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A Tale Of Two Cities
It is a historical fiction classic, written in 1859, set in London and Paris. The story is set against the backdrop of the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror with acts of bravery and conspiracy, secrets and lies, imprisonment and torture, sorrow and loss, corruption and and altruism. After 18 years as a political prisoner in the Bastille, the Doctor Manette is finally released and reunited with his daughter Lucie in England, whom he had never met. Lives of two very different men, Charles Darnay, an exiled French aristocrat, and Sydney Carton, a disreputable but brilliant English lawyer, become entangled through their love for Lucie Manette. And thus, they are drawn against their will to the vengeful, bloodstained streets of Paris at the height of the Reign of Terror.
₹299 -
Little Women
Little Women was written at Orchard House from May to July 1868. The story is based on the lives of March sisters that are radically different from each other and their passage from childhood to womanhood. They are guided by their mother who raises them alone while her husband is off doing his part in the Civil War.
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The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is an 1876 novel by Mark Twain about a young boy growing up along the Mississippi River. It is set in the 1840s in the town of St. Petersburg, which is based on Hannibal, Missouri where Twain lived as a boy. In the novel Tom Sawyer has several adventures, often with his friend Huckleberry Finn. Originally a commercial failure, the book ended up being the best selling of any of Twain’s works during his lifetime.
₹199 -
The Canterville Ghost
“He made me see what Life is, and what Death signifies, and why Love is stronger than both.” Oscar Wilde The Canterville Ghost is a delightful story written in a witty way by Oscar Wilde, first published in 1887. The story is about a rather brash American family that buys a haunted mansion called Canterville Chase in Victorian England. Then there begins the holy terror by the ghost of a dead nobleman. Not only this American family faces new experiences in this mansion, this strange ghost also faces some odd but very curious experiences with this family that he had never faced before in 300 years.
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The Scarlet Letter
“No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself, and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true…” - Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter is a historical fiction, first published in 1850 by American author Nathaniel Hawthorne. It is considered his “masterwork”. Set in 17th-century Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony, during the years 1642 to 1649, it tells the story of a “fallen” woman, her vengeful and incognito husband, and a charismatic young minister harbouring a terrible secret. The female protagonist, Hester Prynne, conceives a daughter through an affair and is publicly shamed for adultery. She wears the titular red “A” on her breast, marking her as an adulteress. In her arms she bears Pearl, the daughter born of sin. The book explores the theme of sin, repentance, dignity, honour and courage.
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The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll Mr. Hyde
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, first published in 1886. The work is also known as The Strange Case of Jekyll Hyde, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, or simply Jekyll and Hyde. It is about a London legal practitioner named Gabriel John Utterson who investigates strange occurrences between his old friend, Dr Henry Jekyll, and the evil Edward Hyde. The novella’s impact is such that it has become a part of the language, with the vernacular phrase “Jekyll and Hyde” referring to persons with an unpredictably dual nature: outwardly good, but sometimes shockingly evil.
₹149 -
To Kill A Mockingbird
Review
Someone rare has written this very fine novel, a writer with the liveliest sense of life and the warmest, most authentic humour. A touching book; and so funny, so likeable. ― Truman CapoteThere is humour as well as tragedy in this book, besides its faint note of hope for human nature; and it is delightfully written ― Sunday Times
No one ever forgets this book ― Independent
One of the best novels I remember … uniquely unsentimental ― Guardian
Her book is lifted … into the rare company of those that linger in the memory ― Bookman
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Treasure Island
Treasure Island is an adventure novel by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, first published in 1883. An alcoholic ex-pirate Captain passes away and leaves a chest which contains a secret map amongst other treasures. The map is highly sought after by all the wrong people. The male protagonist Jim Hawkin’s finds the map and speaks to his friends Dr. Livesey and a squire, Mr. Trelawney and they decide to venture to this mystical treasure island to hunt for said treasure.
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ट्वेल्थ फेल | Twelfth Fail | 12th Fail
Anurag Pathak, through his second venture in the field of writing, does something rare in the field of book publishing – confirms the praises offered on the back cover! With the many millions of UPSC aspirants flooding in each year, there is no other book that is as relevant as this one in this day and age.
In a country like India, where “Twelfth fail” is not a description but rather an insult, Pathak turns the phrase on its head through the inspiring tale of Manoj Kumar Sharma. Rising above the hurdles and challenges on his way, Manoj Sharma has made his mark through his many achievements i.e. his current position as an IPS officer. Pathak, one of Manoj Sharma’s dearest friends, witnessed the struggle and brought it to life through his biographical book “Twelfth Fail”.
In the preface of the book, Vikas Divyakriti makes a bold claim, “After reading and understanding this book you will not be the same person you were before you read it”. This claim has been more than satisfied by the author.
So, for all the UPSC aspirants, for all the “Twelfth fails” and for every youth in India, this book is a must-read. Not for the tips to crack UPSC…not for the inspiring tale of overcoming hurdles…but to learn and understand the many mysteries of life that an Indian youth faces.