Zjednodušená četba

This collection brings together some of the best examples of late nineteenthand early twentieth-century short stories. Some are about ordinary people to whom something unexpected happens. Others are about unusual characters or events. Some of the stories are funny and others are more serious. All of them are highly enjoyable.

These nine stories will take the reader on an exciting journey to distant cultures and times. The collection includes folktales from South America, Africa, India, China, and Europe.

The Russian Revolution – four young people, Yury, Tonya, Lara and Pasha, find love and lose it in this extraordinary time. Their heart-breaking stories make Dr Zhivago one of the greatest romantic books, and films, of the century.

When Andrew Manson starts work as a doctor he discovers some unpleasant facts about the medical profession. He struggles against a system that seems to value money more than curing illness. But the system is extremely powerful. Will he win his battle?

It is 1954 and Kabuo Miyamoto is on trial for murder. He is a Japanese American living on the island of San Piedro, off the north-west coast of America. The Second World War has left an atmosphere of anger and suspicion in this small community. Will Kabuo receive a fair trial? And will the true cause of the victim’s death be discovered?

Pynex, a tobacco company, could lose hundreds of millions of dollars in a big court case. The jury is being watched. One of the jurors is working with a mysterious woman outside the court. Both sides will do anything to win.

Nate O’Riley is a powerful Washington lawyer. Returning to work after a long stay in hospital is difficult for Nate. Then he is sent on a journey that takes him from the tense courtrooms of Washington to the dangerous swamps of Brazil. It is a journey that will change his life forever…

This is a great love story set in the tragedy of war. It is 1941. The Italian officer, Captain Corelli, falls in love with Pelagia, a young Greek girl. But Pelegia’s fiancé is fighting the Italian army…
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin is now a film, starring Nicolas Cage.

The horror of death row is that you die a little each day. The waiting kills you. Seventy-year-old Sam Cayhall is on Mississippi’s death row. Sam hates lawyers but his date with the gas chamber is close, and time is running out. Then Adam Hall, a young lawyer arrives. Can he and his secret persuade Sam to accept his help?

Memoirs of a Geisha is one of the great stories of our time. We follow Sayuri’s life: her early years in a small fishing village and as a geisha in Gion. And throughout her struggle, we know of her secret love for the only man who ever showed her any kindness — a man who seems to be out of her reach.

Roald Dahl is the master of the unexpected. Things are not always what they seem and nobody should be trusted. In this collection of his short stories we learn some strange lessons about the dangerous world we live in. But you will have to wait until the final pages of each story to discover the last, terrible twist!

‘When people go to Johannesburg, they do not come back.’ Cry, the Beloved Country is the moving story of two families in South Africa – one black and one white – who are brought into violent contact. From a remote valley in Natal, Reverend Kumalo sets off for the city of Johannesburg in search of his younger sister and his son.