| LIST B (continued) Oliver Twist London in the 1830s was no place to be if you were a hungry ten-year-old boy, an orphan without friends or family, with no home to go to, and only a penny in your pocket to buy a piece of bread. But Oliver Twist finds some friends – Fagin, the Artful Dodger, and Charley Bates. They give him food and shelter, and play games with him, but it is not until some days later that Oliver finds out what kind of friends they are and what kind of ‘games’ they play … Pride and prejudice “The moment I first met you, I noticed your pride, your sense of superiority, and your selfish disdain for the feelings of others. You are the last man in the world whom I could ever be persuaded to marry,” said Elizabeth Bennet. And so Elizabeth rejects the proud Mr Darcy. Can nothing overcome her prejudice against him ? And what of the other Bennet girls –their fortunes, and misfortunes, in the business of getting husbands ? This famous novel by Jane Austen is full of wise and humorous observation of the people and manners of her times. Tess of the d’Urbervilles A pretty young girl has to leave home to make money for her family. She is clever and a good worker ; but she is uneducated and does not know the cruel ways of the world. So, when a rich young man says he loves her, she is careful – but not careful enough. He is persuasive, and she is overwhelmed. It is not her fault, but the world says it is. Her young life is already stained by men’s desires, and by death. |
| Silas Marner In a hole under the floorboards Silas Marner keeps his gold. Every day he works hard at his weaving, and every night he takes the gold out and holds the bright coins lovingly, feeling them and counting them again and again. The villagers are afraid of him and he has no family, no friends. Only the gold is his friend, his delight, his reason for living. But what if a thief should come in the night and take his gold away ? What will Silas do then ? What could possibly comfort him for the loss of his only friend ? A tale of two cities "The Marquis lay there, like stone, with a knife pushed into his heart. On his chest lay a piece of paper, with the words : Drive him fast to his grave. This is from JACQUES." The French revolution brings terror and death to may people. But even in these troubled times people can still love and be kind. They can be generous and true-hearted … and brave. We didn’t mean to go to sea The four Walker children never meant to go to sea. They had promised their mother to stay safely in the harbour, and to be home on Friday in time for tea. But there they are in someone else’s boat, drifting out to sea in a thick fog. When the fog lifts, they can turn round and sail back to the harbour. But then comes the wind and the storm, driving them out even further across the cold North Sea … The whispering knights “I don’t know that you have done anything wrong,” Miss Hepplewhite said. “But is possible that you have done something rather dangerous.” William and Susie thought they were just playing a game when they cooked a witch’s brew in the old barn and said a spell over it, but Martha was not so sure. And indeed, the three friends soon learn that they have called up something dark and evil out of the distant past. |
| The bride price When her father dies, Aku-nna and her young brother have no one to look after them. They are welcomed by their uncle because of Aku-nna’s ‘bride price’ – the money that her future husband will pay for her. In her new, strange home one man is kind to her and teaches her to become a woman. Soon they are in love, although everyone says he is not a suitable man for her. The more the world tries to separate them, the more they are drawn together – until, finally, something has to break. David Copperfield “Please, Mr Murdstone ! Don’t beat me ! I’ve tried to learn my lessons, really I have, Sir !” sobs David. Although David is only eight years old, Mr Murdstone does beat him, and David is so frightened that he bites his cruel stepfather’s hand. For that he is kept locked in his room for five days and nights, and nobody is allowed to speak to him. As David grows up, he learns that life is full of trouble and misery and cruelty. But he also finds laughter and kindness, trust and friendship … and love. |