THE PRISONER OF HEAVEN

HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FINISH THIS TOO VIOLENT





Once again, internationally acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author Carlos Ruiz Zafón creates a rich, labyrinthine tale of love, literature, passion, and revenge, set in a dark, gothic Barcelona, in which the heroes of The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel's Game must contend with a nemesis that threatens to destroy them.

Barcelona,1957. It is Christmas, and Daniel Sempere and his wife Bea have much to celebrate. They have a beautiful new baby son named Julian, and their close friend Fermín Romero de Torres is about to be wed. But their joy is eclipsed when a mysterious stranger visits the Sempere bookshop and threatens to divulge a terrible secret that has been buried for two decades in the city's dark past. His appearance plunges Fermín and Daniel into a dangerous adventure that will take them back to the 1940's and the dark early days of Franco's dictatorship. The terrifying events of that time launch them on a journey fraught with jealousy, suspicion, vengeance, and lies, a search for the truth that will put into peril everything they love and ultimately transform their lives.

Full of intrigue and emotion, The Prisoner of Heaven is a majestic novel in which the threads of The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel's Game converge under the spell of literature and bring us toward the enigma of the mystery hidden at the heart of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a collection of lost treasures known only to its few initiates and the very core

THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY

Mystery (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #8)

byLouise Penny

The Beautiful Mystery (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #8)4.13 of 5 stars4.13 · rating details · 4,060 ratings · 1,047 reviews

The brilliant new novel in theNew York Timesbestselling series by Louise Penny,one of the most acclaimed crime writers of our timeNo outsiders are ever admitted to the monastery of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups, hidden deep in the wilderness of Quebec, where two dozen cloistered monks live in peace and prayer. They grow vegetables, they tend chickens, they make chocolate....moreThe brilliant new novel in the New York Times bestselling series by Louise Penny, one of the most acclaimed crime writers of our time No outsiders are ever admitted to the monastery of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups, hidden deep in the wilderness of Quebec, where two dozen cloistered monks live in peace and prayer. They grow vegetables, they tend chickens, they make chocolate. And they sing. Ironically, for a community that has taken a vow of silence, the monks have become world-famous for their glorious voices, raised in ancient chants whose effect on both singer and listener is so profound it is known as “the beautiful mystery.” But when the renowned choir director is murdered, the lock on the monastery’s massive wooden door is drawn back to admit Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir of the Sûreté du Québec. There they discover disquiet beneath the silence, discord in the apparent harmony. One of the brothers, in this life of prayer and contemplation, has been contemplating murder. As the peace of the monastery crumbles, Gamache is forced to confront some of his own demons, as well as those roaming the remote corridors. Before finding the killer, before restoring peace, the Chief must first consider the divine, the human, and the cracks in between.(less)

Bristol House

byBeverly Swerling (Goodreads Author)

Bristol House3.86 of 5 stars3.86 · rating details · 79 ratings · 38 reviews

In the tradition of Kate Mosse, a swiftly-paced mystery that stretches from modern London to Tudor England

In modern-day London, architectural historian and recovering alcoholic Annie Kendall hopes to turn her life around and restart her career by locating several long-missing pieces of ancient Judaica. Geoff Harris, an investigative reporter, is soon drawn into her quest,...moreIn the tradition of Kate Mosse, a swiftly-paced mystery that stretches from modern London to Tudor England

In modern-day London, architectural historian and recovering alcoholic Annie Kendall hopes to turn her life around and restart her career by locating several long-missing pieces of ancient Judaica. Geoff Harris, an investigative reporter, is soon drawn into her quest, both by romantic interest and suspicions about the head of the Shalom Foundation, the organization sponsoring her work. He’s also a dead ringer for the ghost of a monk Annie believes she has seen at the flat she is subletting in Bristol House.

In 1535, Tudor London is a very different city, one in which monks are being executed by Henry VIII and Jews are banished. In this treacherous environment of religious persecution, Dom Justin, a Carthusian monk, and a goldsmith known as the Jew of Holborn must navigate a shadowy world of intrigue involving Thomas Cromwell, Jewish treasure, and sexual secrets. Their struggles shed light on the mysteries Annie and Geoff aim to puzzle out—at their own peril.

This riveting dual-period narrative seamlessly blends a haunting supernatural thriller with vivid historical fiction. Beverly Swerling, widely acclaimed for her City of Dreams series, delivers a bewitching and epic story of a historian and a monk, half a millennium apart, whose destinies are on a collision course.
Beverly Swerling

Goodreads author profile

born

The United States

gender

female

website

http://www.beverlyswerling.com/

twitter username

BeverlySwerling

genre

Historical Fiction, Thriller

member since

March 2011

About this author

edit data

I’m told that a number of critics who have said kind things about my books, have been less kind about the very brief bio on my book jackets. First, don’t blame Simon & Schuster; it’s my fault. Publishers use the data supplied by the author for this kind of thing, and I didn’t supply much. I guess because it seems that almost everything needs a long explanation. Which is probably me being egotistical. What do you care, right? You buy my books to be entertained (and very grateful I am), you don’t give two hoots about me.

But there are those picky critics…
Here then is a somewhat less abbreviated version.

I grew up in the Boston suburb of Revere, and while I won’t tell you when, I will say that it was very different from what it is today. Th...moreI’m told that a number of critics who have said kind things about my books, have been less kind about the very brief bio on my book jackets. First, don’t blame Simon & Schuster; it’s my fault. Publishers use the data supplied by the author for this kind of thing, and I didn’t supply much. I guess because it seems that almost everything needs a long explanation. Which is probably me being egotistical. What do you care, right? You buy my books to be entertained (and very grateful I am), you don’t give two hoots about me.

But there are those picky critics…
Here then is a somewhat less abbreviated version.

I grew up in the Boston suburb of Revere, and while I won’t tell you when, I will say that it was very different from what it is today. The beach was, as it still is, one of the natural wonders of the state of Massachusetts, but the front was NOT lined with condo high-rises. It was a boardwalk with stands selling fried clams (Massachusetts has the world’s best fried clams – made from the Ipswich soft shells, they remain what I’d choose for my last meal on this earth) and French fries and soft ice cream that we called frozen custard. Plus there were all kinds of gambling games of the sort found at any fairground – pitch ‘til you win, folks! – and a Ferris wheel and a roller coaster and a tunnel of love.

Another feature of Revere back then was that it was almost entirely either Jewish or Italian (my own family is a mixture of both) and because the town had a dog track – Wonderland - and a horse track – Suffolk Downs – there was a lot of what is politely called off-track betting. Which wasn’t legal then, and for all I know still is not. Nonetheless, any number of family members rented rooms to bookies – the chief requirement being that these gentlemen of the turf had to be able to see one or the other of the tote boards with binoculars, (a world without cell phones, remember) and know how much they were liable to pay out, which in turn affected what odds they could offer on the next race.

I went from that upstanding childhood to a small Catholic girls college in the Midwest, then a job in New York as a file clerk to support my writing – all non-fiction at first – until I was able to earn my way as a free lance journalist.
For a time after that I lived in Europe.
Where I got married for a brief and unpleasant period, then came home and wrote more non-fiction. And got married again.
And went back to Europe.
And started writing fiction, and – hallelujah! – selling it.
And came back to New York with my by now long time husband, and began writing City of Dreams…
Which just about catches you up. Except for the bits I’ve left out.

And, oh yes, one other important part of my life and my work: On that so brief bio on the S&S book jacket it mentions that I’m a consultant. Many people have asked me what kind.

Happens that my husband – who has his own website at www.agentresearch.com – runs the world’s number one consultancy for authors looking for new (or sometimes a first) agents. It’s called Agent Research and Evaluation, Inc. and I do some work for some of his clients. I also occasionally mentor new writers – and some who are not so new. What they all have in common is a passion for what they’re writing, so working with them gives me great joy, and most have found it helpful. (Admittedly not all. I set the bar high.) Some of what I have to share about the hows and the whys of this wonderful but very tough business of writing can be found at The Business of Writing page. At other parts of the site you’ll find more about my books, including excerpts from some not yet published work, such as City of Glory, which continues the story of the Turners and the Devreys of City of Dreams. City of Glory will be out in January. We’ve also put up an excerpt from the next book in that series, still little more than a gleam in my eye. (less)

THE SHERLOCKIAN

In December 1893, Sherlock Holmes-adoring Londoners eagerly opened their Strand magazines, anticipating the detective's next adventure, only to find the unthinkable: his creator, Arthur Conan Doyle, had killed their hero off. London spiraled into mourning -- crowds sported black armbands in grief -- and railed against Conan Doyle as his assassin.

Then in 1901, just as abruptly as Conan Doyle had "murdered" Holmes in "The Final Problem," he resurrected him. Though the writer kept detailed diaries of his days and work, Conan Doyle never explained this sudden change of heart. After his death, one of his journals from the interim period was discovered to be missing, and in the decades since, has never been found.


Or has it?

THE BAKER STREET TRANSLATION

JUST FINISHED THIS BOOK, HAD A FEW INCONSISTENCIES, BUT LIKED IT.  ALMOST FELT HOW AWFUL THE SEWER WOULD BE..

In Michael Robertson's The Baker Street Translation, Reggie and Nigel Heath—brothers who lease law offices at 221B Baker Street in London, England and answer mail addressed to the location's most famous resident, Sherlock Holmes—find themselves pulled once again into a case straight out of Arthur Conan Doyle. An elderly American heiress wants to leave her entire fortune to Sherlock Holmes. A translator wants Sherlock Holmes to explain a nursery rhyme. And Robert Buxton—Reggie's rival for the love of actress Laura Rankin—has gone missing. Reggie must suss all these things out before an upcoming British royal event. If he doesn't, something very bad will happen to everyone at that event—and to Laura. Fast-paced, exciting, and clever, this is the perfect mystery for aficionados of the current craze for all things Sherlockian.(less

planting garden today so far good,  

love this

WENT TO SEE THIS BAND IN LOUISVILLE KY ON APRIL 18

Needtobreathe (stylized as NEEDTOBREATHE) is an American rock band from Seneca, South Carolina.^[1] The band is composed of Bear Rinehart (lead vocals, guitar, piano), Bo Rinehart (backing vocals, guitar), Seth Bolt (backing vocals, bass). They have released four studio albums: Daylight (2006), The Heat (2007), The Outsiders (2009), and The Reckoning (2011).^[2] Needtobreathe opened for Taylor Swift on the North American leg of her Speak Now World Tour, which began May 27, 2011 in Omaha, Nebraska.

Contents [hide]

[edit] History

Named after the acclaimed University of Alabama football coach Bear Bryant, brothers Bear and Nathaniel Bryant "Bo" Rinehart were born and raised in rural Possum Kingdom, South Carolina, where their father, a pastor, ran a church camp. After moving to nearby Seneca, South Carolina, the two siblings were exposed to a variety of music and started playing instruments themselves. While enrolled at Furman University, Bear—besides being an excellent wide receiver (he won the 2002 Banks McFadden trophy for South Carolina football player of the year) -- moonlighted as a vocalist, guitarist, and pianist, even finding time to perform around campus with longtime friend and drummer Joe Stillwell. Meanwhile, Bo studied architecture at Clemson University while playing guitar in his spare time, and he and bassist Seth Bolt joined the Bear/Stillwell duo to form Needtobreathe.
Seth Bolt had received a degree in recording engineering at Full Sail University, and the band honed its sound while recording several EPs at Bolt's Plantation Studios. A strenuous tour of Southeastern and Midwestern America followed. The hard work paid off when Needtobreathe came to the attention of Atlantic Records/Lava Records, who signed the band in 2005. A debut full-length album, Daylight (the cover of which was painted by Bo), arrived one year later, having been recorded in British Heliocentric Studios with Keane producer Andy Green. Tours with Train, Collective Soul, Will Hoge, and Taylor Swift kept the guys busy throughout the year, and they returned to the studio in December to begin work on their follow-up. The Heat was released in August 2007 spawning several singles and earning two Dove Award nominations.^[3]

[edit] Daylight

After signing with both Atlantic Records and Sparrow Records, the band went to the UK to record their first studio album, Daylight, with producer Andy Green.^[4] Its first radio single "You Are Here" was released early in 2006.^[4] Just prior to their debut release, the band was featured on the cover of CCM Magazine—an unprecedented new artist endorsement by the national publication.^[5] Daylight was then released on April 4, 2006.^[6]

[edit] The Heat

Brothers Bo and Bear Rinehart in September 2007

Needtobreathe started pre-production for their second studio album The Heat in late 2006 at Seth Bolt's Old Plantation studio.^[7] In the beginning of 2007, the band started a six-month recording period at both Rick Beato's Black Dog Studio in their hometown Seneca and Ed Roland's Tree Sounds in Atlanta.^[7][8] The Heat was then released on August 28, 2007 through Atlantic Records and Word Entertainment.^[9]
In 2008, Needtobreathe was nominated for two Dove Awards at the 39th annual GMA Dove Awards. Their song "Signature of Divine (Yahweh)" received a nomination for "Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year", and The Heat was nominated for "Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year".^[10]
In 2009, Needtobreathe's song "Washed by the Water" was nominated and won the Dove Award for "Rock/Contemporary Song of the Year" at the 40th annual GMA Dove Awards.

[edit] The Outsiders

The band's third album, The Outsiders was released on August 25, 2009,^[11] peaking at No. 20 on the Billboard 200 and No. 2 on the Hot Christian Albums. The first single for the album, "Lay 'Em Down", peaked at No. 4 on the Hot Christian Songs chart. The single "Something Beautiful" peaked at No. 12 on the Triple A chart and No. 6 on the Hot Christian Songs chart. "Hurricane" peaked at No. 29 on the Alternative chart, their first success at Alternative radio. The title song of the album, "The Outsiders", peaked at No. 11 on the Triple A chart.

[edit] The Reckoning

The album The Reckoning was released on September 20, 2011, peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart. The first single for the album is titled "Slumber" and has peaked at No. 26 on the Christian rock charts. The second single released from the album is titled "Drive All Night."
Needtobreathe is currently on their Reckoning tour across America.

[edit] In television and film

The band's song "More Time" was featured in the soundtrack of the 2007 film P.S. I Love You and reached No. 8 on the Triple A radio chart. Numerous Needtobreathe songs have been used on television coverage and for movies. ESPN used the song "Streets of Gold" from The Heat during the network's coverage of the 2007 Ford 400. The show The Hills used "We Could Run Away". Fox TV promoted its Monday night lineup for the shows Prison Break and K-Ville with the song "Nothing Left to Lose". Fox Sports used "Don't Wait for Daylight" during their coverage of the 2006 World Series. The song "Shine On" has seen the most uses, having been played on the MTV show Newport Harbor; Oprah's Big Give; the movie Employee of the Month; the movie To Save a Life; and in 2008, the song featured in the WWE Tribute to the Troops special. In August 2009, the song "These Hard Times" from the band's album The Outsiders was featured in promos for a new NBC show, Mercy. Their song "Nothing Left to Lose" was featured in trailers for the movie Extraordinary Measures released January 2010. In addition, their song "Something Beautiful" is featured in the soundtrack of the film When In Rome and on the 21st episode of the first season of Cougar Town. Their song "Something Beautiful" from their album The Outsiders was featured in an overstock.com commercial. Their song "Lay 'Em Down" was used in a promotion for a new NBC show called "Outlaw". The chorus from their song "Hurricane" often plays during the transition stage following commercial breaks for The NFL on CBS. Their song "A Place Only You Can Go" was featured on theCW's Hart of Dixie. Their song "Oohs and Ahhs" from their album The Reckoning was used during Fox TV's December 2011 promo for Alcatraz which would premiere January 16, 2012. It was also used in TV commercials for the History Channel. "Keep Your Eyes Open" was played at the end of an episode of American Idol on January 18, 2012 as well as in the video package for Mick Foley's induction into the 2013 WWE Hall of Fame. They have performed numerous songs on late night talk shows in the United States, most notably a performance on Conan O'Brien, where they performed on Halloween night dressed as Dolly Parton (Bear), Taylor Swift (Bo), Tina Turner (Bolt), Reba McEntire (Touring Member Josh Lovelace), and Minnie Pearl (Touring Member Randall Harris).

[edit] Band members

• Bear Rinehart – lead vocals, guitar, piano, organ, harmonica
• Bo Rinehart – lead guitar, banjo, mandolin, backing vocals
• Seth Bolt – bass, mandolin, backing vocals
• Josh Lovelace (touring member) – keyboards, backing vocals
• Randall (Randog) Harris (touring member) - drums

On March 26, 2009, David Leonard (formerly of Jackson Waters) was announced as the newest (touring) member of Needtobreathe. He joined their live touring band on keyboard and backing vocals. In the summer of 2010, David left life on the road and was succeeded by Toby Friesen (also formerly of Jackson Waters).^[12] In April 2011, Toby left the band and was succeeded by Josh Lovelace, a former touring member of Decemberadio.^[13] In July 2012, Joe Stillwell, Needtobreathe's drummer for 13 years announced his decision to leave the band.\\





ATE HERE WONDERFUL





JACK FRY'S was established in 1933 by Jack Fry and his wife, Flossie. Fry was known as a rambling, gambling kind of guy who loved amateur boxing and the ponies. As a result, Jack Fry's became a sportsman’s hangout, as evidenced by the numerous historic photographs that fill the walls of the current Jack Fry's. He was also known to conduct his bookmaking and bootlegging affairs discreetly from "the back room". He was a much-loved character who often gave a free meal to a needy friend. Jack closed his business in 1972. After ten years of renting this space as "Por Que No", a Mexican restaurant, it was re-established as Jack Fry's. Susan Seiller bought the restaurant in January 1987, the same year that saw the death of Jack Fry.

In February of 2008, Susan passed ownership and sold the restaurant to longtime employee, Stephanie J. Meeks. Stephanie has been with Jack Fry’s since 1996, starting as a host and quickly moving her way up in management. As the new owner, Stephanie is proud to continue the tradition of this priceless Louisville landmark.

Jack Fry's and its staff would like to thank Louisville for voting us
2012 'Favorite Restaurant' in Louisville Magazine's 'Best of Louisville' Awards. This brings Jack Fry's to an astounding 19 'Best of Louisville' Awards! We appreciate and are humbled by your loyal support

THE ALCHEMY OF MURDER

I AM READING THIS BOOK  NOW AND LOVING IT




Paris, the capital of Europe and center of world culture. People have gathered to celebrate the 1889 World's Fair, a spectacular extravaganza dedicated to new industries, scientific discoveries, and global exploration. Its gateway is the soaring Eiffel Tower. But an enigmatic killer stalks the streets, and a virulent plague is striking down Parisians by the thousands.

The world's most famous reporter - the intrepid Nellie Bly - is convinced that the killings are connected to the epidemic. Hot off another sensational expose, she travels to Paris to hunt down the mysterious man she calls "the Alchemist." Along the way she enlists the help of a band of colorful characters: science fiction genius Jules Verne, notorious wit and outrageous rogue Oscar Wilde, and the greatest microbe-hunter in history, Louis Pasteur.

This dazzling historical adventure pits Nellie and her friends against one of the most notorious murderers iParis, the capital of Europe and center of world culture. People have gathered to celebrate the 1889 World's Fair, a spectacular extravaganza dedicated to new industries, scientific discoveries, and global exploration. Its gateway is the soaring Eiffel Tower. But an enigmatic killer stalks the streets, and a virulent plague is striking down Parisians by the thousands.

 

I’ve always been attracted to ghosts and people of the past. My dream house is to have a graveyard for a back-yard with old tombstones graced by angels.
As a young child I would sit for hours and listen to my Grandmother McCleary, my Grandfather Lachowich and my Great Aunt Edna, tell me stories of their childhood, the lives of people they knew, and living in the 19th century.

They were born before cars, TV, radio, computers, ATM machines, cell phones, airplanes…so many things we take for granted.
They were just like Nellie Bly, my heroine in The Alchemy of Murder.

My Grandmother McCleary was especially like Nellie—independent, determined, believing that anything is possible if you put your mind to it, and never taking no for an answer.

To me the past has always been much more fascinating than the present. I’ll never forget when I was ten years old and our fifth grade class went to the New York City Metropolitan Museum of Art to see an exhibit from Egypt—there was a pyramid, mummies, beautiful artifacts…I became enchanted and fell hopelessly in love with the past.
I also believe my love for the past came from being born in Seoul, South Korea and living in Hong Kong, Japan, and the Philippines...I was weaned on cultures that have been around for millenniums. From the Far East we moved back to the USA and into a charming brick house in Pelham, Westchester County, New York.
At thirteen, we moved to my father's hometown in Colfax, California (population exactly 999), an old western town with six bars, one grocery store, and railroad tracks running down the center.
Today, I live in scenic Cape Cod in an antique house built in 1772. In much of the world, living in a house over 200 years old isn't unusual, but in America it isn't common.

My house, however, is very special because it is haunted by the spirit of Maggie Duffy, a woman born in it over 150 years ago and who lived her entire life in the house. I guess she just didn’t want to leave when it was her time to pass on. Maggie is a very mischevious ghost, so much so that the cautious lawyer who sold me the house listed her spirit in the contract as part of the furnishings of the house.

I’ve also had visitations from a sea captain who is very taciturn. My guess is that he was Maggie’s lover. From the silence, I suspect it wasn’t a public affair.

Like Maggie, Nellie’s life didn’t exactly go the way she desired and neither had mine…but, we move forward constantly trying to make it the best we can, something I learned from my Grandmother and all the wise people I’ve been very lucky to have in my life.

Then one day a friend introduced me to Nellie Bly – a woman who reminded me of my Grandmother and of all the things I love the most…the past. I decided to take an incredible lady whose voice has been set aside and tried to bring it back to life.
The Alchemy of Murder is a labor of love and trepidation as I try to remain true to Nellie Bly, but also bring her back in a way that is entertaining. Hopefully, I have been successful.

Dear Friends,

I love a mystery . . . especially when it involves real people who rose above ordinary lives to “make history.”

Nellie Bly, investigative reporter extraordinaire, had the plucky courage and raw daring that epitomized the Victorian era. When a New York newspaper editor refused her a job, and said that a woman was not capable of being a “detective reporter,” Nellie got herself committed to the notorious women’s insane asylum on Blackwell's Island and did a story that set the city on its head.

When I discovered that Nellie Bly was in Paris in the fall of 1889, I was intrigued because Paris was the Grand Dame of all cites in the Victorian Era-the City of Light was the center of fashion, the arts, and love affairs.
It turns out that Jules Verne, the “inventor” of science fiction, whose stories and the movies made from them still fascinate us, was also in Paris that fall – and had met Nellie. So was Oscar Wilde, the poet and author scandalizing café society with his sex life and witticisms . . . while the “great microbe hunter,” Louis Pasteur, had moved into the imposing institute that the grateful people of France had provided.

The Victorian Era itself was a wonderful “character” - an exciting era of brave hearts and warm souls, of great art and inquiring minds, of duels for honor and affairs of the heart; a time when men and women were experimenting with love while “scientific” journals warned that masturbation caused blindness and insanity . . .

Entities from the dark side of life were also in the city - terrorists called “anarchists” conducted a reign of terror while a deadly microbe swept in from the Russian steppes, causing a deadly pandemic.

Oh . . . did I mention that Jack the Ripper killings in London of the previous year were being investigated?

All the wonderful historical characters and events played in my head . . . it sounds like a lot, but when I thought about it, all the pieces fit together and started ticking like a fine Swiss watch . . . or would ticking like an anarchist bomb be a better analogy?

You can decide, and please, let me know, after you read the book.

Carol

THE WOMEN IN WHITE

I HAD THIS BOOK FOR A LONG TIME AND FINALLY READ IT.  IT IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES.

The Woman in White is an epistolary novel written by Wilkie Collins in 1859, serialized in 1859–1860, and first published in book form in 1860. It is considered to be among the first mystery novels and is widely regarded as one of the first (and finest) in the genre of 'sensation novels'.
The story is considered an early example of detective fiction with the hero, Walter Hartright, employing many of the sleuthing techniques of later private detectives. The use of multiple narratives draws on Collins's legal training,^[1][2] and as he points out in his Preamble: 'the story here presented will be told by more than one pen, as the story of an offence against the laws is told in Court by more than one witness'. In 2003, Robert McCrum writing for The Observer listed The Woman in White number 23 in "the top 100 greatest novels of all time",^[3] and the novel was listed at number 77 on the BBC's survey The Big Read.^[4]

[edit] Plot

Walter Hartright, a young art teacher, is walking from Hampstead to London late one summer's evening, when he meets a mysterious woman dressed in white, apparently in deep distress. He helps her on her way to London, but later learns that she has escaped from an asylum. The next day he travels north to Limmeridge House, having been hired as a drawing master to the residents of the house; he had been recommended for the job by his friend, Pesca, an Italian language professor. The Limmeridge household comprises Mr Frederick Fairlie, and Walter's students: Laura Fairlie, Mr Fairlie's niece, and Marian Halcombe, her devoted half-sister. Several days after he arrives, Hartright is shocked to realize that Laura bears an astonishing resemblance to the woman in white, called Anne Catherick. The mentally disadvantaged Anne had lived for a time in Cumberland as a child and was devoted to Laura's mother, who first dressed her in white.
Walter and Laura quickly fall in love. Laura, however, has promised her father that she will marry Sir Percival Glyde, and Marian – knowing that Laura loves Walter in return – advises Walter to forget his love, and leave Limmeridge. Anne, after sending a letter to Laura warning her against Glyde, meets Hartright who becomes convinced that Glyde was responsible for shutting Anne in the asylum. Despite the misgivings of the Fairlie's lawyer over the financial terms of the marriage settlement, Laura and Glyde marry in December 1849 and travel to Italy for 6 months. Hartright also leaves England, joining an expedition to Honduras. After their honeymoon, Sir Percival and Lady Glyde return to his family estate, Blackwater Park, in Hampshire; they are accompanied by Glyde's friend, Count Fosco (who is married to Laura's aunt). Marian Halcombe is also living at Blackwater and learns that Glyde is in financial difficulties. Sir Percival unsuccessfully attempts to bully Laura into signing a document which would allow him to use her marriage settlement of £20,000. Determined to protect her sister, Marian crawls out onto a roof overlooking Percy and Fosco whilst they plot; but it begins to rain, and Marian, completely soaked, falls into a fever which shortly turns into typhus.
While Marian is ill, Laura is tricked into travelling to London. Her identity and that of Anne Catherick are then switched. Anne Catherick dies of a heart condition and is buried in Cumberland as Laura, while Laura is drugged and placed in the asylum as Anne Catherick. When Marian recovers and visits the asylum, hoping to learn something from Anne Catherick, she finds Laura, supposedly suffering from the delusion that she is Lady Glyde.
Marian bribes the nurse and Laura escapes. Hartright has safely returned from Honduras, and the three live together in obscure poverty, determined to restore Laura's identity. After some time Walter discovers Glyde's secret, which is that he was illegitimate, and therefore not entitled to inherit his parents' property. This secret was known only to Anne's mother, and while Anne never knew the secret, she spoke and acted as if she did. Many years earlier, Glyde had forged an entry in the marriage register at Old Welmingham Church to conceal his illegitimacy and hence unlawful inheritance of estate and title. Believing Walter either has discovered, or will discover his secret, Glyde attempts to destroy the register entry, but the church vestry catches fire and he perishes in the flames. Confronting Anne's mother, Hartright discovers that Anne was the illegitimate child of Laura's father, which accounts for their resemblance. On returning to London to resume his battle with Fosco, Hartright marries Laura. When he secretly tails Fosco to investigate him, Hartright also discovers that Fosco belongs to, and has betrayed, an Italian secret society (dubbed "The Brotherhood"), of which Pesca is a high-ranking member with enough authority to dispatch him. Using Fosco's weakness as bargaining chip, Hartright now has the power to force a written confession from Fosco and Laura's identity is restored. Fosco departs from England in haste, only to be discovered by the Brotherhood's agents some time later and murdered. Since Hartright and Laura have married, on the death of Frederick Fairlie, their son becomes the Heir of Limmeridge.

[edit] Characters

• Walter Hartright—A poor young man who earns his living as a drawing master.
• Frederick Fairlie—A fanciful, selfish invalid, owner of Limmeridge House in Cumberland. Laura's uncle. His irresponsibility in handling matters concerning Laura's welfare as her guardian is one of the key factors that lead to the success of Count Fosco's plan.
• Laura Fairlie—Mr Fairlie's gentle, pretty niece, an heiress and an orphan.
• Marian Halcombe—Laura's half-sister and companion, not attractive but intelligent and resourceful. She is described as one "of the finest creations in all Victorian fiction" by John Sutherland.^[5]
• Anne Catherick ("The Woman in White")—A young woman said to be of disordered wits. It's heavily implied that she's an illegitimate daughter of Laura's father.
• Mrs Catherick—Anne's unsympathetic mother, who is in league with Sir Percival Glyde in committing her daughter to the asylum.
• Sir Percival Glyde—Laura's fiancé and then husband, he is an unpleasant baronet with a secret. He is able to appear charming and gracious when he wishes, but his true character appears soon after his marriage to Laura. Walter later discovers that his secret is that his inheritance of his title and estate was unlawful because his parents had never married, and to obtain it he forged a false marriage register entry.
• Count Fosco—Sir Percival's closest friend, his full name is revealed to be Isidor Ottavio Baldassare Fosco. A grossly obese Italian with a mysterious past, he is eccentric, bombastic, urbane, but also unfathomably intelligent and menacing. He takes especial interest in little animals, and keeps many birds and mice as pets. The Count greatly admires Marian for her intellect, so much that he is willing to compromise several weak points in his plan (such as allowing Marian to retrieve Laura from the asylum) for her sake.
• Countess Fosco—Laura's aunt, once a giddy girl but now humourless, cold and in thrall to her husband and his schemes.
• Professor Pesca—A teacher of Italian, and a good friend of Hartright. The professor finds Hartright the Limmeridge job, introducing him to Laura and Marian, and proves to be Fosco's unexpected nemesis.

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