Showing results for "The Contractor" in Historical

Against a background of industrial unrest, misery, suspicion, jealousy, and the deaths of family and dear friends, the star-crossed love between mill owner John Thornton and the cultivated Margaret Hale is put to the test.

Barnaby, the kind, half-witted young man joins the Gordon rioters in order to carry their banner. He, his murderous father, the hangman Dennis and the madcap Hugh are arrested and condemned to death. This novel is noted for its vivid descriptions of violent mob scenes - not unlike those depicted in the author's A Tale of Two Cities.

The gallows, the rack, and angry mobs are part of the menace in this horrific novel set in 15th century Paris. Quasimodo, the kind-hearted, hunchbacked bell ringer and the lovely La Esmaralda struggle to survive the brutality that surrounds them.

The beautiful, flirtatious Zuleika has the dons and undergraduates of Oxford University literally lining up to die for her in this biting tragic-comic satire.

Dissatisfied with his life on a Nebraska farm, with the ways of his family, and trapped in a loveless marriage, he searches for true meaning and beauty when he volunteers for the Army and is shipped to France during World War I.

The discreet Elinor (Sense) and the romantic and reckless Marianne (Sensibility) find the course of true love full of brambles and disillusionment. Their neighborhood is populated with characters cut in the unique Austen mold.

As the starving people rise up against the ruling class during the French Revolution, there are vivid descriptions of the storming of the Bastille and the death cells of the aristocrats who have been doomed to the guillotine. The sinister Madame Defarge, charming Charles Darnay and herioc Sidney Carton are but a few of this beautiful novel's unforgettable characters.

Set in the 1870s, the same period as Wharton's The Age of Innocence, The Buccaneers is about five wealthy American girls denied entry into New York Society because their parents' money is too new. At the suggestion of their clever governess, the girls sail to London, where they marry lords, earls, and dukes who find their beauty charming—and their wealth extremely useful.

This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel focuses on materialism and the fortunes of a Midwestern family in the early 20th century. Horseless carriages were just appearing on the scene, the strata of society was in a constant state of flux, and the inherent values of the Amberson family were fast becoming a thing of the past.

Set in the Yorkshire moors, the ill-fated, passionate love story of Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff is beautiful, haunting, and sometimes harrowing.

In order to help support her parents and siblings, Agnes becomes a governess in various households. Then, while assisting a vision-impaired neighbor, she meets Mr. Weston, the new curate. Their paths cross briefly, but it has a lasting effect on her.

In this exciting tale, the legend of Amy Robsart and her secret marriage to the earl of Leicester comes alive in a blend of historical fact and fanciful fiction.

A woman seeks love and the fulfillment of her essential nature outside of her stuffy, middle-class marriage. Although this book shocked the readers of 1899, it ultimately paved the way for the modern novel.

Lady Susan was first published decades after Austen's death. Written in letters, the selfish but entertaining Lady Susan and each of her correspondents come vividly to life, as do the family members of the fragment, The Watsons. This latter work was begun in 1875, but Austen never returned to it after her father's death.

This unfinished late novel is complex, convoluted, and poses a challenge for both amateur and professional Jamesians alike. In it, Henry James explores the reactions of a native young British heir to his inheritance of an American fortune during the Gilded Age as well as the reactions of members of his family and surrounding community.

Set in Nuremberg, this psychological novel explores the crushing of a young girl's spirit by her aunt's Calvinist fanaticism and insistence on her marrying an old man against her will.

Set in upstate New York on a comfortable estate, the law-abiding family of Mr. Wharton suddenly finds the Revolutionary War at its door. They are an American family with friendly British ties, but they have kept their dual loyalties from affecting their peaceful life, until a secret visit from Wharton's own son, Henry, changes everything

With tongue firmly implanted in cheek, Benson introduces us to a world full of snobs, hypochondriacs, faddists, and social climbers. Some of the titles include "The Compleat Snob", "Aunt Georgie", "The Poison of Asps", "The Eternally Uncompromised", "The Grizzly Kittens", and "The Praisers of Past Time".

Chris' "shell shock" blocks out fifteen years of his life as he returns home to his wife, only to remember and revisit Margaret, the earlier love of his life. The plot of this book takes place during World War I, but the consequences of battle are just as devastating today.

The innocent and insolent Daisy confronts the traditions of old Europe and confounds all of the people (especially the men) who surround her. All throughout the story, there are classic Jamesian views on the differences between English and American societies.