Showing results for "The Awakening" in Historical Fiction

Unsatisfied with the expectations of Creole society and unhappy with her family life, Edna Pontellier begins to fall in love with the dapper Robert Lebrun. Lebrun's flirtations, along with the lifestyle of renowned musician Mademoiselle Reisz, rejuvenates Edna's sense of freedom and independence. However, an affair with the womanizer Alcee Arobin provides Edna with a taste of the danger that comes with living outside of social convention.

How do you find love where love does not exist? From out of a barefoot boyhood among endless rows of olive trees, and a forbidden passion for a courageous Moroccan beauty, to a horrific struggle against tyranny in the war-torn streets of 1936 Granada, comes a story where love cannot exist without mercy . . . mercy one carries for one’s whole life as a badge of honor . . . mercy and compassion passed down from generation to generation.

Yorkshire, 1890. Having lost her father and brothers in tragic circumstances, Olwen Malkon is forced to leave her childhood home to live with her uncle's family. In his chill vicarage, however, she fears that she is also losing her mind, as strange dreams take her into the life of Ælfwyn, a woman from a distant past whose fate is overshadowed by menace and betrayal. In the grip of these afflictions, Olwen finds sympathy with the local doctor, John Osbourne, who is intrigued by her case.

In the mid-1850s, life for an orphan was grim, as Kirsten MacGregor discovered when her parents died suddenly on a journey to Northumberland, leaving her penniless and alone in the hands of a cruel farmer. Somehow, Kirsten survived her terrible childhood - only to be sold, at the age of 14, to a travelling tinker - a vicious man who held her captive until the fateful day they were separated during a storm. Rescued from the flood by the Flynn family, she gave birth to a child as the waters raged about her.

Following the critically acclaimed success of Dublin, this riveting sequel takes the story of Ireland from the 17th century onwards, picking up at the Reformation, and with it the devastating arrival of Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell heralds the inauguration of 200 years of Protestant dominance, throughout which many of the Irish people were impoverished and dispossessed. Dublin is made a Protestant capital, and Catholics become an underclass. Set against the dramatic backdrop of Irish political history, this powerful saga is brought to its conclusion.

"A witch!" It's an accusation Arianna O'Sullivan dreads as she struggles to conceal her abilities from the suspicious villagers in colonial Massachusetts. Saved from the pillory by a handsome, chivalrous stranger, Arianna senses an inexplicable connection. When she's given no choice but to marry the charismatic man, even after discovering he's the grandson of an infamous witch-hunter, she fears her powers won't be restrained for much longer.

Fetishist of working women Arthur Munby, irascible antiquary General Pitt Rivers, feminist Barbara Bodichon, and other historical figures of the Victorian epoch wander through the backdrop of the novel as Anna's anomalous love for Lore Ritter, and her friendship with freethinking and ambitious Miriam Sala, carry her into areas of uncharted desire, while Beatrice, forced to choose between her beloved Will Anwyl and the evangelist Christian Ritter, who marked her out as a wife when she was only a child, is pulled between passion and duty.

Kate Chopin’s novel, a landmark work of early feminism, is seen as a precursor to the works of American novelists such as William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway. The upper-class Creole society of New Orleans and the Southern Louisiana coast at the end of the 19th century is brought to audio in a stirring performance by Academy Award-winning actress Kim Basinger.

When widowed Amelia Smith takes a fallen soldier into her household, she is shocked to discover he has no idea who he is. Determined to help him recover his memory, she embarks on a journey that will change and endanger them both. Working out whom and what he is brings back painful memories to Marco. The only constant in his life is his burning desire to take revenge on those who tried to steal everything from him. As his memories return, he needs Amelia Smith's calm good sense more than he ever anticipated.

When Darcy and Lizzy meet at the Meryton assembly, Darcy is already engaged to another woman, and Lizzy has suffered the loss of someone she once loved. How will they find their way to each other, with these obstacles, and so many more, standing in their way?

It is the year 1181, and an ageing, battle-worn Sir Philip Fitzwilliam contemplates the changes the last crusade inflicted on the landscape and on his estates. Sir Phillip, concerned by rumors of a shifting balance of power favoring Saladin’s Muslim armies in the Holy Land, fears yet another conflict. He contemplates the future of his estates and those of his two sons, Giles, his favorite, the other Raymond, an aspirant monk, and his beloved, gifted daughter...Aveline. This is her story.

Since Ginevra Innocenti’s death, the cottage has lain empty and abandoned in the woods. Until the day Ginevra’s granddaughter, Sara, sees a dragonfly in the depths of winter. Intrigued, she follows it and discovers the forgotten cottage. When Sara learns that her grandmother was once a healer, a series of events is set in motion which could lead to the end of the family legacy. As long-hidden secrets are revealed, Sara starts to doubt everything she once believed in. Her mind in turmoil, she no longer knows whether she can follow in the footsteps of her ancestors.

Kate Chopin's novel The Awakening, published 1899, drew a storm of criticism for its "shocking, morbid, and vulgar" story and quickly went out of print. The novel was not resurrected until the 1950s, when participants in the growing women's movement recognized its importance. Today, The Awakening is among the most-read American novels in colleges and universities and is considered an early example of American realism.

Ellie Ballantyne, youngest child of Silas and Eden, has left finishing school. But back at her family home in Pittsburgh, Ellie finds that her parents are away on a long trip and her siblings don't seem to want her to stay. When she opens a day school for young ladies, she begins tutoring the incorrigible daughter of the enemy Turlock clan. The Turlocks are slaveholders and whiskey magnates, envious of the powerful Ballantynes, and suspicious of their abolitionist leanings.

A woman seeks love and the fulfillment of her essential nature outside of her stuffy, middle-class marriage. Although this book shocked the readers of 1899, it ultimately paved the way for the modern novel.

A curse looms over the small village of Salem. Sassy and headstrong Lucinda fights against the court as she tries to stop the unjust persecutions. While on a journey of self-discovery, she soon realizes that not everything is as it seems to be. Will she accept her heritage or will she sacrifice it all for love? Loyal rationalist Isaac attempts to make sense of the chaos happening around him. Following his heart has led him down a path of conflict. Does he remain loyal to his family and betray the one he loves? Or will he go against his duty and fight for the woman who holds his heart?

Young Micah "Mike" Cordett's privileged life explodes when he is caught naked with a schoolmate. Running away from disgrace, he blunders into a trap in a seamy part of London and endures months of abuse before escaping. But with the help of the Andrews family, he's begun to climb out of his fear. Yet, when a reminder of his happier past erupts into his life in the form of Lucas Spring, Mike's not certain he's ready to face the remnants of the charmed life he'd once enjoyed. He's certainly not ready for love.

Four years have passed since the fall of the Boudican revolution and Orin’s and Selda’s departure. The Roman legions continue to rage against the warring tribes in their campaign to force Britain into submission. The two Orders - the Druid Brothers and the Semnotheoi Sisters - have gone underground to survive. The edicts against them ever working together remain in place. Yet, holding fast to them will lead to the ultimate destruction of the Orders and possibly of Britain itself.

Roun was born clanless, depriving him of a future in an empire where bloodlines and reputation mean everything. His only hope for escaping the life of an outcast lies in being awakened by the Eldest Throne and becoming a guardian of humanity.

Part 1 of the story of Theobald Wolfe Tone's short life, takes you on a rollercoaster ride from the first minute. Uniting a nation behind his vision, we learn about a young passionate man who is prepared to go to any lengths to secure freedom and rights for his fellow Irishmen. Never before has a novel been written about the life and times of Wolfe Tone. While it tells the story of the man, it accurately follows the historical path his life took.