"1838: James and Sadie Goodenough have settled where their wagon got stuck--in the muddy, stagnant swamps of northwest Ohio. They and their five children work relentlessly to tame their patch of land, buying saplings from a local tree man known as John Appleseed so they can cultivate the fifty apple trees required to stake their claim on the property. But the orchard they plant sows the seeds of a long battle. James loves the apples, reminders of...

This collection of original stories by today's finest women writers takes inspiration from the famous line in Charlotte Brontë's most beloved novel, Jane Eyre. A fixture in the literary canon, Charlotte Brontë is revered by readers all over the world. Her books featuring unforgettable, strong heroines still resonate with millions today. And who could forget one of literatures' best-known lines: "Reader, I married him" from her classic novel Jane...

Ella Turner does her best to fit in to the small, close-knit community of Lisle-sur-Tarn. She even changes her name back to Tournier, and learns French. In vain. Isolated and lonely, she is drawn to investigate her Tournier ancestry, which leads to her encounter with the town's wolfish librarian. Isabelle du Moulin, known as Le Rousse due to her fiery red hair, is tormented and shunned in the village suspected of witchcraft and reviled for her association...

A collection of short stories celebrating Charlotte Brontë, stemming from the immortal words from Jane Eyre. The twenty-one stories in Reader, I Married Him are inspired by Jane Eyre and shaped by its perennially fascinating themes of love, compromise and self-determination. Edited by Tracy Chevalier, this collection brings together some of the finest voices in fiction today, to celebrate the strength and lasting relevance of Charlotte Brontë's...

1932. After the Great War took both her beloved brother and her fianc�e, Violet Speedwell has become a "surplus woman," one of a generation doomed to a life of spinsterhood after the war killed so many young men. Yet Violet cannot reconcile herself to a life spent caring for her grieving, embittered mother. After countless meals of boiled eggs and dry toast, she saves enough to move out of her mother's place and into the town of Winchester, home...

Chevalier transports readers to a bygone time and place in this richly imagined portrait of the young woman who inspired one of Vermeer's most celebrated paintings. "Girl with a Pearl Earring" is the story of 16-year-old Griet, whose life is transformed by her brief encounter with genius, even as she herself is immortalized in canvas and oil. An Independent Bestseller Winner of the 2000 Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award! Tracy Chevalier...

Starting his fifth school in five years, Osei Kokote, a diplomat's son, hoping to survive his first day becomes friends with Dee, the most popular girl in school, but Ian is determined to destroy the budding friendship. 1970s, in a suburban D.C. schoolyard. Starting his fifth school in five years, Osei Kokote, a diplomat's son, hopes to survive his first day. He becomes friends with Dee, the most popular girl in school. But one student, Ian, is determined...

History and fiction merge seamlessly in Tracy Chevalier's luminous novel about artistic vision and sensual awakening. Through the eyes of sixteen-year-old Griet, the world of 1660s Holland comes dazzingly alive in this richly imagined portrait of the young woman who inspired one of Vermeer's most celebrated paintings.