Arthur StringerThe Prairie WifeA novel by the Canadian writer Arthur Stringer, published in 1915 and written in the form of a diary. A young woman from New York high society, suddenly ruined, marries almost without thinking Duncan McKail, a Canadian of Scottish descent, a former engineer who now grows wheat…Same genre
Harold MacGrathThe Place of HoneymoonsAn American romantic novel. Edward Courtlandt, a wealthy American, returns to Paris after two years in the jungles of Burma to see Nora Harrigan again, an Irish-American soprano who sings at the Opera under the name Eleonora da Toscana. When he forces his way into her…Same genre
Robert Louis StevensonCatrionaDavid Balfour, a young Scot seeking justice and stability, becomes entangled in political intrigues after events that have shaken his life. Alongside Catriona, a strong and determined woman, he navigates dangers, plots, and moral dilemmas. Their relationship evolves in an…Same genre
F. Scott FitzgeraldThe Great GatsbyJay Gatsby, a wealthy and enigmatic man, throws lavish parties in the hope of reconnecting with Daisy, a woman he loved in the past. Nick, his neighbor, observes this world of luxury, illusion, and ambition. Beneath the glittering surface, desires and lies intertwine, revealing…Same genre
Prosper MériméeCarmenAn archaeologist travelling in Andalusia meets a wanted bandit, Don José, and then a Romani woman who tells fortunes in Córdoba. Several months later he finds Don José in prison, on the eve of his execution, and hears his confession. Once a corporal with a promotion in sight,…Same countrySame genreSame era
Marah RyanThat Girl MontanaA novel of the American West. Around 1890, on the banks of the Kootenai River, near the border between Canada and the United States, a sixteen-year-old girl who lives alone among the Native Americans dives into the icy water to save a child. Dan Overton, a guide respected…Same genre
Jules VerneTwenty Thousand Leagues Under the SeasIn 1866 an unexplained sea monster alarms the navies of the world; in July 1867 Professor Aronnax sails to hunt it down. A collision with the monster throws him overboard along with a Canadian harpooner, and his servant jumps in after him: all three are taken aboard the…Same countrySame genreSame era
Henryk SienkiewiczQuo VadisUnder Nero, the patrician Vinicius falls in love with Lygia, a royal hostage raised in a Roman household and secretly Christian. Used to getting his way, he has her claimed for the palace; she escapes, and he discovers a community living by rules opposed to his own. When Rome…Same genre
Stephen CraneThe Red Badge of CourageHenry Fleming, an inexperienced young soldier, goes to war with idealized notions of courage and glory. Confronted with the violence of combat, he doubts, flees, and struggles against his own fear. Gradually, he seeks to understand what it truly means to be brave. His inner…Same genre
Victor HugoThe Hunchback of Notre-DameParis, 1482: the gypsy Esmeralda dances on the Place de Grève while the city keeps the Feast of Fools. Quasimodo, the cathedral's misshapen bell-ringer, and Claude Frollo, the archdeacon who raised him, are both overcome by her. Between cloister, Court of Miracles and pillory,…Same countrySame genreSame era
Herman MelvilleMoby-DickIshmael, a sailor with no ties on land, signs on at Nantucket aboard the Pequod, a whaler under Captain Ahab. Maimed years earlier by a white sperm whale, Ahab has turned the hunt into an obsession to which he bends his whole crew. The ship works its way down the oceans,…Same genreSame era
Mark TwainThe Prince and the PauperTom Canty, a poor child living in misery, accidentally meets Prince Edward, who looks strikingly like him. For fun, they exchange roles but become trapped in lives that are not their own. Tom discovers the constraints of power, while Edward faces the harshness of the streets.…Same genre
