Books like 'The Unknown Masterpiece'
Readers who enjoyed The Unknown Masterpiece by Honoré de Balzac also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical action / adventure classics literary-fiction historical-fiction university journey
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Time of White Horses by Ibrahim Nasrallah
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsSpanning the collapse of Ottoman rule and the British Mandate in Palestine, this is the story of three generations of a defiant family from the Palestinian village of Hadiya before 1948. Through the lives of Mahmud, chief elder of Hadiya, his son Khaled, and Khaled’s grandson Naji, we enter the life of a tribe whose fate is decided by one colonizer after another...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction journey literary-fiction action-adventure adult book family -
![Time of Parting by Anton Donchev]()
Time of Parting by Anton Donchev
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn the 17th century, a Bulgarian Christian region is selected by the Ottoman rulers to serve as an example of conversion to Islam. A Janissary who was taken from the village as a boy is sent to force the reluctant inhabitants to convert. The local Turkish governor seeks a peaceful solution, but ultimately torture, violence, and rebellion break out... -
![They Burn Thistles by Yaşar Kemal]()
They Burn Thistles by Yaşar Kemal
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThis is the story of a bitter war between the poor Turkish peasants of the Taurus Mountains and the Aghas who covet their land. Ali Safa is determined to take possession of the village of Vayvay but its inhabitants will not sell. Then one villager weakens, prepared to part with his land in return for the Agha's best stallion...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction journey literary-fiction 20th-century action-adventure adult book -
![Selected Stories of Anton Chekhov by Anton Chekhov]()
Selected Stories of Anton Chekhov by Anton Chekhov
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsRichard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, the highly acclaimed translators of and which was an Oprah Book Club pick and million-copy bestseller, bring their unmatched talents to a collection of thirty of Chekhov’s best tales from the major periods of his creative life...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction journey literary-fiction university 20th-century action-adventure adult -
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![Les Misérables: Volume One by Victor Hugo]()
Les Misérables: Volume One by Victor Hugo
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsLes Miserables is widely considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. First published in France in 1862, it is Victor Hugo's greatest achievement--the ultimate tale of redemption. Former prisoner Jean Valjean struggles to live virtuously after an unexpected act of forgiveness by a kindly bishop changes his life...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction literary-fiction action-adventure adult audiobook book fiction -
![Old Enough To Know Better by Duane Boehm]()
Old Enough To Know Better by Duane Boehm
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhen the infamous retired gunman, Gabriel Wolff, took the job of city marshal in Crystal City, Kansas, he succeeded in taming the wild cattle town in short order. The trouble was that he took to the notion that taming the town would end all the evil that lurked there...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction literary-fiction 19th-century action-adventure adult book fiction -
![Dom Casmurro by Machado de Assis, Elizabeth Hardwick]()
Dom Casmurro by Machado de Assis, Elizabeth Hardwick
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsYou can find an alternative cover edition for this ISBN here. Bento Santiago, the wildly unreliable narrator of Dom Casmurro, believes that he has been cuckolded—he suspects that his wife has cheated on him with his best friend and that her child is not his...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction journey literary-fiction university action-adventure adult audiobook -
![Data Tutashkhia by Chabua Amirejibi]()
Data Tutashkhia by Chabua Amirejibi
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe novel tells the story of a Georgian outlaw at the time of the tsars (1854 onwards). It combines thriller elements with Dostoyevskian themes of personal fate and national identity. Above all, though, it defends the right to personal freedom and critical expression in the face of a repressive political system...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction journey action-adventure adult book colonization fiction -
![King of Kings by Wilbur Smith]()
King of Kings by Wilbur Smith
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe sequel to Wilbur Smith's worldwide bestseller, The Triumph of the Sun.An epic story of love, betrayal, courage and war that brings together two of Wilbur Smith's greatest families in this long-awaited sequel to his worldwide bestseller, The Triumph of the Sun. Cairo, 1888. A beautiful September day. Penrod Ballantyne and his fiancee, Amber Benbrook, stroll hand in hand...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction literary-fiction action-adventure adult anthologies audiobook fiction -
![The Day Lasts More Than a Hundred Years by Chingiz Aitmatov]()
The Day Lasts More Than a Hundred Years by Chingiz Aitmatov
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSet in the vast windswept Central Asian steppes and the infinite reaches of galactic space, this powerful novel offers a vivid view of the culture and values of the Soviet Union's Central Asian peoples...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction journey literary-fiction 20th-century action-adventure adult audiobook -
![Christ Recrucified by Nikos Kazantzakis]()
Christ Recrucified by Nikos Kazantzakis
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe inhabitants of a Greek village, ruled by the Turks, plan to enact the life of Christ in a mystery play but are overwhelmed by their task. A group of refugees, fleeing from the ruins of their plundered homes, arrive asking for protection - and suddenly the drama of the Passion becomes reality...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction journey literary-fiction 20th-century action-adventure adult book -
![Green City in the Sun by Barbara Wood]()
Green City in the Sun by Barbara Wood
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA magnificent saga of two proud and powerful families—one British, one African—and their battle over Kenya’s destiny in the twentieth century.In 1917, Dr. Grace Treverton arrives in Kenya, determined to bring modern medicine to the African natives. Her brother, Sir Valentine Treverton, has his own dream for the British protectorate: to establish an agricultural empire to rival any in England...Categorized as:
historical-fiction journey literary-fiction action-adventure adult book drama family -
![The Kites by Romain Gary]()
The Kites by Romain Gary
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsOn a small farm in Normandy, as Hitler rises to power in Germany, young Ludo comes of age in the care of his Uncle Ambrose, an eccentric mailman, kite-maker, and pacifist. Ludo’s quiet existence changes the day he meets Lila, a girl from the aristocratic Polish family who own the estate next door. In a single glance, Ludo instantly falls in love forever; Lila, on the other hand, remains elusive...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction journey literary-fiction 20th-century action-adventure adult book -
![Men in the Sun and Other Palestinian Stories by Ghassan Kanafani]()
Men in the Sun and Other Palestinian Stories by Ghassan Kanafani
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsThis collection of important stories by novelist, journalist, teacher, and Palestinian activist Ghassan Kanafani includes the stunning novella Men in the Sun (1962), the basis of the The Deceived. Also in the volume are "The Land of Sad Oranges" (1958), "'If You Were a Horse..Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction journey literary-fiction university 20th-century action-adventure adult -
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![The Reluctant Wife by Caroline Warfield]()
The Reluctant Wife by Caroline Warfield
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhen all else fails, love succeeds…Captain Fred Wheatly’s comfortable life on the fringes of Bengal comes crashing down around him when his mistress dies, leaving him with two children he never expected to have to raise. After he chooses justice over army regulations, he’s forced to resign his position, leaving him no way to support his unexpected family... -
![They Were Counted by Miklós Bánffy, Patrick Leigh Fermor]()
They Were Counted by Miklós Bánffy, Patrick Leigh Fermor
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsPainting an unrivalled portrait of the vanished world of pre-1914 Hungary, this story is told through the eyes of two young Transylvanian cousins, Count Balint Abady and Count Laszlo Gyeroffy...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction journey literary-fiction 20th-century action-adventure adult book -
![The Tale of Kiều by Nguyễn Du, Alexander Barton Woodside]()
The Tale of Kiều by Nguyễn Du, Alexander Barton Woodside
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsSince its publication in the early nineteenth century, this long narrative poem has stood unchallenged as the supreme masterpiece of Vietnamese literature...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction literary-fiction journey fiction epic historical romantic-love -
![Bosnian Chronicle by Ivo Andrić, Joseph Hitrec]()
Bosnian Chronicle by Ivo Andrić, Joseph Hitrec
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSet in the town of Travnik, Bosnian Chronicle presents the struggle for supremacy in a region that stubbornly refuses to submit to any outsider. The era is Napoleanic and the novel, both in its historical scope and psychological subtley, Tolstoyan. In its portray of conflict and fierce ethnic loyalties, the story is also eerily relevant...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction journey literary-fiction 20th-century action-adventure adult book -
![The Third Wedding by Costas Taktsis, Κώστας Ταχτσής]()
The Third Wedding by Costas Taktsis, Κώστας Ταχτσής
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe German Occupation, the Civil War and life itself seen through the eyes of two Athenian women...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction journey 20th-century action-adventure adult book fiction -
![The Diviners by Margaret Laurence, Margaret Atwood]()
The Diviners by Margaret Laurence, Margaret Atwood
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe Diviners is the culmination and completion of Margaret Laurence's Manawaka cycle.This is the powerful story of an independent woman who refuses to abandon her search for love. For Morag Gunn, growing up in a small Canadian prairie town is a toughening process – putting distance between herself and a world that wanted no part of her...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction journey literary-fiction university 20th-century action-adventure adult -
![The Moon and Sixpence by W. Somerset Maugham]()
The Moon and Sixpence by W. Somerset Maugham
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsBased on the life of Paul Gauguin, The Moon and Sixpence is W. Somerset Maugham's ode to the powerful forces behind creative genius. Charles Strickland is a staid banker, a man of wealth and privilege. He is also a man possessed of an unquenchable desire to create art... -
![Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin]()
Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsEugene Onegin is the master work of the poet whom Russians regard as the fountainhead of their literature. Set in 1820s Russia, Pushkin's verse novel follows the fates of three men and three women...Categorized as:
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![Raj Kahini by Abanindranath Tagore]()
Raj Kahini by Abanindranath Tagore
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratings<span><span>An unforgettable historical novella that leads you to the flowing sand dunes of Rajasthan, the clash of swords, to the courtyard of kings and queens. The book captures the spirit of a heroic past that never fails to move readers even today...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction literary-fiction action-adventure adult book fiction historical -
![Rapsodie der eenzaamheid by Agnar Mykle, Maurice Michael]()
Rapsodie der eenzaamheid by Agnar Mykle, Maurice Michael
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsDutch translation of Lasso rundt fru Luna... -
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![Silver Wings (Love Endures) by Grace Livingston Hill]()
Silver Wings (Love Endures) by Grace Livingston Hill
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAmory Lorrimer watched from her bedroom window as the plane landed. The rugged young pilot who jumped from the plane was quickly surrounded by admiring friends. For a moment he looked toward the grand old mansion--and then his eyes met Amory's. In that instant they fell in love. The next morning Gareth was to leave on a dangerous flight over the Arctic--but his plane never made it...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction university action-adventure adult book christian fiction -
![Murambi, The Book of Bones by Boubacar Boris Diop]()
Murambi, The Book of Bones by Boubacar Boris Diop
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn April of 1994, nearly a million Rwandans were killed in what would prove to be one of the swiftest, most terrifying killing sprees of the 20th century. In Murambi, The Book of Bones, Boubacar Boris Diop comes face to face with the chilling horror and overwhelming sadness of the tragedy...Categorized as:
historical-fiction university journey literary-fiction fiction 21st-century historical sad -
![The Death Ship by B. Traven]()
The Death Ship by B. Traven
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe Death Ship tells the story of an American sailor, stateless and penniless because he has lost his passport, who is harassed by police and hounded across Europe until he finds an 'illegal' job shoveling coal in the hold of a steamer bound for destruction.The Death Ship is the first of B...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction literary-fiction action-adventure adult book fiction historical -
![Chicot the Jester by Alexandre Dumas]()
Chicot the Jester by Alexandre Dumas
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsChicot the Jester was one of King Henry III's trusted advisors and friends, sharp-tongued and cunning and spoke with the king without formalities. Dumas' novel is another great series of plot twists, schemes, and larger than life characters delving into the ill-fated romance of the Dame de Monsoreau and Count de Bussy...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction literary-fiction action-adventure adult audiobook book children -
![Sarajevo Marlboro by Miljenko Jergović]()
Sarajevo Marlboro by Miljenko Jergović
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsMiljenko Jergovic’s remarkable début collection of stories, Sarajevo Marlboro – winner of the Erich Maria Remarque Peace Prize – earned him wide acclaim throughout Europe. Croatian by birth, Jergovic ? spent his childhood in Sarajevo and chose to remain there throughout most of the war... -
![The White Ship by Chingiz Aitmatov]()
The White Ship by Chingiz Aitmatov
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsDeserted by his parents, a young boy finds himself alone in the often grotesque world or relatives who do not want to raise him. As daily events become more and more intolerable, the boy clings to the legends and religious traditions of the area for relief...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction journey 20th-century action-adventure book children-books drama -
![The Bracelet of Garnets and Other Stories by Aleksandr Kuprin, Leo Pasvolsky]()
The Bracelet of Garnets and Other Stories by Aleksandr Kuprin, Leo Pasvolsky
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThis scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages... -
![The Girl from the Coast by Pramoedya Ananta Toer]()
The Girl from the Coast by Pramoedya Ananta Toer
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsPramoedya's The Girl from the Coast tells the story of a beautiful young woman from a fishing village who finds herself in an arranged marriage with a wealthy aristocrat. Forced to leave her parents and home behind, she moves to the city to become the 'lady' of her husband's house...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction journey literary-fiction action-adventure adult book drama -
![Out of the Storm by Grace Livingston Hill]()
Out of the Storm by Grace Livingston Hill
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsOut of the Storm by Grace Livingston Hill (Marcia Macdonald). Illustrated by Walter Stewart. 1929 hardcover published by Grosset & Dunlap, New York...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction university action-adventure adult book christian fiction -
![The Short Stories of Lucy Maud Montgomery from 1907-1908 by L.M. Montgomery]()
The Short Stories of Lucy Maud Montgomery from 1907-1908 by L.M. Montgomery
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsLucy Maud Montgomery was born at Clifton (now New London), Prince Edward Island, Canada, on November 30, 1874. She achieved international fame in her lifetime, putting Prince Edward Island and Canada on the world literary map. Best known for her "Anne of Green Gables" books, she was also a prolific writer of short stories and poetry...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction literary-fiction action-adventure adult audiobook book fiction -
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![Fluch Der Begierde by May McGoldrick]()
Fluch Der Begierde by May McGoldrick
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWANTED…for crimes against the king. In retaliation for the brutality of the English troops. The Irish rebel Egan is fighting back, leading a secret group of revolutionaries—and building his legend across the country. REJECTED…by his own family. Jane Purefoy is a woman with a past. The daughter of an English magistrate, she watched her Irish lover die on the gallows... -
![Edenglassie by Melissa Lucashenko]()
Edenglassie by Melissa Lucashenko
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTwo extraordinary Indigenous stories set five generations apart. When Mulanyin meets the beautiful Nita in Edenglassie, their saltwater people still outnumber the British. As colonial unrest peaks, Mulanyin dreams of taking his bride home to Yugambeh Country, but his plans for independence collide with white justice. Two centuries later, fiery activist Winona meets Dr Johnny...Categorized as:
historical-fiction journey literary-fiction fiction historical family poc-author poc-mc -
![A Book of Memories by Péter Nádas, Imre Goldstein]()
A Book of Memories by Péter Nádas, Imre Goldstein
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThis extraordinary magnum opus seems at first to be a confessional autobiographical novel in the grand manner, claiming and extending the legacy of Proust and Mann. But it is more: Peter Nadas has given us a superb contemporary psychological novel that comes to terms with the ghosts, corpses, and repressed nightmares of Europe's recent past...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction journey literary-fiction 20th-century action-adventure adult book -
![Ancient Mariner; Kubla Khan and Christabel by Samuel Taylor Coleridge]()
Ancient Mariner; Kubla Khan and Christabel by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThis scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages...Categorized as:
classics university literary-fiction fiction action-adventure gothic horror 20th-century -
![The Bridge of Beyond by Simone Schwarz-Bart]()
The Bridge of Beyond by Simone Schwarz-Bart
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThis is an intoxicating tale of love and wonder, mothers and daughters, spiritual values and the grim legacy of slavery on the French Antillean island of Guadeloupe. Here long-suffering Telumee tells her life story and tells us about the proud line of Lougandor women she continues to draw strength from...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction journey literary-fiction university 20th-century action-adventure adult -
![Tales of the North by Jack London]()
Tales of the North by Jack London
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIf you enjoy nonstop adventure and heroic exploits, then you are sure to love Tales of the North... -
![The Shiralee by D'Arcy Niland]()
The Shiralee by D'Arcy Niland
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA shiralee is a swag, a burden, a bloody millstone - and that's what four-year-old Buster is to her father, Macauley. He takes the child on the road with him to spite his wife, but months pass and still no word comes to ask for the little girl back...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction journey literary-fiction 20th-century action-adventure adult audiobook -
![Les Caprices d'un astre by Antoine Laurain]()
Les Caprices d'un astre by Antoine Laurain
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsXavier Lemercier, agent immobilier, trouve au hasard d'une visite d'appartement un mystérieux télescope ayant appartenu à un célèbre astronome. Voilà bientôt qu'il cadre dans l'instrument, depuis son balcon, une femme derrière une fenêtre, sans oser, bien sûr, l'aborder. Divorcé et esseulé, avec pour seules joies ses week-ends avec son jeune fils, il commence à tomber amoureux de l'inconnue...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction journey romance fiction audiobook historical poc-mc -
![The Journey Begins by Dennis Adair, Janet Rosenstock]()
The Journey Begins by Dennis Adair, Janet Rosenstock
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThreatened with financial ruin, young Sara's father sends her to Canada's Prince Edward Island, the birthplace of her late mother, to live with a family she doesn't know...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction literary-fiction action-adventure book children family fiction -
![Rain and Other South Sea Stories by W. Somerset Maugham]()
Rain and Other South Sea Stories by W. Somerset Maugham
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsW. Somerset Maugham led many lives, including that of a doctor in London's slums, a successful playwright and novelist, an agent for British Intelligence during World War I, and a world traveler. In 1917, he took the first of many voyages to the Pacific Islands and the Far East, where his keen sense of observation found inspiration for some of his finest writing... -
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![Around the World in Eighty Days & Five Weeks in a Balloon by Jules Verne]()
Around the World in Eighty Days & Five Weeks in a Balloon by Jules Verne
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWordsworth Classics covers a huge list of beloved works of literature in English and translations. This growing series is rigorously updated, with scholarly introductions and notes added to new titles...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction literary-fiction action-adventure book children children-books fiction -
![Second Class Citizen by Buchi Emecheta]()
Second Class Citizen by Buchi Emecheta
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA poignant story of a resourceful Nigerian woman who overcomes strict tribal domination of women and countless setbacks to achieve an independent life for herself and her children...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction journey literary-fiction university 20th-century action-adventure adult -
![Redburn / White-Jacket / Moby-Dick by Herman Melville]()
Redburn / White-Jacket / Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsBetween 1849 and 1851, Melville wrote three masterful stories of the sea (including the classic Moby-Dick) that captured colorful and comic glimpses of shipboard life, the excitement of the whale hunt, and seascapes that move from the brutal to the sublime; they also displayed a marvelous command of language that mixes the ordinary talk of sailors with the rhythms of the Bible and Shakespearean...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction literary-fiction action-adventure adult anthologies fiction historical -
![The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa]()
The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsThe Leopard is a story of a decadent and dying aristocracy threatened by the forces of revolution and democracy. Set against the political upheavals of Italy in the 1860s, it focuses on Don Fabrizio, a Sicilian prince of immense sensual appetites, wealth, and great personal magnetism...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction journey literary-fiction university 20th-century action-adventure adult -
![The President by Miguel Ángel Asturias]()
The President by Miguel Ángel Asturias
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsGuatemalan diplomat and writer Miguel Angel Asturias (1899–1974) began this award-winning work while still a law student. It is a story of a ruthless dictator and his schemes to dispose of a political adversary in an unnamed Latin American country usually identified as Guatemala. The book has been acclaimed for portraying both a totalitarian government and its damaging psychological effects...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction journey literary-fiction university 20th-century action-adventure adult -
![Broken April by Ismail Kadare]()
Broken April by Ismail Kadare
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom the moment that Gjorg's brother is killed by a neighbour, his own life is forfeit: for the code of Kanun requires Gjorg to kill his brother's murderer and then in turn be hunted down. After shooting his brother's killer, young Gjorg is entitled to thirty days' grace - not enough to see out the month of April.Then a visiting honeymoon couple cross the path of the fugitive...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction journey literary-fiction 20th-century action-adventure adult book
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