Showing results by author "Henry James" in All Categories

An editor and literary critic becomes obsessed with the life and work of poet Jeffrey Aspern, who long ago died at a Romantic and tragic young age. Now, the editor pursues the only living person to have known Aspern - the 80-year-old Juliana Bordereau. But more than memories of Aspern, Juliana has secreted away papers belonging to the poet - papers she would rather see burned than passed on to future generations.

A selection of ghost stories which make your blood run cold.

In this classic tale of the death of childhood, there is a savage comedy that owes much to Dickens. But for his portrayal of the child’s capacity for intelligent wonder, James summons all the subtlety he devotes elsewhere to his most celebrated adult protagonists. In the aftermath of an acrimonious divorce, young Maisie Farange finds herself shuttled back and forth between her father and mother and their new spouses, all of whom are monstrously self-involved. Neglected and exploited by everyone around her, Maisie herself becomes a pretext for sexual intrigue when her stepparents become attracted to each other.

The Altar of the Dead was first published in the collection Terminations in 1895. It is a fable of life and death significance which explores what happens when a man tries to keep the remembrance of his dead friends, to save them from being forgotten entirely in the rush of everyday events.

Catherine Sloper, the heroine of this tragicomic tale set in mid-19th century New York, is absolutely ordinary in every way except for her exceptional capacities in love and loyalty. These latter qualities are of no interest to her father, the successful society Doctor who is constantly disappointed by his daughter's failure to be brilliant, either physically or intellectually. For this reason, he is highly suspicious when Morris Townsend begins to woo her and is convinced the handsome young man's interest is only in the fortune Catherine will eventually inherit.

Henry James' transatlantic tale follows the intrigues of a beautiful American adventuress who has set her sights on respectability and ultimate success in upper-class London society.

A young, inexperienced governess is charged with the care of Miles and Flora, two small children abandoned by their uncle at his grand country house. She sees the figure of an unknown man on the tower and his face at the window. It is Peter Quint, the master's dissolute valet, and he has come for Miles. But Peter Quint is dead....

Daisy Miller is one of James' most haunting characters. In this reading, Mullen brings her to life in all her innocent playfulness and melancholic yearning.

Horror, mystery and suspense abound in this collection of the nation’s favourite gothic stories. From the foggy streets of London to the hills of Transylvania and the grounds of a country estate, relive the fear that these tales have been igniting in listeners for more than 100 years.These classic stories are read by Born Free’s Virginia McKenna; Dr. Who’s Tom Baker; and A Touch of Frost’s Bruce Alexander.

The story of aging George Stransom, who is obsessed with observing the anniversary of his fiancée Mary Antrim's death, a fact that leads him to expand his commemorative pantheon to include all the other departed friends who live on in his memory. As in life, if we live long enough, the departed outnumber the living. When Stransom becomes the last of the living, who will light a candle for him?

A country governess is hired to raise two orphaned children in a lonely estate in Essex. But mystery surrounds the house, the grounds, and the children. Haunting questions arise, and Henry James pens one of the most famous ghost stories.

Cuando después de la muerte de Ashton Doyne -sólo tres meses después- le hicieron a George Withermore eso que suele llamarse una proposición, con respecto a un "volumen", la comunicación le llegó directamente de sus editores, que habían sido también, y la verdad es que mucho más, los del propio Doyne; pero no le sorprendió saber, al celebrarse la entrevista que luego le propusieron, que habían recibido algunas presiones por parte de la viuda de su cliente en cuanto a la publicación de una Vida.

Hudson is a young law student in Northampton, Massachusetts, who shows such surprising ability as a sculptor that the rich Rowland Mallett, visiting a cousin in Northampton, decides to stake him to several years of study in Rome, then a center of expatriate American society. The story has to do not only with Roderick's growth as an artist and the problems it brings, but also as a man susceptible to his new environment, and indeed his occasional rivalries with his American friend and patron.

Widely recognized as one of literature's most gripping ghost stories, this classic tale of moral degradation concerns the sinister transformation of two innocent children into flagrant liars and hypocrites. The story begins when a governess arrives at an English country estate to look after Miles, aged 10, and Flora, eight. At first, everything appears normal, but then events gradually begin to weave a spell of psychological terror.

The Pupil is an excellent tale from James' middle period. Pemberton, a young American with an Oxford education and but little money, takes a job tutoring Morgan Moreen, the 12-year old son of an American couple living in Europe in a style above their income. The family of the pupil is both comic and unfortunate, and the child himself is vividly drawn. The pupil's parents waffle about paying Pemberton the salary to which they'd agreed in their view, he should be satisfied by his life with them, and by the joy of tutoring young Morgan?

January 1983, Colchester CID. A new year brings new resolutions for Detective Inspector Nicholas Lowry. With one eye on his approaching 40th birthday, he has given up his two greatest vices: smoking and the police boxing team. As a result the largest remaining threat to his health is now his junior colleague's reckless driving.

Step into the world of "The Real Thing" by Henry James, a masterful exploration of art, authenticity, and human relationships. This audiobook takes you into the lives of a struggling artist and the wealthy patrons who commission his work. With James' keen observations and elegant prose, the story delves into the complexities of artistic creation and the blurred lines between reality and illusion. It offers a thought-provoking reflection on the nature of truth, beauty, and the quest for authenticity in a world filled with artifice.

On a quiet Christmas Eve, a governess’ manuscript detailing her encounters with the supernatural is read. She tells the story of moving into an estate to take care of two children and becoming slowly aware that the area is overrun with ghosts of the previous inhabitants - and that the children are aware that these ghosts exist.

Romantic comedy, light and slightly awkward by Henry James with his characteristic observations of character, motivations and relationships. Two young men, best friends, deeply interested in the same woman. The background is Europe at the turn of the century and the world of ex-pats. With time and several countries, they each discover love.

Each Tales2Inspire book contain stories of a different yet uplifting theme, named for the gemstone whose meaning reflects the theme of that book.