Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Justice, Politics & Government
Tags Realistic Fiction, Immigration & Refugeeism, Children`s Literature, Social Justice, Modern Classic Fiction, Arts & Culture
Family
Leo Tolstoy famously begins the novel Anna Karenina with the sentence: "All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." In this thematic collection, we have gathered noteworthy texts that navigate the joyous and sorrowful emotional terrain of the family unit.
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Justice, Politics & Government
Tags Realistic Fiction, Immigration & Refugeeism, Children`s Literature, Social Justice, Modern Classic Fiction, Arts & Culture
Publication year 1874
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Friendship, Coming of Age, Family
Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, World History, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2015
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Marriage, Love
Tags Romance, Modern Classic Fiction, Relationships
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Justice, Revenge, Grief, Indigenous Identity, Family
Tags Fantasy, Mystery & Crime Fiction, LGBTQ+, Magical Realism, Action & Adventure, Grief & Death, Race & Racism, Religion & Spirituality
Publication year 450
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Death, Fate, Siblings, Revenge, Family, Justice, Grief, Truth & Lies, Perseverance, Appearance & Reality
Tags Tragedy, Mythology, Grief & Death, Ancient Greece, Dramatic Literature, Classical Period, Fantasy, Classic Fiction
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Family, Justice, Revenge, Siblings, Hate & Anger
Tags Tragedy, Mythology, Ancient Greece, Classical Period, Trauma & Abuse, Dramatic Literature, Fantasy, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Love, Family, Politics & Government, Fame, Power & Greed, Trust & Doubt
Tags Romance, Fantasy, Mythology
Publication year 2007
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family
Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Animals, World War II, Military & War, World History, Action & Adventure
Roland Smith’s Elephant Run (2007) is a middle grade adventure novel that takes place during World War II. Narrator Nick Freestone tries to escape the war and moves from the deadly bombings in London to his father's teak plantation in Burma. Unfortunately for Nick, the war follows him to Burma, and Japanese soldiers soon imprison him and his childhood friend Mya at his family home. Aided by the ancient monk Hilltop, Mya and Nick set... Read Elephant Run Summary
Publication year 2014
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Coming of Age, Fathers, Siblings, Safety & Danger, Family
Tags Children`s Literature, Animals, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction
Publication year 2007
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Guilt, Truth & Lies, Family
Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, World History
Elijah of Buxton is a 2007 middle grade novel by American writer Christopher Paul Curtis (The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963; Bud, Not Buddy). Set in the 1850s, it follows 11-year-old Elijah Freeman, the first freeborn child of Buxton, a Canadian settlement of escaped slaves, as he makes a dangerous journey into the United States. The novel was a Newbery Honor Book and won the Coretta Scott King Award. Plot SummaryThe story opens as Elijah investigates strange... Read Elijah of Buxton Summary
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Mental Health, Family, Art
Tags Realistic Fiction, Romance, Mental Illness, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1987
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Coming of Age, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Hate & Anger, Memory, Loneliness, Shame & Pride, Revenge, Love, Gratitude, Hope, Childhood & Youth, Death, The Past, Equality, Good & Evil, Literature, Art, Beauty, Trust & Doubt, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses, Power & Greed, Daughters & Sons, Friendship, Family, Fathers, Grandparents, Mothers, Nature Versus Nurture, Appearance & Reality
Tags Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction, Southern Literature, Life-Inspired Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Race & Racism
Ellen Foster is a work of adult fiction by US novelist Kaye Gibbons, first published by Algonquin Books in 1987. The novel was Gibbons’s debut, and it won the Sue Kaufman Prize for literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and a notable citation from the Ernest Hemingway Foundation. Critics praised the novel for its unsentimental outlook and the wry, distinct voice of its protagonist. Ellen, a young girl living in the American... Read Ellen Foster Summary
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Disability, Gender Identity, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Place, Family, Self Discovery
Tags LGBTQ+, Disability, Realistic Fiction, Jewish Literature, Contemporary Literature
Publication year 1717
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Love, Family, Religion & Spirituality, Conflict, Memory, Guilt, Grief, Apathy
Tags Narrative Poem, Love & Sexuality, Relationships, Religion & Spirituality, Age of Enlightenment, British Literature, Medieval, Gothic Literature, World History, Dramatic Literature, Romance, Classic Fiction
“Eloisa to Abelard” is a poem published in 1717 by Alexander Pope. The poem discusses the ill-fated love affair of a real-life couple from 12th-century France: Heloïse d’Argenteuil, a gifted 18-year-old student, and Peter Abelard, a renowned French scholar, philosopher, and poet of the Medieval era who was 20 years older than Heloïse. The poem is a heroic verse epistle, which is a genre first made famous in Ovid’s Heroides. Pope adopts Eloisa’s persona and... Read Eloisa to Abelard Summary
Publication year 1923
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Perseverance, Grief, Loneliness, Love, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Environment, Place, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Beauty, Religion & Spirituality
Tags Classic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Historical Fiction, Coming of Age
Publication year 2015
Genre Memoir in Verse, Nonfiction
Themes Family, Coming of Age, Language, War
Tags World History, Latin American Literature, Cold War, Children`s Literature, Arts & Culture, Biography
Publication year 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Perseverance, Love, Gender Identity, Coming of Age, Family, Siblings, Self Discovery
Tags Fantasy, Romance, Horror & Suspense, Gothic Literature
Publication year 1957
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Loneliness, Family, Death, Future, Regret
Tags Tragedy, Comedy & Satire, Irish Literature, Absurdism, World History, Dramatic Literature, French Literature, Classic Fiction
Endgame is a one-act, absurdist play by Samuel Beckett, first performed in 1957. The post-apocalyptic play portrays the farcical, tragic existence of four character who are caught in an unfulfilling routine. Beckett regarded the play as one of his greatest achievements. It has been adapted as an opera and as a short film.This guide uses the 2009 Faber and Faber edition.Plot SummaryThe curtain rises on a nearly bare stage: a room in Hamm’s home, bathed... Read Endgame Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Power & Greed, Conflict, Nostalgia, Future, The Past, Family, Social Class, Loyalty & Betrayal, Truth & Lies
Tags European History, Politics & Government, Sociology, British Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Biography
Publication year 1979
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Love, Mental Health, Family
Tags Romance, Coming of Age, Love & Sexuality, Psychology, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature, Psychology, Classic Fiction
Endless Love by Scott Spencer, first published in 1979, is a psychological drama that delves into teenage love’s obsessive and destructive nature. Spencer, an American novelist known for exploring intense human emotions and relationships, crafts a story centered around David Axelrod, a young man whose all-consuming love for Jade Butterfield leads to tragic and life-altering events. The novel examines themes such as The Destructive Nature of Love, Dysfunctional Family Dynamics, and The Construct of Mental... Read Endless Love Summary