検索キーワード： ナレーター "Sara Nichols" すべてのカテゴリー

"The Age of Innocence" is considered by many critics to be author Edith Wharton's masterpiece. When it was published in 1920, it was received with rapturous reviews and earned Wharton the 1921 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, making her the first woman in history to receive this honor. Set amid the aristocracy of New York City in the early part of the 20th century—a world with which Wharton was deeply familiar—the book relates the story of Newland Archer, a rich New York bachelor who has become engaged to fellow socialite May Welland.

Collected here are three of E.M. Forster's classic novels: "A Room With a View," "Howards End" and "A Passage to India," each a stand-alone masterpiece and all of them celebrated as among the finest novels of early 20th century literature.

The story - one of Forster's darkest tales - revolves around a trip to India by British schoolmistress Adela Quested and her companion, Mrs. Moore. After meeting with a local physician, Dr. Aziz, the two visitors travel with him on a tour of the famous Marabar Caves. While exploring a dark cave alone, Adela is forced to fend off a mysterious attacker and Dr. Aziz - who became separated from the party - is accused of assault.

"The Return of Sherlock Holmes" heralded the triumphant resurrection of the world's greatest consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes, after his apparent (and untimely) demise in the story "The Final Problem." Under intense pressure from his fans to bring him back after having killed off Holmes at the Reichenbach Falls, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle finally relented and, in "The Adventure of the Empty House," explains how Holmes escaped the same, dismal fate as his nemesis, Professor Moriarty.

Presented here are the third, fourth and fifth books of the Sherlock Holmes canon: the novel "The Hound of the Baskervilles" and short story collections "The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes" and "The Return of Sherlock Holmes," all written by Holmes' legendary creator, the great Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Collected here are some of the most beloved and revered of Doyle's Holmes stories.

The most romantic literary lovers in history: Heathcliff and Cathy. Frederic and Catherine. Daisy Buchanan and Jay Gatsby. Now, all three of their classic stories are collected in one volume: the Classic Romance Collection - Volume II featuring Emily Brontë's "Wuthering Heights," Ernest Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms" and F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby."

"The Snow Queen" is the classic Christmas tale from internationally revered children's author Hans Christian Andersen. The story centers on the challenges faced by two childhood friends Gerda and Kay, whose relationship is shattered when Kai is infected by dark magic and disappears, spirited up to the Snow Queen's palace in the sky.

Presented here are two holiday classics: E.T.A. Hoffmann's "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" (which formed the basis for the Christmas ballet "The Nutcracker") and Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," (upon which Disney's "Frozen" is based). First, we meet young Marie, young girl who is given a precious nutcracker as a Christmas present by her godfather, the enigmatic Drosselmeier.

"The Blue Castle" is one of the few books author L.M. Montgomery (author of the "Anne of Green Gables" series) wrote for an adult audience. It is a romantic novel set in early 20th-century Ontario, Canada, that follows the emotional and romantic awakening of Valancy Stirling, a 29-year-old spinster trapped in a stifling, judgmental family. Valancy appears trapped, living a dull, joyless life while her relatives order her about. Her only escape is her imagination, where she dreams of a beautiful place she calls the Blue Castle-a symbol of freedom, love, and happiness.

Author Edith Wharton is best known for her books set amongst the upper-echelon of New York society, including "The House of Mirth" and "The Age of Innocence," (the latter of which won her the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction). But Wharton also wrote two American classics that take place in rural settings: the then-scandalous tale of youthful rebellion,"Summer" and her haunting novel of love and regret, "Ethan Frome." Both have gone on to be considered among the finest novels of the early 20th century.

Author Edith Wharton was born to an extremely wealthy family and was raised among the elites of New York society. This gave Wharton a front-row seat to the goings-on, intrigues and drama of that strange and fascinating world, which she exposed and satirized in her two best known novels: "The House of Mirth" and "The Age of Innocence" (the latter of which won her the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the first for a female writer).

Presented here are four of Edith Wharton's best known works: "The Age of Innocence," "The House of Mirth," "Ethan Frome" and "Summer," each considered a classic of the early 20th century. The first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction (for "Age of Innocence"), Wharton enjoyed an astonishing career as a short story writer and novelist, blazing a trail for the female writers who followed her.

"Summer" is one of only two novels Edith Wharton wrote that takes place in a rural setting (the other being her classic "Ethan Frome.") Given the subject matter (and the behavior of its lead character), the book was considered scandalous in its day, but it is now considered a classic of early 20th century American literature. The story follows the life and sexual awakening of Charity Royall, a young girl living in a small town who has dreams of moving out of her poverty-stricken community.

"The House of Mirth" was the breakthrough novel for Edith Wharton and its immediate commercial and critical success put her on the American literary map. Based on Wharton's own experiences among the elite of the New York City social set in the late 1890's, "The House of Mirth" is both a fascinating glimpse into the upper-reaches of high society and a searing satire of the cruelties, frivolities and hypocrisy of the city's ultra-rich.

"Ethan Frome" is one of Edith Wharton's best known works and has become a staple of American literature classes around the globe since it was first published in 1911. The story is a simple tale of desire, regret and forbidden love. The title character, Ethan, has resigned himself to living in a loveless, sterile marriage with his wife Zenobia. But when his wife's young cousin Mattie moves into the house and both she and Ethan are drawn together, it begins a romance that can only end in heartbreak... or tragedy.

Presented here are the final three books of the Sherlock Holmes canon: the novel "The Valley of Fear" and two short story collections: "The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes" and "His Last Bow," all penned by Holmes' legendary creator, the great Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Despite his attempt to kill off his world-famous detective years earlier, Doyle here — decades later — finally brings Sherlock Holmes' adventures to a close. First, we present the stories collected in "Case-Book," including the thriller "The Adventure of the Three Garridebs" and the haunting "Adventure of the Sussex Vampire."

On a miserable summer trip to Geneva with her future husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley, poet Lord Byron and a small group of friends, writer Mary Wollstonecraft was asked to participate in a game where the guests would create a ghost story and share it with the group. Everyone told their stories, but Mary's creation surprised them all. She had conceived of the idea that would later become her best known work, a tale of horror and creation, the legendary early science fiction classic: Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus.

In the story, we meet Mrs. Dashwood and her three daughters, who are betrayed by a family member and left in dire financial straits. Since none of the girls will come with a dowry, the prospects of their marrying well are extremely unlikely. One day, while out for a walk in the rain, the middle daughter, Marianne, twists her ankle and is rescued by the handsome Mr. Willoughby. Though cautioned by her older sister Elinor to be wary, Marianne - blinded by love - rushes into the budding romance headlong...with grim consequences.

Viewed from an historical perspective, Jane Austen's novels should not exist. She was born during a period where female writers (if they dared to write at all) were dismissed, ignored, and dissuaded from writing altogether. The fact that Ms. Austen went ahead and created the novels contained in this collection—which have gone on to become some of the most treasured books in literary history—is nothing short of a miracle.

In Volume II, we present Austen's timeless classics "Sense and Sensibility," "Northanger Abbey" and "Emma." Though the books only received modest attention and few reviews at the time of their first release ("Northanger Abbey" was, in fact, published posthumously), all of these books have gone on to become best-sellers are now considered to be among the finest examples of 19th century literature.