Girl in a Green Gown

Author: Carola Hicks
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 0701183373
Category : Marriage customs and rites, Medieval
Languages : en
Pages : 288

Book Description
"The Arnolfini portrait, painted by Jan van Eyck in 1434, is one of the world's most famous paintings. It intrigues all who see it. Scholars and the public alike have puzzled over the meaning of this haunting gem of medieval art, a subtle and beautiful double portrait of a wealthy Bruges merchant and his wife. The enigmatic couple seem to be conveying a message to us across the centuries, but what? Is the painting the celebration of marriage or pregnancy, a memorial to a wife who died in childbirth, a fashion statement or a status symbol? Using her acclaimed forensic skills as an art historian, Carola Hicks set out to decode the mystery, uncovering a few surprises along the way. She also tells the fascinating story of the painting's survival through fires, battles, hazardous sea journeys, and its role as a mirror reflecting the culture and history of the time - from jewel of the Hapsburg empire to Napoleonic war trophy. Uniquely, for a masterpiece this old, it can be tracked through every single owner, from the mysterious Mr Arnolfini via various monarchs to a hard-up Waterloo war hero, until it finally came to rest in 1842 as an early star of the National Gallery. These owners, too, have cameo parts in this enthralling story of how an artwork of genius can speak afresh to each new generation"--Publisher's website.

The Woman in the Green Dress

Author: Tea Cooper
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 0785235167
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 336

Book Description
After her husband’s death in World War I, Fleur’s surprising inheritance takes her deep into the past—and could unravel a mystery surrounding a cursed opal, a gnarled family tree, and a sinister woman in a green dress. 1919: After a whirlwind romance, London teashop waitress Fleur Richards can’t wait for her new husband, Hugh, to return from the Great War. But when word of his death arrives on Armistice Day, Fleur learns he has left her a sizable family fortune. Refusing to accept the inheritance, she heads to his beloved home country of Australia in search of the relatives who deserve it more. In spite of her reluctance, she soon finds herself the sole owner of a remote farm and a dilapidated curio shop full of long-forgotten artifacts, remarkable preserved creatures, and a mystery that began more than sixty-five years ago. With the help of Kip, a repatriated soldier dealing with the sobering aftereffects of war, Fleur finds herself unable to resist pulling on the threads of the past. What she finds is a shocking story surrounding an opal and a woman in a green dress. . . a story that, nevertheless, offers hope and healing for the future. This romantic mystery from award-winning Australian novelist Tea Cooper will keep readers guessing until the astonishing conclusion. Praise for The Woman in the Green Dress: “Refreshing and unique, The Woman in the Green Dress sweeps you across the wild lands of Australia in a thrilling whirl of mystery, romance, and danger. This magical tale weaves together two storylines with a heart-pounding finish that is drop-dead gorgeous.” —J’nell Ciesielski, author of The Socialite A USA TODAY bestseller Full-length historical fiction with both mystery and romance Stand-alone novel Includes discussion questions for book clubs

Matched

Author: Ally Condie
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101558466
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 416

Book Description
Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow. Look for CROSSED, the sequel to MATCHED, in Fall 2011! Watch a Video

Sparrow Hill Road

Author: Seanan McGuire
Publisher: Astra Publishing House
ISBN: 0698145828
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 338

Book Description
Rose Marshall died in 1952 in Buckley Township, Michigan, run off the road by a man named Bobby Cross—a man who had sold his soul to live forever, and intended to use her death to pay the price of his immortality. Trouble was, he didn’t ask Rose what she thought of the idea. It’s been more than sixty years since that night, and she’s still sixteen, and she’s still running. They have names for her all over the country: the Girl in the Diner. The Phantom Prom Date. The Girl in the Green Silk Gown. Mostly she just goes by “Rose,” a hitchhiking ghost girl with her thumb out and her eyes fixed on the horizon, trying to outrace a man who never sleeps, never stops, and never gives up on the idea of claiming what’s his. She’s the angel of the overpass, she’s the darling of the truck stops, and she’s going to figure out a way to win her freedom. After all, it’s not like it can kill her. You can’t kill what’s already dead.

Gawain and Lady Green

Author: Anne Crompton
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
ISBN: 140225475X
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 213

Book Description
"You love me, Lady Green. Even as I love you." Gwyneth wasn't supposed to fall in love with Gawain. Not like this. Gawain was the May King—a sacrifice offered to the Goddess for a bountiful harvest in return. Gwyneth knows this. His fate has been decided by powers beyond her control. But the warmth of his touch and the taste of his lips have blurred the lines of what she knows to be true. Now Gwyneth is willing to risk everything to keep Gawain alive, even if it means losing him forever... In truth, in very truth, I do... "A famous knight must rely on a woman to comprehend the chivalric virtues in this subversive and deliciously witty feminist retelling of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight." —Publisher's Weekly "The book is unique in its presentation of Lady Green as a strong female character, and many teens will identify with the choice she made for love." —School Library Journal "In her fine reworking of the medieval poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Crompton explores honesty, promise-keeping, honor, and the power of women. Recommended." —Library Journal

Dreaming of Dior

Author: Charlotte Smith
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1439187576
Category : Design
Languages : en
Pages : 298

Book Description
Charlotte Smith had already had more than her fair share of fabulous dresses and adventures. She lived life to the fullest in London, Paris and New York before falling in love with Australia and making it her home. Then she discovered that she had inherited a priceless vintage clothing collection from her American Quaker godmother, Doris Darnell. When the boxes started arriving, they were filled with more than three thousand pieces dating from 1790 to 1995, from Dior and Chanel originals to a dainty pioneer dress. But when she unearthed her godmother’s book of stories, the true value of what she had been given hit home. This wasn’t merely a collection of beautiful things; it was a collection of lives. Women’s lives. Tiny snapshots of our joys and disappointments, our entrances and exits, triumphant and tragic. This is a book for any woman who knows a dress can hold a lifetime of memories.

Every-Day Dress-Up

Author: Selina Alko
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 0375860924
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 33

Book Description
A young girl imagines her own future as she puts on costumes and pretends to be great women from history, including Amelia Earhart, Lucille Ball, and Eleanor Roosevelt.

Girl in a Blue Dress

Author: Gaynor Arnold
Publisher: Crown
ISBN: 0307462277
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 434

Book Description
This dazzling debut novel brings the spirit of Catherine Dickens--the cast-off wife of Charles Dickens--to life in the form of Dorothea “Dodo” Gibson, a woman who is doomed to live in the shadow of her husband, Alfred, the most celebrated author in the Victorian world. Girl in a Blue Dress opens on the day of Alfred’s funeral. Dorothea is not among the throngs in attendance when The One and Only is laid to rest. Her mourning must take place within the walls of her modest apartment, a parting gift from Alfred as he ushered her out of their shared home and his life more than a decade earlier. Even her own children, save her outspoken daughter Kitty, are not there to offer her comfort--they were poisoned against her when Alfred publicly declared her an unfit wife and mother. Though she refuses to don the proper mourning attire, Dodo cannot bring herself to demonize her late husband, something that comes all too easily to Kitty. Instead, she reflects on their time together: their clandestine and passionate courtship, when he was a force of nature and she a willing follower; and the salad days of their marriage, before too many children sapped her vitality and his interest. She uncovers the frighteningly hypnotic power of the celebrity author she married. Now liberated from his hold on her, Dodo finds the courage to face her adult children, the sister who betrayed her, and the charming actress who claimed her husband’s love and left her heart aching. A sweeping tale of love and loss that was long-listed for both the Man Booker Prize and the Orange Prize, Girl in a Blue Dress is both an intimate peek at the woman who was behind one of literature’s most esteemed men and a fascinating rumination on marriage that will resonate across centuries.

The Matched Trilogy

Author: Ally Condie
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0698162803
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 1184

Book Description
This digital collection includes all three critically acclaimed, award-winning novels from Ally Condie's Matched Trilogy, including Matched, Crossed, and the breathtaking conclusion, Reached. An international bestseller, the Matched Trilogy is a story for right now and storytelling with the resonance of a classic.

Damsel In Green

Author: Betty Neels
Publisher: HarperCollins Australia
ISBN: 1460897951
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 198

Book Description
Mills & Boon presents the Betty Neels collection. Timeless tales of heart–warming romance by one of the world's best–loved romance authors. For the children's sake... Georgina Rodman had been given a special nursing assignment; she was to look after the Van den Berg Eyffert children who were recovering from an accident. Having worked in a casualty ward, Georgina felt she could cope with just about anything life threw at her. That was until she met the children's guardian, Julius! She realised that even common sense and a practical nature couldn't stop her from falling in love... with a man who didn't even know she existed.