Book description
To mark the publication of Stop What You're Doing and Read
This!, a collection of essays celebrating reading, Vintage
Classics are releasing 12 limited edition themed ebook 'bundles', to
tempt readers to discover and rediscover great books.
JANE EYRE
As an orphan, Jane's childhood is not an easy one but her
independence and strength of character keep her going through the
miseries inflicted by cruel relatives and a brutal school. However,
her biggest challenge is yet to come. Taking a job as a governess in a
house full of secrets, for a passionate man she grows more and more
attracted to, ultimately forces Jane to call on all her resources in
order to hold on to her beliefs.
ANNA KARENINA
Set against the backdrop of Russian high society, Tolstoy charts the
course of the doomed love affair between Anna, a beautiful married
woman, and Count Vronsky, a wealthy army officer. Although she
initially resists his charms Anna eventually succumbs, falling
passionately in love and setting in motion a chain of events that lead
to her downfall.
Charlotte Brontë was born on 21 April 1816. Her father was curate
of Haworth, Yorkshire and her mother died when she was five years old,
leaving five daughters and one son. In 1824 Charlotte, Maria,
Elizabeth, and Emily were sent to Cowan Bridge, a school for
clergymen's daughters, where Maria and Elizabeth both caught
tuberculosis and died. The children were taught at home from this
point on and together they created vivid fantasy worlds which they
explored in their writing. Charlotte worked as a teacher from 1835 to
1838 and then as a governess. In 1846, along with Emily and Anne,
Charlotte published Poems by Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell. After this
Emily wrote Wuthering Heights, Anne wrote Agnes Grey and
Charlotte wrote The Professor. Wuthering Heights and Agnes
Grey were both published but Charlotte's novel was initially
rejected. In 1847 Jane Eyre became her first published novel
and met with immediate success. Between 1848 and 1849 Charlotte lost
her remaining siblings: Emily, Branwell and Anne. She published
Shirley in 1849, Villette in 1853 and in 1854 she
married the Revd. Arthur Bell Nicholls. She died the next year, on 31
March 1855.
Leo Tolstoy was born in central Russia on 9 September 1828. In 1852
he published his first work, the autobiographical Childhood. He served
in the army during the Crimean War and his Sevastopol Sketches
(1855-6) are based on his experiences. His two most popular
masterpieces are War and Peace (1864-69) and Anna Karenina
(1875-8). He died in 20 November 1910
