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Rediscover the World's Greatest Stories

Frank Lavallo hosts two readers and the three of them summarize the world’s greatest works of classic literature, giving their reactions along the way. If SparkNotes had an audio best friend, it would be us!

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'A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man' by James Joyce

Novel Conversations
The landmark debut novel of author James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man tells the story of young Stephen Dedalus's spiritual and i...
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'Treasure Island' by Robert Louis Stevenson

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In Robert Louis Stevenson's seminal adventure novel "Treasure Island." The story follows young Jim Hawkins' journey aboard a pirate vessel, chasin...
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'The Bear' by William Faulkner

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Originally published alongside other famous Falkner works in an anthology titled Go Down Moses, The Bear is about Issac "Ike" McCaslin, who trains...
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'A Handful of Dust' by Evelyn Waugh

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In 1930s England, a wealthy family endures trials and tribulations at the hands of their own warped morality....
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'The End of the Affair' by Graham Greene

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Graham Greene's final contribution to his 4 "Catholic Series" novels, The End of the Affair tells the story of Maurice Bendrix and his internal st...
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'Heart Of Darkness' by Joseph Conrad

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In Conrad's landmark novel from 1899, English sailor Charles Marlow describes his voyage into the interior of the African jungle aboard a Belgian ...
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'To Kill A Mockingbird' by Harper Lee

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One of the greatest all-time works of American fiction, 'To Kill A Mockingbird' is a timeless account of the American South as seen through the ey...
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'20,000 Leagues Under The Sea' by Jules Verne

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20,000 Leagues Under The Sea is classic science-adventure novel written by Jules Verne, and released serially through 1870. It tells the story of ...
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"Wuthering Heights" by Emily Bronte

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Emily Bronte's only novel, Wuthering Heights tells the story of the turbulent relationships between the Earnshaws and the Lintons, two families of...
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"Robinson Crusoe" by Daniel DeFoe

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Titled "The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner: Who Lived Eight and Twenty Years, All Alone in an Un-inha...
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"Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

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This classic of English literature was originally penned under the name "Currer Bell", and details the story of the titular Jane as she struggles ...
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"The Invisible Man" by H.G. Wells

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An irascible and mysterious man causes havoc in West Sussex in this science fiction classic by H.G. Wells....
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"Bleak House" by Charles Dickens

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In Victorian England, a motley crew of characters encounter love and loss as their await the outcome of a long and costly litigation....
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"My Antonia" by Willa Cather

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Willa Cather's evocative snapshot of 20th-century immigrant life in the American Great Plains...
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"Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson

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In this classic gothic novel, we unravel the strange connection between the upstanding Dr. Jekyll and the villanous Mr. Hyde through the lens of J...
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"The Hound of the Baskervilles" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

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The gripping story of Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes' investigation into a countryside murder at the hands - or paws - of a seemingly otherworldly...
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"This Side Of Paradise" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

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In F. Scott Fitzgerald's debut novel, published in 1920, he tells the story of Amory Blaine, a smart, attractive, ivy-league dropout with whom Fit...
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"The Loved One" by Evelyn Waugh

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Dennis Barlow, a British ex-patriot, balances love, work, and community under the sheen of the 1940s Hollywood film industry....
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"Around The World In 80 Days" by Jules Verne

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Around The World in 80 Days is the tale of Phileas Fogg, a meticulous London gentleman who, having read of its feasibility in a newspaper, makes a...
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"A Picture Of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde

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'The Picture of Dorian Gray' is a story of a young, beautiful man named Dorian whose wish is granted his wish when his portrait ages on his behalf...
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"To The Lighthouse" by Virginia Woolf

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'To The Lighthouse' is an introspective, philosophical novel about the small joys and quiet tragedies of everyday life....
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"Sir Gawain & The Green Knight" by Gawain Poet

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The famous Arthurian tale of Sir Gawain, nephew of King Arthur, who must travel to face his demise at the hands of the supernatural Green Knight....
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"Billy Budd" by Herman Melville

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Billy Budd is Herman Melville's final novel about a gregarious young sailor who is antagonized by a fellow crew member....
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"Death Comes For The Archbishop" by Willa Cather

Novel Conversations
S8 E4: Willa Cather's beautiful rendition of the story of Father Latour, the first Catholic Bishop to the U.S. territory of New Mexico....
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"It Can't Happen Here" by Sinclair Lewis

Novel Conversations
S8 E3: A summary of Sinclair Lewis's prescient political novel about an American fascist takeover, "It Can't Happen Here"....
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"And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie

Novel Conversations
S8 E2: A summary of Agatha Christie's classic mystery novel "And Then There Were None"...
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"Dracula" by Bram Stoker

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S8, E1: Dracula is an epistolary novel about the supernatural Count Dracula, a vampire who comes to haunt the English seaside town of Whitby....
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Season 7 Blooper Reel

Novel Conversations
Another epic outtake reel featuring Host, Frank Lavallo, and Readers, Elizabeth Flood, Phil Setnik, Peter Toomey & Katie Smith as they blunder and...
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“1984” by George Orwell

Novel Conversations
S7 Ep 8: A summary of Orwell’s wildly popular dystopian novel that explores, with great suspense, a totalitarian and surveillance society....
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“A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court” by Mark Twain

Novel Conversations
S7 Ep 7: Mark Twain’s unique genre-mashing novel follows a modern man through time… From Connecticut to Camelot....
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“The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy” by Laurence Sterne

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S7 Ep 6: A summary of the 19th century classic novel exploring in great detail the invented world of Tristram Shandy....
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“The Tenth Man” by Graham Greene

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S7 Ep 5: A short novel by British novelist, Graham Greene, explores the consequences of a wartime decimation order....
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“The Sparrow” by Mary Doria Russell

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S7 Ep 4: A philosophical novel wrapped in science-fiction, The Sparrow explores life beyond our own and the mysteries within....
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“Advise and Consent” by Allen Drury

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S7 Ep 3: A summary of the compelling 1959 political fiction novel....
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“The Time Machine” by H.G. Wells

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S7 Ep 2: This classic science fiction tale follows a Time Traveller’s astonishing firsthand account of his journey 800,000 years beyond his own ti...
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“Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury

Novel Conversations
S7 Ep 1: This 1953 dystopian novel presents a future American society where books are outlawed and knowledge has consequences....
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Novel Conversations Season 6 Blooper Reel

Novel Conversations | S:6 E:9
A compilation of outtakes featuring the host and readers from Season 6 of Novel Conversations....
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“Till We Have Faces” by C. S. Lewis

Novel Conversations
S6 Ep 8: C.S. Lewis’s final novel, Till We Have Faces, is a retelling of the Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche....
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“Mrs. Dalloway” by Virginia Woolf

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S6 Ep 7: The 1925 classic novel details a day in the life of a fictional high-society woman in post–First World War England....
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“The Red Pony” by John Steinbeck

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S6 Ep 6: The episodic 1933 novella follows Jody Tiflin and his life on his father's California ranch....
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“Jude the Obscure” by Thomas Hardy

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S6 Ep 5: A summary of the Victorian era novel exploring the doomed relationships of an aspiring scholar....
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“The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne

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S6 Ep 4: A summary of the American classic novel that explores Hester Prynne’s moral dilemma as an adulterer....
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“Slaughterhouse-Five” by Kurt Vonnegut

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S6 Ep 3: A summary of the celebrated 1969 science fiction-infused anti-war novel....
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“The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain

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S6 Ep 2: Written eight years after Tom Sawyer, this novel continues to tell the stories of youthful adventures in boyhood, as Huck Finn and his tr...
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“The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” by Mark Twain

Novel Conversations
S6 Ep 1: A summary of Mark Twain's 1876 classic novel about a young schoolboy and his gang of mischief troublemakers....
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Novel Conversations Season 5 Blooper Reel

Novel Conversations | S:5 E:9
A compilation of outtakes featuring the host and readers from Season 5 of Novel Conversations. Enjoy!...
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“Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley

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S5 Ep 8: An exploration of Mary Shelley’s 1818 Gothic novel and dark cautionary tale about the dangers of science....
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“Parnassus on Wheels” by Christopher Morley

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S5 Ep 7: A summary of Christopher Morley’s 1917 novel about a fictional traveling horse-drawn wagon filled with books....
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“The Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc” by Mark Twain

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S5 Ep 6: A summary of Mark Twain’s 1896 novel exploring the life of Joan of Arc and her heroic effort to end the Hundred Years’ War under Charles ...
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“White Fang” by Jack London

Novel Conversations
S5 Ep 5: A summary and explanation of Jack London's 1906 American classic exploring nature and instinct....
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“Main Street” by Sinclair Lewis

Novel Conversations
S5 Ep 4: A summary of the 1920 Nobel Prize Award winning novel about a wannabe socialite and her struggle to adopt small-town life. ...
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“Candide” by Voltaire

Novel Conversations
S5 Ep 3: A summary of the 1759 French satire that follows a young man named Candide on his many misadventures throughout his conflicted, yet optim...
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“Madame Bovary” by Gustave Flaubert

Novel Conversations
S5 Ep 2: A summary of the 1856 romantic drama about a disillusioned wife and her struggle to find contentment in a dull marriage....
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“The Prince and the Pauper” by Mark Twain

Novel Conversations
S5 Ep 1: A summary of the 1882 adventure novel about two two boys, a Prince and a beggar, and how they cope with trading places....
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"East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

Novel Conversations
S4 Ep.8: A summary of Steinbeck's 1952 masterpiece exploring two American families during WWI...
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"To Have and Have Not" by Ernest Hemingway

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S4 Ep7: A summary of the 1937 depression-era novel that explores how poverty produces criminals...
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"The Moon is Down" by John Steinbeck

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S4 Ep6: A summary of the 1942 political novel that draws parallels to Nazi Germany...
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"Northanger Abbey" by Jane Austen

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S4 Ep5: A summary of the 1817 romance novel that explores the influence of the Gothic novel on a young girls fancies...
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"Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand

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S4 Ep4: A summary of the 1957 novel that explores a relationship between capitalism and government bureaucracy...
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“Tortilla Flat” by John Steinbeck

Novel Conversations
S4 Ep 3: A summary of the 1935 novel portraying a small band of vagabond friends enjoying life and wine in the days after the end of World War I....
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“Arrowsmith” by Sinclair Lewis

Novel Conversations
S4 Ep 2: A summary of the 1925 Pulitzer Prize winning novel depicting the life and complexities of a medical professional in the 1920’s....
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"Persuasion" by Jane Austen

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S4 Ep 1: A summary of the 1817 romance novel that explores the plight of impoverished gentility in Regency England....
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“Mansfield Park” by Jane Austen

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S3 Ep 8: A summary and explanation of Jane Austen’s 1814 novel depicting the issues of 19th century social relationships and morality...
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“The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck

Novel Conversations
S3 Ep 7: A summary and explanation of John Steinbeck’s 1939 Nobel Prize winning novel accounting the disparity and struggles of the Great Depressi...
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"For Whom the Bell Tolls" by Ernest Hemingway

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S3 Ep 6: A summary and explanation of Ernest Hemingway’s 1940 novel exploring wartime clashes during the Spanish Civil War...
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"Emma" by Jane Austen

Novel Conversations
S3 Ep 5: A summary and explanation of Jane Austen’s novel about youthful hubris and the perils of misconstrued romance...
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"Babbitt" by Sinclair Lewis

Novel Conversations
S3 Ep 4: A summary and explanation of Sinclair Lewis’ 1922 satirical novel critiquing life in middle-class American...
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“Animal Farm” by George Orwell

Novel Conversations
S3 Ep 3: A summary and explanation of George Orwell’s 1945 satirical take on Stalin’s Russia...
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"Lord of the Flies" by William Golding

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S3 Ep 2: A summary and explanation of William Golding’s 1954 dystopia that reveals the dark side of social governance...
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“The Sun Also Rises” by Ernest Hemingway

Novel Conversations
S3 Ep 1: A summary and explanation of Ernest Hemingway’s 1926 novel exploring post-war attitudes and adventures in Pamplona...
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"Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck

Novel Conversations
S2 Ep 8: A summary and explanation of John Steinbeck's 1937 story of depression-era hardship...
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"The House of Mirth" by Edith Wharton

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S2 Ep 7: A summary and explanation of Edith Wharton's 1905 commentary on a corrupt, upper class society...
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"Darkness at Noon" by Arthur Koestler

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S2 Ep6: A summary and explanation of Arthur Koestler's 1940 political thriller about the consequences of communism...
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"White Fang" by Jack London

Novel Conversations
S2 Ep5: A summary and explanation of Jack London's 1906 American classic exploring nature and instinct...
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"Elmer Gantry" by Sinclair Lewis

Novel Conversations
S2 Ep4: A summary and explanation of Sinclair Lewis' 1927 satire about religion in America...
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"A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

Novel Conversations
S2 Ep3: A summary and explanation of John Kennedy Toole's 1980 comedy about family, education, and justice...
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"A Farewell to Arms" by Ernest Hemingway

Novel Conversations
S2 Ep2: A summary and exploration of Ernest Hemingway's classic war novel about World War I and romance...
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"Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen

Novel Conversations
S2 Ep1: A summary and exploration of Jane Austen's 1813 classic novel about pursuing love in Victorian England...
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"How Green Was My Valley" by Richard Llewellyn

Novel Conversations
S1 Ep10: A summary and exploration of Richard Llewellen's novel about love, loss and family...
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"Sense and Sensibility" by Jane Austen

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S1 Ep 9: A summary and exploration of Jane Austen's novel highlighting the sense and sensibility of two sisters' romances...
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"Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck

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S1 Ep8: A summary and exploration of John Steinbeck's novel that captures the spirit of people during the Great Depression in Monterey, CA...
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"Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley

Novel Conversations
S1 Ep7: A summary and exploration of Aldous Huxley's 1932 novel about the relationship between human nature and technology...
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"Anthem" by Ayn Rand

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S1 Ep6: A summary and exploration of Ayn Rand's novella about society and the individual...
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"Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

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S1 Ep5: A summary and exploration of Louisa May Alcott's 1868 classic novel about friendship, family and romance...
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"The Pearl" by John Steinbeck

Novel Conversations
S1 Ep4: A summary and exploration of John Steinbeck's 1947 classic novella about man's nature and greed...
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"The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Novel Conversations
S1 Ep3: A summary and exploration of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 classic novel about lost love and the American Dream...
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"The Old Man and the Sea" by Ernest Hemingway

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S1 Ep2: A summary and exploration of Ernest Hemingway's classic novella about honor, victory and defeat...
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"The Giver" by Lois Lowry

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S1 Ep1: A summary and exploration of Lois Lowry's young adult dystopian novel about truth, suffering and free will...
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