Bruce Pirie
The Brothers Karamazov (version 3)
Originally published in serial form in 1879-80, “The Brothers Karamazov” is recognized as one of the very greatest masterpieces of world lit…
The Mayor of Casterbridge (version 2)
Irritated and drunken, an itinerant farm-worker sells his wife and child to a stranger. Thus begins The Mayor of Casterbridge, set in rural …
Scenes from a Courtesan's Life
Scenes from a Courtesan's Life is one of the last great works completed by Balzac for his huge novel series entitled The Human Comedy. Sect…
Buddenbrooks
When Thomas Mann was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature (1929), the citation made special mention of his first novel, “Buddenbrooks,” pub…
Cousin Betty
Cousin Betty (La Cousine Bette), published in serial format in 1846, was one of the last and greatest of Balzac's works. It was part of his …
Scenes of Clerical Life
Scenes of Clerical Life, which appeared in book form in 1858 (after serial publication in the previous year), was the first published fictio…
Eugénie Grandet
Eugénie Grandet, first published in 1833, is one of Honoré de Balzac's finest novels, and one of the first works in what would…
Father Goriot (version 2)
Father Goriot (Le Père Goriot), published in 1835, is widely considered to be Balzac's finest and most popular novel. It is set in Pa…
Lost Illusions: Two Poets
Two Poets (1837) is the first book in Balzac’s Lost Illusions trilogy, which is part of his sweeping set of novels collectively titled La Co…
Lost Illusions: A Distinguished Provincial at Paris
A Distinguished Provincial at Paris (Un grand homme de province à Paris, 1839) is the second book in Balzac’s Lost Illusions trilogy,…
Glengarry School Days
With international book sales in the millions, Ralph Connor was the best-known Canadian novelist of the first two decades of the Twentieth C…
Cousin Pons
Cousin Pons is one of the final works in Balzac's long novel series titled The Human Comedy. It was published in 1847, along with Cousin Bet…
The Man from Glengarry
With international book sales in the millions, Ralph Connor was the best-known Canadian novelist of the first two decades of the Twentieth C…
The Lifted Veil
The Lifted Veil is a thought-provoking novella by George Eliot that delves into the realms of the supernatural and the unknown. Set against …
Ormond
Maria Edgeworth was one of the most popular writers of her time, a sharp and witty observer of society manners, and a favorite author for Ja…
The Absentee
Published in 1812, “The Absentee” by Maria Edgeworth examines social injustice in 19th-century Britain. At that time, the management of man…
Settlers of the Marsh
The novel “Settlers of the Marsh” (1925) is a foundational work of realism in Canadian fiction. Its author, Frederick Philip Grove, a German…
The Untempered Wind
Upon publication of “The Untempered Wind” in 1894, Joanna Wood quickly rose to international prominence, becoming in the next few years the …
Lost Illusions: Ève and David
Ève and David (1843) is the final book in Balzac’s Lost Illusions trilogy, which is part of his sweeping set of novels collectively t…
The Ball at Sceaux
The novella “The Ball at Sceaux” is part of Balzac’s great life work — the expansive fiction series titled “The Human Comedy.” The central c…