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- 12
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Hester: A Story of Contemporary Life, Volume 1
Catherine Vernon has a firm hand on her family and on the family business. Her plans for her young protege Edward, whom she loves like a son, are disturbed by the arrival of Hester, a 14-year-old girl who is just as strong willed. The conflict between Catherine and Hester is resolved through their mutual love for Edward. On one level a love story, Hester is unusual for its time in its portrayal of women in business. -
Broken Barriers
Life abruptly changes for young socialite, Grace Durland., when her father goes bankrupt and she is forced to earn a living. Thrust into a new life, she meets -- and falls in love with -- a married man. She faces condemnation from friends and family alike, and although Ward Trenton reciprocates her feelings, his wife refuses him a divorce. Once again, fate intervenes in the form of a serious accident. -
Emmeline, the Orphan of the Castle
This book was written about 150 years ahead of its time. It tells the story of Emmeline Mobwray who grows up in a dysfunctional family and has to find herself against all odds. Orphaned at a young age, she has to stay alone in a remote castle under the care of a kind housekeeper. But when the kind housekeeper dies, the family starts to take interest in her- to mixed results. Her cousin becomes obsessed with her, much to the displeasure of his wealthy and arrogant parents. Thus, Emmeline is forced to run away from the only home she knew in order to escape his attentions. Would Emmeline be able to stand up to him at the end or, like many of her contemporaries, would she be forced into a loveless match? Can Emmeline survive in a society predominated by wealth without money or connections? And is Emmeline's family the only one with problems? Throughout the novel, Emmeline learns to create and sustain true friendships and grows up to her role as a woman of that era- with all that it entails." -
Coming of Bill (or: Their Mutual Child; or: The White Hope)
The Coming of Bill tells the story of Kirk Winfield, his marriage to Ruth, and their child called Bill. Bill's upbringing is threatened by the interference of Ruth's busybody writer aunt, Mrs Lora Delane Porter -
Miss Billy Married
At the opening to this second sequel to Miss Billy (Miss Billy, Miss Billy's Decision, Miss Billy Married), we find Bertram and Billy finally at the altar. Will wedded bliss ensue and are the patter of little feet on the horizon? Or is misunderstanding and heartache in the cards again? Find out in Miss Billy Married! -
Romance of a Shop
Praised by Oscar Wilde amongst other contemporaries, Amy Levy's first novel tells the story of the four Lorimer sisters, who decide to open their own photography business after the death of their father which has left them in poverty. The novel examines the opportunities and difficulties of urban life for the "New Woman" in the late nineteenth century. Not only was Levy unusual as a female novelist in this period, but she was also from an Anglo Jewish family. -
Stories of Successful Marriages
A collection of short stories by celebrated authors on the subject of successful marriages. Pieces originally appeared in other publications between 1858 and 1900 and were brought together by Walter Besant. -
Cricket on the Hearth, The (Version 2)
The tale of John Peerybingle, the good-hearted carrier, and his young wife Mary ('Dot'), interwoven with the story of poor toymaker Caleb Plummer, his beloved blind daughter Bertha, and the harsh old toy merchant Tackleton, who is due to marry May Fielding, a childhood friend of Dot. Comic relief is provided by Tilly Slowboy, the disaster-prone nursemaid of John and Dot's baby, and Boxer, the family dog.
The cricket who chirps on the family hearth assumes fairy form to save the day when disaster looms in the form of a mysterious stranger. Sentimental? Certainly - but this, the third (1845) of Dickens' short Christmas books, is as charming and irresistible as its predecessors A Christmas Carol (1843) and The Chimes (1844).
The novella is subdivided into chapters called 'Chirps', similar to the 'Quarters' of The Chimes or the 'Staves' of A Christmas Carol. -
Virginia
Virginia does everything right: she attends a finishing school, marries the first man who proposes, and devotes her life to her husband and children. But what happens when each one of them has a life outside the home in which she has no room? -
Search
“On the day the drafted men march away, Ruth MacDonald catches John Cameron's eye and waves to him. In the excitement of the moment they both forget the social barriers that lie between them and only remember they were schoolmates as children. From this a friendship develops that has far-reaching results. To Ruth, spoiled daughter of the rich, comes a new conception of life, of war, of love. To John comes tests of fire before he finds himself. Here is the absorbing romance of two people who searched through the devious paths of a warring world for fulfillment and happiness.” - Dust Jacket, 1919 Edition. Note: Chapter numbering skips XI, like the original chapter numbering in the first edition. -
Heavenly Twins
First published in 1893, this novel came to question many subjects which were considered taboo. Through a few interconnected plots and sub plots, the story examines the role of women and the different opportunities women and men had. Through the twins of the title, a girl and a boy, and through two other ladies we discover the Victorian world in a different light. What does a woman have to do if, after marriage, she discovers very unsettling things about her husband's past? Yes, society expects her to stay with him and honor the marriage. But what if she is not willing? What are women expected to do when trapped in loveless marriages? The book also examine in many ways the idea that women are not inferior to men and should receive the same education, information about life, and preparation for the real world. This book received much academic attention. It is a must read for all feminist fiction admirers, history lovers, and many more from every field. It tells about Victorian society as it really was. -
Wheat Princess
Marcia Copley, an American Heiress, comes to Rome. Typically for the period, she may want to attract an aristocrat. He brings the title, she brings the money to support it. Her adventures in Rome are different than she anticipated. Rich and poor live side by side, and the author does her best to describe both walks of life vividly and truthfully. Jean Webster is the author of Daddy Long Legs and Dear Enemy. This particular novel would also please fans of Henry James and George Gissing. -
House by the Medlar Tree
In a nineteenth century Sicilian fishing village, the Malavoglia family gambles everything on being able to profit from a cargo of lupin nuts. The cargo is lost at sea and a succession of misfortunes and tragedies assails the family. A masterpiece of social commentary hailed within Italy but neglected by the wider world, The House by the Medlar Tree ranks alongside the works of Zola, Dickens or Balzac among the great books of European literature. The book is the inspiration behind the 1948 film 'La Terra Trema' ('The Earth Trembles'), one of the earliest works of the great Italian director Luchino Visconti. -
Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving (Dramatic Reading)
When a neighbor brings word that Grandma is sick, Mr. and Mrs. Bassett hurry off to tend to her, leaving their seven children to prepare for Thanksgiving on their own. The story of the adventures of Eph, Tilly, Prue, Seth, Sol, Roxy, and Rhody Bassett as they go sledding, face bears, tell old stories, and wrestle with plum puddings is a holiday treat fit to make anyone stop and count their own blessings. -
History of Miss Betsy Thoughtless, Vol. 4
Betsy Thoughtless is about an intelligent and strong-willed woman who marries under pressure from the society in which she lives. Betsy learns that sometimes giving way to the role of women within a marriage can at times be fulfilling. This is the fourth and final volume in this series. Does she get her man you will have to listen and find out. ( Michele Eaton) -
Marriage, volume 2
Lady Juliana is the daughter of the Earl of Courtland. She receives a marriage proposal from a wealthy Duke but much to the horror of her father she elopes to Gretna Green a Scottish soldier Henry Douglas. She is disowned and Douglas is dismissed. The couple journey to Glenfern in Scotland and reside with the Douglas family. Juliana is shocked by the difference in lifestyles. Despite all kind-hearted attempts from Henry’s fussing spinster aunts, Miss Grizzy, Miss Jackie and Miss Nicky, Lady Juliana makes no attempt to accept her new life in Scotland and events take some interesting turns. -
Brother Jacob
Brother Jacob is a short story by George Eliot, in which she explores the relationship between the selfish, self-centered and ambitious David Faux and his idiot brother, Jacob. -
Elsie's Children
This book continues the delightful "Elsie Dinsmore" series. Elsie's children, introduced in the previous volume, live life, grow up, and encounter various problems of their own. -
Palmetto Leaves
After the Civil War, Harriet and her husband Charles bought an Orange Plantation in Mandarin, on the upper east coast of Florida, where they lived during the winter months. Over the years they expanded their cottage to accommodate many guests (now a museum open to the public). They opened schools to educate and churches to care for the recently freed negros pouring into Florida seeking refuge and opportunity. These charming essays, each describing a largely undeveloped rural land, became one of the first travel guides written about Florida and stimulated the first boom of tourism and residential development to that area. Stow describes its waterways, flora and fauna, the generosity of the people, the lush abundance of flowers, farmer's efforts to develop crops, Negro relations with whites, correspondence with famous persons, etc. -
Children Of The Abbey
Published in 1796, this novel tells the trials and tribulations of Amanda and Oscar FitzAlan, brother and sister who have to navigate the world with no money or status, and hardly any connections. They find love, yet, again and again, things block the way to happiness and, worse, destroy Amanda's reputation. This is the story of abuse of power, loyalty, and, ultimately, love in many forms. -
Love Affairs of Pixie
This is the third book of the Pixie O’Shaughnessy trilogy. In a story of love lost and found, Pixie matures from an inexperienced young lass into a wise woman. -
Demos: A Story of English Socialism
"Richard Mutimer is delighted to inherit a large fortune. As a socialist, he means to use it well: he will open a factory in which workers would be treated well, he will advance his party's causes through his own wealth... At least, so he thinks. But reality may be far different. This novel raises more questions than answers. How much should money play in the marriage market, or can love have a prominent place? Can a man who gained power remain a socialist? This book is not only about political unrest. It is a story of a man who changes, for better or worse, and all the forces that shape him. Like other works by Gissing, it describes the London slums in the 19th century, the conditions of the working class, and a few families (some dysfunctional and some great). It was a favourite of George Orwell's, who developed some of Gissing's earlier themes in his own works. It is also reminiscent of works by authors such as Anthony Trollope. It is the only novel by Gissing which was adapted into film." -
Aurora Floyd Volume 2
Aurora Floyd is the spoiled, impetuous, but kind hearted daughter of Archibald Floyd, a wealthy banker and his wife, an actress who died shortly after Aurora's birth. As a teenager she is sent away to finishing school in Paris. This is volume two of the story which tells of Aurora's life with her husband John Mellish. This is a story of love, murder and the search for justice. -
Christmas Comes but Once a Year
A Christmas tale of John Brown's ghastly family (suburban snobs), Captain Bonaventure de Camp and his equally awful brood (a dubious crew), and poor Soavo Spohf, organist of St. Stiff the Martyr, gifted in musical ability but not blessed in looks or love.
No-one could call this a great work of literature, but it definitely raises a few chuckles and it also offers a fascinating glimpse into Christmas festivities and social mores in well-to-do households in the mid-19th century. -
Rose Garden Husband
This novel was written by Margaret Widdemer, who won the Pulitzer prize for her collection of poetry in 1919. Phyllis is a 25-years-old children's librarian. She is good at her job. Yet when she sees a girl from her hometown with two children, she discovers she wants more. She marries an invalid who is expected to die. Would she find the love and sense of belonging she craves for? And would he really die?
Note: This book is in the public domain in the USA. The author died in 1978 so may still be protected by copyright in many other countries. -
Ordeal of Elizabeth
An unforgettable family saga which revolves around the beautiful young Elizabeth. Elizabeth is orphaned and raised by her spinster aunts. As an adult, she finds herself trapped in a loveless marriage and ultimately falls in love with another man. After telling her lover the truth about her marriage - her husband is found murdered the very next day! This is a story of destiny, temptation, and courage of the heart. -
Road to Understanding, The
"If Burke Denby had not been given all the frosted cakes and toy shotguns he wanted at the age of ten, it might not have been so difficult to convince him at the age of twenty that he did not want to marry Helen Barnet."
"Of course the inevitable happened. However near two roads may be at the start, if they diverge ever so slightly and keep straight ahead, there is bound to be in time all the world between them. In the case of Burke and Helen, their roads never started together at all: they merely crossed; and at the crossing came the wedding. They were miles apart at the start—miles apart in tastes, traditions, and environment. In one respect only were they alike: undisciplined self-indulgence—a likeness that meant only added differences when it came to the crossing; and that made it all the more nearly impossible to merge those two diverging roads into one wide way leading straight on to wedded happiness." (From the book)
This all sounds complicated. This complicated situation is conveyed to us by the couple and some of their friends. However, more complications rise when a daughter is caught in the middle - a clever and wonderful girl who had to endure a sad and bitter life: live with her abnormal mother and be employed by her father, without knowing it's him. Her parents know what's best for her, but does Betty know what's best for herself? Will Betty be able to forgive her parents? -
Maid of Maiden Lane (dramatic reading)
The Maid of Maiden lane is a wonderful love story in which Mrs. Barr intertwines the hot political and social issues that were occurring in America during the last decade of the 18th century with an excellent love story plot. Some of those issues include: the moral dilemma and debate over the French Revolution, and how that event touched the lives of the immigrants in America; the prejudices between the immigrants from England, and those from France or Holland, and how those animosities affected the ordinary lives of the people; and the political debate over titles, foreign policy, and such things(for example)as where the capital of the nation was to reside, New York or Philadelphia. The author gives us a picture of New York City that is vastly different from today, with it's residential areas and tree lined roads as the backdrop for this very interesting drama. Cornelia, the Maiden of Maiden lane, is loved by two young men. Who she chooses, and the obstacles that the two face because of the opposition of their fathers, friends, and a huge mistake that turns everything upside down, propels the story towards its climax, where a surprise character, spiritual in nature, comes to the rescue, while sacrificing her own desire for love to help the two lovers. Good character, love, and the family ties and relationships that existed during those times are very well portrayed by the author, and the book is as interesting from a historical point of view as it is from a truly interesting and sweet old fashioned love story. -
My Lady of the Chinese Courtyard
"I hope that this book, based on letters shown me many years after they were written, will give a faint idea of the life of a Chinese lady. The story is told in two series of letters conceived to be written by Kwei-li, the wife of a very high Chinese official, [the first series were written] to her husband when he accompanied his master, Prince Chung, on his trip around the world." The second series of letters were written 25 years later to Kwei-li's mother-in-law as China faces revolution and political intrigue. "They are, therefore, the letters of the present-day Chinese woman of the old school, a woman who had by education and environment exceptional opportunities to learn of the modern world, but who, like every Eastern woman, clings with almost desperate tenacity to the traditions and customs of her race." -
Flaming June
The immensity of the gulf between England and the United States manifests itself on several levels in this story of a young girl’s innocent exploration of personal relationships. -
Mildred and Elsie
Mildred returns home from visiting her mother's relatives. She continues to grow in wisdom and beauty and receives many proposals of marriage. She is an ever-increasing blessing to her family and community. In-laws are added to the family, and they enjoy a visit from Horace Dinsmore and his daughter Elsie. -
Widowing of Mrs Holroyd
Mrs. Holroyd is married to a loutish miner, who drinks, apparently patronizes prostitutes, and apparently brutalizes her. When a gentlemanly neighbor makes romantic advances to her, she wishes her husband dead. -
Hester: A Story of Contemporary Life, Volume 2
Catherine Vernon has a firm hand on her family and on the family business. Her plans for her young protege Edward, whom she loves like a son, are disturbed by the arrival of Hester, a 14-year-old girl who is just as strong willed. The conflict between Catherine and Hester is resolved through their mutual love for Edward. On one level a love story, Hester is unusual for its time in its portrayal of women in business. -
Java Head
Java Head is a novel of the American merchant marine at the beginning of the great clipper ship era. It is laid in Salem, when that city was still a port rich with the traffic of the East Indies; a story of choleric ship masters, charming girls, and an aristocratic Manchu woman in carmine and jades and crusted gold. There is a drama as secret and poisonous as opium, lovely old gardens with lilac trees and green lattices, and elm-shaded streets ending at the harbor with the brigs unloading ivory from Africa and the ships crowding on their topsails for Canton. It is a romantic novel-and yet true-rather than a study of drab manners; there is no purpose in it other than the pleasure to be found in the spectacle of life supported by high courage and made beautiful by women in peacock shawls. (From the back cover of the 1919 edition) -
Reason Why
This collection of useful information on "Common Things" is put in the interesting form of "Why and Because," and comprehends a familiar explanation of many subjects which occupy a large space in the philosophy of Nature, relating to air, animals, atmosphere, caloric, chemistry, ventilation, materia medica, meteorology, acoustics, electricity, light, zoölogy, etc. -
Biography of a Prairie Girl
This book is a wonderful way to learn about how the prairies were years ago, but you will hardly feel you are learning because you will be caught up with the 'little girl', living with her as she grows up far away from any large city. Very well written, in this book you live, worry, and rejoice, along with the little girl. Whether it is through a prairie fire, raising some interesting and queer pet, having fun at some big prairie-time event, or worming her way out of trouble, the little girl continues to grow, until at the end, you leave, not a little girl, but a young lady stepping into womanhood. -
Haunted Room
Mr. Trevor inherits a piece of land in the country called Myst Court, and plans to move there with his three children: Emmie, Bruce, and Vibert. But rumor says that a room in the house that is haunted. Bruce and Mr. Trevor tell Emmie there are no ghosts, but Emmie can't help but be afraid--or can she? Summary by Esther ben Simonides -
In the Garden of Delight
This novel is narrated in the first person and revolves around a character named Lil (somewhat autobiographical of the author) and the dynamics of a colorful cast of family members. She loves nature and, especially, birds, and thus the title. The story is set in Tennessee. The writing is very much a product of its place and time. Hammond was quite socially progressive but some of the language she puts into the mouths of characters and the depiction of African Americans may be upsetting to some readers. -
Teddy's Button (Version 3)
Teddy is a little boy who cares about his father's button more than anything in the world. He wants to be in the Queen's army when he grows up, but his pastor tells him how he can be a soldier in God's army while he is still young. Teddy has many ups and downs as he tries to be a good soldier for his Captain, Jesus Christ. -
Veronica
Published in 1886, this novel encompasses a small community wherein Veronica, having lost her own mother, is “adopted” by a neighbour, Gertrude, who has a son of her own. The son, Dietrich, is learning how to become a saddler as his father before him. Their life is filled with hard work, but also some contentment. From the mother they now share, and two other matronly neighbours, Dietrich and Veronica learn valuable lessons about life. As the years pass, Dietrich and Veronica encounter trouble due to the mischief of two peers, and Dietrich more so as he is often tempted to frequent, along with others, the new tavern nearby. -
Paying Guest
George Gissing was one of the most accomplished writers of realism in the Victorian Era. Also The Paying Guest is a great example of realism, which closely pictures the class struggles of the time. The Novel opens at the breakfast table of the Mumfords, when Mr. Mumford draws the attention of his wife to an advertisement in the newspaper of a young lady searching a home with a respectable, well-connected family in London. After some consideration, the Mumfords decide to answer to the advertisment, and a few weeks later, Miss Derrick moves in with them. Tensions are inevitable. -
Molly Brown's Senior Days
This novel is the fourth in a series of eight books written about Miss Molly Brown of Kentucky during her education at Wellington College in the early years of the 1900's. -
Alice Dugdale
An ordinary village girl's plans for the future with her long-standing beau are threatened when he is seen to be an attractive prospect by a local noble family Trollope's novella works through the consequences with typical affection and sensitivity. -
Old Peabody Pew. The
A sweet, old fashioned Christmas romance set in an old New England meeting house. -
Sentimental Tommy
"J. M. Barrie is most noted for being the author of Peter Pan, the beloved book about a child who does not want to grow up. The two Tommy novels, as they are collectively referred to, are also about a child who does not want to grow up. Yet, unlike Peter Pan, he has to. Tommy grows up in the slums of London at the end of the 19th century in difficult conditions. This book explores his boyhood. How would his childhood fantasies collide with the hard conditions in which he lives and the reality of his growing up? The Tommy novels are considered semi-autobiographical." -
Tommy and Grizel
This book continues Sentimental Tommy, also in the Librivox catalogue. Tommy grows up and marries Grizel. But life is not only roses and rainbows. This book has all the elements of a good love story, but it is also a book about growing up and finding out your distinct voice in the world. -
They and I
A man and his three children leave the “Little Mother” at home in the city and set up temporary housekeeping in a country cottage to supervise the remodeling of the house he has just purchased there. The story is narrated by the father. His interactions with his children, interspersed with his own recollections of past events, make for hilarious reading.
This is Jerome at his best, IMHO, although this is apparently one of this lesser known novels. -
Marquis de Villemer
Caroline is a very intelligent woman. She received a good convent education until her father lost his fortune in a failed venture and died soon after. While her sister marries, Caroline has to go to Paris to support herself as a lady companion. In Paris, she is exposed to a privileged world she cannot dream to take part in. Or can she? Can her love for the good Marquis of Villemer win over social class and prejudice? -
Harry Heathcote of Gangoil
Harry Heathcote is an English ‘squatter’ who runs a huge sheep station at Gangoil in Queensland, Australia. His wife Mary and her older sister Kate live with him. Giles Medlicott owns a sugar plantation and mill nearby. Two of Harry’s former disgruntled employees, with the aid of other disreputable neighbours the Brownbies, deliberately start a potentially disastrous fire on Harry’s land. Medlicott comes to Harry’s support and the book follows what happens thereafter. -
Portion of Labor
This is the story of Ellen Brewster, pretty little daughter of shoe-mill workers in a Northeastern US town of the late 19th century. After the mill shuts down, her family struggles to make ends meet, but as the years pass, Ellen grows up into a prize pupil and pride of the community. The story also covers the birth of the American labor movement and the relationships between rich and poor. -
Bilingual Versions - Alice's in Wonderland (English – Spanish)
This book tells of a girl named Alice falling through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar, anthropomorphic creatures.