Frances Hodgson Burnett eBooks
eBooks di Frances Hodgson Burnett editi da Lvl Editions di Formato Mobipocket
A little princess. E-book. Formato Mobipocket Frances Hodgson Burnett - Lvl Editions, 2016 -
Captain Crewe, a wealthy young English widower, enrolls his seven-year-old daughter Sara, who has been living in India, at Miss Minchin's boarding school for girls in London, in order to prepare her for a future life in society. Crewe dotes on his daughter, ordering and paying for her special treatment at the school, such as her own room fitted with extra luxuries, her own maid, and her own carriage for rides. The Headmistress, Miss Minchin, is secretly jealous and dislikes Sara, but hides her true feelings and publicly fawns over Sara because her father is so rich.Despite her special status, Sara does not act snobbish and instead is quiet, well-mannered and kind, going out of her way to befriend Ermengarde, the school dunce; Lottie, a four-year-old student prone to temper tantrums; and Becky, the lowly scullery maid. Sara gains the reputation of being like a "princess", and embraces it by trying to behave as a kind and magnanimous princess would in all situations.Four years later, Sara's birthday is celebrated at Miss Minchin's with a lavish party, attended by all her schoolmates. Just as it ends, Miss Minchin learns of Captain Crewe's unfortunate demise after losing his entire fortune through a bad investment in his friend's diamond mines. Sara is left a pauper, and Miss Minchin is left with sizable unpaid bills for Sara's school fees and luxuries, including her birthday party. In a rage, Miss Minchin takes away all of Sara's possessions except for some old frocks and one doll; makes her live in a cold, poorly furnished attic; and forces her to earn her keep by working as an errand girl and general drudge.
The secret garden. E-book. Formato Mobipocket Frances Hodgson Burnett - Lvl Editions, 2016 -
Mary Lennox is a troubled, sickly, and unloved 10-year-old girl born in India to selfish, wealthy British parents. She is primarily cared for by servants, who pacify her as much as possible to keep her out of her parents' way. She grows into a spoiled and selfish girl. Eventually, there is a cholera epidemic in India which kills Mary's parents and all the servants. Mary is discovered alive but alone in the empty house. She briefly lives with an English clergyman and his family and is then sent to Yorkshire, England, to live with Archibald Craven, an uncle she has never met, at his home called Misselthwaite Manor. At first, Mary is her usual self, sour and rude, disliking her uncle's large house, the people within it, and, most of all, the vast stretch of moor, which seems scrubby and grey after the winter. She is told that she must stay confined to her two rooms and keep herself amused without much attention. Martha Sowerby, a good-natured maid, tells Mary a story of the late Mrs. Craven and how she would spend hours in a private walled garden growing roses. Mrs. Craven fell to her death when a tree branch gave way beneath her, and the devastated Mr. Craven locked the garden and buried the key. Mary is piqued by this story and her ill manner begins to soften. Soon, she comes to enjoy the company of Martha, Ben Weatherstaff the gardener, and a friendly robin redbreast whom she assigns a human personality. Her appetite increases and she grows stronger as she plays by herself on the moor. Martha's mother buys Mary a skipping rope to encourage this, and Mary takes to it immediately. Mary occupies her time wondering about both the secret garden and the cries she hears at night. The servants claim not to hear the cries. As Mary is exploring the periphery of the gardens, her robin friend draws her attention to an area of turned-over soil. Mary finds the key to the locked garden, and eventually the door to the garden. She asks Martha for garden tools, which Martha sends with Dickon, her twelve-year-old brother. Mary and Dickon take a liking to each other, as Dickon has a kind way with animals and a good nature. Eager to absorb his gardening knowledge, Mary lets him in on the secret of the garden...