European Fiction

This delightful fairy tale for all ages is filled with fantasy, wit, and wisdom. A classic penned in 1872 by author George MacDonald, it has inspired the work of his friend Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland), and many others, including C.S. Lewis (The Narnia Chronicles), J.R.R. Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings), G.K. Chesterton (The Father Brown Mysteries), and Madeleine L'Engle (A Wrinkle in Time).

His beloved wife having died in childbirth, Phineas Finn finds Irish society and his job as a poorhouse inspector dull and unsatisfying, particularly after the excitement of his former career as a Member of Parliament. Back in England, the Whigs are determined to overturn the Tory majority in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Since Finn had once been considered the most promising of the younger set, he is encouraged to run for office again. Bribery, romance, and murder are peppered throughout this Trollope novel.

Gert Westphal ist eine Legende: Die wohlklingende, modulationsreiche Stimme, sein untrügliches Gespür für Rhythmus, die souveränen Tempo- und Rollenwechsel, die kräftigen Dialektfarben - nicht umsonst hat DIE ZEIT ihn zum "König der Vorleser" gekürt. Besonders berühmt wurden seine Rezitationen Thomas Manns, dessen "oberster Mund" er war.

Berlin, 1961. Rudi Möser-Fleischmann is an aspiring photographer with dreams of greatness, but he can't hold a candle to his talented, charismatic twin brother Peter, an ambitious actor. With the sudden divorce of their parents, the brothers find themselves living in different sectors of a divided Berlin; the postwar partition strangely mirroring their broken family.

Представляем вашему вниманию аудиоверсию культового романа Мигеля де Сервантеса Сааверда "Дон Кихот" о забавных и трогательных приключениях неутомимого романтика, чудака и мечтателя - храброго рыцаря печального образа Дон Кихота и его верного оруженосца Санчо Пансо.

A romantic fairy tale Peter Pan is a favourite story of many generations of children all over the world. The main character is a boy who never grows up, can fly, lives in Neverland and fairies are his friends. He gives a flying ability to three children from London — Wendy, John and Michael Darling and takes them to a mysterious land where they have exciting and sometimes rather scary adventures.

I don’t wish to frighten you, reads the anonymous note introverted and bullied eight-year-old Leo Cruz finds in his backpack. All the sender asks is that he avoid a certain spot on a certain day, or he’ll die. Leo has reason to be afraid. The warning hearkens back to nearly a decade ago - to the same site, where a murder has become local folklore and a favorite campfire tale reinvented year after year by the kids of Arenas, a small Spanish town.

The Mill on the Floss, first published in 1860, tells the story of Maggie Tulliver and her brother Tom as they grow from children to young adults in the small rural town of St. Ogg's, England. Intelligent and passionate, Maggie yearns to develop her mind and break free of the constraints of her provincial village. Though she loves her brother above anyone else, Tom's rigid, pragmatic personality often conflicts with Maggie's headstrong nature, with increasingly tragic consequences.

Ne crois pas, ne crois pas, Alfred, que je puisse être heureuse avec la pensée d'avoir perdu ton cœur. Que j'aie été ta maîtresse ou ta mère, peu importe. Que je t'aie inspiré de l'amour ou de l'amitié ; que j'aie été heureuse ou malheureuse avec toi, tout cela ne change rien à l'état de mon âme à présent. Je sais que je t'aime et c'est tout. Veiller sur toi, te préserver de tout mal, de toute contrariété, t'entourer de distractions et de plaisirs, voilà tout le besoin et le regret que je sens depuis que je t'ai perdu. George Sand à Alfred de Musset, Venise, le 15 avril 1834

Penny is invited by Alex Adamas, her secret crush, to a glamorous evening at the Vienna State Opera. But she quickly discovers that there are no romantic motives behind this rendezvous. Alex is on the trail of a poisoner at the opera house, and soon Penny is up to her ears in a new case. One that's going to challenge her in every way…

Susan has everything she ever wanted. A loving husband, an angelic daughter and the cottage of her dreams in County Cork. Her picture-perfect life seems too good to be true. And it is. At a housewarming party with their new neighbours, her daughter Amelia goes missing. As friends become suspects, Susan’s life spirals out of control. And when Amelia’s yellow cardigan is dredged from the lake, every parent’s worst nightmare suddenly seems horribly real. In the aftermath of Amelia’s disappearance Susan and her husband Paul are not themselves. Someone is hiding something.

The Prince is a 16th-century political treatise by the Italian diplomat and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli. Machiavelli wrote The Prince in 1513, after he was forced to leave Florence as a political exile. Dedicated to Lorenzo de’ Medici, the work is Machiavelli’s advice to the ruler of Florence on how to stay in power.

Viking's were brutal, that is what they were known for; marauders forged in the icy north. Yet, they weren't always looters and thieves. They honored the gods, home, the land, community and friends. Magnus, son of Vargr, wanted to see the world more than anything else, but his dream collided with the ruthless sword of Charlemagne's kingdom. The mythological god's of the north pitted themselves against the Christian God. Both vying for dominance over creation. Both playing themselves out in the lives of men. The heart struggles between battle and love. Magnus had to chose between Romance or ...

Tariq Khan is a Pakistani born and raised in Norway. An outsider in his own country - adrift between two worlds divided by class, race, and culture - he’s always been searching for home. Alongside a flock of other streetwise young men, each looking for direction and each easily susceptible, Tariq finds his cause in the Muslim revival. Idealistic, driven by faith, and empowered with purpose, he’s drawn to radical Islam - his last resort for achieving a sense of belonging. It’s only when he enlists in the war against Assad that Tariq’s eyes are truly opened.

The fifth novel in the Chronicles of Barsetshire, The Small House at Allington, concerns the lives of the two Dale girls, Lily and Bell, who live at the Small House. While Bell is in love with the local doctor James Crofts, Lily is pursued by two men: the worldly, rich and handsome Adolphus Crosbie and the poor but honest Johnny Eames. With each determined to gain her hand in marriage, who will she choose?

Martin Clay, an easily distracted philosopher, and his scrupulous art historian wife find themselves enlisted to assess the value of three dusty paintings. But blocking the soot from the chimney is nothing less, Martin believes, than one of the world's lost treasures. There it is: Martin's new distraction. So begins a wild trail of lies and concealments, soaring hopes and sudden panics as Martin embarks on an obsessive quest to prove his hunch and resolve one of the great mysteries of European art.

This is the second collection of short stories relating to the fictional sea-sprayed Canadian village of Avonlea. Anne Shirley appears in a few, but most concern other characters from the Anne Shirley series, including Diana Barry and members of the Meredith and Blair families. Published in 1920, these tales of hidden hopes and cherished dreams are sure to enchant fans of Anne of Green Gables.

Here are 154 poems performed by by the wonderful Sir John Gielgud in this Shakepseare collection of the Sonnets.

Shakespeare's sonnets deal with such themes as the passage of time, love, beauty, and mortality. All but two of the poems were first published in a 1609 quarto entitled Shake-Speares Sonnets: Never before imprinted.

It tells the tale of Frank Gresham and Mary Thorne, a couple intent on marriage despite their conflicting social backgrounds. Frank is engaged in a fierce battle with his family as his mother vehemently opposes the marriage and pushes him to marry a wealthy heiress; however, Frank shuns her attempts and is determined to accept Mary on her own terms.

Kate and Scott’s marriage has always been a lot of fun, with alcohol at the heart of it. After all, what’s more entertaining than a good laugh and a large drink…or six? But recently, those relaxing drinks have become more crutch than comfort - and the couple have almost forgotten how to talk to each other sober. Then their teenage daughter Holly uploads a video of their humiliating drunken escapades, which gets picked up by YouTube superstar PinkyPud - and goes horrifyingly viral.