Author: Sijie Dai
Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group
ISBN: 037541309X
Category : China
Languages : en
Pages : 201
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Book Description
An enchanting literary debut—already an international best-seller. At the height of Mao’s infamous Cultural Revolution, two boys are among hundreds of thousands exiled to the countryside for “re-education.” The narrator and his best friend, Luo, guilty of being the sons of doctors, find themselves in a remote village where, among the peasants of Phoenix mountain, they are made to cart buckets of excrement up and down precipitous winding paths. Their meager distractions include a violin—as well as, before long, the beautiful daughter of the local tailor. But it is when the two discover a hidden stash of Western classics in Chinese translation that their re-education takes its most surprising turn. While ingeniously concealing their forbidden treasure, the boys find transit to worlds they had thought lost forever. And after listening to their dangerously seductive retellings of Balzac, even the Little Seamstress will be forever transformed. From within the hopelessness and terror of one of the darkest passages in human history, Dai Sijie has fashioned a beguiling and unexpected story about the resilience of the human spirit, the wonder of romantic awakening and the magical power of storytelling.
Author: Peter Brooks
Publisher: New York Review of Books
ISBN: 1681374501
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 281
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Book Description
Enter the mind of French literary giant Honoré de Balzac through a study of nine of his greatest characters and the novels they inhabit. Balzac's Lives illuminates the writer's life, era, and work in a completely original way. Balzac, more than anyone, invented the nineteenth-century novel, and Oscar Wilde went so far as to say that Balzac had invented the nineteenth century. But it was above all through the wonderful, unforgettable, extravagant characters that Balzac dreamed up and made flesh—entrepreneurs, bankers, inventors, industrialists, poets, artists, bohemians of both sexes, journalists, aristocrats, politicians, prostitutes—that he brought to life the dynamic forces of an era that ushered in our own. Peter Brooks’s Balzac’s Lives is a vivid and searching portrait of a great novelist as revealed through the fictional lives he imagined.
Author: Honoré de Balzac
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 416
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Book Description
Author: Honore de Balzac
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 516
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Book Description
Author: Honoré de Balzac
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 380
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Book Description
Author: Honoré de Balzac
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 328
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Book Description
Author: Michael Lucey
Publisher: Duke University Press
ISBN: 9780822338970
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 350
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Book Description
Rereads the works of Colette, Gide, and Proust to show how central representations of sexuality were to the evolution of literary prose forms in twentieth-century France.
Author: Lesley Cookman
Publisher: Headline Accent
ISBN: 1908917059
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 240
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Book Description
'With fascinating characters and an intriguing plot, this is a real page turner' KATIE FFORDE praise for the series. An addictive and unputdownable crime mystery novel perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Faith Martin, J.R. Ellis, LJ Ross, Miss Marple and Midsummer Murders! Lesley Cookman's bestselling series featuring amateur sleuth Libby Sarjeant is back for its third instalment! Can they uncover how the corpses connect? Bella Morleigh was pleased to inherit a derelict theatre, that is until an unknown body is discovered within it... Luckily for her, her two friends Libby Sarjeant and Psychic Investigator Fran Castle are on the case. Although Libby is rather distracted by the preparations for her friends' Civil Partnership ceremony, she's at least getting the hang of using a computer to dig for information, something she's certain will be terribly useful in her detecting career. When a second body is discovered however, it is one of Fran's psychic moments (and none of Libby's computer know-how) that help them discover the surprising link between the two corpses... _________________________________________________ Praise for the bestselling series: 'This was another hit for me in this delightful series and I would highly recommend it' ***** GoodReads review 'I have read all the books in this series and love them all' ***** GoodReads review 'Just can't get enough of reading about Libby and her friends' ***** GoodReads review 'The characters are so likeable. I would love to visit the mythical Steeple Martin!' ***** GoodReads review
Author: Lesley Cookman
Publisher: Headline Accent
ISBN: 1909624950
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 204
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Book Description
'With fascinating characters and an intriguing plot, this is a real page turner' KATIE FFORDE praise for the series An addictive and unputdownable crime mystery novel perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Faith Martin, J.R. Ellis, LJ Ross, Miss Marple and Midsummer Murders! Lesley Cookman's bestselling series featuring amateur sleuth Libby Sarjeant is back for its thirteenth instalment! Libby and the gang visit the Isle of Wight for the funeral of an old friend, whose death is (for once) entirely un-suspicious. Some elderly cousins of the deceased do however have an unexplained death in the family. Libby's best friend Harry seems to be somehow involved, and Libby is therefore determined to get to the bottom of the situation, and valiantly ignores the growing reluctance of the elderly cousins to help as she investigates. But will she get to the bottom of it, or will the cousins' resistance prove too much? And why are they even resisting in the first place? _________________________________________________ Praise for the bestselling series: 'We would recommend these books to everyone who likes crime thrillers... She is a spectacular author' ***** Amazon review 'I love these nice, gentle books for a relaxing read and enough twists and turns to keep you interested' ***** Amazon review 'As usual Libby Sargeant is a funny and charming character, she is infectious. An easy read with a good story' ***** Amazon review 'As usual this was a real page turner and I can't wait for the next one' ***** Amazon review 'I really enjoyed this book. It captured the imagination right from the beginning. I would highly recommend it' ***** Amazon review
Author: Honoré de Balzac
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781727357745
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 238
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Book Description
The Magic Skin (La Peau de chagrin) is set in early 19th-century Paris and tells the story of a young man who finds a magic piece of shagreen that fulfills his every desire. For each wish granted, however, the skin shrinks and consumes a portion of his physical energy. Although the novel uses fantastic elements, its main focus is a realistic portrayal of the excesses of bourgeois materialism. Balzac's renowned attention to detail is used to describe a gambling house, an antique shop, a royal banquet, and other locales. He also includes details from his own life as a struggling writer, placing the main character in a home similar to the one he occupied at the start of his literary career. The central theme of La Peau de chagrin is the conflict between desire and longevity. The magic skin represents the owner's life-force, which is depleted through every expression of will, especially when it is employed for the acquisition of power. Ignoring a caution from the shopkeeper who offers him the skin, the protagonist greedily surrounds himself with wealth, only to find himself miserable and decrepit at the story's end. (source: Wikipedia)
