Service Alert
Website maintenance April 24 10pm ET
On Wednesday April 24 at 10pm ET the CELA website will be unavailable for about 15 minutes for planned maintenance.
On Wednesday April 24 at 10pm ET the CELA website will be unavailable for about 15 minutes for planned maintenance.
Showing 1 - 20 of 23928 items
By Ruth Reichl. 2024
NAMED A MUST-READ FOR SPRING 2024 BY EATER, OPRAH DAILY, CHATELAINE, BRIT+CO & Everything Zoomer!A dazzling, heartfelt adventure through the…
food, art, and fashion scenes of 1980s Paris—from the New York Times bestselling author of Save Me the Plums and Delicious! &“An enchanting and irresistible feast . . . As with a perfect meal in the world&’s most magical city, I never wanted this sublime novel to end.&”—Cynthia D&’Aprix Sweeney, author of Good CompanyStella reached for an oyster, tipped her head and tossed it back. It was cool and slippery, the flavor so briny it was like diving into the ocean... Oysters, she thought, where have they been all my life?When her estranged mother dies, Stella is left with an unusual inheritance: a one-way plane ticket and a note reading Go to Paris. But Stella is hardly cut out for adventure; a childhood trauma has kept her confined to the strict routines of her comfort zone. When her boss encourages her to take time off, Stella resigns herself to honoring her mother&’s last wishes.Alone in a foreign city, Stella falls into old habits, living cautiously and frugally. Then she stumbles across a vintage store where she tries on a fabulous Dior dress. The shopkeeper insists that this dress was meant for Stella and, for the first time in her life, Stella does something impulsive. She buys the dress and together they embark on an adventure. Her first stop: iconic brasserie Les Deux Magots, where Stella tastes her first oysters, and then meets an octogenarian art collector who decides to take her under his wing. As Jules introduces her to a veritable who&’s who of the 1980s Paris literary, art, and culinary worlds, Stella begins to understand what it might mean to live a larger life.As weeks—and many decadent meals—go by, Stella ends up living as a &“tumbleweed&” at famed bookstore Shakespeare & Company, uncovers a hundred-year-old mystery in a Manet painting, and discovers a passion for food that may be connected to her past. A feast for the senses, this novel is a testament to living deliciously, taking chances, and finding your true home.By Barry Gifford. 2024
A tribute to the author's mother Kitty, the gritty Chicago landscape of his youth, and the "ghost years, that time…
in your life you don't know won't never come again." Barry Gifford has been writing the story of America in acclaimed novel after acclaimed novel for the last half-century. Almost all of the stories in Ghost Years takes place in the 1950s, examining the lives of women in that period—the suppression, the lack of opportunities, the dependency on men. Following his story collection, Roy's World, which inspired the documentary directed by Rob Christopher, narrated by Lili Taylor, Matt Dillon and Willem Dafoe, these stories show a childhood in mid-century America filled with innocence, grief, joy and wonder in equal measure.By Jane Smiley. 2024
From the best-selling, Pulitzer Prize–winning writer, a soaring, soulful novel about a folk musician who rises to fame across our…
changing timesBefore Jodie Rattler became a star, she was a girl growing up in St. Louis. One day in 1955, when she was just six years old, her uncle Drew took her to the racetrack, where she got lucky—and that roll of two-dollar bills she won has never since left her side. Jodie thrived in the warmth of her extended family, and then—through a combination of hard work and serendipity—she started a singing career, which catapulted her from St. Louis to New York City, from the English countryside to the tropical beaches of St. Thomas, from Cleveland to Los Angeles, and back again. Jodie comes of age in recording studios, backstage, and on tour, and she tries to hold her own in the wake of Janis Joplin, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, and Joni Mitchell. Yet it feels like something is missing. Could it be true love? Or is that not actually what Jodie is looking for?Full of atmosphere, shot through with longing and exuberance, romance and rock 'n' roll, Lucky is a story of chance and grit and the glitter of real talent, a colorful portrait of one woman's journey in search of herself.By Joe Fassler. 2024
&“An immersive fever dream of a novel, beautifully written and boldly imagined.&” —Leslie Jamison, New York Times bestselling author of…
The Empathy ExamsFrom prizewinning writer Joe Fassler comes a brilliant modern reimagining of the myth of Daedalus and Icarus as a story of obsession, longing, and the radical pursuit of utopiaIt&’s 2005, and 24-year-old Jane is miserable. Overworked, buried in debt, she senses the life she wanted slipping away—while the world around her veers badly off course, hurtling toward economic and ecological collapse. She wants to find something better. But she has no idea where to start. In a sudden and unprecedented burst of rebellion, Jane decides to abandon everything she knows, leaving behind her relationships and responsibilities to go on the road. That&’s how she meets Barry, a brilliant and charismatic recluse living on an isolated homestead near New York&’s Canadian border. For years, in secret, Barry&’s chased an unlikely obsession: to build a pair of wings humans can fly in, with designs inspired by an obscure precursor to the Wright Brothers. It&’s no mere hobby. He&’s convinced his dream of flight will spark a revolution, delivering us from the degradation of modern capitalism and the climate chaos that awaits us. Jane is captivated by Barry&’s radical vision, even as his experiments become more dangerous. But she&’s equally drawn to the enigmatic Ike, Barry&’s gentle, thoughtful son, who&’s known no other reality—and who only wants to keep his father alive, tethered to ground and to reason. So begins an inventive, dazzlingly beautiful story about the human desire for transcendence—our longing to escape the mundane and glide into a euphoric future. Inspired by the myth of Daedalus and Icarus, The Sky Was Ours is a powerful and imaginative debut that explores the question: If you had access to technology that allowed you to escape the confines of your life, would you use it? And if Barry&’s wings really could change the world, would that be freedom?By David Nicholls. 2024
The new novel by the author of One Day, now a major Netflix seriesA highlight for 2024 for the Sunday…
Times, Guardian, Independent, New Statesman, i, Observer, Grazia, GQ, Harper's Bazaar, Irish Times, Sunday Independent, Prima, Good Housekeeping, Daily Record'A triumph, a real gift of a novel'SUNDAY TIMES'A great comic novel . . . The reader becomes so invested in the outcome of this unspectacular, everyday, cagoule-clad romance that it makes the whole world shimmer with a kind of secret possibility'OBSERVER'Nicholls's knack for warm characters, funny dialogue and superb scene-setting is as spot-on as ever'DAILY MAIL'Refreshing . . . the romance has sincerity and authenticity'GUARDIAN'I read David Nicholls' new book You Are Here - you'll love it as much as One Day . . . Probably his best yet'INDEPENDENT'Few contemporary writers make characters feel as human as David Nicholls does'BBC.com'The irresistible feel of a classic romance'MAIL ON SUNDAY'I loved You Are Here even more than One Day'RED MAGAZINE'Romantic, funny and hopeful'DOLLY ALDERTON, author of Good Material'Tender, wise and joyful. I inhaled it'JOJO MOYES, author of Me Before You'Gorgeously witty and joyful, kind and sad: a book you do not want to be away from'KATHERINE RUNDELL, author of Super-Infinite'The genius who gave us One Day has written another classic and funny love story'MATT HAIG, author of The Midnight Library'I loved it'BONNIE GARMUS, author of Lessons in Chemistry'Magnificent'MARIAN KEYES, author of My Favourite MistakeSometimes you need to get lost to find your wayMarnie is stuck. Stuck working alone in her London flat, stuck battling the long afternoons and a life that often feels like it's passing her by.Michael is coming undone. Reeling from his wife's departure, increasingly reclusive, taking himself on long, solitary walks across the moors and fells. When a persistent mutual friend and some very English weather conspire to bring them together, Marnie and Michael suddenly find themselves alone on the most epic of walks and on the precipice of a new friendship.But can they survive the journey?A new love story by beloved bestseller David Nicholls, You Are Here is a novel of first encounters, second chances and finding the way home.ONE OF BRITAIN'S MOST ACCLAIMED WRITERS 'One of the most astute chroniclers of England as it is now' FINANCIAL TIMES 'An uncanny ability to make us laugh out loud, but also care passionately about his characters' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'Nicholls writes with such tender precision about love' THE TIMES 'No one else writes novels that are both relatable and revelatory in the way he does' EVENING STANDARD 'Genuinely brilliant' NEW STATESMANBy Taylor Caldwell. 1963
New York Times Bestseller: In Victorian Britain, an affluent woman hosts a group of Catholic priests in her home—and listens…
as they tell their stories. Rose, a young girl visiting her grandmother, sits among eleven priests from Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. As each guest shares the most challenging moments of their vocations, tests of faith that have brought them face-to-face with the miseries, temptations, and evils that lurk beyond the peaceful confines of the rectory, their worldly, wealthy hostess and her granddaughter come to learn the struggles and outcomes of these confrontations with the human condition. &“The priests themselves represent a mixed lot—men of exalted backgrounds, culture, worldly experience, who have found their hardest task bringing themselves down to the humble people of their flocks; men who understand only the intellectual, realistic aspects of their faith—and must learn to accept the mystical as well; men who hide their saintliness under uncouth exteriors, who learn the hard way to love their fellow men, who encounter devils as well as saints, murderers, sinners. . . . Lively reading.&” —Kirkus ReviewsBy Taylor Caldwell. 1960
A parade of people in need of solace find a mysterious sympathizer, in this uniquely moving classic by a New…
York Times–bestselling author. They come day and night to confess their troubles to an anonymous listener positioned behind a curtain. Could it be a priest, a psychiatrist, a friend, or a judge? Each person draws a different conclusion. From a businessman who feels betrayed by someone he trusted, to a society woman with contempt for her husband, to a scientist troubled by what his work has wrought, the visitors&’ situations vary widely as they struggle with grief, denial, prejudice, and fear. But in this small sanctuary, there are no office hours, the listener is always listening, and the visitors&’ lives are forever changed. This inspiring and inventive work of fiction comes from the award-winning author of Captains and the Kings, Testimony of Two Men, and many other bestsellers. &“The gift of narration and characterization which Taylor Caldwell brings to each of her books is here in strong measure.&” —Kirkus Reviews &“I believe [Caldwell] wanted to instill hope, renew faith, and foster love in what she saw as a society on the decline. The year was 1960. But the issues can be universally applied today.&” —The Book CafeBy Taylor Caldwell. 1961
The story of a Boston heiress who wishes for nothing—except happiness—by a New York Times–bestselling author who &“never falters when…
it comes to storytelling&” (Publishers Weekly). Caroline Ames is rich beyond imagining. But after a childhood with a cold, rejecting father, she is irrationally terrified of poverty, seething with hostility, and incapable of giving or receiving love. Those who cross her path tend to find themselves at the very least suffering, if not thoroughly broken.A Prologue to Love introduces three generations of the Ames family during the Gilded Age and the early twentieth century—painting a compassionate portrait of a difficult woman, those who have hurt her, and those she has hurt. It is a vivid, profoundly moving novel that explores the damage that everyday evil can do—and what it takes to overcome it.By Justin Taylor. 2024
A raucous and wickedly smart satire of Hollywood, toxic fandom, and our chronically online culture, following a washed-up actor on…
his quest to revive the cult TV show that catapulted him to teenage fameDavid Crader is a has-been. A former child actor from the hit teen drama Rev Beach, he now rotates between his new roles as deadbeat dad, recovering alcoholic, and occasional videogame voice actor. But when David is summoned to Los Angeles by Grace, his ex-wife and former co-star, he suddenly sees an opportunity for a reboot—not just of the show that made him famous, but also of his listless existence.Hollywood, the Internet, and a fractured nation have other plans, however, and David soon drinks himself to a realization: This seemingly innocuous revival of an old Buffy rip-off could be the spark that sets ablaze a nation gripped by far-right conspiracy, climate catastrophe, and mass violence.Reboot is a madcap speculative comedy for our era of glass-eyed doom-scrolling and Millennial nostalgia—and yet it&’s still full of heart. It&’s a tale of former teen heartthrobs, striving parents, internet edgelords, and fish-faced cryptids, for anyone who has looked back on their life and wanted—even if but for a moment—to hit &“reset.&”By Brian Copeland. 2024
A TV investigative reporter and his sister, a San Francisco PD homicide detective, look into the slayings of Bay Area…
cops who have shot unarmed African Americans yet faced no repercussions in this debut crime thriller.&“Brian Copeland&’s thrilling debut novel is a revelation from an excitingly fresh voice &‘of color&’ in the arena of crime fiction . . . He manages to take a &‘ripped from the headlines&’ topic, the shooting of unarmed African Americans by police, and turn it into an exciting and entertaining blend of action, mystery, and social commentary.&” —New York Times bestselling author JONATHAN KELLERMAN When San Francisco Police Officer Mickey Driscoll is gunned down in the driveway of his suburban Bay Area home in broad daylight, the suspects are numerous. Was the murder committed by someone close to him? An arrestee seeking revenge? Or was it one of the many rioters, activists, and militant groups harassing his family since he accidentally shot and killed an unarmed African American honor student? TV investigative reporter Topher Davis, the only Black journalist on that beat, has exactly three weeks to do one final story before his position is eliminated due to corporate budget cuts. Enlisting the aid of his sister, SFPD Homicide Detective Lynn Sloan, he decides to investigate what the families of Blacks killed by police--and the families of the cops themselves--go through when tragic events like this occur. Instead, they find themselves involved in an ever-expanding mystery as more officers who&’ve committed the same offense turn up dead. Weaving their way through a world of grieving mothers and widows, African American militias, dirty cops, and drug dealers, they search for the truth that threatens to leave one . . . or both . . . siblings dead.By Alana S. Portero. 2023
"I urge you, read Alana S. Portero's Bad Habit to fully grasp the degree of adversity, pain, and danger endured by those…
growing-up trans." –Pedro Almodóvar"Raw, unapologetic, and ingenious in its expressions of pain, Bad Habit bravely bares the scars of being queer in an unaccepting society while illuminating unexpected pockets of hope and tenderness." –BooklistCombining the raw realism and vulnerability of Shuggie Bain and Detransition, Baby with the poignant sensibility of Pedro Almodóvar, a staggering coming-of-age novel deeply rooted in the struggles of a trans woman growing up in Madrid.Anchored by the voice of its sweet and defiant narrator, Bad Habit casts a trans woman’s trying youth as a heartfelt odyssey. Raised in an animated yet impoverished blue-collar neighborhood, Alana S. Portero’s protagonist struggles to find her place. As the city around her changes–the heroin epidemic that ravages Madrid through the '80s and '90s, rallying calls of worker solidarity and the pulsing beat of the city's night scene– she becomes increasingly detached from the world and, most crucially, herself.Yet through her eyes, the streets and people of Madrid are illuminated by a poetry absent from everyday life. And by this guiding light she begins to plot her own course, from Margarita, the local trans woman whose unspoken kinship both captivates and frightens her, to Jay, her first love and source of an inevitable heartbreak, to the irrepressible diva Caramel. As she forges ahead, she sets her compass to a personal north star: endeavoring to find herself. But with each step forward, she is confronted by a violence she doesn’t yet know how to counter; in this exciting, often terrifying, world each choice is truly a matter of life and death. With her first novel, Alana S. Portero strikingly underscores the ties between gender and class, the search for identity, and the power of sisterhood and community. Gentle but blistering, Bad Habit is a mesmerizing story of self-realization that speaks to the outsider in all of us. Translated from the Spanish by Mara Faye LethemBy Samuel Miller. 2024
Outer Banks meets Bone Gap in New York Times bestselling author Samuel Miller’s propulsive and genre-bending YA mystery, following a group of teenagers who discover…
a dead body while playing an app-based adventure game that sends players to “random” locations, unlocking a much deeper mystery about their small town. In Calico Springs, Willie’s life has been defined by two powerful forces: God and the river. The “miracle boy” died for five minutes as a young child, and ever since, Willie is certain he survived for a reason, but that purpose didn’t become clear until he found the Game.The Game is called Manifest Atlas, and the concept is simple: enter an intention and the Game provides a target—a blinking blue dot on the map. Willie’s second time playing Manifest Atlas, his intention takes him to an ominous target: three empty graves. Willie is sure the Game is telling him he’s going to die.Willie’s older brother, Bones, doesn’t believe him, but their friends are intrigued. Sarai, a girl from across the river, sets the next intention: something bloody. The group follows the Game’s coordinates and they discover something even more unsettling than the graves: a dead body. Sarai’s stepfather’s body. The Game is suddenly personal.Willie is dedicated to proving the Game works while Sarai is set on finding out what happened to her stepdad. Bones just wants to enjoy his last summer before real life begins. As the group digs deeper into Manifest Atlas, stranger and wilder things begin to appear, unlocking a much deeper mystery running like an undercurrent through the small town.By Hazel Hayes. 2024
One of Zibby Mag's Most Anticipated Books Coming Out in 2024 | One of SheNet's Highly Anticipated Books of 2024A…
genre-bending story about love and loss, hope and heartbreak, and the healing to be found in life&’s little limbos, those in-between spaces where you&’re no longer who you were and not yet the person you will be About her debut, Out of Love, Hazel Hayes said, &“The journey from writing horror to writing love stories was a short one. There is nothing more horrific than love.&” In her new novel, she sets out to prove it. This genre-defying, meta-modern novel is unlike anything you have ever read, and yet at its core it is a story we all deeply understand. A story of love and liminality, and the ways in which grief grips us all. Prepare to laugh and cry; Hazel Hayes will break your heart, but then she&’ll mend it for you. Following a breakup, Kate and Finn decide to keep sharing their house until the lease runs out in twelve weeks&’ time, alternating week by week so that they are occupying the same space but never at the same time. Practically, the plan makes sense, but coming back each Sunday to a home where Finn has been and gone feels far too much like living with a ghost. Kate lost her mother at a young age and now this fresh grief dredges unhealed sorrows up to the surface, and soon, Kate finds herself adrift in her own subconscious, trapped in the liminal space between loving someone and letting go.By David Nicholls. 2015
***Pre-order David Nicholls' new novel YOU ARE HERE now - Coming April 2024***THE BOOKER PRIZE-LONGLISTED NOVEL BY BELOVED BESTSELLER DAVID…
NICHOLLSA brilliant, bittersweet novel about love and family, husbands and wives, parents and children'Perfect' INDEPENDENT 'I honestly can't imagine loving a novel much more' SUNDAY TIMES 'Funny and sweet - a lovely, lovely book' GRAHAM NORTON 'A sad, funny, soulful joy' OBSERVER 'I loved this book. Funny, sad, tender: for anyone who wants to know what happens after the Happy Ever After' JOJO MOYES Douglas and Connie - scientist and artist, husband and wife - live a quiet and quietly unremarkable life in the suburbs of London. Until, suddenly, after more than twenty years of marriage, Connie decides she wants a divorce. Heartbroken but determined, Douglas comes up with the perfect plan: he is going to win back the love of his wife and the respect of Albie, their teenage son, by organising the holiday of a lifetime. The hotels are booked, the tickets bought, the itinerary planned and printed. What could possibly go wrong?ONE OF BRITAIN'S MOST ACCLAIMED WRITERS'One of the most astute chroniclers of England as it is now'FINANCIAL TIMES'An uncanny ability to make us laugh out loud, but also care passionately about his characters'DAILY TELEGRAPH'Nicholls writes with such tender precision about love'THE TIMES'No one else writes novels that are both relatable and revelatory in the way he does'EVENING STANDARD'Genuinely brilliant'NEW STATESMANBy Bobby Palmer. 2024
'Powerful' JOANNA GLEN'Beautiful' KATE SAWYER'A triumph' JENNIE GODFREYThe eagerly awaited new novel from Bobby Palmer, author of the critically acclaimed…
debut Isaac and the Egg.If you stood before sunrise in this wild old place, looking through the trees into the garden, here's what you'd see:A father and son, a fox standing between them.Jack, home for the first time in years, still determined to be the opposite of his father.Gerry, who would rather talk to animals than the angry man back under his roof.Everything that follows is because of the fox, and because Jack's mother is missing. It spans generations of big dreams and lost time, unexpected connections and things falling apart, great wide worlds and the moments that define us.If you met them in the small hours, you'd begin to piece together their story.'A magical, comforting read that touches on father-son relationships, male mental health and the healing power of nature' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING'A beautiful examination of love and loss' HEAT'Tender and touching' GLAMOUR PRAISE FOR ISAAC AND THE EGG'A tender story of love, grief and the transformative power of friendship' Guardian'Truly one of the most beautiful stories you will ever read' Joanna Cannon'Will linger longer after the final page' Independent'Unique, tender and funny' Pandora Sykes'A future classic' Clare Mackintosh'Like nothing I've ever read before' Stylist'An arresting debut novel about grief in the most wonderfully oblique way' Reverend Richard Coles'Just magic' Kate SawyerBy David Nicholls. 2019
***Pre-order David Nicholls' new novel YOU ARE HERE now - Coming April 2024***A NOSTALGIC LOOK AT FIRST LOVE FROM BELOVED…
BESTSELLER DAVID NICHOLLSA tragicomedy about the rocky path to adulthood and that one summer that changes your life forever'A beautiful paean to young love' OBSERVER 'Fizzing' GUARDIAN 'A glorious escape to the sunlit uplands of the 1990s' FINANCIAL TIMES 'Exquisite' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'The sense of nostalgia is visceral and intense, almost time-bending' SUNDAY TIMES It's summer 1997, school is over and Charlie Lewis's life is in shambles. His family is breaking up, his father is falling apart and the long, empty holidays stretch ahead towards an uncertain future. And then, quite by chance, Charlie meets Fran Fisher and it's as if a new world has opened before him. But can it last?ONE OF BRITAIN'S MOST ACCLAIMED WRITERS'One of the most astute chroniclers of England as it is now'FINANCIAL TIMES'An uncanny ability to make us laugh out loud, but also care passionately about his characters'DAILY TELEGRAPH'Nicholls writes with such tender precision about love'THE TIMES'No one else writes novels that are both relatable and revelatory in the way he does'EVENING STANDARD'Genuinely brilliant'NEW STATESMANBy David Nicholls. 2009
***Pre-order David Nicholls' new novel YOU ARE HERE now - Coming April 2024***THE MULTI-MILLION COPY BESTSELLER, NOW A MAJOR NETFLIX…
SERIES'A wonderful, wonderful book' THE TIMES 'Perfect' NEW YORK TIMES 'A modern classic' DAILY MIRROR 'You'd be hard pressed to find a sharper, sweeter romantic comedy' INDEPENDENT 'Big, absorbing, smart, fantastically readable' NICK HORNBYTWENTY YEARS, TWO PEOPLE, ONE DAY15th July 1988. Emma and Dexter meet for the first time on the night of their graduation. Tomorrow they must go their separate ways. So where will they be on this one day next year? And the year after that? And every year that follows?ONE OF BRITAIN'S MOST ACCLAIMED WRITERS 'One of the most astute chroniclers of England as it is now' FINANCIAL TIMES 'An uncanny ability to make us laugh out loud, but also care passionately about his characters' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'Nicholls writes with such tender precision about love' THE TIMES 'No one else writes novels that are both relatable and revelatory in the way he does' EVENING STANDARD 'Genuinely brilliant' NEW STATESMANBy Deborah Pike. 1938
One hot summer, a group of university students gathers in an orchard to rehearse a play. Veronika is born for…
a life on the stage while Felix seizes his last chance for creative freedom. Sebastian woos Veronika, and Cassie longs for Sebastian. Josh and Gloria each carry a secret they are unable to share. Passion, rivalry and enduring connections will bind the Players across years and continents, long after the final curtain falls and they leave university behind. From Perth to Paris, Cambridge, London, Berlin and Dili the friends search for meaning in their careers and friendship, discover love and endure heartbreak.By Charles Dickens. 2015
One of the most celebrated and influential novels of the past two centuries tells the vivid and unforgettable coming-of-age story…
of the orphan Pip In the marsh country of Victorian England, young Pip lives with his sister and her husband, the kindly blacksmith Joe, eking out a hardscrabble life. Pip&’s one true aspiration is to apprentice for Joe and become a blacksmith himself, a dream that sustains him and gives him hope. But though he doesn&’t know it, Pip&’s fates are about to turn. Alone in a graveyard one night, he encounters a grizzled and mud-smeared escaped convict. Dragging a heavy shackle from an injured leg, the man demands that Pip steal him food and help him remove the clanging iron. Cowed, Pip accommodates his commands without resistance. It isn&’t until years later, after Pip has forged a tender relationship with the eccentric Mrs. Havisham, fallen into unexpected prosperity in London, and found himself gripped by love for the charming-yet-fickle Estella, that the true consequences of that night in the graveyard finally come to light. Celebrated for its vibrant characters, engrossing plot, and universal themes of ambition and hope, Great Expectations stands as a pillar of Victorian literature and a preeminent entry in the Dickensian oeuvre. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.By Charles Dickens. 2017
A tale of family secrets and the damaging corruption of the British legal system from the author of Great Expectations…
and Oliver Twist. In Bleak House, Charles Dickens not only pries apart the stultifying and ponderous conduct and contracts of British moneyed society, but also takes specific aim at an English judicial system in desperate need of modernization and reform. Featuring the voice of Esther Summerson—Dickens&’s only female narrator—the story unfolds around a generations-old legal case involving numerous inheritances. It is Esther&’s hidden birthright that sparks the drama, bringing to light such memorable characters as the Lady Dedlock, haunted by her shameful past; John Jarndyce, whose seemingly infinite kindness is driven by hidden guilt; and the sly lawyer Mr. Tulkinghorn, who secretly relishes the power his position gives him over his clients. Weaving a complex web of plots and subplots, Dickens created one of his most dramatically satisfying and boldly ambitious narratives in Bleak House, as the novel offers a scathing indictment of the mores and moral injustices of his time. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.