Novel Conversations

This classic western novel tells the story of a Mattie Ross, a young girl who, with her unlikely companions, traverses the American West to avenge the death of her father. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Herman Melville's landmark novel follows the obsessive quest of Captain Ahab as he seeks revenge on Moby Dick, the huge white wale which had previously maimed him, leading to a perilous and philosophical journey for the crew of the whaling ship The Pequod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Tale of Two Cities is one of the most prolific fictional works to every be written in the English language. Its story explores the nature of sacrifice, revenge, and resurrection amongst several characters set around the French Revolution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Edith Wharton's 1920 novel is set in 1870s New York City, and explores the conflict between individual desire and cultural expectations in New York City's high society. This landmark jazz-age novel won Wharton the Pulitzer Prize in 1921, the first woman to recieve the award. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The landmark debut novel of author James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man tells the story of young Stephen Dedalus's spiritual and intellectual awakening in turn-of-the-century Ireland. Its modernist stylings and use of strict realism would come to define Joyce as an author. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Originally published alongside other famous Falkner works in an anthology titled "Go Down Moses", The Bear is about Issac "Ike" McCaslin, who trains to hunt and kill the legendary bear Old Ben. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Robert Louis Stevenson's seminal adventure novel "Treasure Island." The story follows young Jim Hawkins' journey aboard a pirate vessel, chasing hidden treasure and battling the fearsome Long John Silver. The novel's iconic pirate imagery, and rich and complex characters have made it a timeless classic in the adventure sub-genre. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh is a satirical novel that follows the lives of members of London's wealthy elite. The focus of our story, Tony Last, his wife Brenda, and their son John Andrew, endure hardship and turmoil. By utilizing a satirical stance for the narrative, Waugh paints a farcical, tragic picture of 20th century religion and morality. The novel also famously features an alternate ending, setting a very different tone for the conclusion of the novel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey there listeners! We're nearly ready to get started with the next season of Novel Conversations, but in the meantime, we have a show that we think you'll love! If you enjoy this episode, be sure to go give Thoughts From A Page a follow. We appreciate it! We'll be back with fresh episodes of Novel Conversations before you know it. Thanks! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Graham Greene's final contribution to his 4 "Catholic Series" novels, The End of the Affair tells the story of Maurice Bendrix and his internal struggles navigating an affair with his partner, Catherine Walston. The novel's deeply introspective narrative is contrasted by the escalation of WWII in 1940s England. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Conrad's landmark novel from 1899, English sailor Charles Marlow describes his voyage into the interior of the African jungle aboard a Belgian shipping vessel. The work levees a striking criticism of the imperial mindset of its era, reflected in its inclusion as one of the greatest texts of Western literature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the greatest all-time works of American fiction, 'To Kill A Mockingbird' is a timeless account of the American South as seen through the eyes of a young girl named Scout. The novel's warm and approachable dissection of gender, society, and race have made it an enduring staple of the American literary canon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea is classic science-adventure novel written by Jules Verne, and released serially through 1870. It tells the story of the Nautilus, a futuristic deep-sea submarine, and its long voyages through the ocean's depths through the eyes of our protagonist, the marine biologist Professor Aronnax, who is captive aboard the vessel with his companions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emily Bronte's only novel, Wuthering Heights tells the story of the turbulent relationships between the Earnshaws and the Lintons, two families of landed gentry in 1847 West Yorkshire. In its time, the novel was controversial for its depictions of cruelty and abuse, and for its challenges to Victorian ideals and morality. In the time since however, has come to be regarded as one of the greatest novels ever written. Special thanks to our readers, Anthony Mahramus and Elizabeth Flood, our Producer and Sound Designer Noah Foutz, our Engineer Gray Sienna Longfellow, and our executive producers Brigid Coyne and Joan Andrews. Here's to hoping you find yourself in a novel conversation! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Titled "The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner: Who Lived Eight and Twenty Years, All Alone in an Un-inhabited Island on the Coast of America, Near the Mouth of the Great River of Oroonoque; Having Been Cast on Shore by Shipwreck, Wherein All the Men Perished but Himself. With an Account how he was at last as Strangely Deliver’d by Pyrates. Written by Himself,” at publication, Robinson Crusoe is an enduring fiction that set the standard for the adventure novel for centuries to come. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This classic of English literature was originally penned under the name "Currer Bell", and details the story of the titular Jane as she struggles to find comfort and self-worth through the ups and downs of her life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

in 1897's West Sussex, a strangely dressed and unfriendly man named Griffin takes up lodging at a local inn, causing havoc and disharmony with his rude antics and constant scientific investigation. As the novel progresses, we see more and more of the evil within Griffin, even as he is seen less and less. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Bleak House" is a novel by Charles Dickens, first published as a 20-episode serial between March 1852 and September 1853. The story centers around a variety of characters whose livelihoods depend on the outcome of an active court case, Jarndyce and Jarndyce. Throughout the novel, our perspective shifts between an omniscient third person and the personal perspective of our main protagonist, Esther Summerson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Evergreen Podcasts, the network that brought you From First Lady to Jackie O, is pleased to introduce Countdown to Dallas, another podcast from Host Paul Brandus.  On the sixtieth anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, former White House correspondent Paul Brandus takes an in-depth look at the seemingly unconnected events that led to that infamous afternoon in Dallas, Texas. He explores the troubled and broken life of Kennedy’s killer, Lee Harvey Oswald, and challenges six decades worth of conspiracy theories—none of which have been proven.  Enjoy this episode of Countdown to Dallas and subscribe for more in your favorite listening app or at EvergreenPodcasts.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My Antonia, the third of Willa Cather's "prairie trilogy", follows the story of a young bohemian immigrant to the town of Blackhawk, Nebraska. Narrated by our protagonist Jim Burden, Cather uses vivid imagery and beautiful prose to paint a picture of immigrant life on the prairie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this famous Robert Louis Stevenson novel, we follow Gabriel Utterson, a London legal-practitioner who investigates the relationship between his old friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and a criminally abominable man by the name of Mr. Hyde. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In "The Hound of the Baskervilles" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, we see the preeminent Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes' solve the eerie murder of a Sir Arthur Baskerville on the moors of Dartmoor by an apparent fiendish hound. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In F. Scott Fitzgerald's debut novel, published in 1920, he tells the story of Amory Blaine, a smart, attractive, ivy-league dropout with whom Fitzgerald makes observations about the greed and loneliness of the post WWI era. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Loved One tells the story of Dennis Barlow, a British ex-patriot living in Los Angeles and working at a funeral home for pets. Throughout the book, we see Dennis struggle to balance his reputation for the British community in Hollywood, the demands of his position, and the glitz and glamor of the film industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Around The World in 80 Days tells the story of Phileas Fogg, a London gentleman with meticulous habits, and his bet that he can circumnavigate the globe in 80 days or less. Accompanied by his loyal valet Passepartout, Fogg's whirlwind journey weaves a fantastical tale of heroics and adventure as they try to beat the clock back to London to cash in on his wager. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

'The Picture of Dorian Gray' is a story of a young, beautiful man named Dorian whose wish is granted his wish when his portrait ages on his behalf, but records his mistakes also. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"To The Lighthouse" is a philosophical, introspective story about the Ramsay family, a large English family that visit their summer home in northeast Scotland. Through the lens of 3 separate trips to the family's Scottish estate, we examine the small joys and quiet tragedies of an everyday life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The famous Arthurian tale of Sir Gawain, nephew of King Arthur, who must travel to face his demise at the hands of the supernatural Green Knight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Billy Budd" was Herman Melville's final novel, released 33 years posthumously. It tells the story of abeautiful, gregarious English sailor during the Napoleonic Wars who finds himself in conflict with his Master-at-arms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Death Comes for the Archbishop" tells a fictionalized version of the real-life story of Father Latour, the first Catholic Bishop of the newly acquired U.S. territory of New Mexico in the late nineteenth century. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"It Can't Happen Here" is Sinclair Lewis's prescient story of a fascist ruler coming to power in the United States in the 1930s. From the perspective of Doremus Jessup, a journalist in a small Vermont town, we see the effects of a totalitarian takeover unfold. Inspired by Nazi Germany and the rise of populism in his time, Lewis shows us that it in fact, it can happen here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In "And Then There Were None," a group of strangers are called to a remote island with hopes of treasure, employment and more, but are soon haunted by the mistakes of their past and a grim poem. Join host Frank Lavallo and readers Phil Setnik and Elizabeth Flood as they discuss all the gruesome details of Agatha Christie's classic mystery novel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dracula tells the story of the supernatural Count Dracula, a vampire who comes to haunt the English seaside town of Whitby. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Evergreen is proud to present Five Minute News hosted by Anthony Davis. Independent. Unbiased. Essential. Five minutes of verified and truthful world news, daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Another epic outtake reel featuring Host, Frank Lavallo, and Readers, Elizabeth Flood, Phil Setnik, Peter Toomey & Katie Smith as they blunder and fumble during the making of Novel Conversations Season 7. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1984 follows the life of Winston Smith, a low ranking member of ‘the Party’, who is frustrated by the omnipresent eyes of the party, and its ominous ruler, Big Brother. Orwell effectively explores the themes of mass media control, government surveillance, how a dictator can manipulate and control history, thoughts, and lives in such a way that no one can escape it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the greatest satires in American literature, Twain's novel shares how Hank Morgan, a skilled mechanic in a nineteenth-century New England arms factory, is struck on the head during a quarrel and awakens to find himself among the knights and magicians of King Arthur's Camelot. The 'Yankee' embarks on an ambitious plan to modernize Camelot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A novel published in nine volumes, this extraordinary work of literature details the accounts of the four comical mishaps which shaped the course of Tristram Shandy’s life from an early age. Tristram’s life story is nothing short of a strange, eccentric, endlessly complex masterpiece.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During World War II, a group of men are held prisoner by the Germans, who determine that three of them must die. This is the story of how one of those men trades his wealth for his life - and lives to pay for his act in utterly unexpected ways. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Sparrow tells the story of a charismatic Jesuit priest and linguist, Emilio Sandoz, who leads a scientific mission to an off-planet world, Rakhat, and the risky and courageous attempt to make first contact with intelligent extraterrestrial life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Advise and Consent is the dramatic 1959 political fiction novel that explores the United States Senate confirmation of controversial Secretary of State nominee Robert Leffingwell, whose promotion is endangered due to growing evidence that the nominee was a member of the Communist Party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The story that launched H.G. Wells’s successful career and earned him his reputation as the “Father of Science Fiction.” The Time Machine sends a brave explorer to face a future burdened with our greatest hopes… and our darkest fears. The discovery of two bizarre races, the Eloi and the Morlocks, offer a dystopian warning and / or a portrait of hope for the future of humanity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ray Bradbury’s famed novel is set in a dystopian society that burns books in order to control dangerous ideas and unhappy concepts. The novel tells the story of Guy Montag, a fireman who questions the book-burning policy and undergoes extraordinary suffering and transformation as a result. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Another epic outtake reel featuring Host, Frank Lavallo, and Readers, Elizabeth Flood, Phil Setnik, Peter Toomey & Katie Smith as they blunder and fumble during the making of Novel Conversations Season 6. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The original story of Cupid and Psyche, told in the 2nd century AD, was believed by Lewis to be illogical and problematic. As a result, he developed a new story from a new main character’s point of view: Orual. She is the older sister to Psyche. Together, they grapple with Gods over spiritual disputes and bitter inner turmoil.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mrs. Dalloway covers one day from morning to night in one woman’s life. Clarissa Dalloway, an upper-class housewife, walks through her London neighborhood to prepare for the party she will host that evening. The celebrated classic looks at Virginia Woolf’s multitude of characters, from love interests, to party-goers, friends and philosophers, and explores the inter-war social structure of the time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Raised on a ranch in northern California, Jody is well-schooled in the hard work and the demands of a rancher's life. This four part novella centers around the special connection he will forge with his hot-tempered pony and discovering the life lessons he must learn about the ways of nature and, particularly, the ways of man. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thomas Hardy's last finished novel, Jude the Obscure, tells the story of Jude Fawley, a working-class man who dreams of becoming a scholar, and of his doomed relationships with the seductive Arabella Donn and the true love of his life, Sue Bridehead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Set in 17th century Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony, the novel tells the story of Hester Prynne who conceives a daughter through an affair and then attempts to create a new life of dignity. Hester, her estranged lover, and the town itself, all struggle with morality, sin and guilt during a strict religious time period in American history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Slaughterhouse-Five follows the life and experiences of Billy Pilgrim as he finds himself “unstuck in time”. The book is centered around his time as an American soldier during World War II, his capture by the German Army, and his survival of the Allied firebombing of Dresden as a prisoner-of-war - an experience which Vonnegut himself lived through as an American serviceman. Vonnegut offers a multi-dimensional view of fantasy and rock-hard reality. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The story of Huck Finn is about a fun-loving risk-taker youth and his adventures on the Mississippi River with a runaway slave named Jim. A blossoming friendship ensues on their freedom seeking voyage and beyond. Huckleberry Finn is most commonly viewed as a satire of racism, religion, morality, and social attitudes of the time, making it Twain’s most notable work and one of the great American novels. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This classic tale is about a youthful trickster, Tom Sawyer and his adventures in the antebellum south. From treasure hunting and playing pirates to church pranks and schoolhouse crushes, Tom Sawyer’s childish antics make him Twain’s standout character. Although his mischief starts out as mere entertainment, it soon turns into danger as he and his band of friends, witness a murder.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Enjoy this “irrevocably” humorous compilation of outtakes featuring amusing mistakes and mishaps from Host, Frank Lavallo and Readers: Elizabeth Flood, Phil Setnik, Peter Toomey, & Katie Smith, which occurred during the making of Season 5 of the Novel Conversations Podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This early 19th century novel tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a hideous creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment. Unbeknownst to the obsessed scientist, the creature is intelligent and longs for a mate. Tormented by isolation and loneliness, the once-innocent creature turns to evil and unleashes a campaign of murderous revenge against his creator, Frankenstein. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This old-fashioned, sweet novella is about Helen, a governess turned adventurer, who hops on a traveling book-selling wagon as a way to escape the monotony of farm-life. Her brother, Andrew, unexpectedly becomes a celebrity author and leaves Helen chained to chores… until Roger Mifflin shows up with Parnasuss on Wheels and offers her a thrilling life on the road selling books and beyond. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Twain's last completed novel, published when he was 61 years old, recounts the life of Joan of Arc through a fictional character (invented by Mark Twain) - The Sieur Louis de Conte. Joan of Arc, at the age of seventeen, fights for French independence from the English in the 15th century under Charles VII. Louis accompanies Joan as her secretary through the battles and witnesses her trial and execution at the hands of the English. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plot: This adventure story details White Fang's journey to domestication in Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush. The young pup, who is part wolf and part dog, struggles to survive after he is separated from his mother. White Fang eventually finds his life in the hands of a young gold hunter, Weedon Scott, who purchases the pup and attempts to tame him. After a long, patient effort, Scott succeeds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plot: Main Street relates to the life and struggles of Carol Milford Kennicott in the provincial town of Gopher Prairie, Minnesota, as she comes into conflict with the small-town mentality of its residents. She moves to the town with dreams of transforming it into a sort of modern utopia. But there's just one problem... everyone else in Gopher Prairie likes the ugly old town just the way it is. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plot: Candide, a simple man, is thrust into a world of chaos as he experiences the horrors of war, poverty, the maliciousness of man, and the hypocrisy of the church. His tutor, Doctor Pangloss, attempts to teach him philosophical optimism, that “... All is for the best.” Candide begins to doubt the veracity of Pangloss' theories and soon finds the best of both worlds.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plot: In nineteenth-century France, the daughter of a country squire Emma, marries a dull country doctor, Charles Bovary. To escape boredom, she throws herself into love affairs and runs up ruinous debts. As she finds some excitement attending balls, operas, and socializing with the upper echelons of French society, Madame Bovary - as expected - finds she cannot escape the doldrums of a passionless marriage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plot: A poor boy named Tom Canty and the Prince of Wales exchange identities, and the events that follow, force the pair to experience each other's lives. Mistaken for a beggar, Edward must struggle to survive on the streets. Meanwhile, Tom, who has no knowledge of how to be a Prince fears being mistaken for an imposter. The two boys learn a great deal of insight from living in each other's shoes.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"East of Eden" tells the tale of the Trask and Hamilton families, who live in the scenic Salinas Valley at the end of World War I. Scott and Ildi Rich, join host, Frank Lavallo, to discuss the riveting juxtaposition of the poor immigrants and wealthy land owners of Steinbeck's masterpiece. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"To Have and Have Not" tells the tale of the Depression-era Florida Keys. Featuring Harry Morgan, a "Have Not," who charters his boat to the wealthy "Haves" of the world, this story shows what happens when hard times pressure a man into a life of crime. Listen as Frank Lavallo hosts readers, Scott & Ildi Rich, for a summary and discussion of the novel “To Have and Have Not.” Then stay tuned for Endnotes with Ted Schwartz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"The Moon is Down" tells the tale of port town that exports coal until it is overrun by an invading army. The mayor of the town struggles to keep control as the occupiers force him to serve as their puppet. Listen as Frank Lavallo hosts readers, Scott & Ildi Rich, for a summary and discussion of the novel “The Moon is Down.” Then stay tuned for Endnotes with Ted Schwartz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Northanger Abbey" tells the story of Catherine Morland, a young girl whose imagination is fueled by her love of gothic novels. As Catherine travels to old home with friends, she struggles to discern reality in the midst of her Romantic fancies. Listen as Frank Lavallo hosts readers, Jennifer Weinbrecht & Patricia Fernberg, for a summary and discussion of the novel “Northanger Abbey.” Then stay tuned for Endnotes with Ted Schwartz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In "Atlas Shrugged," business owners begin mysteriously disappearing after the government places too many extreme restrictions. Ayn Rand uses this political dystopian novel to explore the relationship between capitalism and government. Listen as Frank Lavallo hosts readers, Patrick and Joan Andrews, for a summary and discussion of the novel, "Atlas Shrugged." Then stay tuned for Endnotes with Ted Schwartz for some interesting facts about Rand and the inspiration for her writings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Through "Tortilla Flat," Steinbeck portrays a small band of vagabond friends enjoying life and wine in the days after the end of World War I. Listen as Frank Lavallo hosts readers, Scott & Ildi Rich, for a summary and discussion of the novel “Tortilla Flat.” Then stay tuned for Endnotes with Ted Schwartz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Through "Arrowsmith," Lewis tells the story of a bright and scientifically minded, Martin Arrowsmith, as he makes his way from a small town in the Midwest to the upper echelons of the scientific community. Listen as Frank Lavallo hosts readers, Patrick & Joan Andrews, for a summary and discussion of the novel “Arrowsmith.” Then stay tuned for Endnotes with Ted Schwartz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Through "Persuasion," Austen explores the plight of impoverished gentility in Regency England, creating a relatable story about rekindling lost romance. Listen as Frank Lavallo hosts readers, Jennifer Weinbrecht & Patricia Fernberg, for a summary and discussion of the novel “Persuasion.” Then stay tuned for Endnotes with Ted Schwartz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Mansfield Park" tells the story of Fanny Price, a young girl whose overburdened and impoverished family sends her to live in the household of her wealthy aunt and uncle at the age of ten. As Fanny grows up, she must learn how to cope with the hypocrisy of wealthy socialites as she searches for a husband. Listen as Frank Lavallo hosts readers, Pat and Jennifer, for a summary and discussion of the novel “Mansfield Park.” Then stay tuned for Endnotes with Ted Schwartz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Grapes of Wrath centers around a poor family of tenant farmers driven from their Oklahoma home by drought, economic hardship, and bank foreclosures with hints of a hopeful future beyond the Dust Bowl. Listen as Frank Lavallo hosts readers, Scott and Ildi Rich, for a summary and discussion of the novel “The Grapes of Wrath.” Then stay tuned for Endnotes with Ted Schwartz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"For Whom The Bell Tolls" tells the story of a young American soldier and his tumultuous task of blowing up a bridge while fighting against the fascists during the Spanish Civil War. Listen as Frank Lavallo hosts readers, Scott and Ildi Rich, for a summary and discussion of the novel “For Whom the Bell Tolls.” Then stay tuned for Endnotes with Ted Schwartz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Through Emma, Austen explores the concerns and difficulties of genteel women in Regency England, creating a lively comedy of manners highlighting the dangers of meddling in other people’s lives. Listen as Frank Lavallo hosts readers, Jennifer Weinbrecht & Patricia Fernberg, for a summary and discussion of the novel “Emma.” Then stay tuned for Endnotes with Ted Schwartz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Babbitt" follows a midwestern man and his strife with the vacuity of middle-class life and the social pressure toward conformity. Listen as Frank Lavallo hosts readers, Patrick and Joan Andrews, for a summary and discussion of the novel “Babbitt.” Then stay tuned for Endnotes with Ted Schwartz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Animal Farm" tells the tale of oppressed farm animals who revolt against their human dictators and grapple with the powers of corruption that ensue from their newfound freedom. It is often interpreted as a reflection of Soviet Russia. Listen as Frank Lavallo hosts readers, Patrick and Joan Andrews, for a summary and discussion of the novel “Animal Farm.” Then stay tuned for Endnotes with Ted Schwartz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Lord of the Flies" focuses on a group of British boys stranded on an uninhabited island and their disastrous attempt to govern themselves. Listen as Frank Lavallo hosts readers, Patrick and Joan Andrews, for a summary and discussion of the novel “Lord of the Flies.” Then stay tuned for Endnotes with Ted Schwartz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"The Sun Also Rises" follows a group of American and British expatriates who travel from Paris to the Festival of San Fermín in Pamplona to watch the running of the bulls. Listen as Frank Lavallo hosts readers, Scott and Ildi Rich, for a summary and discussion of the novel “The Sun Also Rises.” Then stay tuned for Endnotes with Ted Schwartz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Of Mice and Men," tells the story of two migrant farm hands during the Great Depression, one of whom struggles to overcome mental and physical difficulties. Listen as Frank Lavallo hosts readers, Scott & Ildi Rich, for a summary and discussion of the novel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In "The House of Mirth," an aging, single woman realizes the corrupt nature of the upper classes of society. Listen as Frank Lavallo hosts readers, Jennifer Weinbrecht & Patricia Fernberg, for a summary and discussion of the novel, "The House of Mirth." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In "Darkness at Noon," a once-communist leader awaits sentencing from his own beloved "party" in prison. Listen as Frank Lavallo hosts readers, Patrick and Joan Andrews, for a summary and discussion of the novel, "Darkness at Noon." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elmer Gantry is a satire that follows Elmer Gantry, a poor Kansas man who is encouraged to become a preacher and pursue success. Listen as Frank Lavallo hosts readers, Patrick and Joan Andrews, for a summary and discussion of the novel, "Elmer Gantry." Then stay tuned for Endnotes with Ted Schwartz for some interesting facts about Sinclair Lewis and his writings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Confederacy of Dunces follows the life and misadventures of Ignatius Jacques Riley, whom Walker Percy described as a "slob extraordinary, a mad Oliver Hardy, a fat Don Quixote, a perverse Thomas Aquinas rolled into one." Listen as Frank Lavallo hosts readers, Patrick Andrews and Scott Rich, for a summary and discussion of the novel, "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"A Farewell to Arms" follows the life and war experiences of Frederic Henry, an American Lieutenant serving in the Italian campaign during World War I, as well as his passionate love affair with nurse Catherine Barkley. Listen as Frank Lavallo hosts readers, Scott and Ildi Rich, for a summary and discussion of the novel, "A Farewell to Arms," by Ernest Hemingway. Then stay tuned for Endnotes with Ted Schwartz for some interesting facts about Hemingway and the inspiration for his writing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In "Pride and Prejudice," we follow the lives of the Bennet family in 19th century England, and with 5 unwed daughters, Mrs. Bennet has only one thing on her mind: marriage. Listen as Frank Lavallo hosts readers, Jennifer Weinbrecht and Patricia Fernberg, for a summary and discussion of the novel, "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen. Then stay tuned for Endnotes with Ted Schwartz for some interesting facts about the life and family of Austen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In "How Green Was My Valley," Huw Morgan reflects on his life growing up in a coal mining town in a valley in Wales. His memories range everywhere from coal union disputes to the romances of various siblings. Listen as Frank Lavallo hosts readers, Joan and Patrick Andrews, for a summary and discussion of the novel, "How Green Was My Valley." Then stay tuned for Endnotes with Ted Schwartz for some interesting facts about Richard Llewellyn and the inspiration for his writings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Sense and Sensibility" is the story of the Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne, and their different experiences of life and loss. Listen as Frank Lavallo hosts readers, Jennifer Weinbrecht and Patricia Fernberg, for a summary and discussion of the novel, "Sense and Sensibility" by Jane Austen. Then stay tuned for Endnotes with Ted Schwartz for some interesting facts about the life and motives of Austen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In "Cannery Row," a group of kind-hearted miscreants struggle in their attempts to throw a surprise party for their role model. Listen as Frank Lavallo hosts readers, Scott and Ildi Rich, for a summary and discussion of the novel, "Cannery Row" Then stay tuned for Endnotes with Ted Schwartz for some interesting facts about Steinbeck and the inspiration for his writings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A summary and exploration of Aldous Huxley's 1932 dystopian novel about the role of human nature in a technological society. Listen as Frank Lavallo hosts readers, Patrick and Joan Andrews, for a summary and discussion of the novel, "Brave New World." Then stay tuned for Endnotes with Ted Schwartz for some interesting facts about Huxley and the inspiration for his writings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In "Anthem," a streetsweeper uses extreme measures after learning the true nature of his collectivist, dystopian society. Listen as Frank Lavallo hosts readers, Patrick and Joan Andrews, for a summary and discussion of the novella, "Anthem." Then stay tuned for Endnotes with Ted Schwartz for some interesting facts about Rand and the inspiration for her writings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Little Women" chronicles the transition of four sisters from children into women. Listen as Frank Lavallo hosts readers, Jennifer Weinbrecht and Patricia Fernberg, for a summary and discussion of the novel, "Little Women." Then stay tuned for Endnotes with Ted Schwartz for some interesting facts about Alcott and her writings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this novella, a man finds a pearl in his attempt to provide for his sick son, but greed and corruption play a hand in the outcome of his success. Listen as Frank Lavallo hosts readers, Scott and Ildi Rich, for a summary and discussion of the novella, "The Pearl." Then stay tuned for Endnotes with Ted Schwartz for some interesting facts about Steinbeck and the inspiration for his writings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In "The Great Gatsby," a veteran uses elaborate measures in his attempt to recapture the past and the love he once knew. Listen as Frank Lavallo hosts readers, Scott and Ildi Rich, for a summary and discussion of the novel, "The Great Gatsby." Then stay tuned for Endnotes with Ted Schwartz for some interesting facts about Fitzgerald and the inspiration for his writings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In "The Old Man and the Sea," An older Cuban fisherman, Santiago, has an epic struggle with a giant marlin fish in the Gulf Stream. Listen as Frank Lavallo hosts readers, Scott and Ildi Rich, for a summary and discussion of the novel, "The Old Man and the Sea." Then stay tuned for Endnotes with Ted Schwartz for some interesting facts about Hemingway and his writings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In "The Giver," a young boy named Jonas discovers that the seemingly perfect society in which he lives contains big and dark secrets when he is given his life assignment as the Receiver of Memory. Listen as Frank Lavallo hosts readers, Patrick and Joan Andrews, for a summary and discussion of the novel, "The Giver." Then stay tuned for Endnotes with Ted Schwartz for some interesting facts about the author and the book. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices