Three novellas that brilliantly portray English country and clergy life at the turn of the nineteenth century from the author of Middlemarch. Initially appearing in Blackwood's Magazine, this trio of linked stories comprises George Eliot's first published work. Together they form a portrait of small-town life in Midlands, England, where changes are affecting both society at large and religious beliefs and institutions. In "The Sad Fortunes...

Relates the various activities and adventures of the members of the Pickwick Club.

Lady Susan is a novella by Jane Austen that offers a delightful glimpse into the author's early exploration of social satire and romantic intrigue. Set in the Regency era, the novella is presented as an epistolary narrative, composed of letters exchanged between characters, which unveils the scheming and manipulative Lady Susan Vernon. Known for her charm and wit, Lady Susan navigates the social circles of her time with a cunning approach to...

"When Dr. Croft takes in orphan Eleanor Beady, he doesn't realize that he's gained an apprentice. Raised amidst Croft's experiments, "Nora" becomes his most trusted assistant-an unthinkable and unlawful pursuit for a woman. Nora helps Croft's groundbreaking research and his clinic gain recognition, and she finds she doesn't mind working in the background, as long as she can continue to hone her skills. But the arrival of a new surgical resident threatens...

When Lady Ombersley agrees to take in her young niece, no one expects Sophy, who sweeps in and immediately takes the ton by storm. Sophy discovers that her aunt's family is in desperate need of her talent for setting everything right: Ceclia is in love with a poet, Charles has tyrannical tendencies that are being aggravated by his grim fiancee, her uncle is of no use at all, and the younger children are in desperate need of some fun and freedom. By...

After stowing away in the Marquess of Eversley's carriage to escape London and scandal, Lady Sophie Talbot must convince the Marquess that she is not trying to trick him into marriage as they try to resist their mutual attraction.

"Gareth St. Clair is in a bind. His father, who detests him, is determined to beggar the St. Clair estates and ruin his inheritance. Gareth's sole bequest is an old family diary, which may or may not contain the secrets of his past ... and the key to his future. The problem is--it's written in Italian, of which Gareth speaks not a word. All the ton agreed: there was no one quite like Hyacinth Bridgerton. She's fiendishly smart, devilishly outspoken,...

Mary Ann Evans (22 November 1819 – 22 December 1880; alternatively "Mary Anne" or "Marian"), known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, journalist, translator and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. She is the author of seven novels, including Adam Bede (1859), The Mill on the Floss (1860), Silas Marner (1861), Middlemarch (1871–72), and Daniel Deronda (1876), most of them set in provincial England and known for...

Collins's 1889 collection of fourteen short stories includes "Miss Morris and the Stranger," about a young governess and a fateful meeting, "Mr. Medhurst and the Princess," about two star-crossed lovers, and a dozen other tales involving love, social classes, money, and even ghosts.

Cora Cash had traveled abroad at the turn of the century to seek a titled husband and before she realized it, found herself Duchess of Wareham, married to the most eligible bachelor in England. But, her husband, Ivo, was withdrawn and secretive. Soon Cora would discover that money could not buy everything and would have to make a crucial decision about her life and her marriage.