Please enable JavaScript
Print | Page 544 | LitPick Book Reviews
Print
Bleak House (Penguin Classics)
Bleak House
Charles Dickens's masterful assault on the injustices of the British legal systemAs the interminable case of 'Jarndyce and Jarndyce' grinds its way through the Court of Chancery, it draws together a disparate group of people: Ada and Richard Clare, whose inheritance is gradually being devoured by legal costs; Esther Summerson, a ward of court, whose parentage is a source of deepening mystery; the menacing lawyer Tulkinghorn; the determined sleuth Inspector Bucket; and even Jo, the destitute little crossing-sweeper. A savage, but often comic, indictment of a society that is rotten to the core, Bleak House is one of Dickens's most ambitious novels, with a range that extends from the drawing rooms of the aristocracy to the poorest of London slums. This edition follows the first book edition of 1853, and includes all the original illustrations by 'Phiz', as well as appendices on the Chancery and spontaneous combustion. In his preface, Terry Eagleton examines characterisation and considers Bleak House as an early work of detective fiction. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Book Details

Black Beauty
Black Beauty
Black Beauty By Anna Sewell

Book Details

Barnaby Rudge (Wordsworth Classics)
Barnaby Rudge
Barnaby, a kind, half-witted young man, joins the Gordon rioters to proudly carry their banner. Along the way we get to meet Barnaby's murderous father, the hangman Dennis, and the madcap Hugh. There are vivid scenes of pillage, battles and executions as well as myriad characters who are grim, romantic and humorous. Sixteen 90-minute cassettes and two 60's.

Book Details

Barchester Towers
Barchester Towers
First published in 1857, Barchester Towers satirizes the conflict within the Curch of England between the High Church and the Low Church around the middle of the XIX century.

Book Details

As You Like It (Folger Shakespeare Library)
As You Like It
Readers and audiences have long greeted As You Like It with delight. Its characters are brilliant conversationalists, including the princesses Rosalind and Celia and their Fool, Touchstone. Soon after Rosalind and Orlando meet and fall in love, the princesses and Touchstone go into exile in the Forest of Arden, where they find new conversational partners. Duke Frederick, younger brother to Duke Senior, has overthrown his brother and forced him to live homeless in the forest with his courtiers, including the cynical Jaques. Orlando, whose older brother Oliver plotted his death, has fled there, too. Recent scholars have also grounded the play in the issues of its time. These include primogeniture, passing property from a father to his oldest son. As You Like It depicts intense conflict between brothers, exposing the human suffering that primogeniture entails. Another perspective concerns cross-dressing. Most of Orlando’s courtship of Rosalind takes place while Rosalind is disguised as a man, “Ganymede.” At her urging, Orlando pretends that Ganymede is his beloved Rosalind. But as the epilogue reveals, the sixteenth-century actor playing Rosalind was male, following the practice of the time. In other words, a boy played a girl playing a boy pretending to be a girl. The authoritative edition of As You Like It from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers, includes: -Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play -Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play -Scene-by-scene plot summaries -A key to the play’s famous lines and phrases -An introduction to reading Shakespeare’s language -An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play -Fresh images from the Folger Shakespeare Library’s vast holdings of rare books -An annotated guide to further reading Essay by Susan Snyder The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, is home to the world’s largest collection of Shakespeare’s printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit Folger.edu.

Book Details

Toby and the Secrets of the Tree
Toby and the Secrets of the Tree
Sarah Ardizzone, Francois Place, Timothee de Fombelle
A breathless, high-stakes quest to save the miniature world of the Tree —and reunite loved ones lost —unfolds with wit, suspense, and startling revelations. (Ages 9 and up)Toby’s world is under greater threat than ever before. A giant crater has been dug right into the center of the Tree, moss and lichen have invaded the branches, and one tyrant controls it all. Leo Blue, once Toby’s best friend, is holding Toby’s beloved Elisha prisoner, hunting the Grass People with merciless force, and inflicting a life of poverty and fear on the Tree People. But after several years among the Grass People, Toby has returned to fight back. And this time he’s not alone: a resistance is forming. In the much-anticipated sequel to the award-winning TOBY ALONE, the compelling eco-adventure reaches its gripping conclusion.

Book Details

The Night Fairy
The Night Fairy
Angela Barrett, Laura Amy Schlitz
From 2008 Newbery Medalist Laura Amy Schlitz comes an exhilarating new adventure — and a thoroughly original fairy who is a true force of nature. (Ages 7-11)What would happen to a fairy if she lost her wings and could no longer fly? Flory, a young night fairy no taller than an acorn and still becoming accustomed to her wings — wings as beautiful as those of a luna moth — is about to find out. What she discovers is that the world is very big and very dangerous. But Flory is fierce and willing to do whatever it takes to survive. If that means telling others what to do — like Skuggle, a squirrel ruled by his stomach — so be it. Not every creature, however, is as willing to bend to Flory’s demands. Newbery Medal winner Laura Amy Schlitz and world-renowned illustrator and miniaturist Angela Barrett venture into the realm of the illustrated classic — a classic entirely and exquisitely of their making, and a magnificent adventure.

Book Details

Samurai Kids #4: Monkey Fist
Samurai Kids #4: Monkey Fist
Rhian Nest James, Sandy Fussell
The diversely talented Samurai Kids set off to rescue their friend — and find secrets in their midst -as the action-packed martial-arts series continues.The Samurai Kids are ready to travel back from China to the Cockroach Ryu, nestled in Japan's Tateyama Mountains. But then the unthinkable happens: Kyoko, one of the Cockroaches, is kidnapped. Sensei knows it is the mark of his old enemy Lu Zeng, an evil minister of the Forbidden City who is obsessed with eternal life. The Cockroaches must make a perilous journey to the Forbidden City, during which they encounter the mysterious, forest-dwelling Lin people. But Niya, the boy with one leg, has his trust tested when he learns that his best friend, Yoshi, is keeping secrets. Even worse, it seems that Sensei is not revealing all he knows either. Will all these secrets keep the Cockroaches from achieving their most important mission yet- rescuing Kyoko before Lu Zeng performs horrible experiments on her?

Book Details

The High Skies Adventures of Blue Jay the Pirate
The High-Skies Adventures of Blue Jay the Pirate
Scott Nash, Scott Nash
Hoist the Jolly Robin! Fly with a swashbuckling crew as they soar through the air — and evade danger on the ground — in search of treasure and lofty adventure.Captain Blue Jay, notorious and feared pirate of the skies, has a fondness for collecting treasure, especially eggs. Unfortunately, sometimes his treasure hatches, and this time the hatchling is the strangest one the Grosbeak has ever seen. No sailor is certain whether the chick is a young god or just an oversized bird who needs too much food, but one thing is clear: the winds over Thrushland are shifting, and dramatic changes are in store for all. Whether outwitting a gang of thieving crows, outrunning murderous fishers and weasels, or rallying Briarloch’s beleaguered sparrows, this motley crew must do all they can to stay together and stay alive. And that’s just the tip of the bird’s feather! Offering a bounty of illustrations and a host of memorable characters — from an endearing star-nosed mole to an unlikely little warrior with a vendetta — here is a treasure for anyone who has ever wanted to take to the skies and see where fortune blows.

Book Details

A Drowned Maiden's Hair: A Melodrama
A Drowned Maiden's Hair
Laura Amy Schlitz
"People throw the word 'classic' about a lot, but A DROWNED MAIDEN'S HAIR genuinely deserves to become one." — WALL STREET JOURNALMaud Flynn is known at the orphanage for her impertinence. So when the charming Miss Hawthorne chooses her to take home, the girl is pleased but baffled, until it becomes clear that she’s needed to help stage elaborate séances for bereaved patrons. As Maud is drawn deeper into the deception, playing her role as a "secret child," she is torn between her need to please and her growing conscience – until a shocking betrayal shows just how heartless her so-called guardians are. Filled with fascinating details of turn-of-the-century spiritualism and page-turning suspense, this lively novel features a feisty heroine whom readers will not soon forget.

Book Details

Pages



RECENT BOOK REVIEWS