The 7 books on this stack
-
Prestige
Christopher Priest · 1995
Two 19th century stage illusionists, the aristocratic Rupert Angier and the working-class Alfred Borden, engage in a bitter and deadly feud; the effects are still being felt by their respective families a hundred years later. Working in the gaslight-and-velvet world of Victorian music halls, they prowl edgily in the background of each other's shadowy life, driven to the extremes by a deadly combination of obsessive secrecy and insatiable curiosity. At the heart of the row is an amazing illusion they both perform during their stage acts. The secret of the magic is simple, and the reader is in on it almost from the start, but to the antagonists the real mystery lies deeper. Both have something more to hide than the mere workings of a trick. ****** 'Really amazing. I love the epistolary nature of the novel and how the story stretches through time, but my favourite bits were all between the two warring illusionists. I can't believe how far the two of them went to prolong their feud of pranks. It was great seeing two professionals unwilling to harm their craft still work around all the little niceties to get at one another.' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ' Duelling illusionists' ongoing battle in the late Victorian era has consequences for future generations . This is a masterpiece of epistolary style writing. The reader is set up, mirroring the art of the illusionist. The Prestige explores issues relating to social class and gender, artistry vs science, one's perspective shaping the truth, and the dangers of limitless ambition. The illusionists' duel and their quest to be true masters provides for a couple of intriguing Faustian bargains in this truly marvelous novel. Yet we, as readers, are also being deceived until it all finally unravels. One of the best novels in a structural sense that I've read. Well worth the time.' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ' Gripping, eerie, hard to put down . Every time I thought I had a good sense of what was going on, Priest pulled the rug out of from under his plot and I'm still not sure what actually happened . Demands a re-read.' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'A suspenseful and gripping story, Christopher Priest demonstrates his storytelling skill in this compelling tale of two turn-of-the-century competing British stage magicians and their feud that trickles down through their descendants.' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'The setting is in present day, with descendants of two famous magicians trying to figure out what happened to their great-grandfathers. They do this by reading the journals/books of their forefathers. What they find out will really amaze you. This book will keep you guessing, and once the guessing stops, things get really weird. But it's a good kind of weird .' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
-
We Need to Talk about Kevin
Lionel Shriver · 2003
WINNER OF THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2010 ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD Eva never really wanted to be a mother; certainly not the mother of a boy named Kevin who murdered seven of his fellow high school students, a cafeteria worker and a teacher who had tried to befriend him. Now, two years after her son's horrific rampage, Eva comes to terms with her role as Kevin's mother in a series of startlingly direct correspondences with her absent husband Franklyn about their son's upbringing. Fearing that her own shortcomings may have shaped what her son has become, she confesses to a deep, long-standing ambivalence about motherhood. How much is her fault? In Lionel Shriver's hands this sensational, chilling and memorable story of a woman who raised a monster becomes a metaphor for the larger tragedy - the tragedy of a country where everything works, nobody starves, and anything can be bought but a sense of purpose.
-
Fingersmith Msr
Sarah Waters · 2002
Sue Trinder is an orphan, left as an infant in the care of Mrs. Sucksby, a "baby farmer," who raised her with unusual tenderness, as if Sue were her own. Mrs. Sucksby’s household, with its fussy babies calmed with doses of gin, also hosts a transient family of petty thieves—fingersmiths—for whom this house in the heart of a mean London slum is home. One day, the most beloved thief of all arrives—Gentleman, an elegant con man, who carries with him an enticing proposition for Sue: If she wins a position as the maid to Maud Lilly, a naive gentlewoman, and aids Gentleman in her seduction, then they will all share in Maud’s vast inheritance. Once the inheritance is secured, Maud will be disposed of—passed off as mad, and made to live out the rest of her days in a lunatic asylum. With dreams of paying back the kindness of her adopted family, Sue agrees to the plan. Once in, however, Sue begins to pity her helpless mark and care for Maud Lilly in unexpected ways...But no one and nothing is as it seems in this Dickensian novel of thrills and reversals.The New York Times Book Review has called Sarah Waters a writer of "startling power" and The Seattle Times has praised her work as "gripping, astute fiction that feeds the mind and the senses." Fingersmith marks a major leap forward in this young and brilliant career.
-
Life of Pi
Yann Martel · 2003
Life of Pi (SparkNotes Literature Guide) by Yann Martel Making the reading experience fun! Created by Harvard students for students everywhere, SparkNotes is a new breed of study guide: smarter, better, faster. Geared to what today's students need to know, SparkNotes provides: *Chapter-by-chapter analysis *Explanations of key themes, motifs, and symbols *A review quiz and essay topicsLively and accessible, these guides are perfect for late-night studying and writing papers
-
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
Agatha Christie · 1926
ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE 'S 100 BEST MYSTERY AND THRILLER BOOKS OF ALL TIME • One of Agatha Christie’s most famous novels, featuring her beloved detective Hercule Poirot—and her most surprising twist. The story that made Agatha Christie famous ends with one of her most dramatic twists. The villagers of King’s Abbot are shocked when a wealthy local widow commits suicide and the very next day her fiancé, Roger Ackroyd, is stabbed to death. Dr. James Sheppard, the local physician, discovers the body of his friend and narrates the ensuing hunt for the killer. All the guests and staff at Ackroyd's country house seem to have solid alibis—except for his missing stepson. But as the authorities home in on their most obvious suspect, the recently retired detective Hercule Poirot unexpectedly turns up and joins the fray. Dr. Sheppard gamely assists the legendary Poirot as he untangles one of the most fiendish mysteries in Christie’s extensive oeuvre.
-
Shutter Island
Dennis Lehane · 2003
U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels and his partner, Chuck Aule, come to Shutter Island's Ashcliffe Hospital in search of an escaped mental patient, but uncover true wickedness as Ashcliffe's mysterious patient treatments propel them to the brink of insanity.
-
Fight Club
Chuck Palahniuk · 1996
An insomniac drifts through the meaninglessness of modern life - until he finds purpose in violence. Prisoner to the 9 to 5 and desperate to feel something real, he finds relief in support groups meant for other people's suffering. Then he meets Tyler Durden. They begin with a fight in a car park. Others watch. Others return. Soon the gatherings acquire rules, rituals, and a strange discipline. What feels at first like release takes on a sharper edge, binding its members through bruises and secrecy. As Tyler's influence grows, the narrator's sense of self begins to loosen. When the truth surfaces, it does not restore order. It reveals how far things have already moved beyond his control. 'Hypnotic, pitiless and told brilliantly' Bret Easton Ellis 'Like a noxious Doug Coupland, Palahniuk charts new-felt and totally contemporary categories of despair' Ali Smith, Guardian VINTAGE CLASSICS' AMERICAN GOTHIC SERIES Spine-tingling, mind-altering and deliciously atmospheric, journey into the dark side of America with nine of its most uncanny classics.