Apparently 'a fairly ordinary tale about the destruction of a happy marriage' (Nina Bawden) yet 'it makes compulsive reading' in its description of an ordinary family struck by disaster when the husband, in a moment of weak, mid-life vanity, runs off with a French girl. Dorothy Whipple is a superb stylist, with a calm intelligence in the tradition of Elizabeth Gaskell.

    It is and based on Elizabeth's own experiences.Excerpt from Aurora Leigh: A Poem in Nine Books Aurora Leigh. First Book. Of writing many books there is no end;And I, who have written much in prose and verseFor others' uses, will write now for mine, -Will write my story for my better self, As when you paint your portrait for a friend, Who keeps it in a drawer, and looks at itLong after he has ceased to love you, justTo hold together what he was and is. I, writing thus, am still what men call youngI have not so far left the coasts of lifeTo travel inland, that I cannot hearThat murmur of the outer InfiniteWhich unweaned babies smile at in their sleepWhen wondered at for smiling; not so far, But still I catch my mother at her postBeside the nursery-door, with finger up, "Hush, hush, here's too much noise!" while her sweet eyesLeap forward, taking part against her wordIn the child's riot. Still I sit, and feelMy father's slow hand, when she has left us both, Stroke out my childish curls across his knee, And hear Assunta's daily jest (she knewHe liked it better than a better jest)Inquire how many golden scudi wentTo make such ringlets. O my father's hand, Stroke heavily, heavily, the poor hair down, Draw, press the child's head closer to thy knee!I'm still too young, too young, to sit alone.

    That the marriage should fail and poor Lilia die tragically are only to be expected. But that Lilia should have had a baby - and that the baby should be raised as an Italian! - are matters requiring immediate correction by Philip Herriton, his dour sister Harriet, and their well-meaning friend Miss Abbott.

    You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

    Growing up in a typically Victorian household, the Pargiter children must learn to find their footing in an alternative world, where the rules of etiquette have shifted from the drawing-room to the air-raid shelter. A work of fluid and dazzling lucidity, The Years eschews a simple line of development in favour of a varied and constantly changing style, emphasises the radical discontinuity of personal experiences and historical events. Virginia Woolf's penultimate novel celebrates the resilience of the individual self and, in her dazzlingly fluid and distinctive voice, she confidently paints a broad canvas across time, generation and class.

    Before he can show them to Nicholas Brisbane, the private inquiry agent he has retained for his protection, Sir Edward collapses and dies at his London home, in the presence of his wife, Julia, and a roomful of dinner guests. Prepared to accept that Edward's death was due to a long-standing physical infirmity, Julia is outraged when Brisbane visits and suggests that Sir Edward has been murdered. It is a reaction she comes to regret when she discovers the damning paper for herself, and realizes the truth. Determined to bring her husband's murderer to justice, Julia engages the enigmatic Brisbane to help her investigate Edward's demise. Dismissing his warnings that the investigation will be difficult, if not impossible, Julia presses forward, following a trail of clues that lead her to even more unpleasant truths, and ever closer to a killer who waits expectantly for her arrival.

    Aunt Sabrina invites her to Essex England, for help with the Order of the New Dawn. Aunt Jagger beats the servants to suicide, and someone feeds her Death mushrooms. Next door, Sir Charles photographs a fresh body in an archaeological dig, and seeks his killer.

    Five handsome, willing men are vying for her hand in marriage. The stakes are ownership of a medieval keep perched on the rocky edge of a stormy ocean. Each man seems more stunning than the last, and it is her choice which will reward the prize.To make the game even more interesting, Kay is disguised as a handmaiden to her sister, Em, so that she might more freely mingle with the suitors. In this way she can learn their strengths and catch them in their most unguarded moments.As the threat of border reivers approaches the keep, Kay finds that her pleasurable pastime takes on a far more serious overtone. Knowing who to trust and who to depend on becomes a matter of life and death! All author's proceeds from sales of the Sword of Glastonbury series benefit battered women’s shelters. Knowing Yourself is book one in the Sword of Glastonbury series. Each novel ends in a happily ever after, which then leads into the next book in the series. Each of these full-length romances features its own flavor, atmosphere, and main characters. Each is set in a different part of medieval England and showcases the natural beauty of its region. Knowing Yourself is set in Cumbria, in northwestern England. Knowing Yourself is a lighthearted tale of romance and courtship, with a pair of fun-loving sisters, in the style of a medieval bachelorette contest. It is suitable for teens and older. It does not feature any strong language nor any intimacy beyond a gentle kiss.To learn more about the widespread use of the wax tablet for note taking in medieval times, be sure to read this article:https://www.bl.uk/eblj/1994articles/p...

    A vivid assortment of characters, among them the struggling writer Adam Fenwick-Symes and the glamorous, aristocratic Nina Blount, hunt fast and furiously for ever greater sensations and the hedonistic fulfilment of their desires. Evelyn Waugh’s acidly funny and experimental satire shows a new generation emerging in the years after the First World War, revealing the darkness and vulnerability beneath the glittering surface of the high life.

    This charming, delightful and extremely funny book about daily life in a frugal English household was named by booksellers as the out-of-print novel most deserving of republication.This is a gently self-effacing, dry-witted tale of a long-suffering and disaster-prone Devon lady of the 1930s. A story of provincial social pretensions and the daily inanities of domestic life to rival George Grossmith's Diary of a Nobody.

    She wrote or collaborated on more than 60 works of children's literature and was also a political activist who co-founded the Fabian Society, a socialist organisation later affiliated to the Labour Party. Edith's father died before her fourth birthday and her sister Mary's ill health meant the family travelled around for several years, living at various locations in Britain, France, Spain and Germany. When Edith was 17 the family settled back in London, Mary having died in 1871, and the following year she met bank clerk Hubert Bland. In April 1880, then 7 months pregnant, she married Bland but the marriage proved tempestuous with Edith later adopting two of Bland's children with her former friend, Alice Hoatson. Edith's first published works were poems, with 'Under the Trees' appearing in Good Words magazine in March 1871, but she later established herself as an accomplished children's author, producing several series which have remained popular up to the present day. The best known of her children's books are The Story of the Treasure Seekers (1899), the first in her series about the Bastable children, and the three titles from the Psammead series: Five Children and It (1902), The Phoenix and the Carpet (1904), and The Story of the Amulet (1906). However, the most famous of all is her stand alone children's novel The Railway Children (1906), which has been adapted for film several times, most notably the 1970 version. Edith also wrote fiction for adults, including both novels and story collections. Grim Tales is a selection of her horror stories first published together in book form 1893, having previously appeared in various journals such as Longman's Magazine, Temple Bar, and Argosy. The seven stories included are: The Ebony Frame, John Charrington's Wedding, Uncle Abraham's Romance, The Mystery of the Semi-Detached, From the Dead, Man-Size in Marble, and The Mass for the Dead.

    But the beautiful, headstrong Anne is a lamb among wolves, easy prey to treachery and an aging queen's jealousy. She never suspects that handsome courtier Chirstopher Hollier has been sent to ruin her.Christopher Hollier is the only man in Elizabeth's court uninterested in making a rich marriage--for himself. All that matters to Christopher is reclaiming the title Lord Graistan for his brother. If doing that requires him to destroy Anne, so be it...even if her destruction costs him his life. But a tide of betrayal sweeps Anne and Christopher into a dangerous dance of plots to defy crown and country that could ultimately cost them their lives, and their love.