Eight vivid, poignant tales of self-reliant New England women. Well-known title story plus "A New England Nun," "Old Woman Magoun," "Gentian," "One Good Time," plus 3 others.

Mary Wilkins Freeman [RL 7 IL 9-12] After 40 years, "Mother" takes a stand and pries a new house from her husband. Themes: seizing opportunities; demanding justice. 44 pages. Tale Blazers.

2015: After the sudden death of her troubled mother, struggling Harvard grad student Kate Drayton walks out on her lecture-- and her entire New England life. She flees to Charleston, South Carolina, the place where her parents met, convinced it holds the key to understanding her fractured family and saving her career in academia. Her mother was researching a failed 1822 slave revolt-- and Kate will continue her work. 1822: Tom Russell, a gifted blacksmith and slave, grappled with a terrible choice: arm the uprising spearheaded by members of the fiercely independent African Methodist Episcopal Church or keep his own neck out of the noose and protect the woman he loves.

French realism's immortal siren crawled from the gutter to the heights of society, devouring men and squandering fortunes along the way. Zola's 1880s classic is among the first modern novels.

Classic novel that has inspired generations of seekers. Blending Eastern mysticism and psychoanalysis, Hesse presents a strikingly original view of man and culture and the arduous process of self-discovery, reconciliation, harmony, and peace.

Originally published: London: Macmillan, 1912.

A gentleman adventurer is hired to locate a man who has disappeared into the heart of Africa while hunting for the legendary lost diamond mines of King Solomon.

Tale of capitalist exploitation and rebellion, set in a fictional South American republic, employs flashbacks and glimpses of the future to depict the lure of silver and its effects on men.