classic book

Book Review: The Talisman

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The Talisman by Sir Walter Scott Bart

The Talisman
by Sir Walter Scott

5 out of 5 stars

King Richard the Lionheart is on a Crusade to the Holy Land when he falls ill with a fever. A month-long truce is called between the armies, and Richard’s European allies use the time to plot against him. A poor Scottish knight, Sir Kenneth, goes on a short pilgrimage to visit the holy hermit of a nearby mountain range with secret messages from the European council to Saladin, the leader of the Muslim army. On the way Sir Kenneth meets a lone Arabian warrior, and after a brief skirmish, they agree to travel together as worthy opponents. Sir Kenneth arrives at the hermitage and sees a strange and holy sight that changes the destiny of his life.

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Book Review: Outlaws of Ravenhurst

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Outlaws of Ravenhurst by M. Imelda Wallace

Outlaws of Ravenhurst
by Sister M. Imelda Wallace

Ten-year-old George has grown up with a poor farmer’s family in the colony of Maryland, but he discovers that he is actually a Scottish lord and his uncle takes him back to Scotland to be the chief of the Gordon clan. The Gordon clan are traditionally Catholic, but Catholicism has been outlawed in Scotland, and the young chief must now decide if he will risk his life for his faith.

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Book Review: The House on the Strand

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The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier

The House on the Strand

by Daphne du Maurier

1 out of 5 stars

Dick Young agrees to take an experimental drug that his friend Magnus has been developing in his lab. Magnus claims that the mind, under the influence of the drug, will time travel back to the 1330s, while the body stays in the present. Dick becomes obsessed with the people he meets back in history, taking more and more of the drug to continue visiting the past, even when it puts him in danger and he becomes addicted to the drug. He ignores his family and the responsibilities of his life, focused only on acquiring more of the drug so that he can discover the fate of the beautiful Lady Isolda in Medieval Cornwall.

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Book Review: The Good Soldier

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The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford

The Good Soldier: A Tale of Passion
by Ford Madox Ford

1 out of 5 stars

DNF at page 62.
John Dowell tells the story of how he discovered that his wife had been having an affair with another married man for years. Mr. Dowell and his wife, Florence, meet Mr. and Mrs. Ashburnham at a European spa where they strike up a casual friendship that continues for nine years. They meet again each summer in Europe and spend their vacation together. Edward Ashburnham seems like a good fellow, trustworthy and decent, but he has a history of adultery and debauchery that he keeps secret.

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Book Review: Can You Forgive Her?

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Can You Forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope

Can You Forgive Her? (Palliser #1)
by Anthony Trollope

5 out of 5 stars

Alice breaks off her engagement with John Grey and considers the proposal of her cousin George Vavasor instead. She vacillates between these two men as she vacillates with her own character. She considers what her life would be like with each of them, and has to decide what kind of person she wants to be. She worries that she will be stuck in a boring country life with John Grey, and longs for more political excitement as her cousin George is up for election and hopes to gain a seat in Parliament. Alice is confused and can’t sort through her true feelings and she has no one to guide her in making these decisions.

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Classic Book Review: Belinda

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Belinda by Maria Edgeworth

Belinda
by Maria Edgeworth

4.5 out of 5 stars
Belinda’s aunt sends her to stay with Lady Delacour, the most popular lady in all of London, hoping that Belinda will meet lots of wealthy young men and make a brilliant match. Although Lady Delacour spends her nights at various sparkling high society events, her days are full of misery and despair. Belinda discovers that there is a rift between Lord and Lady Delacour, and Lady Delacour is hiding a terrible secret.

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Book Review: Little Girl Lost

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Little Girl Lost by Temple Bailey

Little Girl Lost
by Temple Bailey

4 out of 5 stars

Araminta is barely nineteen when she agrees to elope with Barney. But she doesn’t really love him; she just wants to get away from her stepsisters at home. Araminta is also trying to forget about Jan, the gentleman who broke her heart two years before. But when she unexpectedly sees Jan on the night before the wedding, Araminta calls off the elopement and decides to take up a career as an actress in New York. The critics think she has some talent and Araminta throws herself into her acting career, working herself to death trying to forget both Barney and Jan. Through the course of a year, she tries to make sense of her own heart and find her way back to the man she truly loves.

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Book Review: The Phantom of the Opera

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The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

The Phantom of the Opera
by  Gaston Leroux

4 out of 5 stars

Christine is fascinated by the voice of the “Angel of Music”, and he trains her to be a great singer at the opera. When Christine is reunited with her childhood friend, Raoul, they discover that the Angel of Music is really the dreaded Phantom, who has terrorized the Opera House for many years. Raoul wants to protect Christine, but she feels pity intermingled with fear for the Phantom, and cannot bring herself to betray him.

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Book Review: Silver Slippers

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Silver Slippers by Temple Bailey

Silver Slippers
by Temple Bailey

5 out of 5 stars

Joan thinks she has found her true love when she meets Drew, and she readily agrees to an engagement. But Drew is selfish and jealous, and he laughs at what he calls her “prudish morality.” Joan is so unhappy that she turns for advice to a new acquaintance, Giles, a young man who owns a bookshop in town. Giles quickly recognizes Joan’s innocence and sweetness, and vows that he will help her get away from greedy high-society people like Drew. But Joan finds herself fascinated with Drew, despite his faults, and she can’t make up her mind to leave him. At the same time, she trusts Giles’ wisdom, and wishes that Drew could be so steady and faithful.

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Book Review: Why Not?

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Why Not? by Margaret Widdemer

Why Not?
by Margaret Widdemer

4.5 out of 5 stars

Rosamund is finally out from under her strict family’s guardianship, and her uncle has left her a little money in his will. She decides to follow all her own dreams and not stop for anything. She buys a house by the lake, and decides to set up a fortune-telling booth to make her living. But her new neighbor Mr. Squire is a very traditional person who seems to disapprove of everything she does. Rosamund tells herself that she doesn’t care about his approval, but in her secret heart she wants him to think well of her. Can they manage to be neighborly or will Rosamund’s wild ways tear them apart?

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