Showing results by author "Dream audio books" in All Categories

When Tocqueville visited America in the 1830s he found a thriving democracy of a kind he had not seen anywhere else. Many of his insightful observations American society and political system, found in the two volume book he published after his visit, still remain surprisingly relevant today. (Summary by the Bookworm)

Democracy in America was published in two volumes, the first in 1835 and the second in 1840. It is a classic work on the United States in the 1830s and its strengths and weaknesses as seen from a European point of view. It is also regarded as a pioneering work of sociology. (Summary based on Wikipedia)

Beautiful Joe by Marshall SaundersBeautiful Joe is a real dog, and "Beautiful Joe" is his real name. He belonged during the first part of his life to a cruel master, who mutilated him in the manner described in the story. He was rescued from him, and is now living in a happy home with pleasant surroundings, and enjoys a wide local celebrity.The character of Laura is drawn from life, and to the smallest detail is truthfully depicted. The Morris family has its counterparts in real life, and nearly all of the incidents of the story are founded on fact. (Summary by Marshall Saunders)

Summary by Dream Audiobooks:Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands by Mary Seacole is an autobiography recounting her remarkable life as a nurse, entrepreneur, and traveler. Born in Jamaica, Seacole describes her mixed-race heritage, her experiences caring for the sick, and her determination to serve during the Crimean War. Defying racial and gender barriers, she worked alongside soldiers on the frontlines, gaining widespread respect for her bravery and compassion. The book offers a unique perspective on 19th-century society and highlights Seacole’s resilience and humanitarian ...

The Metamorphosis (German: Die Verwandlung, also sometimes translated as The Transformation) is a novella by Franz Kafka, first published in 1915. It has been cited as one of the seminal works of fiction of the 20th century and is studied in colleges and universities across the Western world. The story begins with a traveling salesman, Gregor Samsa, waking to find himself transformed (metamorphosed) into a large, monstrous insect-like creature. The cause of Samsa's transformation is never revealed, and Kafka never did give an explanation. The rest of Kafka's novella deals with Gregor's ...

This is a little volume of poetry by Canadian poet Virna Sheard. Published in 1917, its subject is the then ongoing first World War. - Summary by Carolin

Carmilla is a Gothic novella by Joseph Sheridan le Fanu. First published in 1872, it tells the story of a young woman's susceptibility to the attentions of a female vampire named Carmilla. Carmilla predates Bram Stoker's Dracula by over twenty years, had a strong influence on Stoker's famous novel. (Summary from Wikipedia)

Joseph Addison is known mostly for his periodical, "The Spectator", written with his friend Richard Steele. But he found time to write a few plays - with and without Steele (Cato is without) - before being elevated to Secretary of State and putting drama aside. This play was supposedly staged by George Washington after the winter of 1778 at Valley Forge as an inspiration to his officers on self-sacrificing republican virtues. Many quotes of American revolution leaders - Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty or Give me death" and Nathan Hale's "I only regret I have but one life to lose for my ...

Charlotte Bronte's classic novel Jane Eyre is narrated by the title character, an orphan who survives neglect and abuse to become a governess at the remote Thornfield Hall. She finds a kindred spirit in her employer, the mysterious and brooding Mr. Rochester, but he hides a terrible secret that threatens their chances of happiness. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett)

Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog), published in 1889, is a humorous account by Jerome K. Jerome of a boating holiday on the Thames between Kingston and Oxford.The book was intended initially to be a serious travel guide, with accounts of local history of places along the route, but the humorous elements eventually took over, to the point where the serious and somewhat sentimental passages now seem like an unnecessary distraction to the essentially comic novel. One of the most praised things about Three Men in a Boat is how undated it appears to modern readers. The jokes seem ...

Fred Jane, who later went on to publish his famous "Jane's Fighting Ships", doubtless was noting the success of other books that forecast a British defeat in the event of war in the late 19th century when he wrote this fictional account of "The Man Who Saved England." Jane tells of a possible war against both France and Russia with plenty of verve and derring-do amid naval battles, both small and large. - Summary by Mark

At the Earth's Core by Edgar Rice Burroughs follows David Innes, an adventurous miner who, along with his friend Abner Perry, discovers a way to drill into the Earth's crust. They venture into a subterranean world called Pellucidar, filled with prehistoric creatures and strange civilizations.Upon arrival, they encounter various challenges, including hostile tribes and a fearsome dinosaur-like creature. Innes finds himself embroiled in a struggle for power between the tribes, ultimately leading him to rescue a beautiful woman named Dian the Beautiful. The novel explores themes of survival, ...

Die Bhagavadgita ist eine der zentralen Schriften des Hinduismus. Sie hat die Form eines spirituellen Gedichts. Der vermutlich zwischen dem fünften und dem zweiten vorchristlichen Jahrhundert entstandene Text ist eine Zusammenführung mehrerer verschiedener Denkschulen des damaligen Indien auf Grundlage der Veden, der Upanishaden, des orthodoxen Brahmanismus, des Yoga u.a. (Zusammenfassung nach Wikipedia)

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is Joyce’s semi-autobiographical first novel. It traces the early life of Stephen Dedalus and his inner struggle with the oppression of Irish society and the Catholic church, ending with his awakening as a poet and writer and self-imposed exile from Ireland.“Welcome, O life, I go to encounter for the millionth time the reality of experience and to forge in the smithy of my soul the uncreated conscience of my race.”(Description by T. Hynes, with quote from the book)

The poem begins with the beloved god Balder, thought to be invulnerable, dead at the hands of the inoffensive blind god Hoder, in a game. Loki, whose deceit brought about this catastrophe, is promptly punished with exile, and Odin, Balder's father, sponsors a heroic quest to rescue his son from the land of the dead. This desperate venture unexpectedly meets with partial success, a conditional agreement to release Balder if everyone in the land of the living mourns his death. And even though over every hope hangs the threat of the ultimate end of the reign of the Norse gods, the mother of the ...

"Balder Dead" is a beautiful epic poem by Matthew Arnold. It draws from Norse mythology to retell the story of the the death of Odin's son, Balder, instigated by the treacherous jealousy of Loki. (Summary by Nathan)

Dick Brewster is implicated in a murder and comes to his aunt's farm to hide. His Aunt Sarah stands by him in his need and they all move to the city in the effort to clear his name. She investigates on her own account and.... - Summary by The AuthorCast list:Lily Ann, Help at the farm: Devorah AllenAaron Flint, the hired man: Alan MapstoneMrs. Brewster, from New York: TJ BurnsHelen Brewster, her daughter: Jenn BrodaLeonard Fillmore, a young country lawyer: skypigeonSarah Newcomb, sister of Mrs. Brewster: AvailleDick Brewster: David PurdyHenson, a butler: Adrian StephensRalph Deering: Matthew ...

Cranford is the best-known novel of the 19th century English writer Elizabeth Gaskell. It was first published in 1851 as a serial in the magazine Household Words, which was edited by Charles Dickens.The fictional town of Cranford is closely modelled on Knutsford in Cheshire, which Mrs Gaskell knew well. The book has little in the way of plot and is more a series of episodes in the lives of Mary Smith and her friends, Miss Matty and Miss Deborah, two spinster sisters. The "major" event in the story is the return to Cranford of their long-lost brother, Peter, which in itself is only a minor ...

In a little town of Buckskin, population 100, or 200 depending on who did the counting, all kinds of trouble is brewing. See, there was a rivalry going on between Buckskin and a nearby town, Perry's Bend. That rivalry had turned sour, and involved the four nearby ranches. Hopalong Cassidy lives on the Bar-20, and the cows from the C 80 were mixing with his herd. There are gun fights, barroom brawls and stampedes to make live exciting out there on the Texas-New Mexico line!

The book follows the career of Hugh Paret from youth to manhood, and how his profession as a corporation lawyer gradually changes his values. The book received positive reviews, and was the second best-selling novel in the United States in 1915. - Summary by Wikipedia