Penguin Group

A Year in Provence

Peter Mayle, 2009

Enjoy an irresistible feast of humour and discover the joys of French rural living with Peter Mayle's bestselling, much-loved account of «A Year In Provence». Peter Mayle and his wife did what most of us only imagine doing when they made their long-cherished dream of a life abroad a reality: throwing caution to the wind, they bought a glorious two hundred year-old farmhouse in the Luberon Valley and began a new life. In a year that begins with a marathon lunch and continues with a host of gastronomic delights, they also survive the unexpected and often hilarious curiosities of rural life. From mastering the local accent and enduring invasion by bumbling builders, to discovering the finer points of boules and goat-racing, all the earthy pleasures of Provencal life are conjured up in this enchanting portrait. Подробнее

The Snow Goose

Paul Gallico, 2001

‘Did you run across that queer sort of legend about a wild goose? It was all up and down the beaches. You know how those things spring up. Some of the men I brought back were talking about it. It was supposed to have appeared at intervals the last days between Dunkirk and La Panne. If you saw it, you were eventually saved. That sort of thing’. ‘Hmm, a wild goose. I saw a tame one. Dashed strange experience. Tragic in a way, too. And lucky for us. Tell you about it … «The Snow Goose» is a beautiful tale of a hunchbacked artist, a girl, a wounded bird and a courageous act at Dunkirk. Also included in this volume is «The Small Miracle», a contemporary fable inspired by St Francis of Assisi. Both tales are endearing classics of the storyteller’s art. Подробнее

Foe

J.M. Coetzee, 2001

Coetzee reinvents the story of Robinson Crusoe, directing our attention to the seduction and tyranny of storytelling itself. Подробнее

Resurrection

Leo Tolstoy, 2009

‘In the very depths of his heart, he knew that he had behaved so meanly, so contemptibly, so cruelly’ Serving on a jury at the trial of a prostitute arrested for murder, Prince Nekhlyudov is horrified to discover that the accused is a woman he had once loved, seduced and then abandoned when she was a young servant girl. Racked with guilt at realizing he was the cause of her ruin, he determines to appeal for her release or give up his own way of life and follow her. Conceived on an epic scale, «Resurrection» portrays a vast panorama of Russian life, taking us from the underworld of prison cells and warders to the palaces of countesses. It is also an angry denunciation of government, the upper classes, the judicial system and the Church, and a highly personal statement of Tolstoy’s belief in human redemption. Rosemary Edmonds’s fine translation is accompanied by an introduction discussing how «Resurrection» relates to Tolstoy’s own spiritual development and how the scope and depth of the book are even more ambitious than his other works. Подробнее

Sketches from a Hunter's Album

Ivan Turgenev, 2007

Turgenev's first major prose work is a series of twenty-five Sketches: the observations and anecdotes of the author during his travels through Russia satisfying his passion for hunting. His album is filled with moving insights into the lives of those he encounters — peasants and landowners, doctors and bailiffs, neglected wives and bereft mothers — each providing a glimpse of love, tragedy, courage and loss, and anticipating Turgenev's great later works such as «First Love» and «Fathers and Sons». His depiction of the cruelty and arrogance of the ruling classes was considered subversive and led to his arrest and confinement to his estate, but these sketches opened the minds of contemporary readers to the plight of the peasantry and were even said to have led Tsar Alexander II to abolish serfdom. Подробнее

A Dead Man's Memoir: A Theatrical Novel

Mikhail Bulgakov, 2007

This is Bulgakov's semi-autobiographical story of a writer who fails to sell his novel and fails to commit suicide. When his play is taken up by the theatre, literary success beckons, but he has reckoned without the grotesquely inflated egos of the actors, directors and theatre managers. Подробнее

Animal Farm (Student Editions)

George Orwell, 1999

Penguin Student Editions are complete unabridged texts of Penguin Classics, Modern Classics and some more recent titles, packaged with reading help for the student in the form of: — accessible yet authoritative introductions — glossary of cultural references and unfamiliar words — stimulating activities and discussion points, including activities needed to prepare for essays and examinations — chapter-by-chapter summaries — plot and character outlines — chronology of the historical events of the time — overview of the ways famous critics have read the books A student-friendly approach to literature — the way students want to read. «It is the history of a revolution that went wrong — and of the excellent excuses that were forthcoming at every step for the perversion of the original doctrine», wrote Orwell for the first edition of «Animal Farm» in 1945. Подробнее

The Villa, The Lake, The Meeting: Wannsee and the Final Solution

Mark Roseman, 2003

On 20 January 1942, the most murderous meeting in history took place. Chaired by Reinhard Heydrich, one of the most feared men in Germany, it summoned top Nazi officials to a grand villa on the shore of Berlin’s Lake Wannsee in order to clarify ‘the Final Solution of the Jewish question’. They ate good food, drank cognac and smoked cigars – and in less than two hours had effectively sentenced six million people to death. Only one set of minutes from this secret meeting survived, and argument has raged over its contents. Now Mark Roseman brilliantly unravels the macabre mystery of what has been called ‘the most shameful document of modern history’. Подробнее

The Complete Short Stories

Muriel Spark, 2007

Muriel Spark is a wholly original presence in modern literature. This volume, which contains all her published short stories together with new writing, amply displays her extraordinary talent. From her first published story, ‘The Seraph and the Zambezi’, to ‘Christmas Fugue’, her most recent work, this definitive collection spans the career of one of the defining writers of our age. Judges and priests, ghosts and murder, intrigue and French châteaux: all the trademark Spark obsessions are here, and much more besides. Подробнее

Till We Meet Again

Lesley Pearse, 2003

»You killed two people», Beth said. «You're likely to spend the rest of your life in prison.» Susan looked up. Her eyes had a faint spark now. «It was worth it», she said. Beth Powell and Susan Wright were best friends — both from troubled families, their only happy times were the summers they spent together as children. Until fate intervened and separated them. It's twenty-nine years later when they meet again. Susan is a down-and-out who has shot two people in cold blood. Beth is the lawyer allocated to defend her. Yet their friendship still endures, even as the evidence against Susan mounts up — a friendship that must be stronger than the traumas of the past. Because for one of them, there can be no happy ending ... Подробнее

The Blood Doctor

Barbara Vine, 2003

Blood. That’s what Martin Nanther’s great-grandfather Henry was interested in. As Queen Victoria’s favoured physician he became expert in diseases of the blood, particularly the royal disease of haemophilia. But, as Martin discovers whilst researching Henry’s life, he was not just expert – he was obsessed. Yet reading between the lines of Henry’s medical essays and diary, Martin begins to suspect that his great-grandfather was less than candid about both his life and work. What was he trying to conceal? Were the tragedies of his family life more than mere accidents? And what implications does it have for Martin, the blood doctor’s descendant? Barbara Vine’s latest novel is a chilling tale of ambition, obsession and bad blood. Подробнее

Adrian Mole: The Wilderness Years

Sue Townsend, 2003

Wednesday April 3rd I am twenty-four and one day old. Question: What have I done with my life? Answer: Nothing. Grahame Greene died today. I wrote to him four years ago, pointing out a grammatical error in his book, The Human Factor. He didn’t reply. Adrian Mole has at last reached physical maturity, but he can’t help roaming the pages of his diary like an untamed adolescent. Finally given the heave-ho by Pandora, he seeks solace in the arms of Bianca, a qualified hydraulic engineer masquerading as a waitress. Between his dishwashing job and completing his epic novel, Lo! The Flat Hills of My Homeland, Adrian hopes that fame and fortune will not keep him waiting much longer. Подробнее

Hitler's Empire: Nazi Rule in Occupied Europe

Mark Mazower, 2009

Hitler's empire was the largest, most brutal and most ambitious reshaping of Europe in history. Inspired by the imperial legacy of those such as the British, the Third Reich cast its shadow from the Channel Islands to the Caucasus and ruled hundreds of millions. Yet, as Mark Mazower's groundbreaking new account shows, it was an empire built on an illusion. From Hitler's plans for vast motorways crossing an ethnically cleansed Russian steppe, to dreams of a German super-economy rivalling America's, Mazower reveals the lethal fusion of mass murder, modern managerialism and colossal incompetence that underpinned the Nazi New Order. Ultimately Hitler's empire ended up consuming its own, leaving destruction in its wake and finishing not just with the downfall of Germany, but an entire continent. Подробнее

Fateful Choices: Ten Decisions that Changed the World, 1940-1941

Ian Kershaw, 2008

The history of the Second World War, with its horrible twists and turns, is so well known that the major events and their outcomes have taken on a sort of inevitability. Ian Kershaw's extraordinarily though-provoking and gripping new book, Fateful Choices, demolishes any such sense of inevitability. It dramatises brilliantly and distressingly events that between them could have resulted in disaster or victory — either for the Allies or for the Axis. Подробнее

Status Anxiety

Alain de Botton, 2005

We all worry about what others think of us. We all long to succeed and fear failure. We all suffer — to a greater or lesser degree, usually privately and with embarrassment — from status anxiety. For the first time, Alain de Botton gives a name to this universal condition and sets out to investigate both its origins and possible solutions. He looks at history, philosophy, economics, art and politics — and reveals the many ingenious ways that great minds have overcome their worries. The result is a book that is not only entertaining and thought-provoking — but genuinely wise and helpful as well. Подробнее

Secrets

Lesley Pearse, 2005

Set in the 1930's, the new novel from bestselling author Lesley Pearse tells the story of one girl's struggle against cruelty and, her quest for love. Adele Talbot is twelve when her younger sister is killed in a road accident in London's Kings Cross, and her mother Rose so devastated by the loss begins to abuse her. Adele is sent to a children's home in Tunbridge Wells, but soon runs away to trace her grandmother — Honour who she has discovered lives in Sussex. But Honour is a bitter, eccentric woman who is not best pleased to see her grandaughter. Eventually the two forge some sort of bond and Honour allows Adele to stay. When Adele meets Michael Bailey on the marshes two years later and real love and friendship enter her life, she feels she can finally put her hurtful past behind her. But then war breaks out and as if that wasn't upheaval enough, Rose decides to rear her ugly head again. And she has a few unpleasant surprises for Adele... Подробнее

Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything

Steven D. Levitt, 2007

Cult bestseller, new buzz word... Freakonomics is at the heart of everything we see and do and the subjects that bedevil us daily: from parenting to crime, sport to politics, fat to cheating, fear to traffic jams. Asking provocative and profound questions about human motivation and contemporary living and reaching some astonishing conclusions, Freakonomics will make you see the familiar world through a completely original lens. Подробнее

Blink (Export Edition)

Malcolm Gladwell, 2006

This book is all about those moments when we 'know' something without knowing why. It explores the phenomenon of 'blink', showing how a snap judgment can be far more effective than a cautious decision. Подробнее

The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald, 2006

Jay Gatsby is the man who has everything. But one thing will always be out of his reach! Everybody who is anybody is seen at his glittering parties. Day and night his Long Island mansion buzzes with bright young things drinking, dancing and debating his mysterious character. For Gatsby — young, handsome, fabulously rich — always seems alone in the crowd, watching and waiting, though no one knows what for. Beneath the shimmering surface of his life he is hiding a secret: a silent longing that can never be fulfilled. And soon this destructive obsession will force his world to unravel. Подробнее

The Death of Ivan Ilyich

Leo Tolstoy, 2006

Ivan Ilyich is wasting away. He lies alone, dosed up on opium and deceived by doctors, haunted by memories and regrets. His friends come to see him, their faces masks of concern. His faithful servant tends to his every need. But as he forces down false remedies and listens to empty promises, Ivan grows aware of one terrible truth. His wife and his children are not awaiting his recovery. They are waiting for him to die. Подробнее

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