Contents
There are books that are hard to put down, that hold the reader in their power from the first to the last page and do not let go after reading.. Books that are read in one breathare listed below.
10 Shagreen leather | 1830
Honore de Balzac gave humanity a novel that is read in one breath – “Shagreen leather” (1830). Rafael de Valentin is a young educated but very poor man who decides to commit suicide. At the decisive moment, he looks into the antiquities shop, where the seller draws his attention to shagreen leather. This is a kind of talisman that can fulfill any desire, but in return the life time will be reduced. Raphael’s life is changing dramatically, he gets everything he dreamed of: money, a prestigious position, his beloved woman. But already a very small piece of shagreen leather reminds him that the final calculation is close.
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9. Portrait of Dorian Gray | 1890
Novel “The Picture of Dorian Grey” was written by Oscar Wilde in just three weeks. Immediately after the publication of the book in 1890, a scandal erupted in society. Some critics demanded that the author be placed under arrest as an insult to public morality. Ordinary readers accepted the work with enthusiasm. An unusually handsome young man Dorian Gray meets the artist Basil Hallward, who wants to paint his portrait. After the work was ready, Dorian expressed his desire that he remain young, and only the portrait grew old. Dorian meets Lord Henry, under whose influence he becomes vicious and depraved. His wish came true – the portrait began to change. The more Dorian succumbed to the thirst for pleasure and vice, the more the portrait changed. Fears, obsessions began to haunt Gray. He decided to change and do good, but the vanity that guided him did not change anything …
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8. Fahrenheit 451 | 1953
“451 degrees Fahrenheit” (1953) Ray Bradbury’s dystopian novel about a totalitarian society where books are banned, they are burned along with the owners’ houses. Guy Montag is the fireman who does the job. But only after each burning Guy, on pain of death, takes the best books and hides them at home. His wife turns away from him, and the boss begins to suspect him of storing books, and tries to convince him that they bring only misfortune, they must be disposed of. Montag is increasingly disillusioned with the ideals that are trying to impose on him. He finds his supporters, and together, in order to save books for future generations, they memorize them.
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7. Dark Tower | 1982-2012
“Dark tower” (from 1982 to 2012) is a collection of books by Stephen King that are read in one breath. All novels are a mixture of different genres: horror, science fiction, western, fantasy. The main character, gunslinger Roland Deschain, travels in search of the Dark Tower, the center of all worlds. During his travels, Roland visits various worlds and time periods, but his goal is the Dark Tower. Deschain is sure that he will be able to climb to the very top on it and find out who controls the world and possibly make changes to the management. Each book in the cycle is a separate story with its own plot and characters.
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6. Perfumer. The story of one killer | 1985
“Perfumer. The story of a killer “ (1985) – a novel created by Patrick Suskind and recognized as the most famous work after Remarque, written in German. Jean-Baptiste Grenouille has a very strong sense of smell, but he does not smell his own at all. He lives in difficult conditions and the only thing that pleases him in life is to find new smells. Jean-Baptiste is learning the craft of a perfumer and at the same time wants to invent a scent for himself so that people don’t shun him because he doesn’t smell. Gradually, Grenouille realizes that the only smell that attracts him is the scent of the skin and hair of beautiful women. To extract it, the perfumer turns into a merciless killer. There is a series of murders of the most beautiful girls in the city…
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5. Memoirs of a Geisha | 1997
“Memoirs of a Geisha” (1997) – a novel by Arthur Golden tells about one of the most famous geisha in Kyoto (Japan). The book is set in the period before and after World War II. Geisha culture and Japanese traditions are described very colorfully and in detail. The author frankly shows what hard, exhausting work is behind beauty and the art of pleasing men.
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4. Adventures of Erast Fandorin | 1998
“The Adventures of Erast Fandorin” (since 1998) – a cycle of 15 works by Boris Akunin, written in the genre of historical detective story and which are read in one breath. Erast Fandorin is a man with impeccable manners, noble, educated, incorruptible. In addition, he is very attractive, but, nevertheless, lonely. Erast went from a clerk of the Moscow police to a real state councilor. The first work in which Fandorin appeared “Azazel”. In it, he investigated the murder of a Moscow student and exposed the secret and powerful organization Azazel. This was followed by the novel “Turkish Gambit”, where Fandorin goes to the Russian-Turkish war as a volunteer and looks for the Turkish spy Anvar-efendi. The subsequent works “Leviathan”, “Diamond Chariot”, “Jade Rosary”, “The Death of Achilles”, “Special Assignments” tell about Fandorin’s further adventures, which keep and intrigue the reader, preventing him from closing the book.
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3. The Da Vinci Code | 2003
“The Da Vinci Code” (2003) – an intellectual detective created by Dan Brown, did not leave indifferent any person who read it. Robert Langdon, a Harvard professor, is trying to unravel the murder of Louvre curator Jacques Saunière. Sauniere’s granddaughter Sophie helps him in this. The victim tried to help them, as he managed to write the path to the solution with blood. But the inscription turned out to be a cipher that Langdon had to decipher. Puzzles follow one after another, and in order to solve them, Robert and Sophie need to find a map indicating the location of the Holy Grail – the cornerstone. The investigation confronts the heroes with the church organization Opus Dei, which is also hunting for the Grail.
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2. The night is tender | 1934
“Night is tender” (1934) – one of the most famous works of Francis Stott Fitzgerald, which is read in one breath, and will suit fans of sentimental novels. The action takes place in post-war Europe. After the war, a young American psychiatrist, Dick Diver, stayed to work in a Swiss clinic. He falls in love with his patient Nicole, and marries her. The girl’s parents are not happy with such a marriage: Nicole is very rich, and Dick is poor. The diver built a house on the seashore, and they began to lead a secluded life. Soon Dick meets a young actress Rosemary and falls in love with her. But they had to part, and the next time they met only after four years and again for a short time. Dick begins to pursue failures, he loses the clinic, and Nicole, having learned about his connection with Rosemary, leaves him.
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1. Thirteenth tale | 2006
“The Thirteenth Tale” Diana Setterfield became a best-seller immediately after its release in 2006. The book tells the story of a young woman, Margaret Lee, who publishes literary works and received an offer from the famous writer Vida Winter to write her biography. Winter’s first book is called Thirteen Tales, but it only tells 12 stories. The thirteenth is to be learned personally by Margaret from the author himself. This will be a story about two twin girls and the secret intricacies that fate has prepared for them.
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