madness – from overwhelming grief to seething rage – and explores themes of treachery, revenge, incest, and moral corruption. More great books at LoyalBooks.com
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Right from its famous opening scene which begins, “Thunder and lightning. Enter Three Witches” The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare holds the reader fast in a stirring, monumental experience that plumbs the depths of the human soul and reveals its most morbid secrets. The play is set in medieval Scotland. It is based partly on historical facts and recounts the tale of Macbeth, who was a king in Scotland, according to The Holinshead Chronicles, a book published in 1577. This book was extensively used by contemporary playwrights like Shakespeare and Marlowe as inspiration for their themes, characters and events. Though Shakespeare did use some of the material found in Holinshead, the final product is entirely his own and he fleshed-out and created most of the principal characters himself in a play that is considered his darkest, most ominous and most powerful tragedy. The Tragedy of Macbeth is also one that explores the nature of the supernatural in our lives. The play begins with Macbeth and Banquo, two army generals in the employ of their king, Duncan, returning victorious from two different wars. As they cross a dark and lonely heath, they encounter three women who predict that Macbeth will be named Thane of Cawdor and one day reign as King of Scotland and that Banquo will beget an illustrious line of noble descendants who will one day rule the land, though Banquo himself will never reign. The two men are skeptical, but their disbelief begins to vanish when messengers arrive with the news that Macbeth has been elevated to the rank of Thane of Cawdor! This sets off a train of devastating events. Macbeth’s ambitious and evil wife, Lady Macbeth, is willing to go to any lengths to achieve her ends. Plots, treason, murder, ghosts, war and suicide follow, in a terrible mélange. Macbeth is Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy. It deals with issues that are relevant even today. The overarching greed for power at any cost, the breakdown of morality, corruption and unbridled ambition, cruelty and its effect on the soul, omens and portents, superstitions and violence are some of the dark themes explored. Since it was first performed in the 1600s, Macbeth has remained one of the most widely enacted plays in the world, been translated into hundreds of world languages, given contemporary twists, adapted for film, television, studied in schools and universities and been the subject of psychological, sociological and political research. Ultimately, it remains one of the most remarkable portrayals of the shadowy and unlit spaces of the human heart. More great books at LoyalBooks.com
Categories: Arts
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This story opens at a fashionable dinner party in Sir Robert Chiltern’s home in the heart of London’s stylish Grosvenor Square. One of Lady Chiltern’s old school-friends, Mrs. Cheveley, a woman with a dubious past, accosts Sir Robert and threatens to expose a financial crime that he had once participated in, unless he agrees to finance a fraudulent construction project that she’s promoting. Lady Chiltern is astounded when her husband who had been the severest critic of this project suddenly begins to speak in its favor. Yet she has secrets of her own, which she desperately needs to hide. Behind the lives of this fashionable set who inhabit the higher echelons of political life in England lie some very unsavory truths. An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde was wildly popular when it was first staged on January 3, 1895 and has remained one of his most performed and studied works ever since. Critics and audiences alike thoroughly enjoyed this tale of blackmail, mystery and high level political corruption. Garnished with Wilde’s inimitable witty one liners, the play combines an airy lightness with a solid underpinning of thought provoking ideas. The concept of public and private honor, the place of a woman in her husband’s life, society, marriage, femininity and feminism and what Mrs. Cheveley calls the “fine art of living” are some of the important themes explored in this play which takes place over just twenty-four hours in the lives of the characters. The play clocked more than a hundred performances in its first outing itself and has continued to delight viewers and readers ever since. It has been filmed at least four times, with the latest screen adaptation being in 1999, starring Julianne Moore and Cate Blanchett. Several television, audio and radio adaptations have been made. Some of the memorable quotes from the play include “To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance!” “When the Gods wish to punish us, they answer our prayers” “Even you are not rich enough Sir Robert, to buy back your past. No man is.” An Ideal Husband is relevant, especially today, more than a hundred years after it was first written, in this age of extreme media focus on the private lives of celebrities. It also takes a long hard look at the crumbling facade of Victorian upper class life in the closing years of the nineteenth century. For enthusiasts of Wilde’s delightful wit, almost endless banter between characters, mannered comedies and the subtle portrayal of the underlying tragedy of life, An Ideal Husband is indeed a great story to read!
Tags: An Ideal Husband, audio books, audiobook, Comedy, Dramatic Works, ebooks, free audio books, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Oscar Wilde, play
The Happy Prince and Other Tales (also sometimes called The Happy Prince and Other Stories) is an 1888 collection of stories for children by Oscar Wilde. It is most famous for The Happy Prince, the short tale of a metal statue who befriends a migratory bird. Together, they bring happiness to others, in life as well as in death. The stories included in this collection are:The Happy PrinceThe Nightingale and the RoseThe Selfish GiantThe Devoted FriendThe Remarkable RocketThe stories convey an appreciation for the exotic, the sensual and for masculine beauty.
Categories: Arts, Kids & Family
Tags: audio books, audiobook, Dramatic Works, ebooks, Fairy tales, fiction, free audio books, Kids, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Myths/Legends, Oscar Wilde, Short stories, The Happy Prince and Other Tales
In a tiny French dukedom, a younger brother usurps his elder brother’s throne. Duke Senior is banished to the Forest of Arden along with his faithful retainers, leaving his lovely daughter Rosalind behind to serve as a companion for the usurper’s daughter, Celia. However, the outspoken Rosalind soon earns her uncle’s wrath and is also condemned to exile. The two cousins decide to flee together and join Duke Senior in the forest. Meanwhile, a young nobleman, Orlando is thrown out of his home by his cruel older brother Oliver. He too finds his way into the forest. What follows is absolutely captivating and a typical Shakespearean comedy! As You Like It was printed in the First Folio in 1623 though there is evidence to show that it was performed quite regularly after its presumed creation between 1598-1600. Though a very popular play and one that has been invariably brought to stage, As You Like It is not considered to be the finest of Shakespeare’s works. George Bernard Shaw commented that it was devoid of the “high artistry” that marked the great playwright. However, others like critic Harold Bloom have found Rosalind to be one of Shakespeare’s great heroines. The complicated twists and turns in the plot, elaborate disguises and gender reversals, the importance of love and forgiveness, the contrast between court and forest and the antics of Touchstone, the Fool who accompanies Duke Senior to the forest all make this a delightful play to view and to read. This is also one of Shakespeare’s most musical plays. There are plenty of songs incorporated into the body of the play, adding to the rural charm of the pastoral landscape. “Under the Greenwood Tree,” “Blow Blow Thou Winter Wind” and “It was a Lover and his Lass” are some of the famous songs that feature in As You Like It. The play is also famous for one of the most widely quoted passages in literature: “All the World’s a Stage” spoken by the melancholy Jacques, who is Duke Senior’s faithful lord and has vowed to stay with him throughout his troubles. The portrayals of the Seven Ages of Man, from birth till death is one of the immortal examples of Shakespeare’s deep insight into the human condition. As You Like It is indeed a delightful and charming play and one that will provide hours of entertaining reading!
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An adventurous children’s novel, The Story of Doctor Dolittle is the first book in the Doctor Dolittle series. The novel depicts the many adventures of Dr. John Dolittle as he learns the language of animals and takes on various feats including exotic travel, a dangerous encounter with pirates, and a mission to set right from wrong. The novel begins with the introduction of Dr. John Dolittle, an animal lover and respected physician, who lives in the small English town of Puddleby-on-the-Marsh with his unmarried sister. Due to an increase in the number of animals in his home, he loses many of his clients which results in a decline of wealth. Even his sister is repelled from the amount of animals in their home. However, one day Dr. Dolittle learns the secret to speaking with animals from his parrot Polynesia, who teaches him the language of animals. Consequently, he leaves behind his unfulfilling job surrounded by people and instead decides to take up a veterinary practice. This career change proves to be the correct one, as Dr. Dolittle quickly becomes renowned throughout the animal kingdom. Eventually he finds himself on the way to Africa along with his most trusted animal companions to help cure a monkey epidemic. Yet, unfortunate events lead to a shipwreck and Dr. Dolittle and his animal friends are imprisoned by the king of Jolliginki, who is a victim of colonization and for this reason dislikes all Europeans. The protagonist and his escort undergo many adventures in their task to spread kindness and animal awareness throughout. An optimistic and heartwarming novel, The Story of Doctor Dolittle leaves no one feeling indifferent, as Dr. Dolittle risks losing everything including his house, family and wealth for the sake of proper care and love of animal life. Abundant with humor and a fun easy-to- follow plot, Lofting has successfully created a rich fantasy world with vivid portrayals of memorable characters which have entertained generations time after time.
Categories: Arts, Kids & Family
Tags: Adventure, animals, audio books, audiobook, Dramatic Works, ebooks, fantasy, fiction, free audio books, Hugh Lofting, Kids, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, The Story of Doctor Dolittle
A precursor to gothic literature and science fiction genres, Frankenstein is a novel fuming with imagination as it depicts a well known horror story. Shelly’s gothic fiction is written in epistolary form as a means of correspondence between the failed writer Robert Walton and his sister, while he is away on a dangerous expedition in search of fame. Some major themes explored in the gothic classic are the fallibility of ambition and knowledge, revenge, prejudice, isolation, and the imperfections of society. The novel begins with the introduction of Captain Robert Walton, who is on a ship bound for the North Pole in search of scientific progress and knowledge. During his voyage, he and his crew come across a man nearly frozen and in frail condition. Taking the man onboard and nurturing him back to health, Walton is finally acquainted with Victor Frankenstein. Frankenstein sees the same ambition within Walton that he too possessed and which is the reason for his current troubled state. Hence he decides to recount his life and share the miserable events leading him to his present isolated circumstance. Walton listens and records Frankenstein’s account which begins with his childhood in his family home in Geneva. Even as a young child, Frankenstein was encouraged by his parents to seek out the truth about the world, and use science as his instrument. It is this passion for knowledge that prompts him to conduct experiments in order to recreate life from lifeless matter. However, the result is not the ideal being the scientist had initially expected, and instead produces an eight foot tall creature with yellow eyes and visible muscle tissue. Repulsed by his creation, Frankenstein tries to steer clear of the monster, but only ignites the monster’s anger as it goes into a revenge spree taunting his creator. A chilling tale of murderous mayhem follows which is guaranteed to give goose bumps. Though many are familiar with Frankenstein through countless adaptations, most are unaware of the original depiction which can only be witnessed in the classic novel. Far from a simple horror story meant to scare and entertain, Frankenstein is a timeless classic which evokes vital questions about human nature and centers on important issues targeting human curiosity and the dangers of science. More great books at LoyalBooks.com
Categories: Arts, Kids & Family
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Daisy Miller is an 1878 novella by Henry James. It portrays the confused courtship of the eponymous American girl by Winterbourne, a compatriot of hers with much more sophistication. His pursuit of her is hampered by her own flirtatiousness, which is frowned upon by the other expatriates they meet in Switzerland and Italy. Her lack of understanding of the social mores of the society she so desperately wishes to enter ultimately leads to tragedy.
Categories: Arts
Tags: audio books, audiobook, Daisy Miller: A Study in Two Parts, Dramatic Works, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Henry James, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com
The continuing story of Katy Carr, recounting the time she spent at boarding school with her sister Clover.
Categories: Arts, Kids & Family
Tags: audio books, audiobook, Dramatic Works, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Kids, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, Susan Coolidge, Teen/Young adult, What Katy Did at School
Begun when she was just eleven years old, Love and Friendship is one of Jane Austen’s stories that very few readers may have encountered before. Austen experts feel that this story was written, like many others, only for the pleasure of her family and friends. It is scribbled across three notebooks, in childish handwriting, and the complete work is thought to have been written over a period of six or seven years. It is dedicated to one of her cousins, whom she was very close to, Eliza de Feuillide. Eliza herself was an extremely colorful figure and is thought to have been the illegitimate daughter of the first Governor General of India, Warren Hastings. She was also a witness to the French Revolution where her husband, the self styled Comte de Feuillide was guillotined. For the young Jane, these events must have been sheer inspiration to a writer’s imagination. Love and Friendship takes the shape of an expostulatory novel. Written as a series of letters from Laura to a much younger Marianne who is her friend Isabel’s daughter, it is meant to apprise the young and flighty Marianne about the dangers of infatuation and falling headlong into romantic love. The book offers an early and crucial insight into Jane Austen’s style, her wonderful sense of humor and her take on contemporary society. At times, she portrays events almost in parody form, at others, she is sharp and critical, but as always, the typical Jane Austen brand of gentle, sparkling wit is highly evident. She describes the concept of “sensibility” or what we would today call “sensitivity” or “sentimentality” and how it can be taken to ridiculous extremes. The deliberately twisted and complicated plot is replete with fainting fits, deaths due to a variety of causes, including “galloping consumption,” plenty of drama, elopements galore, unbelievable coincidences and wicked philanderers—all the elements that a typical potboiler of the era would contain. Love and Friendship was written primarily for the amusement of her large and gregarious family, and young Jane was probably called upon to read her writings aloud. The reader can only imagine the sheer hilarity that the novel must have evoked. As part of a collection of Jane Austen Juvenilia, this is indeed a treasure trove for Jane Austen enthusiasts as it offers early glimpses of that brilliant talent which was to shine forth a few years later and delight readers of all ages.
Categories: Arts, Comedy, Kids & Family
Tags: audio books, audiobook, Dramatic Works, ebooks, Epistolary fiction, Essay/Short nonfiction, fiction, free audio books, humor, jane austen, Literature, Love and Friendship, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, romance, satire, Teen/Young adult
A thrilling spy story, a children’s adventure, a charming portrait of early twentieth century life in London and the countryside and a heart warming family tale are all combined in this classic of children’s literature The Railway Children by E Nesbit. The book has remained on the list of the best-loved children’s books ever since it was first published as a serial story in The London Magazine in 1905. Later, it was published in book form and won acclaim from critics and readers across the world for its wonderful elements of character and plot. Edith Nesbit the author published more than sixty books during her long and illustrious career as a children’s writer. She was considered to be the first modern children’s writer and departed from the hitherto focus on fantasy and fairytale type of themes that were considered suitable for children. Apart from writing for children, she wrote several novels for adults. She also dabbled in poetry, horror fiction and collaborations with other writers. Her works include another famous book, The Secret Garden which also explores the childhood landscape and influenced generations of children’s writers. She was also a political activist and laid the foundations for the present Labor Party in England. Her dominant themes were children in real life settings, contemporary events, children’s encounters with the mysterious and often nefarious activities of grown-ups, a deep psychological insight into the mind of a child and the enduring love of nature, family relationships and the simple pleasures of countryside life. The story opens with the description of three little Londoners who enjoy an ordinary, peaceful life in the city with visits to the Zoo and Madame Tussauds. They have a charming, well-appointed home and loving parents. Things take a sudden turn for the worst when Father suddenly leaves after receiving mysterious “bad news.” Mother decides equally suddenly to move with the children to the country-side and here begins their adventure with the railways. They befriend a strange Old Gentleman who invariably travels on the 9.15 train from near their home and get drawn into bizarre and dangerous events. Said to be based on contemporary events such as the Dreyfus Affair, Russian dissidents who were fighting the Tsarist regime and the circumstances leading up to World War I, The Railway Children though ostensibly written for children certainly appeals to readers of all ages. It has been adapted extensively for radio, stage, television and screen and has retained its freshness and thrill over the hundred plus years since it first made its debut.
Categories: Arts, Kids & Family
Tags: Adventure, audio books, audiobook, Dramatic Works, ebooks, Edith Nesbit, fiction, free audio books, Kids, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, Railway Children
Nineteenth century attitudes towards marriage, the role of women, morality and the search for identity are brilliantly explored in Henrik Ibsen’s three act play, A Doll’s House. It was highly controversial and received with a sense of outrage among opinion leaders in Europe. Many thinkers like August Strindberg lashed out at Ibsen for portraying the sacred institution of marriage in such a derogatory way. A Doll’s House, written in the original Danish, was first performed at the Royal Theater in Copenhagen in 1879. The ending of the play, where the heroine, Nora decides to leave her sham of a marriage aroused the ire of many viewers and critics at that time. The play portrays Nora Helmer who is the pampered wife of a wealthy banker, Torvald Helmer. He treats Nora as a parent would pamper and indulge a child, calling her his “little squirrel” and constantly teasing and making fun of her habits and personality. When Nora’s old friend Kristine Lind drops in with a request that Nora put in a word to Torvald about finding Kristine a job in the bank, things take a dramatic and unexpected turn. Nora’s entire world turns upside down and she gradually comes to realize that she has been living a life that’s a mere facade. Though she has taken serious decisions that have protected her family, she has always been regarded as a helpless and incompetent infant. As the play progresses, Nora’s gradual realization of her own true powers and strengths lead to the stunning climax. The first English production of A Doll’s House was an adaptation by Henry Jones and Henry Herman, who re-titled it Breaking a Butterfly. English audiences were prevented from watching a real translation of the play for many decades by a ban order passed by the government. However, today with more liberal thinking, the rise of the feminist movement and a more broad and humanist ideology prevailing, A Doll’s House can be read or watched almost anywhere in the world without restrictions. As a revolutionary play that attacked the oppressive and inhuman mind-set of traditional, patriarchal social orders throughout the world, A Doll’s House is a remarkable and thought provoking work of literature. It not only addresses the place of women in society, but also that of men and how the usefulness of each is essential for healthy family life and child rearing. It is relevant even today, when perhaps such attitudes still persist though things may seem to have changed on the surface, more than a century after it was written.
Categories: Arts
Tags: A Doll's House, audio books, audiobook, Dramatic Works, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Henrik Ibsen, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, play, tragedy