Showing results by publisher "Instaread" in Genre Fiction

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles is the story of a Russian aristocrat-turned-waiter who lives 32 years of his life under house arrest at the Hotel Metropol in Moscow. Set in post-revolutionary Russia, the novel follows its protagonist, Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, as he develops new friendships, family, and loves, all while confined within the walls of the Metropol.

The unusual family of French Impressionist master Jacob Abraham Camille Pizzarro takes center stage in The Marriage of Opposites. The book is set in the early to late 1800s, focusing on the artist and his equally strong-willed mother, Rachel Monsanto Pomié Petit Pizzarro.

Commonwealth by Ann Patchett is a story of two families that unfolds over the course of 50 years. At the center of the novel is a traumatic loss that profoundly affects each family member in a different way.

Please note: this is a summary, analysis and review of the book and not the original book. This summary contains important people, character analysis, and analysis of the themes and author's style.

Please note: this is a summary, analysis and review of the book and not the original book. This summary includes a summary of the book, main characters, character analysis, and analysis of the themes and author's style.

The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks is a fictionalized story of the Old Testament hero and king, David. Natan, friend and advisor to King David, receives permission to write David's biography. David has asked Natan to use three sources who knew David before Natan met him. These include Mikhal, the first of David's wives; Shammah, David's older brother; and Nizevet, a member of Shammah's household in Beit Lehem.

Three Sisters, Three Queens by Philippa Gregory is a novel that follows more than 30 years in the life of Margaret Tudor. Starting in 1501, when she's 11 years old, the story traces Margaret's movements between England and Scotland, where she struggles to maintain her grip on power after the death of her husband, the king.

Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler is a coming-of-age story set in New York City. Over the course of a year, 22-year-old Tess, a girl straight out of small-town middle America, arrives in New York City, creates a niche for herself in the glitzy, fast-paced Manhattan restaurant scene, falls in love, and has her heart broken.

Truly Madly Guilty, a novel by Liane Moriarty, flashes back and forth in time between the afternoon of a traumatic barbecue and its aftermath. The story, which unfolds in Sydney, Australia, and its suburbs, describes the lives of the attendees two months after the barbecue where a little girl nearly drowned. Under a backdrop of incessant rain, over a period of months, three families cope with fallout from their fateful gathering with varying degrees of success.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt is a coming-of-age novel that follows Theodore Decker, 13, in the wake of his traumatic experience in a deadly terrorist attack on the Metropolitan Museum of Art. That fateful afternoon, Theo lost his beloved mother, who had been the center of his universe, and gained a terrible secret. In a haze of injury, heightened emotion, and mayhem, he left the museum with a priceless masterwork.

The Girls by Emma Cline is a novel loosely based on the events leading up to the Manson Family murders in the summer of 1969. Lured by sexual desire and the prospect of female friendship, Evie Boyd, an unhappy 14-year-old, spends a large chunk of her summer colluding with a cult. Some 40 years in the future, an unexpected encounter causes Evie to reflect on that experience at length.

Two by Two by Nicholas Sparks is a novel about a 35-year-old husband and father, Russ Green, whose life is upended by circumstances that are alternately within and beyond his control. Over the course of just one year, he'll lose his office job, his wife, his sister, and his home, among other things. Although Russ struggles to adjust to his changed circumstances, he also gains much along the way.

Faithful by Alice Hoffman is a novel that follows a young woman, Shelby Richmond, through her slow, incremental recovery from a traumatic experience. Shelby and her best friend Helene Boyd were involved in a life-changing car accident the February before they were to graduate from a Long Island high school. Shelby came out of the wreckage physically intact, but with deep psychological and emotional scars. It takes more than a decade and more than one misstep for her to find her way back to happiness.

The Hopefuls, a novel by Jennifer Close, follows a married couple, Matt and Beth Kelly, and their best friends, Jimmy and Ash Dillon, through five years of their lives. As the story details the strain that threatens the couples' relationships, both within their marriages and with each other, a portrait of marriage, friendship, and the world of American politics emerges. No one comes out unscathed.