Classic Victorian Romance

When Tess Durbeyfield is driven by family poverty to claim kinship with the wealthy D'Urbervilles and seek a portion of their family fortune, meeting her 'cousin' Alec proves to be her downfall. A very different man, Angel Clare, seems to offer her love and salvation, but Tess must choose whether to reveal her past or remain silent in the hope of a peaceful future. With its sensitive depiction of the wronged Tess and powerful criticism of social convention, Tess of the D'Urbervilles is one of the most moving and poetic of Hardy's novels.

Kate Croy is secretly engaged to Merton Denscher, a journalist who lacks money. By chance, Kate befriends Milly, an American heiress, and learns she is suffering from a fatal illness. Kate devises a scheme to maximize their combined assets: she encourages Merton to take an interest in Milly and marry her. Kate intends to make him a rich widower whom she herself can marry. But such well-laid plans are not enough for the subtlety of the heart.

"The Well-Beloved" is a beautifully crafted novel by Thomas Hardy, exploring the complexities of love and desire. Set in the scenic Isle of Slingers, it tells the story of a sculptor, Jocelyn Pierston, and his obsessive search for his perfect muse, who he calls his "well-beloved". As he searches for this elusive figure, he faces a series of trials and tribulations, each leading him closer to his ultimate desire. This poignant and lyrical tale is a must-read for any lover of classic literature.

"The Mill on the Floss" is George Eliot’s second novel, and was published in 1860, only a year after her first, "Adam Bede". It centres on the lives of brother and sister Tom and Maggie Tulliver growing up on the river Floss near the town of St. Oggs (a fictionalised version of Gainsborough, in Lincolnshire, England) in the years following the Napoleonic Wars, with both as young adults eventually meeting a tragic end by the Mill which the family holds so dear.

John Thornton is facing the collapse of everything he has worked for all of his life. Through his banker, he hears about a potential business opportunity that could save the mill. He decides to investigate, even if it means traveling from home when he can least afford it. Margaret Hale, now living in London, learns that her godfather Mr. Bell is visiting her brother Frederick in Cadiz. Bell is dying, and asking to see her before it is too late. She is determined to sail, regardless of the risk.

In this collection of short stories, Thomas Hardy explores the lives of the people of Wessex, a fictional region in England. Through tales of love, loss, and tragedy, Hardy portrays the struggles and complexities of human relationships in rural Victorian England. With vivid descriptions and engaging characters, Wessex Tales is a must-listen for fans of classic literature.

The culmination of Jane Austen's genius, a sparkling comedy of love and marriage Beautiful, clever, rich and single Emma Woodhouse is perfectly content with her life and sees no need for either love or marriage. Nothing, however, delights her more than interfering in the romantic lives of others. But when she ignores the warnings of her good friend Mr. Knightley and attempts to arrange a suitable match for her protegee Harriet Smith, her carefully laid plans soon unravel and have consequences that she never expected.

A mad priest, a vagabond playwright, a social-climbing soldier, and a deformed bell-ringer—all are captivated by a gypsy girl's beauty and charm. Two of them will betray her, but the others will remain loyal, even in the shadow of the gallows. These outlaws find sanctuary within the walls of medieval Paris' greatest monument, the grand Cathedral of Notre Dame.

Sense and Sensibility fu il primo romanzo pubblicato nel 1811, in tre volumi, la cui autrice rimaneva anonima (By a Lady). Il romanzo ha per tema il contrasto tra la ragione di Elinor e l'emotività di Marianne, due sorelle,. Per una gran parte del romanzo la narrazione, che segue Elinor, prende chiaramente la difesa della razionalità e dell’assennatezza, ma questo poi diviene meno scontato e la srittrice si interroga sinceramente fra i due atteggiamenti nell’affrontare le delusioni della vita. Pertanto il libro è tuttora attuale, come lo è questo tipo di contrasto nella mente umana.

Unsatisfied with the expectations of Creole society and unhappy with her family life, Edna Pontellier begins to fall in love with the dapper Robert Lebrun. Lebrun's flirtations, along with the lifestyle of renowned musician Mademoiselle Reisz, rejuvenates Edna's sense of freedom and independence. However, an affair with the womanizer Alcee Arobin provides Edna with a taste of the danger that comes with living outside of social convention.

One of Thomas Hardy's classic statements about modern love, courtship, and marriage, The Return of the Native is set in the pastoral village of Egdon Heath. The fiery Eustacia Vye, wishing only for passionate love, believes that her escape from Egdon lies in her marriage to Clym Yeobright, the returning "native", home from Paris and discontented with his work there.

Lena Todd is the perfect spy. Nobody suspects the flirtatious debutante could be a rebel against London's vicious elite - not even the ruthless Will Carver, the one man she can't twist around her little finger. Will Carver is more than man, he's a verwolfen and he wants nothing to do with the dangerous beauty who drives him to the very edge of control. But when he finds Lena in possession of a coded letter, he realizes she's in a world of trouble. To protect her, he'll have to seduce the truth from her before it's too late.

Propelled into society by his ever-hopeful father, Frank is introduced to a variety of professions in order to make his fortune. Not industrious by nature, however, Frank finds working life a challenge, and by his 25th birthday, he has failed medicine, portrait-painting, caricaturing, and even forgery. Disenchanted with life, he despairs of ever finding something to commit to — until he meets Alicia Dulcifer and her inexplicably wealthy father.

Mansfield Park is the third published and perhaps most subtle of Jane Austen's novels. It tells the story of Fanny Price, who, at the age of 10, is sent from her impoverished household to live with her wealthy aunt and uncle and be raised alongside her cousins. Fanny grows up as a misfit, not truly a member of the Bertram family, but too genteel to feel comfortable with her parents.

Persuasion is a tale of love and marriage, told with the irony and insight that sets Jane Austen's work apart. Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth have met and separated years before. The story of how their reunion forces a recognition of the false values and people that drove them apart gives Persuasion its enduring power.

No hay nada mejor que viajar con buena compañía, y eso lo sabe el señor Samuel Pickwick. Ya anciano y adinerado, junto con Nathaniel Winkle, Augustus Snodgrass y Tracy Tupman, se embarca en un divertido viaje por lugares remotos de Inglaterra y va pasando el parte al resto de miembros del denominado Club Pickwick. Desde la campiña inglesa hasta zonas industriales, los tres aventureros se topan con situaciones incómodas, curiosas y desternillantes.

George Eliot was the pen name of Mary Ann Evans – an ironic ‘deception’ given that "Adam Bede", her first novel, is written unashamedly from a feminist standpoint. The story centres on a pastoral love triangle. Two young men, carpenter Adam Bede and squire Captain Arthur Donnithorne, are both in love with the mercurial Hetty Sorrel. There’s a further love interest between Adam and beautiful lay preacher Dinah Morris. The setting is a country village in the north of England in the last years of the eighteenth century.

Great Expectations is arguably Dickens' finest work. Chapter one opens up in a lonely graveyard on the marshes in southern England where we first meet young Pip and witness a terrifying meeting with an escaped convict. The novel charts the life of Pip from boy to young man during which Dickens treats us to array of unforgettable characters from the lovable Joe and the servile Pumblechuck to the jilted Miss Havisham and the faithful Herbert Pocket.

The first part of the book builds the characters of four con men who become interconnected and attempt their schemes on each other. This book is the first of a two part story, the second part is the book Charlotte's Inheritance.FEAT DESC

Brought up by a parish schoolmaster with a hidden past, Sylvia Carew dreams of a future devoid of poverty. Will she be faithful to the man she adores or will she opt for the chance at wealth and position? What lengths will she go to and when all is said and done, will she be gratified with her "happily ever after"? Romance, ambition and greed, deceit and selfishness are at the root of this sensational Victorian novel by Braddon. As usual she manages to keep us in suspense until her well constructed surprise ending.