"The Other Boleyn Girl" by Philippa Gregory
Before Henry VIII ever considered making Anne Boleyn his wife, her older sister, Mary, was his mistress. Historical novelist Gregory (Virgin Earth) uses the perspective of this "other Boleyn girl" to reveal the rivalries and intrigues swirling through England. The sisters and their brother George were raised with one goal: to advance the Howard family's interests, especially against the Seymours. So when Mary catches the king's fancy, her family orders her to abandon the husband they had chosen. She bears Henry two children, including a son, but Anne's desire to be queen drives her with ruthless intensity, alienating family and foes. As Henry grows more desperate for a legitimate son and Anne strives to replace Catherine as queen, the social fabric weakens. Mary abandons court life to live with a new husband and her children in the countryside, but love and duty bring her back to Anne time and again. We share Mary's helplessness as Anne loses favor, and everyone abandons her amid accusations of adultery, incest, and witchcraft. Even the Boleyn parents won't intervene for their children. Gregory captures not only the dalliances of court but the panorama of political and religious clashes throughout Europe. She controls a complicated narrative and dozens of characters without faltering, in a novel sure to please public library fans of historical fiction.
Jane Austen - Persuasion
(You can download the program HERE which help you to open the e-book...)
Persuasion was written between August, 1815 and August, 1816. During this time, Jane Austen began to suffer from the illness which would, in July of 1817 and at the age of 42, take her life. She did not live to see its publication, which occurred in the year following her death.
Persuasion and
Northanger Abbey were published together by Miss Austen's brother, Henry Austen, who had long been a champion of his sister's work. It was he who chose the title for this novel, and unfortunately, we can never know what Jane herself might have named it.
While she had published anonymously during her lifetime, Henry was always eager to let everyone know of the talents of his beloved sister. In publishing these last two of her novels, Henry wished the world to know the identity of the author of
Pride and Prejudice,
Sense and Sensibility,
Mansfield Park, and
Emma. He therefore wrote an introduction to the novels, telling of her authorship, her life, and her too-early death. The "Biographical Notice of the Author" is a touching memorial to the love of a brother for his sister and shows the respect and regard that he held for her. Chapter descriptions are designed to be very vague and cryptic. They are for people who are familiar with the book to help them find the chapter they want, and they are not designed for the student who might be looking for a quick way to get out of reading the novel.
Penguin Readers Level 4 (Intermediate) American English Jack Stanton is a young governor but has more ambitious ideas: he wants to be President of the USA. Henry Burton can help him achieve his dream but he knows Stanton will do almost anything to win. Henry is about to discover the dark secrets in Stanton's past and will then have to decide for himself what is right and wrong. This is not a true story but it is based on recent American Presidents. Because of this, the author has kept his name a secret. It is now also a successful film starring John Travolta.
Для любителей исторической и философской литературы аудиокниги, среди которых:
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
The Cooper Union Speech By Abraham Lincoln
The Federalist #10 By James Madison
The Boys Life of Theodore Roosevelt By Hermann Hagedorn
Civil Disobedience By Henry David Thoreau
The Prince By Niccolo Machiavelli
The Apology By Plato
The Life of Abraham Lincoln By Henry Ketcham
A Discourse on the Passion of Love By Blaise Pascal
Historical and philosophical audiobooks.
