Before the Ruins

Before the Ruins PDF Author: Victoria Gosling
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
ISBN: 1250759145
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
Named a Best New Book of 2021 (so far) by Real Simple Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2021 by Lit Hub and Bustle A gripping, multilayered debut in the tradition of Tana French and Donna Tartt about four friends, an empty manor, and a night that will follow them for the rest of their lives It's the summer of 1996 and school's out forever for Andy, her boyfriend Marcus, her best friend Peter, and Em. When Andy's alcoholic mother predicts the apocalypse, the four teenagers decide to see out the end of the world at a deserted manor house, the site of a historic unsolved mystery. There they meet David—charming and unreliable, he seems to have appeared out of nowhere. David presents an irresistible lure for both Andy and Peter and complicates the dynamics of their lifelong friendship. When the group learns that a diamond necklace, stolen fifty years ago, might still be somewhere on the manor grounds, the Game—half treasure hunt, half friendly deception—begins. But the Game becomes much bigger than the necklace, growing to encompass years of secrets, lies, and, ultimately, one terrible betrayal. Meticulously plotted and gorgeously written, Before the Ruins is a page-turner of the highest order about the sealed-off places in our pasts and the parts of ourselves waiting to be retrieved from them.

Before Everything

Before Everything PDF Author: Victoria Redel
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 1473651816
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 222

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Book Description
'Redel proves that female friendship is the quiet, steady engine that truly runs the world.' Hannah Tinti 'At once tough and tender, funny and sad, this beautifully written novel articulates the dynamic realities of those wondrous friendships that last a lifetime.' Siri Hustvedt From youthful scrapes to mid-life turning points, the Old Friends have faced everything together. So as Anna, their brightest spark, enters hospice, they gather to do what they've always done: they laugh and eat, and help each other make choices and plans, and talk through dilemmas with children and work and love. But now the sense of time has shifted, and the pattern of their lives takes on a new, urgent meaning. As their shared experiences are recounted and re-lived, this funny, bittersweet ode to friendship shows how even in difficult endings, gifts can unfold. 'Gorgeous, a heartbreaker, a non-stop dazzler, a major achievement.' Michael Cunningham 'One of the most brilliant, radiant and heartbreaking books I've read in years.' Molly Antopol

We Two

We Two PDF Author: Gillian Gill
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 0345514920
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 481

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Book Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "[A] delectable double bio . . . Talk about Victoria’s secret. . . . A fascinating portrait of a genuine love match, but one in which the partners dealt with surprisingly modern issues.” —USA Today It was the most influential marriage of the nineteenth century—and one of history’ s most enduring love stories. Traditional biographies tell us that Queen Victoria inherited the throne as a naïve teenager, when the British Empire was at the height of its power, and seemed doomed to find failure as a monarch and misery as a woman until she married her German cousin Albert and accepted him as her lord and master. Now renowned chronicler Gillian Gill turns this familiar story on its head, revealing a strong, feisty queen and a brilliant, fragile prince working together to build a family based on support, trust, and fidelity, qualities neither had seen much of as children. The love affair that emerges is far more captivating, complex, and relevant than that depicted in any previous account. The epic relationship began poorly. The cousins first met as teenagers for a few brief, awkward, chaperoned weeks in 1836. At seventeen, charming rather than beautiful, Victoria already “showed signs of wanting her own way.” Albert, the boy who had been groomed for her since birth, was chubby, self-absorbed, and showed no interest in girls, let alone this princess. So when they met again in 1839 as queen and presumed prince-consort-to-be, neither had particularly high hopes. But the queen was delighted to discover a grown man, refined, accomplished, and whiskered. “Albert is beautiful!” Victoria wrote, and she proposed just three days later. As Gill reveals, Victoria and Albert entered their marriage longing for intimate companionship, yet each was determined to be the ruler. This dynamic would continue through the years—each spouse, headstrong and impassioned, eager to lead the marriage on his or her own terms. For two decades, Victoria and Albert engaged in a very public contest for dominance. Against all odds, the marriage succeeded, but it was always a work in progress. And in the end, it was Albert’s early death that set the Queen free to create the myth of her marriage as a peaceful idyll and her husband as Galahad, pure and perfect. As Gill shows, the marriage of Victoria and Albert was great not because it was perfect but because it was passionate and complicated. Wonderfully nuanced, surprising, often acerbic—and informed by revealing excerpts from the pair’s journals and letters—We Two is a revolutionary portrait of a queen and her prince, a fascinating modern perspective on a couple who have become a legend. BONUS: This edition contains a reader's guide.

Victoria Rebels

Victoria Rebels PDF Author: Carolyn Meyer
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1442422467
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
Queen Victoria’s personal journals inform this “intimate and authentic portrait” (Booklist) of one of history’s most prominent female leaders. Queen Victoria most certainly left a legacy—under her rule as the longest reigning female monarch in history. But what was she really like? To be a young woman in a time when few other females held positions of power was to lead in a remarkable age—and because Queen Victoria kept personal journals, this historical novel from award-winning author Carolyn Meyer shares authentic emotional insight along with accurate information, weaving a fascinating story of intrigue and romance.

Victoria: The Queen

Victoria: The Queen PDF Author: Julia Baird
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
ISBN: 0812982282
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 770

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Book Description
The true story for fans of the PBS Masterpiece series Victoria, this page-turning biography reveals the real woman behind the myth: a bold, glamorous, unbreakable queen—a Victoria for our times. Drawing on previously unpublished papers, this stunning portrait is a story of love and heartbreak, of devotion and grief, of strength and resilience. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES • ESQUIRE • THE CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY “Victoria the Queen, Julia Baird’s exquisitely wrought and meticulously researched biography, brushes the dusty myth off this extraordinary monarch.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editor’s Choice) When Victoria was born, in 1819, the world was a very different place. Revolution would threaten many of Europe’s monarchies in the coming decades. In Britain, a generation of royals had indulged their whims at the public’s expense, and republican sentiment was growing. The Industrial Revolution was transforming the landscape, and the British Empire was commanding ever larger tracts of the globe. In a world where women were often powerless, during a century roiling with change, Victoria went on to rule the most powerful country on earth with a decisive hand. Fifth in line to the throne at the time of her birth, Victoria was an ordinary woman thrust into an extraordinary role. As a girl, she defied her mother’s meddling and an adviser’s bullying, forging an iron will of her own. As a teenage queen, she eagerly grasped the crown and relished the freedom it brought her. At twenty, she fell passionately in love with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, eventually giving birth to nine children. She loved sex and delighted in power. She was outspoken with her ministers, overstepping conventional boundaries and asserting her opinions. After the death of her adored Albert, she began a controversial, intimate relationship with her servant John Brown. She survived eight assassination attempts over the course of her lifetime. And as science, technology, and democracy were dramatically reshaping the world, Victoria was a symbol of steadfastness and security—queen of a quarter of the world’s population at the height of the British Empire’s reach. Drawing on sources that include fresh revelations about Victoria’s relationship with John Brown, Julia Baird brings vividly to life the fascinating story of a woman who struggled with so many of the things we do today: balancing work and family, raising children, navigating marital strife, losing parents, combating anxiety and self-doubt, finding an identity, searching for meaning.

The Letters of Queen Victoria

The Letters of Queen Victoria PDF Author: Victoria (Queen of Great Britain)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Europe
Languages : en
Pages : 500

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Book Description


Until I Found You

Until I Found You PDF Author: Victoria Bylin
Publisher: Baker Books
ISBN: 1441264078
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 335

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Book Description
Finding each other was only the beginning . . . When Kate Darby swerves off a mountain road to avoid hitting a California condor, she ends up trapped in her car, teetering on the edge of a cliff. Terrified, she breathes a prayer that changes her life. It's Nick Sheridan who comes to Kate's rescue. Nick is handsome and confident, and he seems to develop a habit of rescuing her, but Kate is in town only until her grandmother recuperates from a stroke. She's not planning to get involved with one of the locals. Nick is a reformed veteran of life in the fast lane, a new Christian, and a travel writer. When he sees a car dangling on the edge of a cliff, the daredevil in him jumps into action. He doesn't expect to be swept off his feet by the car's occupant. He's made a vow--no dating for a year--but keeping that vow is going to be a lot more difficult now that he's met Kate Darby. . . .

Before You Say Anything

Before You Say Anything PDF Author: Victoria Wellman
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 1250274036
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 159

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Book Description
The convention-breaking creative process of New York's busiest speechwriter, offering a holistic approach to crafting every kind of speech. The ability to express yourself in words has become both a rite of passage and an essential skill for anyone who wants to make a difference within their family, community, workplace, or beyond. And yet, strategies for engaging a new generation of media and tech-savvy audiences have failed to keep up with the times, leaving speakers wondering how to articulate a resonant message that bristles with detail, authenticity, and emotional truth. While we can’t all expect to captivate and inspire millions as Barack Obama and Greta Thunberg have, every speaker—regardless of their experience—can follow a road map to elevate a narrative from serviceable to unforgettable. This is true whether you’re roasting a colleague at an office party, delivering a keynote industry address, accepting an award, or eulogizing a loved one. In Before You Say Anything, Victoria Wellman—the founder and president of Manhattan-based speechwriting company The Oratory Laboratory—shares her unique methodology for researching, reimagining, crafting, and delivering an outstanding speech by focusing on three core objectives: respect for the audience, the restless pursuit of originality, and intentionality behind every word. Full of hilarious anecdotes and examples from Wellman’s extensive experience as the go-to speechwriter for power players and everyday people from around the world, Before You Say Anything is an irresistible antidote to the age-old doctrine of what a speech must include. Instead, it will leave readers with an enlightened and refreshing way of thinking about their sources, ideas, and material, and give them a strategy for putting it all to use.

Becoming Victoria

Becoming Victoria PDF Author: Lynne Vallone
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 9780300089509
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
Part biography, part historical and cultural study, this richly illustrated volume uncovers in fascinating detail the childhood that Princess Victoria actually lived. Vallone shows readers a new Victoria--a lively and passionate girl very different from the iconic, dour widow of the queen's later life. 50 illustrations, 15 in color.

Before the Revolution

Before the Revolution PDF Author: Victoria González-Rivera
Publisher: Penn State Press
ISBN: 0271068027
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 254

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Book Description
Those who survived the brutal dictatorship of the Somoza family have tended to portray the rise of the women’s movement and feminist activism as part of the overall story of the anti-Somoza resistance. But this depiction of heroic struggle obscures a much more complicated history. As Victoria González-Rivera reveals in this book, some Nicaraguan women expressed early interest in eliminating the tyranny of male domination, and this interest grew into full-fledged campaigns for female suffrage and access to education by the 1880s. By the 1920s a feminist movement had emerged among urban, middle-class women, and it lasted for two more decades until it was eclipsed in the 1950s by a nonfeminist movement of mainly Catholic, urban, middle-class and working-class women who supported the liberal, populist, patron-clientelistic regime of the Somozas in return for the right to vote and various economic, educational, and political opportunities. Counterintuitively, it was actually the Somozas who encouraged women's participation in the public sphere (as long as they remained loyal Somocistas). Their opponents, the Sandinistas and Conservatives, often appealed to women through their maternal identity. What emerges from this fine-grained analysis is a picture of a much more complex political landscape than that portrayed by the simplifying myths of current Nicaraguan historiography, and we can now see why and how the Somoza dictatorship did not endure by dint of fear and compulsion alone.