Random Loyal Books Podcasts

Predictability has come a long way. The computers of the future can tell you if you’re going to win a war before you fire a shot. Unfortunately they’re predicting perpetual standoff between the Terran and Centaurian Empires. What they need is something unpredictable, what they get is Thomas Cole, a man from the past accidently dragged forward in time. Will he fit their calculations, or is he the random variable that can break the stalemate? – The Variable Man first appeared in the September, 1953 issue of Space Science Fiction magazine.

Categories: Arts

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Philip K. Dick, science-fiction, The Variable Man

Regarded as the pride and joy of American literature, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a picturesque novel depicting Huck’s epic journey from boyhood to manhood and the struggles he must face living in a corrupt society. The novel serves as a sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, another famous work by Mark Twain. The plot unfolds in several locations sometime before the Civil War. The book opens with a description of Huck’s new life as he undergoes a process of “civilization” while living with the Widow Douglas and her sister Miss Watson. Although he dislikes the strict regime of education, manners, church and rigid clothing, which are a necessity to fit into society, Huck prefers anything to his previous life with his drunkard father Pap. However, just as things begin to stabilize, Pap returns to the picture and demands Huck give him the money that he had previously attained during an adventure with his best friend Tom Sawyer. Huck’s refusal to do so only infuriates Pap. Just when things are improving for Huck, he is kidnapped and mistreated by his no-good father. After faking his own death and on the run, he meets Jim who is a runaway slave with a bounty to his name. Huck must decide whether to trust his gut feeling and help an innocent flee slavery, or view the poor man simply as property. Caught up between ethics and legality, Huck must make a decision. The two set out together on a raft, both in search of freedom and experience many challenges on the way whilst at the same time an emotional bond is developed. Twain’s vibrant description of the places and people along the Mississippi River is one of the jewels of the novel, as well as the use of vernacular language and the presence of dialects. Moral and ethics, racism and slavery, and hypocritical society are just some of the targeted issues presented in the novel. Celebrated throughout generations, the slanted tale of adventure does not seize to spark appreciation although simultaneously stirring controversy.

Categories: Arts

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, free audio books, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Set in the heart of Central America, the adventure novel accounts an enthralling tale marked by zealous adventure, discovery of a lost civilization, and unconditional love. Published in 1895, Heart of the World presents a fusion of suspense, foreshadowing, legend, unforeseen twists, and endearing characters to create a piece highly valuable in the world of fiction. Narrated by an elderly Ignatio on his deathbed, the novel recounts his great escapade alongside Englishman James Strickland as they venture off in search of a lost civilization. The novel opens with the introduction of Don Ignatio, a lineal descendant of the last Aztec emperor, who has been driven throughout his life by the single desire to overthrow the Spanish rule and unite his fellow people. However, his hopeful plans to witness the reestablishment and fortification of the once great empire do not go quite as expected, as he is left bereft of his carefully acquired treasure. Subsequently, he is acquainted with James Strickland, an adventurous English miner. Although their motives may differ, both men share a passion for adventure, which is additionally spurred when they hear of a secret city that is believed to be home to a great treasure. Believing the city holds the key to achieving his life-long goal of reviving his empire, Ignatio and James begin a journey marked by exciting events. Later, they are also joined by Zibalbay, a man who claims to be the head priest and ruler of the secret city, and his beautiful daughter Maya. As the group embarks on the treacherous journey in search of the lost city, they come face to face with numerous dangers, which threaten not just the completion of Ignatio’s objective, but also jeopardize their wellbeing and ultimately their happiness. Haggard effectively combines imagery and descriptive language to present a vivid portrayal of the mystical lost city and its astounding treasure, while also depicting the details of life including religion, customs, and legends. Needless to say, Heart of the World presents a tale that will most certainly encourage readers to take a look at Haggard’s other novels, as his masterful depiction of a lost and secret civilization is truly compelling.

Categories: Arts

Tags: Adventure, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, H Rider Haggard, Heart of the World, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, romance

Banned in the United States and United Kingdom throughout the 1920s, Ulysses turned conventional ideas of the novel inside out with its bold new form, style and theme. Deeply rooted in the Greek myth of the hero of the Trojan War, Joyce bases his novel on Ulysses or Odysseus, who is doomed to voyage for ten years before returning home to Ithaca. Joyce had been deeply influenced by the Iliad and the Odyssey, which he had read from Charles Lamb’s adaptations as a child. In fact, he considered him the epitome of the heroic ideal and constantly thought of giving the myth a new dimension in modern literature. However, the reader must be cautioned that it is not an easy book to read. It was also burdened by a strange and complicated publication history. Joyce’s original handwritten manuscript was typed by a number of less than competent typists who made a series of grammatical and spelling errors, leading to great confusion. It went through 18 different versions, each of which was full of more and more mistakes. Attempts to “correct” the text were being made as late as 2010 but the appeal of the book lies in its overall theme and in its rich symbolism. Ulysses is divided into 18 chapters, or episodes, each one referring to a Homeric character or episode in the Greek myth. Though Joyce did not originally title the chapters, he did refer to them by such names in private letters to his friends. He also gave them obscure titles from his researches in French translations of the Homeric sagas. Joyce himself understood the significance of his work. He is reputed to have remarked to the effect that he had stuffed the book with so many enigmas and puzzles that it would keep academicians buzzing for centuries! The names of each character are rooted in the deep symbolism and every episode sets the reader harking back to the Homeric myths. Apart from Greek legend, Joyce also used aspects of Celtic traditions of storytelling. Essentially, the plot deals with many ideas that have found echoes throughout human history. Paternity, the idea of the everyday hero, regret and personal conscience, the paradox of individual perspectives all conveyed through a plethora of symbols and motifs makes Ulysses a compelling if difficult read. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts

Tags: art, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, james joyce, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Psychology, ulysses

Beyond Good and Evil, by Friedrich Nietzsche A searing indictment of concepts like “truth” and “language” Beyond Good and Evil, by Friedrich Nietzsche is a deeply thought provoking book that forms one of the keystones of modern thought and politics. In this book, Nietzsche takes the position that our subservience to fixed perspectives that are forced on us by our language and our ideals make us incapable of perceiving reality. He propounds the theory that ideals are not fixed but change over time, often dramatically, and end up becoming the exact opposite of what they originally were. For instance an abstraction like “good” could mean anything depending on who is using it. Wars have been fought, people have been silenced, disease and destruction have been let loose based on what is considered “good” by certain countries and people in power. Hence, the meaning and interpretation of words really depend on the will that chooses to manipulate them. The will in turn is subject to a shifting and eternally changing viewpoint, based on the power and status of those who operate it. Nietzsche then goes on to propose a new way of thinking that goes beyond such concepts like “good” and “evil.” These and other such concepts are a bold and revolutionary way of looking at the way human beings reflect, act and justify their actions. We begin to see the world not in terms of just linear, black and white or binary terms but as a more complex, multidimensional entity, where sometimes contradictory concepts seem to coexist. Beyond Good and Evil is divided into nine chapters with an epilogue entitled “Aftersong – From the High Mountains” a long narrative poem in which the narrator calls upon his friends to join him on the mountain top. However, when his friends arrive, they don’t recognize him. He has become hard and aggressive after living for so long in such inhospitable terrains. They begin to leave one by one and the narrator waits for new friends to arrive, as he realizes that concepts like friendship can never be fixed or eternal. Friedrich Nietzsche was born in the old Prussian province of Saxony. His father died when Nietzsche was a child and he was brought up by his mother and her family. He attended a private school with famous contemporaries like Wagner, Krug and Pinder. His interest in music and languages was encouraged by his mother and he joined the Schulpforta where he studied several languages and got a firm grounding in poetry and music. He went on to study theology and philosophy and later joined the Prussian army. He was injured in the war and after leaving the army, began to work as a professor in Basel, Switzerland. From this time on, he was plagued by ill-health and with financial and emotional support from his friends, began to devote time to writing and compiling his thoughts on philosophy. He suffered a mental breakdown and finally died of multiple illnesses in 1900. Many great Western philosophers like Heidegger, Foucault and Sartre owe a great deal to Nietzsche other writers like Shaw and Yeats based many of their imaginative writings on his thoughts. Freud was another pioneer who was heavily influenced by Nietzsche’s concepts. Beyond Good and Evil is indeed a great addition to your collection of philosophical books. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Beyond Good and Evil, ebooks, free audio books, Friedrich Nietzsche, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, Philosophy

The Autobiography of Charles Darwin is the autobiography of the British naturalist Charles Darwin which was published in 1887, five years after his death. Darwin wrote the book, which he entitled Recollections of the Development of my Mind and Character, for his family. He states that he started writing it on about May 28, 1876 and had finished it by August 3. The book was edited by Charles Darwin’s son Francis Darwin, who removed several passages about Darwin’s critical views of God and Christianity. It was published in London by John Murray as part of The life and letters of Charles Darwin, including an autobiographical chapter. The omitted passages were later restored by Darwin’s granddaughter Nora Barlow in a 1958 edition to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the publication of The Origin. This edition was published in London by Collins under the title of The Autobiography of Charles Darwin 1809-1882, with the original omissions restored, edited and with appendix and notes by his granddaughter Nora Barlow. The original is in the public domain as its copyright has expired, but the later version remains under copyright.

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Biography, Charles Darwin, ebooks, free audio books, History, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, science, The Autobiography of Charles Darwin

These lesser known stories were penned by Conan Doyle during the period between killing off Sherlock Holmes in 1893 and reluctantly resurrecting him some ten years later. The swashbuckling, eponymous hero, Etienne Gerard, is one of Napoleon’s gallant French Hussars, who considers himself the finest of them all. Through these “Boys Own Adventures”, Conan Doyle pokes gentle fun at both the French and the English. This is the second volume containing eight adventures. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Comedy, Society & Culture

Tags: Adventure, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Historical Fiction, History, humor, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventures of Gerard, War stories

Return with us to those thrilling days of yesteryear as Mike Vendetti narrates this early Zane Grey novel of hardy pioneers taming the wild west. Yes, despite the difficult times, romance flourishes and the bad guys are eliminated almost single handedly as our heroes Jonathan Zane and his sidekick Lew “Deathwind” Wetzel fight their way through mud, blood, gore, savage Indians, and despicable outlaws, to make the land safe for pioneer families as they settle the wild west. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family, Society & Culture

Tags: Adventure, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Historical Fiction, Kids, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, The Last Trail, westerns, Zane Grey

Sixty-three essays on a variety of topics as wide apart as Family Life in America, Opera Synopses, Bigamy, International Finance and many more, Love Conquers All by Robert Benchley strangely enough does not touch upon romance at all! However, these delightful notes provide hours of browsing pleasure for young and old readers alike. Robert Benchley was a well-known humorist and newspaper columnist, radio and television presenter, actor, scriptwriter and broadcaster. He is also credited with creating the first ever television entertainment show and one of his iconic short films, How to Sleep won an Academy Award in 1936. Love Conquers All is a collection of short pieces which were published in various newspapers and journals like the The New York Tribune, Life, The New York World and several other consolidated press agencies. Benchley’s tongue-in-cheek humor and his zany commentary on the world around him have continued to delight readers since they were first compiled in book form in 1922. The quirky illustrations by the famous cartoonist Gluyas Williams add to the book’s appeal. Some of the essays in the volume include titles such as Rules and Suggestions for Watching Auction Bridge, Do Insects Think? What to Do While the Family is Away, When not in Rome, Why do as the Romans Did? Welcome Home – And Shut Up! Advice to Writers and a host of other topics. Between 1919-29, Benchley and other greats of American humor formed the famous Algonquin Round Table Club. The members included Dorothy Parker, Alexander Woollcott, George Kaufmann, Harpo Marx and many others whose wacky takes on life continue to delight readers even today. The Algonquin Club which met regularly at the historic Algonquin Hotel in New York. The members whose numbers expanded to include literary greats like Edna Ferber and Heywood Broun. The meetings resulted in the founding of the New Yorker magazine and even today, all guests at the hotel receive free copies of the magazine. The members who referred to themselves as the Vicious Circle had a great influence over literature and journalism of the era. Fitzgerald and Hemingway were also greatly influenced by the ideas of the Vicious Circle. Today the Round Table restaurant at the Algonquin is a mecca for literature buffs. Benchley’s style is upper-class, genteel, literary and is characterized by extensive puns and word play. However, some of his pieces are distinctly of the “cracker-barrel” variety of fun, relying on exaggerations, slapstick and dialects. He had a big influence on humorists ranging from James Thurber to Dave Barry. He wrote more than 600 essays and short pieces which were compiled into more than a dozen volumes, which continue to be published by major publishers. His short films are becoming more and more popular today. An amusing addition to your humor collection!

Categories: Arts, Comedy

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Comedy, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, humor, Literature, Love Conquers All, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Robert Benchley

Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844–1900) was a nineteenth-century German philosopher. He wrote critical texts on religion, morality, contemporary culture, philosophy and science, using a distinctive German language style and displaying a fondness for aphorism. Nietzsche’s influence remains substantial within and beyond philosophy, notably in existentialism and postmodernism. Thus Spake Zarathustra is a work composed in four parts between 1883 and 1885. Much of the work deals with ideas such as the “eternal recurrence of the same”, the parable on the “death of God”, and the “prophecy” of the Overman, which were first introduced in The Gay Science. Described by Nietzsche himself as “the deepest ever written”, the book is a dense and esoteric treatise on philosophy and morality, featuring as protagonist a fictionalized Zarathustra. A central irony of the text is that the style of the Bible is used by Nietzsche to present ideas of his which fundamentally oppose Judaeo-Christian morality and tradition. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Religion & Spirituality, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, free audio books, Friedrich Nietzsche, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, Philosophy, Psychology, religion, Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book for All and None

The work consists of ten books, originally separate scrolls, and is understood to be based on notes said to be from his lectures at the Lyceum which were either edited by or dedicated to Aristotle’s son, Nicomachus. In many ways this work parallels the similar Eudemian Ethics, which has only eight books, and the two works can be fruitfully compared. Books V, VI, and VII of the Nicomachean Ethics are identical to Books IV, V, and VI of the Eudemian Ethics. Opinions about the relationship between the two works, for example which was written first, and which originally contained the three common books, is divided. Aristotle describes his ethical work as being different from his other kinds of study, because it is not just for the sake of contemplating what things are, but rather to actually become good ourselves. It is therefore practical rather than theoretical in the original Aristotelian senses of these terms.

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: aristotle, audio books, audiobook, Classics (antiquity), ebooks, free audio books, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, Philosophy, The Nicomachean Ethics

Text of famous inspirational lecture and biography of Russell Conwell, a Baptist minister and Temple University Founder

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: Acres of Diamonds, audio books, audiobook, Biography, ebooks, Economics/Political Economy, free audio books, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, religion, Russell Herman Conwell

Its publication soon after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake got readers instantly hooked on the story in which Dorothy and her friends sink into the bowels of the earth, following a devastating earthquake in California. Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz is the fourth in the series of books written by American children’s author L. Frank Baum. In this novel, Dorothy visits her Uncle Henry in his California ranch. She, her friends, her cousins and a few pets are traveling in a buggy when the earth suddenly splits open and the entire lot falls into the crack. From here on, a series of adventures follows, with the children having bizarre encounters in the Land of the Mangaboos which is inhabited by the Vegetable People. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz suddenly makes his appearance and together, they all travel onto further amazing countries. Princess Ozma appears to rescue Dorothy and her companions as they meet one disaster after another. Though Lyman Frank Baum wrote more than 50 novels, many short stories and hundreds of poems, he is today known almost exclusively as the author of the Oz stories. Born into immense wealth and privilege, he however, led an unhappy childhood as a sickly and weak youngster. His wealthy father purchased a small printing press to keep him occupied with writing, and young Frank and his brothers produced a home newspaper to entertain the family. This early enterprise provided the germ of a writing career that, however, earned critical and financial acclaim only when Frank was more than forty years of age. The first of the Oz books, written after a failed career in theater, was published in 1900. It was hugely successful and L. Frank Baum went on to write thirteen more in the series. Though he tried to abandon the series several times out of sheer boredom, the flood of letters from children clamoring for more, publisher’s demands and the disaster that his other books met with compelled him to continue. Today, the Oz phenomenon has resulted in theme parks, stage and screen shows, musicals, comics, merchandise, adaptations, translations into world languages, television and animation series. Baum himself set up the Oz Film Company and had plans to set up an Oz themed amusement park in his lifetime. The appeal of Oz and its uncanny predictions of a world that was to come with augmented reality, laptops, wireless phones, women in male dominated occupations and a host of other innovations all make the series interesting and innovative. Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz makes a great addition to your Oz collection. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, ebooks, fantasy, fiction, free audio books, L. Frank Baum, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com

Known as the Godmother of Egyptology, Amelia Ann Blanford Edwards traveled through Egypt at a time when archeology was in its infancy in that country and literally anyone with a spade or trowel could go exploring through the magnificent, untouched ruins. She was one of a group of amazing Victorian women who ignored the repressive 19th century attitudes toward female scientists and defied society to follow their passion for history. A Thousand Miles up the Nile was first published in 1877. The title refers to the approximate distance from Alexandria to the Second Cataract of the Nile river, a journey that the author undertook over the course of a year in Egypt. The narrative opens at the Shepheard’s Hotel in Cairo, where a motley group of tourists are gathered, either on their way to or from India, English and American tourists, travelers from Belgium, France or Germany and a host of others. The tourists generally stick to the safe itinerary offered by Cook’s, but a few like the author prefer to explore on their own. The book is characterized by long, detailed and elaborate descriptions of places, people, customs and the wonderful market places, historical ruins and artifacts that Edwards and her friends encounter. Momentous journeys to the Pyramids in Cairo and a trip to the shrine in Mecca precede the Nile voyage. They are to travel by “dahabeeyah” a sort of native Egyptian barge, which though much more expensive than the steamers and conventional boats, is much more picturesque, leisurely and offers more time to view the scenery along the majestic river. It is luxuriously furnished, with enough space for a piano and several bookcases. Edwards’ tone is often ironic as she pokes gentle fun at the regular English tourists who flock to Egypt. Bedreshayn, Sakkarah, Memphis, Mineh, Thebes, Karnak, Assuan, Elephantine, Abou Simmel and the tombs of Ramses, the Second Cataract and the return journey are all documented in great detail. They stop at Luxor on the way back and visit the Coptic Church and it is here that they take part in some of the archeological work that is happening in Luxor. They meet scientists and tourists, forgers and sinister crooks. Edwards’ tone of compassion for the insensitive way in which ancient mummies are unwrapped and flung aside, how the bounty hunters strip each tomb of its valuables whenever they can and the booming trade in antiquities is both educative and interesting. A Thousand Miles up the Nile is a wonderful, if slightly dated, travelogue and a great addition to your collection.

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: A Thousand Miles up the Nile, Amelia B. Edwards, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, free audio books, History, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Non-fiction, travel

Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse was an English comic writer who enjoyed enormous popular success for more than seventy years. Best known today for the Jeeves and Blanding Castle novels and short stories, Wodehouse was also a talented playwright and lyricist who was part author and writer of fifteen plays and of 250 lyrics for some thirty musical comedies.

Categories: Arts, Comedy

Tags: A Wodehouse Miscellany; Articles and Stories, audio books, audiobook, Comedy, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, humor, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, P. G. Wodehouse

A concoction of twelve stories, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is the third book in the original Sherlock Holmes series. It shadows the experiences of detective Sherlock Holmes, an enigmatic genius, as he tries to unravel the mystery of each investigation he partakes in. Set in late 19th century London, the novel not only creates a successful mystery plot, but also circulates through real locations including Hyde Park, the river Thames, St George’s Church in Hanover Square, as well as adding fictional places to spice things up. The vibrant reoccurring illustrations of London’s means of transportation are also worth noting. The novel begins in the famous apartment 221B Baker Street, home to Sherlock Holmes who is visited by clients in need of assistance in resolving various issues. Unsurprisingly, Sherlock Holmes works his magic in order to find a logical solution to each mystery. Narrated through the perspective of Dr. Watson, Holmes’s close friend and companion, he serves as a monitor as he accompanies or is given a full account of the sequence of events surrounding investigation details. Watson then documents each adventure and shares it with the readers which in turn act as memoirs of Holmes’s achievements. This type of narration only enhances the sense of mystery surrounding each case because of the occasional missing detail and leaves the reader wondering about the next course of action. Interestingly, Holmes offers logical explanations for each of his solutions, but nevertheless manages to keep the audience on their toes. Family fortune, reputation, social status and moral weakness are just some of the themes Doyle explores in his novel of suspense and mystery. Doyle’s use of 19th century English jargon proves to be a delightful read, whilst still maintaining a lucid style easy to follow and understand. For those embarking on their first ever encounter with the pipe-smoking, violin-playing sleuth, this is just the beginning of an unforgettable journey. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts

Tags: Adventure, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, MYSTERY, Short stories, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

When the absent-minded Earl of Emsworth wanders off with the pride of his scarab collection, American millionaire J. Preston Peters is willing to pay $5000 to the person who can get it back for him. Discretion is necessary since Peters’ daughter is engaged to Emsworth’s son. Joan Valentine and Ashe Marson both decide to go after the reward—she as Aline Peter’s ladies maid, and he as Mr. Peter’s valet—and they all end up at Blandings Castle. But is it possible for anyone to steal back the scarab with The Efficient Baxter ever vigilant? This is, IMHO, one of Wodehouse’s funniest novels. –Debra Lynn More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Comedy

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Comedy, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, humor, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, P. G. Wodehouse, Something New

If you’ve read and loved Little Women, you’d probably enjoy finding out more about the doings of the sisters in the third book in the series, Little Men. Published in 1871, the book’s full title was Little Men or Life at Plumfield with Jo’s Boys. It followed the success of Little Women in 1868 and Good Wives in 1869, which portrayed the fortunes of the March family. Filled with remarkable, endearing and memorable characters, the books remain as fresh and enjoyable as they were when they first came out more than a century ago. Little Men is, like Alcott’s other books in the series, based on some of the events in her own life. The “March Family Saga” as the books came to be known was semi-autobiographical in nature. The character of Jo March was based on Alcott herself and many of the episodes in the books are based on real happenings at the family home she shared with her parents and sisters in Concord, Massachusetts. Little Men continues the story of Jo March after she marries the love of her life, Professor Bhaer. She inherits the vast country estate of Plumfield from her crotchety old Aunt March and immediately decides to set up a school for boys. However, this is no conventional school. She takes in orphans, delinquents, disabled and abused children. She and her husband, along with other people, work their magic on the little minds and hearts, leading to many a happy ending. Jo’s sisters Meg and Amy feature in this book too. The other sister Beth, who died earlier, is now only a beloved memory. Meg’s and Amy’s husbands, their families and friends all form part of this colorful tapestry. Though some of the writing may seem dated, and there are plenty of moral asides from the author and though children today prefer fantasy above reality, the book is indeed a warm and endearing family story that appeals to all ages. The overwhelming influence of human relationships and the struggle to survive in a harsh and unforgiving world are all brilliantly portrayed in this book. Jo March’s journey from an impulsive and hot-headed tomboy into a loving and warm-hearted wife in whose hands the fate of her pupils lies is vividly portrayed. Inspired also by the death of her beloved brother-in-law, Little Men is a tribute to a person who was her friend, philosopher and guide. A great addition to your collection of the March Family Saga books!

Categories: Arts

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, free audio books, Little Men, Louisa May Alcott, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com