What does the morning after look like? Theres a strong chance everything will be different today, the old ways of doing and being no longer suitable. This is not a place that changes much but even those who are stuck and stubborn cant ignore such a profound disruption. Sixteen-year-old Winnie is a creature of habit, a lover of ritual and stability. If she had her way, not much would change. But when a new family moves to town, Winnie and her three...

One of Anthony Trollope's lesser known novels, 'Ralph the Heir' is nevertheless a fascinating and dramatic tale. The novel follows the story of two intertwined Ralphs and the future of the estate of Newton Priory. Owned by Gregory Newton, he is keen to leave the property to his natural though illegitimate son, Ralph Newton. The law dictates however that the property will pass to his nephew, also named Ralph Newton. Will Gregory find a way to leave...

"Mountain, "Baldwin said, "is the book I had to write if I was ever going to write anything else. "Go Tell It On The Mountain, first published in 1953, is Baldwin's first major work, a novel that has established itself as an American classic. With lyrical precision, psychological directness, resonating symbolic power, and a rage that is at once unrelenting and compassionate, Baldwin chronicles a fourteen-year-old boy's discovery of the terms of his...

The White Peacock is the first novel by D. H. Lawrence, published in 1911, though with 1910 on the title page. Lawrence started the novel in 1906 and then rewrote it three times. The early versions had the working title of Laetitia. Maurice Greiffenhagen's 1891 painting 'An Idyll' inspired the novel. The painting had "a profound effect" on Lawrence, who wrote: "As for Greiffenhagen's 'Idyll', it moves me almost as if I were in love myself. Under...

'Agnes Grey' is the debut novel of English author Anne Brontë (written under the pseudonym of Acton Bell). The novel follows Agnes Grey, a governess, as she works in several bourgeois families. The choice of central character allows Brontë to deal with issues of oppression and abuse of women and governesses, isolation and ideas of empathy. An additional theme is the fair treatment of animals. 'Agnes Grey' also mimics some of the stylistic approaches...

Immerse yourself in the evocative world of Proust's masterpiece, Swann's Way. In quaint Combray, a tapestry of childhood memories unfurls for young Marcel. Fragrances like madeleine cakes ignite a kaleidoscope of the past, transporting him to sun-drenched landscapes and the comforting rituals of his grandmother's embrace. Amidst this idyllic haven, Swann, a family friend, falls prey to an all-consuming love for Odette, a woman shrouded in enigmatic...

"From debut author Asha Lemmie, a sweeping, heartrending coming-of-age novel about a young woman's quest for acceptance-and the unexpected ally that will change everything-in post-World War II Japan. Kyoto, Japan, 1948. "If a woman knows nothing else, she should know how to be silent. . . . Do not question. Do not fight. Do not resist." Such is eight-year-old Noriko "Nori" Kamiza's first lesson. She will not question why her mother abandoned her with...

"A literary coming-of-age poetry collection, an ode to the places we call home, and a piercingly intimate deconstruction of daughterhood, Black Girl, Call Home is a love letter to the wandering black girl and a vital companion to any woman on a journey to find truth, belonging, and healing. As a competitive spoken-word poet who draws large crowds of people, Jasmine Mans's collection is divided into six sections, each with a corresponding active telephone...

Miles Franklin's 1901 ground-breaking debut, and an instant sensation. Meet Sybylla Melvyn, the young girl hungering for life and love in outback New South Wales. First published in 1901, this Australian classic is the candid tale of the aspirations and frustrations of sixteen-year-old Sybylla Melvin, a headstrong country girl constrained by middle-class social arrangements, especially the pressure to marry. Trapped on her parents' outback farm, Sybylla...