Showing results by publisher "Real Reads" in All Categories

"She? That’s Little Dorrit. She’s nothing. She’s just a whim.’ Poor Little Dorrit. Her future looks as bleak as her past and her present. Born and brought up in a debtors’ prison, she relies on her sewing skills to help support her father. Little does she know that her sewing will soon present an opportunity for change. When change arrives in the form of Arthur Clennam, it is accompanied by secrets and dangers. Who is he? What are his motives for wanting to help Little Dorrit?

Emma is one of a series of retellings of classic literature by publishers Real Reads. True to the original plot, characters and themes, Real Reads also imitate the original author's style. An intelligent, lively and enjoyable retelling of this classic story."I must warn you that you might guess twenty things without being correct.

Eight years ago, Anne Elliott was persuaded that her family's honour was more important than her own happiness. She has suffered ever since. Now the man she turned away has returned. Can Captain Wentworth forgive Anne, or will he be charmed instead by the beautiful Louisa? Will Anne be persuaded to marry her cousin, or will she find the strength to follow her heart?

One of a series of six retellings of Jane Austen's great works, this Real Reads Pride and Prejudice is true to the original in many ways. It is true to the plot, character, and themes, and the author successfully imitates Austen's style and syntax. A wonderful introduction to this classic work of literature, and an enjoyable listening experience in its own right.

Sense and Sensibility is one of a series of retellings of classic literature by publisher Real Reads. True to the original plot, characters and themes, Real Reads also imitate the original author's style. An intelligent, lively and enjoyable introduction to this classic tale.Mraianne is ablaze with fire and passion.; Elinor keeps her own heat under control.Marianne seeks a man who shares her eager spirit; Elinor is in love with the polite, considerate Edward Ferrars.

"You must hear my tale. You must hear my terrible, terrible tale." Committed to the deadly pursuit of the monster he created, Victor Frankenstein tells his chilling story. It all began with a desire to help mankind, but where will it end? Frankenstein leads us through vast mountainous landscapes and over frozen seas. Can he stop the fiend’s murderous course? Is he prepared to do what the monster demands? The reader will be shocked and surprised. Is the monster as evil as he seems?

"It seems pretty clear to me that sooner or later we’ll be at war with Germany, whether we like it or not."

Carruthers is looking forward to a relaxing holiday when he sets off for the Baltic Sea. Instead he finds himself at the centre of a complicated and deadly plot. Will Carruthers and his friend, Arthur Davies, discover why the sinister and mysterious Herr Dollman is so interested in their little yacht, the Dulcibella? What does Clara Dollman know about her father’s plans?

Great Expectations is one of a series of retellings of classic literature by publisher Real Reads. True to the original plot, characters and themes, Real Reads also imitate the the original author's style. An intelligent, lively and enjoyable introduction to this classic tale.An escaped convict threatens to eat young Pip's heart for breakfast. The ghostly Miss Havisham invites Pip to her eerie home.

Henry Fleming leaves his widowed mother behind and marches off to join a war that is tearing his country apart. His regiment has yet to be tested in the fire of battle. Together the soldiers wait while distant guns rumble and the lights of enemy campfires flicker on the hills beyond a darkened river. The young man recalls his childhood dreams of valiant combat. Will he pass the test and return home to tell others of his triumphs on the battlefield? Or will he flee at the first sign of real danger?  

Written in play form using Shakespeare's iambic pentameter and imitating much of his style and language, these little plays are an excellent introduction to the bard. Hamlet’s father, the king of Denmark, has died suddenly. But instead of grieving, his mother, Gertrude, has married the dead king’s brother, Claudius. One dark night Hamlet sees a ghost. It is his dead father, who claims he was murdered by Claudius, the new king. But did Hamlet really see a ghost, or did he just imagine it?

No one would have believed that planet Earth was being watched by creatures more intelligent than humankind. But planet Earth was not only being watched--soon it would be invaded by monstrous creatures from Mars who strode about the land in great mechanical tripods, bringing death and destruction with them. What could possibly stop an invading army equipped with heat rays and poisonous black gas, intent on wiping out the human race?

"On this machine, I intend to explore time..." The time traveller has invented a time machine. Its capabilities are beyond even his fertile imagination. Hundreds of thousand of years in the future, the beautiful Eloi people live in a Garden of Eden. But why are they so fearful of the dark? What horrors lurk beneath the surface of their world? What will the time traveller learn about the future? Will he survive the evil he encounters? Even if he can find his stolen machine, will it return him safely home?

"‘Breach your last to the sun, Moby Dick!’ cried Ahab. ‘Thy hour and thy harpoon are at hand!’" Why does Captain Ahab look like a man who’s being crucified? How did he come by that hideous scar and the false leg made of a whale’s bone? And why is he obsessed with Moby Dick, the great white whale?Ishmael, the new recruit, has other strange shipmates. There’s Queequeg, for instance, covered in weird tattoos and selling shrunken human heads.

A frightful horde of men and women, armed with scythes, pikes, billhooks, and rusty swords, advance towards the massive front doors of Notre Dame Cathedral. For many years Quasimodo the bellringer has lived peacefully in the cathedral with his master, Archdeacon Claude Frollo. But the arrival of Esmeralda, the young and dazzlingly beautiful gypsy dancer, changes everything. Esmeralda has fallen in love with the brave and handsome Captain Phoebus.

Running away to sea brings adventure and wealth, but then come shipwreck and a desperate struggle for survival. Defying his parents, Robinson Crusoe goes to sea. He is captured by pirates but escapes to Brazil. He makes a fortune using slave labour to grow tobacco and sugar. He sails to Africa to bring back more slaves but is shipwrecked on an uninhabited island. Everyone else is drowned. For more than twenty years, he lives alone. He learns to hunt and fish and make shelter.

"It’s a woman. She’s dead, I think--dead in the snow at the Stone-pits--not far from my door." Since his arrival in the small village of Raveloe, Silas Marner has been an outsider. Nobody knows where he came from, nobody understands him, nobody dares to invite him in. All of this changes when a little girl wanders through his door one snowy night. What feelings will she stir in Silas’ lonely heart? How will she draw Silas closer to the heart of Raveloe?

Following a series of misfortunes, Tess Durbeyfield leaves her impoverished family to seek work with her rich relations. Her new employer, Alec d’Urberville, seems charming and kind. Tess has a mind of her own, but she is vulnerable and alone among strangers. Can she trust Alec? A year later Tess meets Angel Clare, and they fall in love. If Angel discovers the truth about Tess’ past, will he still love her?

"Abandon hope all ye who enter here." Dante, our young, naive hero, has woken from a deep sleep to find himself in a cold, dark wood. Before he can begin to work out where he is, his path is blocked by a leopard, a lion, and a she-wolf. Things get worse from there, and our pilgrim finds himself on a journey through the very depths of hell. Why is he there, and will he ever make it out alive?

Mansfield Park is one of a series ofretellings of classic literature by publisher Real Reads. True to the original plot, characters and themes, Real Reads also imitate the original author's style. An intelligent, lively and enjoyable introduction to this classic tale."Your little cousin cannot help being dull and stupid."At the tender age of ten, Fanny Price moves from her poor family home to live with her wealthy cousins at mansfield park. Settling into this proud family is only the first of many challenges she will have to face.

A captivating retelling of Mark Twain's classic adventure story. True to the original in plot, character, themes and style, this is an excellent way for any listener to meet Tom Sawyer for the first time. Tom Sawyer is a respectable boy in a little Mississippi River town. Huck Finn is a freedom-loving, neglected outcast. What better playmate could Tom want?One night, innocent games of pirates and Robin Hood turn serious when the boys witness a murder in the graveyard.