Literary theme analysis, by a book like {foo}
Books about Human Relationships
The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway
by Ernest Hemingway
Collection of short stories depicting the human experience in all its complexities.
THE ONLY COMPLETE COLLECTION BY THE NOBEL PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR In this definitive collection of Ernest Hemingway's short stories, readers will delight in the author's most beloved classics such as ... (Goodreads)
Middlemarch
by George Eliot
A grand narrative of life in a small English town, exploring the lives of its inhabitants.
Middlemarch centres on the lives of residents of Middlemarch, a fictitious Midlands town, from 1829 onwards – the years up to the 1832 Reform Act . The narrative is variably considered to consist of ... (Wikipedia)
The Double Comfort Safari Club
by Alexander McCall Smith
An adventure filled with humorous observations of culture and humanity.
Readers will agree that this touching and dramatic new installment in Alexander McCall Smith’s beloved and best-selling series is the finest yet. In this story, Precious Ramotswe deals with issues of ... (Goodreads)
Moral Disorder and Other Stories
by Margaret Atwood
An exploration of the lives of characters in a small Canadian town, delving into their stories of joy, sorrow, and moral ambiguity.
Margaret Atwood is acknowledged as one of the foremost writers of our time. In Moral Disorder she has created a series of interconnected stories that trace the course of a life and also the lives ... (Goodreads)
Naked
by David Sedaris
Collection of humorous essays exploring the absurdities of everyday life.
Welcome to the hilarious, strange, elegiac, outrageous world of David Sedaris. In Naked , Sedaris turns the mania for memoir on its proverbial ear, mining the exceedingly rich terrain of his life, ... (Goodreads)
How to Win Friends and Influence People
by Dale Carnegie
A guide to building relationships, leveraging psychology to gain influence and create lasting connections.
You can go after the job you want...and get it! You can take the job you have...and improve it! You can take any situation you're in...and make it work for you! Since its release in 1936, How to Win ... (Goodreads)
Death Comes for the Archbishop
by Willa Cather
An epic tale of faith and courage, set in the deserts of New Mexico during the 19th century.
The narrative is based on two historical figures of the late 19th century, Jean-Baptiste Lamy and Joseph Projectus Machebeuf , and rather than any one singular plot, is the stylized re-telling of ... (Wikipedia)
House of the Sleeping Beauties and Other Stories
by Yasunari Kawabata
A collection of short stories exploring the themes of love, desire, and death in Japanese society.
Nobel prize-winning author Yasunari Kawabata is noted for his combination of a traditional Japanese aesthetic with modernist, often surreal trends. In these three tales, superbly translated by Edward ... (Goodreads)
The Woman from Tantoura
by رضوى عاشور
A vivid exploration of the Egyptian city of Alexandria, its inhabitants and their struggles.
الطنطورية (نسبة الى قرية الطنطورة الواقعة على الساحل الفلسطيني جنوب حيفا) ، تعرضت هذه القرية عام 1948 لمذبحة على يد العصابات الصهيونية ، تتناول الرواية هذه المذبحة كمنطلق و حدث من الاحداث الرئيسية ، ... (Goodreads)
The Post-Office Girl
by Stefan Zweig
A young woman's life changes when she inherits a fortune and experiences the luxuries of high society. But it doesn't last forever.
Christine is an Austrian public servant in a post-office job in a poverty-stricken city near St. Pölten in Lower Austria . She is a blonde woman whose mother is sick and whose father had died during ... (Wikipedia)
As Meat Loves Salt
by Maria McCann
Jacob Cullen, a soldier in the English Civil War, flees his regiment and embarks on a journey of self-discovery and obsession.
In the seventeenth century, the English Revolution is under way. The nation, seething with religious and political discontent, has erupted into violence and terror. Jacob Cullen and his fellow ... (Goodreads)
Cannery Row
by John Steinbeck
An exploration of the lives of the inhabitants of a small town in California.
Cannery Row has a simple premise: Mack and his friends are trying to do something nice for their friend Doc, who has been good to them without asking for reward. Mack hits on the idea that they ... (Wikipedia)
Winesburg, Ohio
by Sherwood Anderson
Portrayal of small town life, exploring its inhabitants' inner struggles and struggles with conformity.
Winesburg, Ohio depicts the strange, secret lives of the inhabitants of a small town. In "Hands," Wing Biddlebaum tries to hide the tale of his banishment from a Pennsylvania town, a tale represented ... (Goodreads)
Things Fall Apart
by Chinua Achebe
Exploration of African culture and traditions, grappling with the tension between modernity and tradition.
The novel's protagonist , Okonkwo, is famous in the villages of Umuofia for being a wrestling champion, defeating a wrestler nicknamed "Amalinze The Cat" (because he never lands on his back). Okonkwo ... (Wikipedia)
The Lady With the Little Dog and Other Stories, 1896-1904
by Anton Chekhov
Collection of short stories exploring the complexities of human relationships and the human condition in late 19th century Russia.
In the final years of his prominent life, Chekhov had reached the height of his powers as a dramatist, and also produced some of the stories that rank among his masterpieces. The poignant 'The Lady ... (Goodreads)
The Casual Vacancy
by J.K. Rowling
A small town is split by a heated local election, sparking social tensions and hidden secrets.
A BIG NOVEL ABOUT A SMALL TOWN ... When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock. Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ... (Goodreads)
Still Life
by Louise Penny
A murder investigation leads to the discovery of secrets surrounding a small Canadian town.
Winner of the New Blood Dagger, Arthur Ellis, Barry, Anthony, and Dilys awards., Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surêté du Québec and his team of investigators are called in to the scene of a ... (Barnes & Noble)
How the Light Gets In
by Louise Penny
Detective Armand Gamache investigates a murder in a small Canadian town, uncovering secrets and lies.
Christmas is approaching, and in Québec it's a time of dazzling snowfalls, bright lights, and gatherings with friends in front of blazing hearths. But shadows are falling on the usually festive ... (Goodreads)
The Golden Notebook
by Doris Lessing
A woman's journey of self-discovery and reflection, exploring freedom, identity and relationships.
The Golden Notebook is the story of writer Anna Wulf, the four notebooks in which she records her life, and her attempt to tie them together in a fifth, gold-coloured notebook. The book intersperses ... (Wikipedia)
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
by Edward Albee
A darkly comedic exploration of a troubled couple's tumultuous marriage.
George and Martha engage in dangerous emotional games. George is an associate professor of history and Martha is the daughter of the president of the college where George teaches. After they return ... (Wikipedia)
The Murderess
by Alexandros Papadiamantis
Το κακό που κάνει η γριά Χαδούλα δεν είναι το συνηθησμένο, το καθημερινό, αλλά κακό μεγάλο, ασυγχώρητο, μοιραίο. Αλά ποιά είναι αυτή η Φραγκογιαννού, τι είδος άνθρωπου είναι αυτή η γυναίκα που κάνει ... (Goodreads)
Goodbye to Berlin
by Christopher Isherwood
A portrait of the vibrant Weimar-era Berlin, with its array of characters and cultural clashes.
Here, meine Damen und Herren, is Christopher Isherwood's brilliant farewell to a city which was not only buildings, streets, and people, but was also a state of mind which will never come around ... (Goodreads)
The Good Soldier
by Ford Madox Ford
A chronicle of the lives of two couples, weaving together tragedy, deceit, and self-deception.
The Good Soldier is narrated by the character John Dowell, half of one of the couples whose dissolving relationships form the subject of the novel. Dowell tells the story of those dissolutions, plus ... (Wikipedia)
Diving Into the Wreck
by Adrienne Rich
A feminist poem about exploring the wreckage of a patriarchal society and reclaiming lost history and identity.
"I came to explore the wreck. / The words are purposes. / The words are maps. / I came to see the damage that was done / and the treasures that prevail." These provocative poems move with the power ... (Goodreads)
Things The Grandchildren Should Know
by Mark Oliver Everett
Memoir of the lead singer of the Eels, detailing his life, struggles, and creative process.
How does one young man survive the deaths of his entire family and manage to make something worthwhile of his life? In Things The Grandchildren Should Know Mark Oliver Everett tells the story of what ... (Goodreads)
The Other Side of the Story
by Marian Keyes
Three women, each with their own tale of heartache, discover the power of friendship and empathy.
Jojo Harvey is a dead ringer for Jessica Rabbit and the most ferocious literary agent in town. A former NYPD cop, she now lives in London making million-dollar book deals while trying to make partner ... (Barnes & Noble)
War and Remembrance
by Herman Wouk
Epic saga of a Jewish family's journey through WWII, facing the struggles of a war-torn world.
War and Remembrance completes the cycle that began with, The Winds of War, . The story includes historical occurrences at Midway , Yalta , Guadalcanal , and El Alamein as well as the Allied invasions ... (Wikipedia)
Espresso Tales
by Alexander McCall Smith
A collection of stories set in a small Edinburgh coffeehouse, where the patrons share their joys and sorrows over a cup of coffee.
Pat is still sharing a flat with Bruce, the good-looking egoist, although she is no longer attracted to him. She decides to go back to university and obtains a place at Edinburgh, but still works ... (Wikipedia)
One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories
by B.J. Novak
Collection of short stories, exploring the quirks of life with wit and humor.
New York Times Bestseller , A startlingly original debut from the actor, writer, director, and executive producer hailed as “a gifted observer of the human condition and a very funny writer capable ... (Barnes & Noble)
Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life
by Marshall B. Rosenberg
A guide to understanding communication, fostering healthy relationships and resolving conflicts.
Do you hunger for skills to improve the quality of your relationships, to deepen your sense of personal empowerment or to simply communicate more effectively? Unfortunately, for centuries our culture ... (Goodreads)
Falling Man
by Don DeLillo
A man walks out of the World Trade Center after the 9/11 attacks and tries to rebuild his life.
During the September 11 attacks , Keith Neudecker, a 39-year-old lawyer who works in the World Trade Center , escapes from the building injured slightly and walks to the apartment he previously ... (Wikipedia)
The Handsome Man's Deluxe Café
by Alexander McCall Smith
A tale of the accidental proprietor of a small café in an African country.
Mma Makutsi has decided to start a new venture: The Handsome Man's De Luxe Café. She envisages this to be place for fashionable men to hobnob, and in her excitement ignores the various warning signs, ... (Wikipedia)
On Chesil Beach
by Ian McEwan
A young couple's journey through a difficult, yet passionate, wedding night.
In July 1962, Edward Mayhew, a graduate student of history, and Florence Ponting, a violinist of a string quartet, have just been married and are spending their honeymoon in a small hotel on the ... (Wikipedia)
Believing the Lie
by Elizabeth George
A detective investigates a suspicious death in a wealthy family, uncovering secrets and lies.
Inspector Thomas Lynley is mystified when he's sent undercover to investigate the death of Ian Cresswell at the request of the man's uncle, the wealthy and influential Bernard Fairclough. The death ... (Goodreads)
Our Town
by Thornton Wilder
A story of life in a small town, exploring the beauty and brevity of ordinary moments.
Our Town was first produced and published in 1938 to wide acclaim. This Pulitzer Prize-winning drama of life in the small village of Grover's Corners, an allegorical representation of all life, has ... (Goodreads)
Strange Weather in Tokyo
by Hiromi Kawakami
A tale of love and friendship between two lonely people in Tokyo.
Tsukiko is drinking alone in her local sake bar when by chance she meets one of her old high school teachers and, unable to remember his name, she falls back into her old habit of calling him ... (Goodreads)
Something Fresh
by P.G. Wodehouse
A comedic tale of mistaken identity and romance, as a young woman seeks independence.
Ashe Marson and his fellow lodger Joan Valentine discover that they both work as writers for the Mammoth Publishing Company . Joan urges Ashe to overcome his discontentment and take a fresh direction ... (Wikipedia)
The Care and Management of Lies
by Jacqueline Winspear
A tale of love and deception set during World War I, exploring the impact of war on relationships and the power of secrets.
The New York Times bestselling author of the Maisie Dobbs series turns her prodigious talents to this World War I standalone novel, a lyrical drama of love struggling to survive in a damaged, ... (Goodreads)
Unseen
by Karin Slaughter
A mystery thriller that delves into the dark secrets of a small town.
Karin Slaughter’s novels featuring Special Agent Will Trent are utterly riveting and masterfully drawn. Her latest thriller, Unseen , pits detectives, lovers, and enemies against one another in an ... (Goodreads)
Remembrance
by Meg Cabot
A girl discovers she can communicate with ghosts and helps them resolve their unfinished business. But can she handle the consequences?
Six years after the events of, Twilight, , Suze Simon is studying for a master's degree in counselling and interning at the Mission Academy office. She is now engaged to Jesse, who is finishing his ... (Wikipedia)
The Maytrees
by Annie Dillard
A love story between two poets, Lou and Toby Maytree, and their unconventional life in Cape Cod.
In spare, elegant prose, Dillard traces the lives of Toby and Lou Maytree. She presents willed bonds of loyalty, friendship, and abiding love. Warm and hopeful, The Maytrees is the surprising ... (Goodreads)
Strange Pilgrims
by Gabriel García Márquez
Collection of stories about Latin American travelers, exploring the depths of human experience.
In Barcelona, an aging Brazilian prostitute trains her dog to weep at the grave she has chosen for herself. In Vienna, a woman parlays her gift for seeing the future into a fortunetelling position ... (Goodreads)
A Quiver Full of Arrows
by Jeffrey Archer
A masterful collection of short stories, weaving together the lives of its characters.
Ordinary Heros, Extraordinary Deeds The bestselling author of Kane & Abel, The Prodigal Daughter and Honor Among Theives once again astonishes, delights, and electrifies his legions of fans. From ... (Goodreads)
Bridge of Sighs
by Richard Russo
A sweeping story of a small town and its inhabitants, facing the challenges of life and love.
Bridge of Sighs courses with small-town rhythms and the claims of family. Here is a town, as well as a world, defined by magnificent and nearly devastating contradictions. Louis Charles (“Lucy”) ... (Goodreads)
Sweet Tooth
by Ian McEwan
Story of a young woman's journey of self-discovery and the moral dilemmas she faces.
The plot is set in early-1970s England. Serena Frome ("rhymes with plume"), the daughter of an Anglican bishop, shows a talent for mathematics and is admitted to the University of Cambridge . But she ... (Wikipedia)
Sons and Lovers
by D.H. Lawrence
A young man's struggle between his loyalty to his family and his desire for independence.
The refined daughter of a "good old burgher family," Gertrude Coppard meets a rough-hewn miner, Walter Morel, at a Christmas dance and falls into a whirlwind romance characterised by physical ... (Wikipedia)
Innocent Erendira and Other Stories
by Gabriel García Márquez
Short stories exploring the depths of human emotion and the power of love.
This is the story of a twelve year old who accidentally sets fire to the house where she lives with her grandmother. The grandmother decides that Erendira must pay her back for the loss, and sells ... (Wikipedia)
The Stories of Breece D'J Pancake
by Breece D'J Pancake
A collection of short stories set in rural West Virginia, exploring the lives of working-class people and their struggles.
Breece D'J Pancake cut short a remarkably promising writing career when he took his own life in 1979 at the age of 26. In 1983 Little, Brown and Company's posthumous publication of this book ... (Goodreads)
More Tales of the City
by Armistead Maupin
A group of colorful characters navigate life and love in 1970s San Francisco.
The story begins about a couple months from where Tales of the City ended. Michael ("Mouse") Tolliver and Mary Ann Singleton go on a cruise, thanks to money given to her by her former boss, Edgar ... (Wikipedia)
Memories of My Melancholy Whores
by Gabriel García Márquez
An elderly man's reflections on love and life, through the lens of a young prostitute.
An old journalist, who has just celebrated his 90th birthday, seeks sex with a 14 year old prostitute, who is selling her virginity to help her family. Instead of sex, he discovers love for the first ... (Wikipedia)
Amsterdam
by Ian McEwan
Interconnected stories of love and morality among a small group of characters in Amsterdam.
At the funeral of photographer and writer Molly Lane, three of Molly's former lovers converge. They include newspaper editor Vernon Halliday and composer Clive Linley who are old friends, and British ... (Wikipedia)
Self-Made Man: One Woman's Journey Into Manhood and Back Again
by Norah Vincent
A woman disguises herself as a man and lives among them, exploring the differences in gender roles and expectations.
Having gone where no woman (who wasn't an aspiring or actual transsexual) has gone for any significant length of time, let alone eighteen months, Norah Vincent's surprising account is an enthralling ... (Goodreads)
A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories
by Will Eisner
Collection of interweaving stories about the struggles and joys of life in an immigrant tenement in the Bronx.
Go back to where graphic novels all started, on the Bronx street of Dropsie Avenue and A Life Force, in Will Eisner's groundbreaking 1978 creation. The human drama, the psychological insight – Eisner ... (Goodreads)
A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain
by Robert Olen Butler
A collection of short stories exploring the lives of Vietnamese immigrants in America, their struggles and their search for identity.
Robert Olen Butler's lyrical and poignant collection of stories about the aftermath of the Vietnam War and its impact on the Vietnamese was acclaimed by critics across the nation and won the Pulitzer ... (Goodreads)
A Stranger in the Mirror
by Sidney Sheldon
The rise and fall of a handsome and successful man, haunted by his past and struggling to find true happiness.
A retired captain recalls the cruise where he decided to retire, which involves the famous celebrity, Jill Castle. The book then goes back to the beginning of the lives of the two main characters: ... (Wikipedia)
The Yacoubian Building
by Alaa Al Aswany
A novel set in a Cairo apartment building, exploring the lives of its diverse inhabitants and their struggles with love, politics, and societal norms.
The novel described the Yacoubian Building as one of the most luxurious and prestigious apartment blocks in Cairo following its construction by Armenian businessman Hagop Yacoubian in 1934, with ... (Wikipedia)
The Wings of the Dove
by Henry James
A tale of love and intrigue, as a young woman balances her desires against her moral obligations.
Kate Croy and Merton Densher are two betrothed Londoners who desperately want to marry but have very little money. Kate is constantly put upon by family troubles, and is now living with her ... (Wikipedia)
When the Music's Over
by Peter Robinson
A young girl is found dead in a remote area, and two detectives must navigate through a web of lies and secrets to uncover the truth.
Alan Banks is newly promoted to Detective Superintendent. There are two investigations in the book, one is investigated by DI Annie Cabbot although Banks is the SIO on paper. He has three female ... (Wikipedia)
44 Scotland Street
by Alexander McCall Smith
Humorous tale of life in Edinburgh, featuring a cast of quirky characters.
44 SCOTLAND STREET - Book 1, The residents and neighbors of 44 Scotland Street and the city of Edinburgh come to vivid life in these gently satirical, wonderfully perceptive serial novels, featuring ... (Goodreads)
Jacob's Room
by Virginia Woolf
A portrait of a young man's life, told through the perspectives of those who knew him. A meditation on the fleeting nature of existence.
Set in pre-war England, the novel begins in Jacob's childhood and follows him through college at Cambridge and into adulthood . The story is told mainly through the perspectives of the women in ... (Wikipedia)
The Ballad of the Sad Café and Other Stories
by Carson McCullers
Collection of stories exploring the complexities of the human condition.
A classic work that has charmed generations of readers, this collection assembles Carson McCullers’s best stories, including her beloved novella “The Ballad of the Sad Café.” A haunting tale of a ... (Goodreads)
Roadwork
by Richard Bachman
A man struggles to keep his sanity as his home is destroyed to make way for a new highway.
During a man-on-the-street news interview in August 1972, an unnamed man (later identified as Barton George Dawes) gives his angry opinion of a new highway extension project. The narrative then jumps ... (Wikipedia)
The Heart
by Maylis de Kerangal
A young man dies in a car accident, and his heart is donated to save another life. The novel follows the journey of the heart from donor to recipient.
Early one Sunday morning near Le Havre, France , 19-year old Simon Limbres and his two friends, Christophe Alba and Johan Rocher, go surfing. While driving back home, the boys get into a car ... (Wikipedia)
Gitanjali
by Rabindranath Tagore
A collection of poems that explore the spiritual and emotional journey of the author, expressing his love for God and nature.
Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore was one of the most important writers in 20th-century Indian literature. Among his expansive and impressive body of work, Gitanjali is regarded as one of his ... (Goodreads)
Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction
by Sue Townsend
Adrian Mole navigates middle age, love, and fatherhood while dealing with the aftermath of 9/11 and the Iraq War.
The story also deals with an issue that has affected Sue Townsend directly; she was registered blind in 2001, as a result of long-term diabetes . Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction was ... (Wikipedia)
Careless in Red
by Elizabeth George
Detective Lynley retreats to Cornwall after a personal tragedy, but is drawn into a murder investigation.
From, New York Times, bestselling author Elizabeth George, a stunning mystery featuring Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley that explores the perfect crime—,now available as a limited Olive Edition ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Gum Thief
by Douglas Coupland
Two unlikely friends bond over their shared boredom while working at a Staples. Their lives intertwine through letters and a stolen diary.
Roger and Bethany The primary plot of this novel involves two characters, Roger and Bethany, employees of a Staples in North Vancouver , British Columbia , Canada . The two characters come from very ... (Wikipedia)
Lands of Glass
by Alessandro Baricco
Il primo libro di narrativa di Baricco: il romanzo è ambientato nell'Ottocento, in una cittadina immaginaria, Quinnipak; è generoso nel presentare storie e personaggi, ciascuno con i suoi sogni e ... (Goodreads)
Hitty, Her First Hundred Years
by Rachel Field
The adventures of a wooden doll named Hitty, as she travels through different owners and experiences life in America over a century.
The narrative unfolds through the eyes of a tiny wooden doll named Mehitabel (Hittie), who was carved early in the nineteenth century from the magical wood of the Mountain Ash tree by a peddler for a ... (Wikipedia)
American Primitive
by Mary Oliver
A collection of poems that celebrate the beauty of nature and the human experience, with a focus on the simplicity and wonder of everyday life.
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry Her most acclaimed volume of poetry, American Primitive contains fifty visionary poems about nature, the humanity in love, and the wilderness of America, both ... (Goodreads)
The Virgin of Small Plains
by Nancy Pickard
A small town mystery surrounding the disappearance of a young girl and the secrets that come to light years later.
Small Plains, Kansas, January 23, 1987: In the midst of a deadly blizzard, eighteen-year-old Rex Shellenberger scours his father’s pasture, looking for helpless newborn calves. Then he makes a ... (Goodreads)
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