Dorothea Brooke is a beautiful and idealistic young woman set on filling her life with good deeds. She pursues the pompous Edward Casuabon, convinced that he embodies these principles, and becomes trapped in an unhappy marriage. Then there is Tertius Lydgate, an anguished progressive whose determination to bring modern medicine to the provinces is muddied by unrequited love. They, and a multitude of other brilliantly drawn characters, reside in the...

Daniel Deronda opens with one of the most memorable encounters in fiction: Gwendolen Harleth, alluring yet unsettling, is poised at the roulette-table in Leubronn, observed by Daniel Deronda, searching for his path in life.

In the fourth 'Palliser' novel, Anthony Trollope follows Phineas Finn's return to the dangerous world of Westminster politics. When his political rival is murdered, Phineas is thrown under suspicion and eventually finds himself standing trial at the Old Bailey.

Living in their two-up-two-down in Rotherhithe in 1938, Eileen and Reg Wells lead a happy and settled existence with their three daughters. But soon the storm clouds of war engulf Europe and their idyllic family life is thrown into chaos.

After the tragic deaths of their parents, Magdalen and Norah discover the devastating news that they are both illegitimate and not entitled to any inheritance. Norah is forced to become a governess to earn her keep but Magdalen has grander plans and embarks on an elaborate scheme of revenge against her cold-hearted relatives.

Following the Moon family's triumphs and tragedies during the outbreak of the First World War, Margaret Thornton's heartfelt and highly evocative narrative brings those turbulent times to life.

Ruth, Lizzie and Heather each have their own reasons for greeting the end of the war with mixed feelings. For Ruth, it means she could lose Sammy, the evacuee boy she has come to love. Heather must adjust to the homecoming of her husband. And Lizzie is confronted by her own strength of will.

This engaging story of two attractive and mutually devoted sisters was first published in 1811. Romantic Marianne with her unrestrained enthusiasms, which lead to disillusionment and despair, makes a perfect foil to the unselfish Elinor, who brings a quiet self-control to her own heartbreak. The sentimental education of the two heroines is conducted with a fine regard for all the varying shades of romantic attraction, and in the end it is Marianne...

'David Copperfield' draws openly on Dickens' own experiences in childhood and in his vocation as a successful novelist, reflecting his relationship with his father. This edition includes appendices with extracts from John Forster's 'Life of Dickens' as well as the number-plans for 'David Copperfield'.