National Network for Equitable Library Service

Dans ce classique de la littérature française, nous suivons les aventures de Quasimodo, un jeune homme malformé qui vit une vie solitaire dans le clocher de Notre-Dame de Paris. Quand son chemin croise celui de la belle gitane Esméralda, son petit monde est bouleversé. Avec sa description romantique de la cathédrale, Victor Hugo a suscité un nouvel intérêt pour l'architecture médiévale en France, qui conduisit à une vague de travaux de rénovations. L'histoire de Quasimodo est surtout connue grâce au dessin animé Disney de 1996.

D'Artagnan, 18 ans, quitte la Gascogne pour Paris, afin de se joindre au corps des mousquetaires du roi Louis XIII. C'est là qu'il rencontre et se lie d'amitié avec Arthos, Porthos et Aramis. Dans cette histoire pleine d'aventures rocambolesques et de suspens, les quatre compagnons vont défendre l'honneur de leur reine, Anne d'Autriche, et affronter le cardinal de Richelieu, le comte de Rochefort et Milady de Winter.

Orlando, a young nobleman and one of Queen Elizabeth I's court favourites, is the object of many ladies' attentions but, after suffering heartbreak, he prefers literary pursuits to entertaining any thoughts of marriage. Having obtained an ambassadorial post in Constantinople, Orlando falls into a long sleep and wakes up suddenly transformed into a woman. Also blessed with the gift of never ageing, she embarks on adventurous travels throughout Europe and the following centuries, observing what it is like to be female.

Two devastating short novels adapted for the stage by Steinbeck himself A Penguin Classic This Penguin Classics edition celebrates Steinbeck’s dramatic adaptations of his most powerful short novels, Of Mice and Men and The Moon Is Down, featuring a foreword by award-winning actor James Earl Jones. Of Mice and Men represents an experiment in form – as Steinbeck put it, “a kind of playable novel, written in novel form but so scened and set that it can be played as it stands.” A rarity in American letters, it achieved remarkable success as a novel, a Broadway play, and three acclaimed films.

A literary cause célèbre when first published in 1948, Gore Vidal’s now-classic The City and the Pillar stands as a landmark novel of the gay experience. Jim, a handsome, all-American athlete, has always been shy around girls. But when he and his best friend, Bob, partake in “awful kid stuff,” the experience forms Jim’s ideal of spiritual completion. Defying his parents’ expectations, Jim strikes out on his own, hoping to find Bob and rekindle their amorous friendship.

« L'Étranger » est un roman d'Albert Camus, paru en 1942. Il prend place dans la tétralogie que Camus nommera « cycle de l'absurde » qui décrit les fondements de la philosophie camusienne : l'absurde. Cette tétralogie comprend également l'essai intitulé « Le Mythe de Sisyphe » ainsi que les pièces de théâtre « Caligula » et « Le Malentendu ». Le roman a été traduit en quarante langues et une adaptation cinématographique a été réalisée par Luchino Visconti en 1967.

A masterpiece of Biblical scope, and the magnum opus of one of America’s most enduring authors, in a commemorative hardcover edition In his journal, Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck called East of Eden "the first book," and indeed it has the primordial power and simplicity of myth. Set in the rich farmland of California's Salinas Valley, this sprawling and often brutal novel follows the intertwined destinies of two families—the Trasks and the Hamiltons—whose generations helplessly reenact the fall of Adam and Eve and the poisonous rivalry of Cain and Abel.

A PBS Great American Read Top 100 Pick. The beloved American classic about a young girl's coming-of-age at the turn of the twentieth century. From the moment she entered the world, Francie Nolan needed to be made of stern stuff, for the often harsh life of Williamsburg demanded fortitude, precocity, and strength of spirit.

Japanese noblewoman Murasaki Shikibu wrote The Tale of Genji in the 11th century to entertain the other women in the court. It follows the romantic exploits of the title character, an emperor's son, as he navigates life within aristocratic society and eventually outside of it. Praised for its psychological insight into the characters' motivations, the book greatly influenced Japanese culture and is widely considered the world's first novel.

Alice au pays des Merveilles raconte l’histoire du rêve d’Alice, qui s’est assoupie sur l’herbe et va poursuivre un lapin dans son terrier. Elle découvre le pays des merveilles, avec sa pléiade de personnages les plus fous et les plus merveilleux. Elle change de taille toutes les cinq minutes, et nous entraîne dans son rêve au gré de ses transformations.