EBookClubs

Read Books & Download eBooks Full Online

EBookClubs

Read Books & Download eBooks Full Online

Book Katerina s Adventures in Rhodes

Download or read book Katerina s Adventures in Rhodes written by Katy Pitsi and published by Author House. This book was released on 2011-04-12 with total page 133 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: I wasnt going to let the fact that I have Multiple Sclerosis, stop me from flying off to the Greek islands for some fun in the sun This is a diary about holidaying in three different resorts on the island of Rhodes; Tholos, Stegna and Pefkos. I bought my first mobility scooter in 2004. It is my friend and companion when I travel. This, along with my love of writing, is what inspired me to write this book. The time I had there, the wonderful people that I met, the obstacles I faced and the challenges I overcame whilst travelling with my mobility scooter, is to me, what makes it all the more fun! A life without a risk is a life unlived.

Book Greek Mythology

Download or read book Greek Mythology written by Katerina Servi and published by Ekdotike Athenon. This book was released on 2005 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The gods, the heroes, the Trojan War, the Argonauts are just some of the fascinating subjects that the reader will find in "Greek Mythology". The vivid imagination of the ancient Greeks has left us a legacy that entertains and instructs the reader of our time in the captivating world of antiquity.

Book Immortal Reign

Download or read book Immortal Reign written by Morgan Rhodes and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2018-02-06 with total page 406 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the epic conclusion to the Falling Kingdoms series, sworn enemies must become allies as they fight to save Mytica. Jonas continues to willfully defy his destiny, but the consequences of plotting his own course are drastic. As the fight for Mytica rages on, he must decide just how much more he's willing to sacrifice. Lucia knows there's something special about her daughter and she'll do anything to protect her, even if that means facing Kyan alone. Amara is called back home to Kraeshia. Grandma Cortas has her own plans for Mytica's future. She promises Amara power, revenge, and dominance if she agrees to be part of her scheme. Magnus and Cleo's love will be put to the ultimate test. Dark magic is causing widespread destruction throughout the kingdom. Enemies across the sea are advancing. And unrest is stirring throughout the land. Is their love strong enough to withstand the outside forces tearing them apart?

Book Crystal Storm

Download or read book Crystal Storm written by Morgan Rhodes and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2017-11-14 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An epic clash between gods and mortals threatens to tear Mytica apart . . . and prove that not even the purest of love stands a chance against the strongest of magic. MAGNUS and CLEO are forced to test the strength of their love when Gaius returns to Mytica claiming he's no longer the King of Blood but a changed man seeking redemption. LUCIA, pregnant with the child of a Watcher, has escaped the clutches of the unhinged fire god. Her powers are dwindling as she goes forth to fulfill a prophecy that will keep her baby safe . . . but could mean her demise. JONAS treks back to Mytica with a plan to overtake Amara, but fate takes hold when he runs into the beautiful Princess Lucia and joins her on her perilous journey. AMARA has taken the Mytican throne, but with no way to unleash the water magic trapped within her stolen crystal, she'll never be able to seize glory and get sweet revenge. And what kind of darkness will descend--and who will be safe--after Prince Ashur reveals the dangerous price he paid to cheat death?

Book Staging Holiness

    Book Details:
  • Author : Sofia Zoitou
  • Publisher : Mediterranean Art Histories
  • Release : 2020-12-17
  • ISBN : 9789004436855
  • Pages : 284 pages

Download or read book Staging Holiness written by Sofia Zoitou and published by Mediterranean Art Histories. This book was released on 2020-12-17 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "In Staging Holiness. The Case of Hospitaller Rhodes (ca. 1309-1522) Sofia Zoitou offers a study of the history of relic collections, devotional rituals and sites invested with special meaning in Rhodes, during a time when the island became one of the most frequented ports of call for ships carrying pilgrims from Venice to the Holy Land. Scrutinizing late medieval travel reports by pilgrims from all over Europe along with extant historical, archaeological, visual and material evidence, Sofia Zoitou traces the various forms of the Rhodian cultic sites' evolution and perception, ultimately considered as an overall artistic strategy for the staging of the sacred"--

Book Weaveworld

    Book Details:
  • Author : Clive Barker
  • Publisher : Simon and Schuster
  • Release : 2021-03-30
  • ISBN : 1982158093
  • Pages : 672 pages

Download or read book Weaveworld written by Clive Barker and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2021-03-30 with total page 672 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Seerkind, a people who possess the power to make magic, have weaved themselves into a rug for safekeeping. Now, with the last human caretaker dead, a variety of humans vie for ownership of the rug.

Book Rebel Spring

Download or read book Rebel Spring written by Morgan Rhodes and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2013-12-03 with total page 412 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: War brought them together. Love will tear them apart. Auranos has been conquered and the three kingdoms—Auranos, Limeros, and Paelsia—are now unwillingly united as one country called Mytica. But alluring, dangerous magic still beckons, and with it the chance to rule not just Mytica, but the world. . . . CLEO is now a prisoner in her own palace, forced to be an ambassador for Mytica as the evil King Gaius lies to her people MAGNUS stands to eventually inherit the new kingdom but is still obsessed with his feelings for his adopted sister, Lucia LUCIA is haunted by the deadly outcome of her breathtaking display of magic that allowed her father to capture the kingdoms JONAS watches at the palace gates, a troop of rebels behind him, waiting for him to tell them how he plans to overtake King Gaius When Gaius announces that a road is to be built into the Forbidden Mountains, formally linking all of Mytica together, he sets off a chain of cataclysmic events that will forever change the face of this land. Praise for Falling Kingdoms “From an opening dripping with blood, magic, and betrayal through complex interweaving plots detailing treachery, deceit, and forbidden love, this novel . . . will immediately engage readers and keep them intrigued.”—Booklist “[It] will gut you emotionally . . . make you ache, cry, and beg for the sequel as you turn the last page. I absolutely loved it.”—Julie Kagawa, New York Times bestselling author of The Iron Queen “This triple-layered tale of bloodshed, heartbreak, and tangled court intrigue kept me turning pages very late into the night.”—Lesley Livingston, author of Wondrous Strange and Starling Richelle Mead, bestselling author of the Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series, sits down with Morgan Rhodes to talk about Rebel Spring, the much-anticipated second book in her bestselling Falling Kingdoms series. Richelle Mead: Morgan Rhodes (aka Michelle Rowen) has been my friend for a number of years. We've hung out together at conferences and swooned over each other's books. When she was able to work on Vampire Academy: The Ultimate Guide, I couldn't believe how lucky I was to have someone who was already a fan of the VA world and whose writing I personally loved. I'm just as excited about her Falling Kingdoms series and couldn't resist this chance to ask her some questions about Rebel Spring, the next book in the series! Morgan Rhodes: I was thrilled for the chance to write the VA Ultimate Guide! I remember Richelle telling me there were plans for the book and I piped up with: “I totally want to write that!” And what fun it was to delve back into a series that I loved (and am still in love with thanks to the wonderful Bloodlines spinoff). I’m counting down the days for the VA movie! Richelle is not only a friend, but one of my very favorite authors, so it’s a real honor to be interviewed by her about Rebel Spring. RM: So without further ado, let’s start talking about the new book. The world of Falling Kingdoms is so vivid and detail-rich. When it comes to world-building for these novels, where do you get your inspiration? MR: I get my inspiration from pretty much everywhere, although I’m visually inspired by some of my favorite TV shows and movies, which run the gamut from Lord of the Rings to The Princess Bride to Game of Thrones, to name just a few. RM: At the end of Falling Kingdoms, things are looking pretty bleak in Mytica. Is it fair to say that Rebel Spring will be quite a bit darker than book 1? MR: The stakes have been raised and sharpened, for sure. Blood will spill and lives will be lost. But I don’t think I would ever want to write a book that was unrelentingly bleak from beginning to end. I can promise that Rebel Spring contains plenty of comic relief and romance to counterbalance the darker bits. RM: The Falling Kingdoms books are written from multiple POVs, and each of your narrators has such a unique voice and perspective. How does your experience vary from POV to POV? Are there some characters that are more difficult than others? Do you have a favorite? MR: It’s been a wonderful and exciting challenge to write in multiple points of view from my diverse cast. I will admit, some POVs are always a joy to write and others prove to be a challenge. I try to put myself in the head of that character and see the world from their eyes, no matter who they are or what their goals are. I get into the heads of a couple different characters in Rebel Spring, including a villain who definitely sees things from a darker angle than anything I’ve written before – which was fun. The characters whose scenes I most look forward to writing since they are very specific personalities and basically take over and make things easier for me are Cleo and Magnus. They tend to surprise me while the other characters usually stick to the outline! RM: Let’s talk body count. You’re very good at making me fall in love with your characters, but you’re also very good at killing them off when I least expect it. How do you decide the who, how, when, and why when it comes to killing off your characters? MR: I never knew how much I enjoyed killing characters until I started writing this series. *evil grin* However! I like to think those who get the ax (sometimes, um, literally) are necessary deaths. It’s all for a purpose, to change another character in the face of their shock and grief, to lead them down a path they never would have taken before, and to spark a desire for revolution and vengeance in the hearts of those who might previously have been passive and peaceful. Plus, I always think when things seem a bit too ideal and characters are getting too comfortable, it’s a good time to get a few heads rolling to keep things interesting for readers – and for me as the writer! RM: What’s going on with Magnus? He seems like kind of a jerk in Falling Kingdoms, but I get the sense he’s got a soft spot. MR: With a father like King Gaius, whose nickname is the “King of Blood,” it would be pretty hard for a prince to grow up as a nice dude with a sunny disposition! Magnus really came alive on the page for me, more so than any other character in the cast. Initially, he was supposed to be a jerk through and through, but he’s really more of a lost soul whose entire life has been devoted to attempting to gain his cruel and driven father’s love and respect. However, Magnus has begun to learn that he might have a different set of morals than the king, even though he knows following in Daddy’s footsteps would make life easier for him. This isn’t to say that Magnus hasn’t made (and will make) some rather dreadful decisions that will certainly cast a shadow over his future relationships and experiences. RM: Jonas has a lot of axes to grind by the end of book 1. What can we expect from him in Rebel Spring? MR: I think the main thing with Jonas is that beneath his thirst for vengeance (focused on both the murderer of his brother Aron and King Gaius) is that he really does mean well. He cares about the people of downtrodden Paelsia, and he’s someone, unlike his fellow countrymen, who doesn’t believe his future is ruled by uncontrollable fate. In Rebel Spring, Jonas has been thrust into the position of rebel leader, which will be a challenge for him on many levels. RM: Okay, ultimate personality test: Are you a Cleo or a Lucia? MR: Both are princesses from vastly different kingdoms and upbringings – Cleo is a girl who has favored parties and frivolity in the past, while Lucia prefers learning and solitude. Cleo is stubborn and sometimes reckless, and Lucia is more measured and controlled, but may be considered naïve in many ways. I wouldn’t say I’m much like either princess, really, although I am blond like Cleo and I love books like Lucia. :) RM: Lastly, can you talk a little bit about your writing process? MR: It would be next to impossible to undertake a large tapestry of a series like Falling Kingdoms if I didn’t plan a lot of it ahead of time. I work from a detailed outline and map out character goals and conflicts and relationship arcs, but I’m still surprised by some of the things my characters say and do that can take me in a direction different from what was meticulously planned. So far, it’s been a lot of fun to explore these unexpected paths to see where they lead.

Book Seven Tears for Apollo

    Book Details:
  • Author : Phyllis A. Whitney
  • Publisher : Open Road Media
  • Release : 2017-08-29
  • ISBN : 1504045882
  • Pages : 217 pages

Download or read book Seven Tears for Apollo written by Phyllis A. Whitney and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2017-08-29 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A retreat to Greece becomes a dangerous trap for a grieving and haunted widow in this novel from “a superb and gifted storyteller” (Mary Higgins Clark). Ever since Dorcas Brandt’s husband, Gino Nikkaris, died in a plane crash, she’s been beset by troubling suspicions that his shady intrigues in the art world may have been the cause of his death. Desperate for both a new future and answers to the questions about Gino’s past, Dorcas whisks her daughter away to the Greek island of Rhodes. Among Gino’s family, friends, and former colleagues—and a kindhearted American named Johnny—Dorcas hopes to find a semblance of peace as she traverses the magnificent ruins and ancient fortresses. But her dreams are soon dashed: There’s something accusatory and unforgiving in her late husband’s elderly female patron; the peculiar woman enlisted as her daughter’s nanny is a black hole of hostility; a new love is under threat; and as scrawled warnings appear and disappear before her eyes, she fears for her own sanity. Now, as her husband’s mysterious past casts a shadow over Dorcas’s every move, the young mother must confront not only a terrible truth but also the terrifying fate that awaits her on the white cliffs of the Aegean. Set against a picturesque Mediterranean backdrop, this novel of lies and family secrets from a New York Times–bestselling and Edgar Award–winning author is “told with the skill that has caused Miss Whitney to be compared with Mary Stewart and Daphne du Maurier” (The Springfield Republican). This ebook features an illustrated biography of Phyllis A. Whitney including rare images from the author’s estate.

Book Bad Island

    Book Details:
  • Author : Stanley Donwood
  • Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
  • Release : 2020-10-27
  • ISBN : 1324001860
  • Pages : 176 pages

Download or read book Bad Island written by Stanley Donwood and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2020-10-27 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A starkly beautiful, wordless graphic novel about the end of the world by the cult artist and longtime Radiohead collaborator. A wild seascape, a distant island, a full moon. Gradually the island grows nearer until we land on a primeval wilderness, rich in vegetation and huge, strange beasts. Time passes and man appears, with clubs, with spears, with crueler weapons still—and things do not go well for the wilderness. Civilization rises as towers of stone and metal and smoke choke the undergrowth and the creatures that once moved through it. This is not a happy story, and it will not have a happy ending. Working in his distinctive, monochromatic linocut style, Stanley Donwood achieves with his art what words cannot convey, carving out a mesmerizing, stark parable of environmental disaster and the end of civilization.

Book Marianne Dreams

    Book Details:
  • Author : Catherine Storr
  • Publisher : James Clarke & Co.
  • Release : 1989
  • ISBN : 9780718827687
  • Pages : 198 pages

Download or read book Marianne Dreams written by Catherine Storr and published by James Clarke & Co.. This book was released on 1989 with total page 198 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It was while she was ill and in bed for several weeks that Marianne found the pencil. It looked quite ordinary, but it wasn't. The things she drew with it - a house, a landscape, the face watching at the window - came alive in her dreams. Sometimes what she drew was good and friendly; sometimes bad and frightening. Once, without quite meaning to, she put herself and the boy in her dreams into a very real danger, from which the only possible escape needed more courage than Marianne thought she could possibly find ... The story has been adapted for the major feature film Paperhouse starring Charlotte Burke as Anna (Marianne), Elliot Spears and Ben Cross.

Book Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal

Download or read book Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal written by Jeanette Winterson and published by Open Road + Grove/Atlantic. This book was released on 2012-03-06 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A New York Times bestseller: The “magnificent” memoir by one of the bravest and most original writers of our time—“A tour de force of literature and love” (Vogue). One of the New York Times’ “50 Best Memoirs of the Past 50 Years” Jeanette Winterson’s bold and revelatory novels have established her as a major figure in world literature. Her internationally best-selling debut, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, tells the story of a young girl adopted by Pentecostal parents, and has become a staple of required reading in contemporary fiction classes. Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? is a “singular and electric” memoir about a life’s work to find happiness (The New York Times). It is a book full of stories: about a girl locked out of her home, sitting on the doorstep all night; about a religious zealot disguised as a mother who has two sets of false teeth and a revolver in the dresser, waiting for Armageddon; about growing up in a north England industrial town now changed beyond recognition; about the universe as a cosmic dustbin. It is the story of how a painful past, rose to haunt the author later in life, sending her on a journey into madness and out again, in search of her biological mother. It is also a book about the power of literature, showing how fiction and poetry can form a string of guiding lights, or a life raft that supports us when we are sinking. Witty, acute, fierce, and celebratory, Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? is a tough-minded story of the search for belonging—for love, identity, home, and a mother.

Book The Rose Petal Beach

    Book Details:
  • Author : Dorothy Koomson
  • Publisher : Review
  • Release : 2018-08-09
  • ISBN : 147226178X
  • Pages : 554 pages

Download or read book The Rose Petal Beach written by Dorothy Koomson and published by Review. This book was released on 2018-08-09 with total page 554 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A tense, thrilling read from Sunday Times bestselling author Dorothy Koomson Is it an affair . . . or something much worse? Tami's husband, Scott, has just been arrested for a terrible crime - and his accuser is her closest friend. Who should Tami believe? The father of her two daughters? Or her trusted best friend? Torn and desperate to find out the truth, Tami makes her choice - with shocking consequences . . . SHORTLISTED FOR THE SPECSAVERS NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR POPULAR FICITON 2012 Readers love Dorothy Koomson: 'Cleverly told by three female narrators, this is a complex tale of a terrible crime . . . I was gripped from the start and desperate to uncover the truth' Woman 'If you only do one this weekend, read this book. It's another utterly brilliant psychological thriller' Sun

Book Wingfeather Tales

Download or read book Wingfeather Tales written by Jonathan Rogers and published by WaterBrook. This book was released on 2021-03-23 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Return to the world of the Wingfeather Saga with Andrew Peterson and his all-star author friends—now featuring new illustrations and the first-ever Wingfeather comic! Immerse yourself in a land of bomnubbles and quarreling cousins, sea dragons and book publishers, thieves and Fangs and secret maps. Here within these pages lie seven stories of the distant past, lost adventures, forgotten songs, and heartbreaking histories. The Shining Isle is restored, but Aerwiar is vast—and these authors have tales yet to tell: • Explore the inner walls of Yorsha Doon, just West of the Woes of Shreve, on the edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, from the eyes of young Safiki in “The Prince of Yorsha Doon” from the creator of Aewiar, Andrew Peterson. • Jennifer Trafton's warm and whimsical writing brings to life a publishing nightmare populated by the many beasts of Skree in “The Wooing of Sophelia Stupe.” • Learn the origins of Ollister Pebmrick's mysterious entry in the Creaturepedia about his encounter with a raggant in “Willow Worlds” by N. D. Wilson. • Travel with young Podo Helmer on an epic hunt for sea dragons in “From the Deeps of the Dragon King” from A. S. Peterson. • Jonathan Rogers presents “The Ballard of Lanric and Rube,” sung by Armulyn the Bard, tale-spinner of the imaginary Shining Isle of Anniera, in On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. • Discover what life was like for Maraly and Gammon in post-war Skree in “Shadowblade and the Florid Sword"—the first-ever Wingfeather comic—by Andrew Peterson. • Douglas McKelvey's epic, heartbreakingly hopeful novella "The Places Beyond the Maps” recounts a father's journey to redemption. You'll also find delightful illustrations by Justin Gerard, Hein Zaayman, Cory Godbey, John Hendrix, Nicholas Kole, Aedan Peterson, Joe Sutphin, Jay Myers, and Doug TenNapel. Enter a rich, imaginative world that becomes more real, more mysterious, more dangerous, and more beautiful with each story's telling.

Book Tom Sawyer Abroad Annotated

Download or read book Tom Sawyer Abroad Annotated written by Mark Twain and published by . This book was released on 2021-05-03 with total page 134 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tom Sawyer Abroad is a novel by Mark Twain published in 1894. In the story, Tom Huck and Jim travel to Africa in a futuristic hot air balloon where they survive encounters with lions robbers, and fleas to see some of the world's greatest wonders including the Pyramids and the Sphinx. Like Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, Detective, the story is told using the first-person narrative voice of Huck Finn. It is a sequel set in the time following the title story of the Tom Sawyer series.

Book Winterkill

    Book Details:
  • Author : Ragnar Jónasson
  • Publisher : Orenda Books
  • Release : 2020-12-10
  • ISBN : 1913193454
  • Pages : 256 pages

Download or read book Winterkill written by Ragnar Jónasson and published by Orenda Books. This book was released on 2020-12-10 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: THE STUNNING FINAL INSTALMENT OF THE MULTI-MILLION-COPY BESTSELLING DARK ICELAND SERIES **Sunday Times BOOK OF THE MONTH** 'Jónasson is an automatic must-read for me ... possibly the best Scandi writer working today' Lee Child 'Is this the best crime writer in the world today? ... Truly a master of his genre' The Times 'The engaging Ari Thor returns in this darkly claustrophobic tale. Perfect mid-winter reading' Ann Cleeves 'A stunningly atmospheric story. Ari Thór Arason returns in this pitch-perfect, beautifully paced crime novel ... Ragnar Jónasson is at the top of his game, and a master of the genre' Will Dean ______________ A blizzard is approaching Siglufjörður, and that can only mean one thing... When the body of a nineteen-year-old girl is found on the main street of Siglufjörður, Police Inspector Ari Thór battles a violent Icelandic storm in an increasingly dangerous hunt for her killer ... The chilling, claustrophobic finale to the international bestselling Dark Iceland series. Easter weekend is approaching, and snow is gently falling in Siglufjörður, the northernmost town in Iceland, as crowds of tourists arrive to visit the majestic ski slopes. Ari Thór Arason is now a police inspector, but he's separated from his girlfriend, who lives in Sweden with their three-year-old son. A family reunion is planned for the holiday, but a violent blizzard is threatening and there is an unsettling chill in the air. Three days before Easter, a nineteen-year-old local girl falls to her death from the balcony of a house on the main street. A perplexing entry in her diary suggests that this may not be an accident, and when an old man in a local nursing home writes 'She was murdered' again and again on the wall of his room, there is every suggestion that something more sinister lies at the heart of her death... As the extreme weather closes in, cutting the power and access to Siglufjörður, Ari Thór must piece together the puzzle to reveal a horrible truth ... one that will leave no one unscathed. Chilling, claustrophobic and disturbing, Winterkill is a startling addition to the multi-million-copy bestselling Dark Iceland series and cements Ragnar Jónasson as one of the most exciting and acclaimed authors in crime fiction. _______________ Praise for Ragnar Jónasson 'A sinister twisted tragedy' The Times 'If Iceland missed out on the Golden Age of crime writing, the country – and Jonasson – is certainly making up for it now' Sunday Times 'Outstanding ... Series fans will be sorry to see the last of Ari Thór' Publishers Weekly 'Jonasson's Dark Iceland novels are instant classics' William Ryan 'Jónasson's punchy, straightforward prose is engrossing ... A diverting mystery' Foreword Reviews 'Consummate crime writing ... poignant and disturbing' New Books Magazine 'Chilling, creepy, perceptive, almost unbearably tense' Ian Rankin 'A tense, gripping read' Anthony Horowitz 'Icelandic noir of the highest order, with Jónasson's atmospheric sense of place, and his heroine's unerring humanity shining from every page' Daily Mail 'Ragnar Jónasson writes with a chilling, poetic beauty' Peter James 'Traditional and beautifully finessed' Independent 'Jónasson's true gift is for describing the daunting beauty of the fierce setting' New York Times 'A chiller of a thriller' Washington Post 'Jónasson's books have breathed new life into Nordic noir' Express

Book Monthly Bulletin  New Series

Download or read book Monthly Bulletin New Series written by St. Louis Public Library and published by . This book was released on 1932 with total page 538 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book Music of a Life

    Book Details:
  • Author : Andreï Makine
  • Publisher : Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
  • Release : 2011-10-28
  • ISBN : 162872210X
  • Pages : 75 pages

Download or read book Music of a Life written by Andreï Makine and published by Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.. This book was released on 2011-10-28 with total page 75 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A brief but extraordinarily powerful novel by the author of Dreams of My Russian Summers and Requiem for a Lost Empire, Music of a Life is set in the period just before, and two decades after, World War II. Alexeï Berg’s father is a well-known dramatist, his mother a famous opera singer. But during Stalin’s reign of terror in the 1930s they, like millions of other Russians, come under attack for their presumed lack of political purity. Harassed and proscribed, they have nonetheless, on the eve of Hitler’s war, not yet been arrested. And young Alexeï himself, a budding classical pianist, has been allowed to continue his musical studies. His first solo concert is scheduled for May 24, 1941. Two days before the concert, on his way home from his final rehearsal, he sees his parents being arrested, taken from their Moscow apartment. Knowing his own arrest will not be far behind, Alexeï flees to the country house of his fiancée, where again betrayal awaits him. He flees, one step ahead of the dreaded secret police until, taking on the identity of a dead soldier, he enlists in the Soviet army. Thus begins his seemingly endless journey, through war and peace, until he lands, two decades later, in a snowbound train station in the Urals, where he relates his harrowing saga to the novel’s narrator. An international bestseller, Music of a Life is, in the words of Le Monde, “extremely powerful . . . a gem.”