The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a charming and moving novel set in the aftermath of World War II. In January 1946, London is in the process of reconstruction, and writer Juliet Ashton is on a quest for her next literary project. Unexpectedly, she receives a letter from a man she has never met, Dawsey Adams from Guernsey, who found her name in a book by Charles Lamb.
Through their exchange of letters, Juliet becomes captivated by the idiosyncratic world of Dawsey and his friends. They are members of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a book club that was inadvertently formed as a clever ruse during the German occupation of the island. The society comprises a delightful mix of characters, including pig farmers and phrenologists, all united by their love of literature.
As Juliet learns more about the islanders and the impact that the occupation has had on their lives, she is irresistibly drawn to visit Guernsey. What she discovers on the island will forever alter the course of her life. Told with genuine affection and humor, this epistolary novel celebrates the power of books and the profound connections that can emerge from the most unexpected circumstances.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a charming and moving novel set in the aftermath of World War II. In January 1946, London is in the process of reconstruction, and writer Juliet Ashton is on a quest for her next literary project. Unexpectedly, she receives a letter from a man she has never met, Dawsey Adams from Guernsey, who found her name in a book by Charles Lamb.
Through their exchange of letters, Juliet becomes captivated by the idiosyncratic world of Dawsey and his friends. They are members of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a book club that was inadvertently formed as a clever ruse during the German occupation of the island. The society comprises a delightful mix of characters, including pig farmers and phrenologists, all united by their love of literature.
As Juliet learns more about the islanders and the impact that the occupation has had on their lives, she is irresistibly drawn to visit Guernsey. What she discovers on the island will forever alter the course of her life. Told with genuine affection and humor, this epistolary novel celebrates the power of books and the profound connections that can emerge from the most unexpected circumstances.
Kim is Rudyard Kipling's story of an orphan born in colonial India, torn between love for his native India and the demands of Imperial loyalty to his Irish-English heritage, and to the British Secret Service. The novel unfolds against the backdrop of The Great Game, the political conflict between Russia and Britain in Central Asia. Set after the Second Afghan War which ended in 1881, but before the Third, the story is probably set in the period 1893 to 1898.
At the novel's heart are two men - a boy who grows into early manhood and an old ascetic priest, the lama. They embark on a quest that faces them both; Kim, born in India, is nevertheless white, a sahib. While he aspires to play the Great Game of Imperialism, he is also spiritually bound to the lama, and his aim is to reconcile these opposing strands of his identity. As Kim moves chameleon-like through the two cultures, the lama searches for redemption from the Wheel of Life.
Kim captures the opulence of India's exotic landscape, overlaid by the uneasy presence of the British Raj, presenting a vivid picture of India, its teeming populations, religions, superstitions, and the life of the bazaars and the road. Long recognized as Kipling's finest work, Kim was a key factor in his winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907.
Los nueve textos reunidos en El problema de los tres cuerpos muestran la fuerza narrativa de su autora, quien fue distinguida con el Premio Nacional de Cuento Joven Comala 2016. En estas páginas, la fluidez de la prosa va de la mano con la aspereza de los temas, y la crudeza de las situaciones se alía con el sentido del humor.
El libro evoca un equilibrio enrarecido, que a cada momento está a punto de romperse. El desbordamiento es el punto de partida de sus historias. Sicarios y prostitutas, hombres postrados por la enfermedad y los accidentes; amantes que, tras el abandono, sólo pueden agravar sus fracturas vitales son algunos de sus personajes. Aunque se encuentran acechados permanentemente, la escritora no cae en una mirada catastrofista. Por el contrario, en sus cuentos la violencia no es un agente exterior, que altera el curso de los acontecimientos, sino que forma parte esencial de ellos, como una semilla que aguarda con paciencia el momento perfecto para estallar.
La fragilidad que se apodera de los protagonistas los humaniza y revela su auténtica intimidad. Después de todo, como se lee en una de estas páginas, el curso de nuestras vidas es una “ecuación imperfecta”.
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage is the remarkable story of Tsukuru Tazaki, a young man haunted by a great loss; of dreams and nightmares that have unintended consequences for the world around us; and of a journey into the past that is necessary to mend the present. This novel gives us a story of love, friendship, and heartbreak for the ages.
Tsukuru Tazaki had four best friends at school, each of whom had a name that contained a color. The boys were Akamatsu, meaning 'red pine,' and Oumi, 'blue sea,' while the girls were Shirane, 'white root,' and Kurono, 'black field.' Tazaki's name was the only one without a color. One day, his friends suddenly announced that they did not want to see him or talk to him again. Since that day, Tsukuru has been floating through life, unable to form intimate connections with anyone. But then he meets Sara, who tells him that it is time to discover what happened all those years ago.
Brideshead Revisited is the most nostalgic and reflective of Evelyn Waugh's novels, looking back to the golden age before the Second World War. It tells the story of Charles Ryder's infatuation with the Marchmain family, a world of privilege that is rapidly disappearing.
Enchanted first by Sebastian at Oxford, and then by his doomed Catholic family, Charles is particularly captivated by his remote sister, Julia. Through his connections to the Marchmains, Charles experiences the heights of privilege, but he eventually comes to recognize the spiritual and social distance that separates him from them.
Dating to the ninth century B.C., Homer's timeless poem still vividly conveys the horror and heroism of men and gods wrestling with towering emotions and battling amidst devastation and destruction, as it moves inexorably to the wrenching, tragic conclusion of the Trojan War.
Renowned classicist Bernard Knox observes in his superb introduction that although the violence of the Iliad is grim and relentless, it coexists with both images of civilized life and a poignant yearning for peace.
Combining the skills of a poet and scholar, Robert Fagles, winner of the PEN/Ralph Manheim Medal for Translation and a 1996 Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, brings the energy of contemporary language to this enduring heroic epic. He maintains the drive and metric music of Homer's poetry, and evokes the impact and nuance of the Iliad's mesmerizing repeated phrases in what Peter Levi calls "an astonishing performance."
Eleven-year-old Owen Meany, playing in a Little League baseball game in Gravesend, New Hampshire, hits a foul ball and kills his best friend's mother. Owen doesn't believe in accidents; he believes he is God's instrument. What happens to Owen after that 1953 foul is both extraordinary and terrifying. At moments a comic, self-deluded victim, but in the end the principal, tragic actor in a divine plan, Owen Meany is the most heartbreaking hero John Irving has yet created.
Cuentos de Amor de Locura y de Muerte is a collection of short stories by Horacio Quiroga that delves into the themes of illness, family tragedy, personal despair, geographical exile, and the often brutal nature of humanity. This anthology, selected by the author himself, showcases Quiroga's mastery of the short story form, often drawing comparisons to the works of Edgar Allan Poe, Rudyard Kipling, and Jack London.
The stories explore the humanization of animals, with rational thought guiding the narratives, yet ultimately succumbing to the brute force of man. Another prevalent theme is the dehumanization of individuals who surrender to their most primitive instincts, leading to conflict and the unfolding of various plots. The element of appearance also plays a significant role, as Quiroga invites readers to question their initial perceptions, culminating in the author's own revelations.
Gone with the Wind is the tale of Scarlett O'Hara, the beautiful, spoiled daughter of a well-to-do Georgia plantation owner, who must use every means at her disposal to claw her way out of the poverty she finds herself in after Sherman's March to the Sea. The story is set against the dramatic backdrop of the American Civil War and Reconstruction periods.
Scarlett is determined to salvage her plantation home despite the genteel life she has been accustomed to being swept away by the war. Her journey of survival is marked by her tumultuous relationship with the charming and daring Captain Butler, whom she initially dislikes due to his arrogance. However, their fates become intertwined as they navigate the challenges of their time.
Margaret Mitchell's monumental epic of the South not only won a Pulitzer Prize but also inspired one of the most popular motion pictures of our time. This beloved American saga remains a revered literary work and continues to captivate readers worldwide.
Historias de cronopios y de famas es uno de los libros legendarios de Julio Cortázar. Postulación de una mirada poética capaz de enfrentar las miserias de la rutina y del sentido común, el escritor argentino toma aquí partido por la imaginación creadora y el humor corrosivo de los surrealistas. Esta colección de cuentos y viñetas entrañables es una introducción privilegiada al mundo inagotable de uno de los más grandes escritores de este siglo y un antídoto seguro contra la solemnidad y el aburrimiento.
Sin duda, Cortázar sella un pacto de complicidad definitiva e incondicional con sus lectores.
The Elegance of the Hedgehog is a novel by the French professor of philosophy, Muriel Barbery. Set within an elegant hôtel particulier in Paris, the story revolves around two main characters: Renée, the concierge, who is typically short, plump, middle-aged, and inconspicuous, with an unexpected passion for art, philosophy, music, and Japanese culture; and Paloma, a twelve-year-old resident of the building, who is talented, precocious, and has decided to end her own life on her thirteenth birthday unless she can find something worth living for.
The narrative follows Renée who, despite her position, conceals a world of intellectual wealth and refined tastes beneath a veneer of simplicity. Similarly, Paloma hides her exceptional intelligence behind the facade of a mediocre pre-teen. When a wealthy Japanese man named Ozu arrives at the building, their lives begin to change as they discover kindred spirits in each other.
Humorous and full of biting wit, the story exalts the quiet victories of the inconspicuous and explores rich secret lives hidden beneath conventional exteriors, evoking a sense of kinship and understanding of human complexities.
Charlotte Bront tells the story of orphaned Jane Eyre, who grows up in the home of her heartless aunt, enduring loneliness and cruelty. This troubled childhood strengthens Jane's natural independence and spirit - which prove necessary when she finds employment as a governess to the young ward of Byronic, brooding Mr Rochester.
As her feelings for Rochester develop, Jane gradually uncovers Thornfield Hall's terrible secret, forcing her to make a choice. Should she stay with Rochester and live with the consequences, or follow her convictions - even if it means leaving the man she loves? A novel of intense power and intrigue, Jane Eyre dazzled readers with its passionate depiction of a woman's search for equality and freedom.
Entre la narrativa detectivesca, la novela «de carretera», el relato biográfico y la crónica, Los detectives salvajes está considerada por la crítica y el público de todo el mundo como una de las mejores y más originales ficciones escritas en las últimas décadas.
Dos jóvenes poetas latinoamericanos, Arturo Belano y Ulises Lima, emprenden una aventura que transcurrirá durante varias décadas y cruzará distintos países. Símbolo de la rebeldía y la necesidad de ruptura con la realidad establecida, sus vidas representan los anhelos de toda una generación. La búsqueda en 1975 de la misteriosa escritora mexicana Cesárea Tinajero, desaparecida y olvidada en los años posteriores a la revolución, sirve de inicio a un viaje sin descanso marcado por el amor, la muerte, el deseo de libertad, el humor y la literatura.
En esta novela está esbozado, como si de un juego de cajas chinas se tratara, todo el deslumbrante universo literario y personal de Roberto Bolaño.
East of Eden is a novel that John Steinbeck considered to be his magnum opus. The story is set in the rich farmland of California's Salinas Valley and follows the intertwined destinies of two families—the Trasks and the Hamiltons. Steinbeck explores themes such as the mystery of identity, the inexplicability of love, and the consequences of love's absence.
The narrative spans generations and begins with Adam Trask, who moved to California from the East to farm and raise a family on the new, rich land. However, the birth of his twin sons, Cal and Aaron, leads to his wife's descent into madness, leaving Adam to raise the boys alone. As the brothers grow, one is nurtured by the love of those around him while the other is shrouded in a mysterious darkness, embodying the biblical allegory of Cain and Abel.
East of Eden delves into the characters' most enduring themes, drawing parallels to the Book of Genesis and presenting a powerful, ambitious narrative that is both a family saga and a modern retelling of ancient stories. The novel's characters are some of Steinbeck's most mesmerizing, and the story is a captivating tale of human emotion and conflict.
The Turn of the Screw is an 1898 horror novella by Henry James, first serialized in Collier's Weekly magazine from January 27 to April 16, 1898, and later published in book form as part of The Two Magics by Macmillan in New York City and Heinemann in London. The novella tells the story of a very young woman's first job as a governess for two enigmatic children, Miles and Flora, at a desolate estate. The governess soon encounters half-seen figures who glare from dark towers and dusty windows - silent, foul phantoms that increasingly come closer, threatening the innocence of her charges.
The governess realizes with horror that these fiendish creatures want the children, aiming to corrupt their bodies, possess their minds, and own their souls. But the terror deepens when it becomes evident that Miles and Flora have no fear of the evil that stalks them, for they desire the presence of the walking dead just as fervently as the dead yearn for them.