NNELS Upgrade

Revolutionizing traditional mortuary practices, Richard Connable develops a method of preserving the human dignity of the deceased. His wife Lucy struggles to keep their marriage whole as she stands by his side and supports him while he builds a reputation and becomes the premier undertaker for the rich and powerful. But when Richard is called from retirement to discretely disguise the suicide of an important American financier, Lucy sets out on a secret mission too.

Emma Tupper is a dedicated lawyer with a bright future. But when she takes a month-long leave of absence to go on an African vacation, she ends up facing unexpected consequences. After she falls ill and spends six months trapped in a remote village thanks to a devastating earthquake, Emma returns home to discover that her friends, boyfriend, and colleagues thought she was dead and that her life has moved on without her.

Effie has had her fair share of lovers and husbands, including the Gillis cousins, who have been a source of as much guilt as joy. But she's more or less given up on being swept away by love, until, in a chance encounter, she meets a person who might very well be the perfect man. Even Effie, as wise as any woman can be to the ways of men, is unprepared for the maelstrom her new love affair will unleash.

This edition of Conrad's classic 1912 short story reprints the authoritative text of the 1924 Doubleday Edition together with five critical essays - all newly commissioned - that read "The Secret Sharer" from five contemporary critical perspectives: Psychoanalytic Criticism by Daniel R. Schwarz, Reader-Response Criticism by James Phelan, New Historicist Criticism by Michael Levenson, Feminist and Gender Criticism by Bonnie Kime Scott, and Deconstruction by J. Hillis Miller.

Engineer Avery Escher and his wife Jean live in Egypt as he works on rescuing the temple of Abu Simbel from the waters of the Aswan Dam, but after observing the displacement of Egyptians settlers and losing a child, their marriage seems to fall apart.

World War Two is over and Japan sets about rebuilding her shattered cities. Masuji Ono, an ageing painter, looks back over his life and assesses a career that coincided with the rise of Japanese militarism.

Claire, Elizabeth, Karen, and Julia meet every Thursday for breakfast to share the events that are happening in their lives, from a painful divorce to an unexpected pregnancy, and to offer each other undying support, love, and encouragement.