The beautiful Nell is a thirteen-year-old orphan who lives with her grandfather in a London bric-a-brac shop. Worried about his charge's future, the old man secretly gambles at night in order to provide an inheritance for her, but finally loses the little he has and is evicted from the shop by the evil hunchback and loan shark Daniel Quilp, suffering a breakdown as a result. Forced to leave the city, the young girl is left to take care of her grandfather and protect herself from the scheming villains who are hot on their heels. Dickens's fourth novel, initially serialized in his magazine Master Humprey's Clock between 1840 and 1841, The Old Curiosity Shop proved to be a huge hit on publication and is still regarded as one of its author's major works, featuring one of his best-loved and most memorable heroines.

Stephen Muscat, a mechanic, and his wife Lisa lived a simple yet fulfilling life on the island of Gozo, where they raised their beloved daughter, Ava. Surrounded by love and cherished by her parents, Ava enjoyed an idyllic childhood before moving to Malta, where she found contentment in the gentle rhythm of life that enveloped her. However, the tranquillity of a Maltese seaside town is disrupted when a mysterious Canadian man, Mark Wheeler, arrives, asking questions about a local resident. His presence sparks curiosity and idle gossip among the townspeople. Unbeknownst to them, Mark is an heir hunter who has travelled to Malta on a mission to trace the heir to a substantial Canadian fortune left by the recently deceased Florence Hensley. As Mark delves deeper into his investigation, he begins to unravel a thirty-year-old mystery surrounding the loss of a child, a tragedy that brought immense devastation to a family. Little does Ava know that her life is about to change forever, as the secrets of the past collide with the present, and her connection to the Hensley fortune is revealed.

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Reprint of the original, first published in 1875.

Discover a new way to read classics with Quick Read. This Quick Read edition includes both the full text and a summary for each chapter. - Reading time of the complete text: about 20 hours - Reading time of the summarized text: about 1 hour "The Old Curiosity Shop" is a novel by Charles Dickens, published in 1840-1841, which gained immense popularity. The plot revolves around Nell Trent and her grandfather, who face destitution due to the actions of an evil moneylender. The story is set around 1825 and follows Nell's journey to escape poverty and the pursuit of her villainous relatives. The novel was part of a weekly serial called Master Humphrey's Clock, and it was initially narrated by Master Humphrey himself. The characters, including Nell, her grandfather, Kit, and the villainous Quilp, are central to the story. The novel received mixed reviews, with some critics finding Nell's character too idealized. The story's conclusion generated significant excitement, and it has been adapted into various forms, including silent films, operas, and television series. The novel's real-life locations, such as "The Old Curiosity Shop" in London, add to its historical significance. Overall, "The Old Curiosity Shop" remains a classic work of literature that continues to captivate audiences.

The Old Curiosity Shop is a captivating novel by Charles Dickens, weaving a tale of love, loss, and redemption set against the backdrop of Victorian England. At the heart of the story is Little Nell Trent, a virtuous and gentle orphan girl, and her grandfather, who together run a quaint curiosity shop. When Nell s grandfather falls into debt to the villainous moneylender Daniel Quilp, the two are forced to flee their home and embark on a journey filled with adventure and danger. Along the way, they encounter a diverse array of characters, from the kind-hearted Kit Nubbles to the eccentric Mrs. Jarley, each leaving a lasting impact on their lives. As Nell and her grandfather traverse the countryside in search of refuge, they are pursued by Quilp and his nefarious schemes, leading to a dramatic climax that will test their resolve and their bonds of affection. Through their trials and tribulations, Dickens explores themes of loyalty, sacrifice, and the enduring power of love in the face of adversity. With its richly drawn characters, vivid descriptions, and masterful storytelling, The Old Curiosity Shop stands as a testament to Dickens s unparalleled skill as a writer and his keen insight into the human condition. As readers follow Nell and her grandfather on their journey, they are transported to a world filled with wonder and mystery, where hope springs eternal even in the darkest of times.

In the midst of family conversations, my phone's buzz disrupted our quarantine routine. It held a message, a lifeline to the outside world. As I reached for it, anticipation welled up. Who could it be? What awaited on the other side of the screen? My old childhood friend had a tale of true love to share. My heart raced with a mixture of excitement and trepidation, and I hung on to her every word, eager to unravel the mystery that lay ahead. As I eagerly prepared to hear her story, the line suddenly went dead, leaving me in a state of suspense, wondering if I would ever learn the fate of Harun and Jayne.

The Waves, first published in 1931, is Virginia Woolf's most experimental novel. It consists of soliloquies spoken by the book's six characters: Bernard, Susan, Rhoda, Neville, Jinny, and Louis. Also important is Percival, the seventh character, though readers never hear him speak in his own voice. The soliloquies that span the characters' lives are broken up by nine brief third-person interludes detailing a coastal scene at varying stages in a day from sunrise to sunset. As the six characters or "voices" speak Woolf explores concepts of individuality, self and community. Each character is distinct, yet together they compose (as Ida Klitgard has put it) a gestalt about a silent central consciousness. The sun had not yet risen. The sea was indistinguishable from the sky, except that the sea was slightly creased as if a cloth had wrin-kles in it. Gradually as the sky whitened a dark line lay on the hori-zon dividing the sea from the sky and the grey cloth became barred with thick strokes moving, one after another, beneath the surface, following each other, pursuing each other, perpetually. As they neared the shore each bar rose, heaped itself, broke and swept a thin veil of white water across the sand. The wave paused, and then drew out again, sighing like a sleeper whose breath comes and goes unconsciously. Gradually the dark bar on the horizon became clear as if the sediment in an old wine-bottle had sunk and left the glass green. Be-hind it, too, the sky cleared as if the white sediment there had sunk, or as if the arm of a woman couched beneath the horizon had raised a lamp and flat bars of white, green and yellow spread across the sky like the blades of a fan. Then she raised her lamp higher and the air seemed to become fibrous and to tear away from the green surface flickering and flaming in red and yellow fibres like the smoky fire that roars from a bonfire. Gradually the fibres of the burning bonfire were fused into one haze, one incandescence which lifted the weight of the woollen grey sky on top of it and turned it to a million atoms of soft blue. The surface of the sea slowly became transparent and lay rippling and sparkling until the dark stripes were almost rubbed out. Slowly the arm that held the lamp raised it higher and then higher until a broad flame became visible; an arc of fire burnt on the rim of the horizon, and all round it the sea blazed gold.

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST "AN AMUSING CHRONICLE OF THE TRIBULATIONS OF THE GHOST OF CANTERVILLE CHASE WHEN HIS ANCESTRAL HALLS BECAME THE HOME OF THE AMERICAN MINISTER TO THE COURT OF ST. JAMES When Mr. Hiram B. Otis, the American Minister, bought Canterville Chase, every one told him he was doing a very foolish thing, as there was no doubt at all that the place was haunted. Indeed, Lord Canterville himself, who was a man of the most punctilious honour, had felt it his duty to mention the fact to Mr. Otis when they came to discuss terms. "We have not cared to live in the place ourselves," said Lord Canterville, "since my grandaunt, the Dowager Duchess of Bolton, was frightened into a fit, from which she never really recovered, by two skeleton hands being placed on her shoulders as she was dressing for dinner, and I feel bound to tell you, Mr. Otis, that the ghost has been seen by several living members of my family, as well as by the rector of the parish, the Rev. Augustus Dampier, who is a Fellow of King's College, Cambridge. After the unfortunate accident to the Duchess, none of our younger servants would stay with us, and Lady Canterville often got very little sleep at night, in consequence of the mysterious noises that came from the corridor and the library." "My Lord," answered the Minister, "I will take the furniture and the ghost at a valuation. I have come from a modern country, where we have everything that money can buy; and with all our spry young fellows painting the Old World red, and carrying off your best actors and prima-donnas, I reckon that if there were such a thing as a ghost in Europe, we'd have it at home in a very short time in one of our public museums, or on the road as a show." "I fear that the ghost exists," said Lord Canterville, smiling, "though it may have resisted the overtures of your enterprising impresarios. It has been well known for three centuries, since 1584 in fact, and always makes its appearance before the death of any member of our family." "Well, so does the family doctor for that matter, Lord Canterville. But there is no such thing, sir, as a ghost, and I guess the laws of Nature are not going to be suspended for the British aristocracy." "You are certainly very natural in America," answered Lord Canterville, who did not quite understand Mr. Otis's last observation, "and if you don't mind a ghost in the house, it is all right. Only you must remember I warned you."

Good Press presents to you this unique and meticulously edited Dickens collection: Novels Oliver Twist The Pickwick Papers Nicholas Nickleby The Old Curiosity Shop Barnaby Rudge Martin Chuzzlewit Dombey and Son David Copperfield Bleak House Hard Times Little Dorrit A Tale of Two Cities Great Expectations Our Mutual Friend The Mystery of Edwin Drood Christmas Novellas A Christmas Carol The Chimes The Cricket on the Hearth The Battle of Life The Haunted Man Short Story Collections Sketches by Boz Sketches of Young Gentlemen Sketches of Young Couples Master Humphrey' Clock Reprinted Pieces The Mudfog Papers Pearl-Fishing (First Series) Pearl-Fishing (Second Series) Christmas Stories Other Stories Children's Books Child's Dream of a Star Holiday Romance Stories About Children Every Child Can Read Dickens's Children Plays The Village Coquettes The Strange Gentleman The Lamplighter Is She His Wife Mr. Nightingale's Diary No Thoroughfare The Frozen Deep Poetry The Loving Ballad of Lord Bateman The Poems and Verses of Charles Dickens Travel Books American Notes Pictures From Italy The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices Other Works Sunday Under Three Heads A Child's History of England Memoirs of Joseph Grimaldi The Life of Our Lord The Uncommercial Traveller Contributions to "All The Year Round" Contributions to "The Examiner" Miscellaneous Papers Essays & Articles A Coal Miner's Evidence The Lost Arctic Voyagers Frauds on the Fairies Adelaide Anne Procter In Memoriam W. M. Thackeray Speeches of Charles Dickens: Literary and Social Letters of Charles Dickens Criticism CHARLES DICKENS by G. K. Chesterton DICKENS by Sir Adolphus W. Ward THE LIFE OF CHARLES DICKENS by John Forster MY FATHER AS I RECALL HIM by Mamie Dickens Charles Dickens (1812-1870), an English writer and social critic, created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era.