By Taylor Jasmine | On October 30, 2017 | Updated December 18, 2022 | Comments (0)
Christina Stead (1902 – 1983), the Australian-born novelist and short story writer, was best known for the novel The Man Who Loved Children. Following is a selection of quotes from this talented but somewhat embittered author.
The author of fifteen novels and numerous short stories, Stead never gained the success she felt she deserved. Viewed as a misanthrope and curmudgeon, she was a largely unapproachable person who revealed little of herself even as she self-invented. She destroyed many of her personal papers, making it more difficult to preserve her legacy.
In her works, the main characters were often based on herself and the stories very close to her own life. Read More→
By Nava Atlas | On October 26, 2017 | Updated November 24, 2024 | Comments (15)
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849 – 1924) was first published as a book in 1911 after being serialized starting in 1909. Here we’ll explore a selection of touching quotes from A Secret Garden, filled with metaphors for hope and transformation.
At the start of the story, we meet Mary Lennox, a sickly and neglected 10-year-old born to wealthy English parents in colonial India. After a cholera epidemic kills her parents, Mary is sent to England to live with her uncle in a mysterious manor.
The tale follows the spoiled and sulky young girl as she slowly sheds her sour demeanor after discovering a secret locked garden on the grounds of her uncle’s manor. Read More→
By Taylor Jasmine | On October 22, 2017 | Updated December 23, 2022 | Comments (0)
Journal of a Solitude by May Sarton is this multi-faceted writer’s 1973 follow-up to Plant Dreaming Deep, in which she continues her search for self.
Published in 1973, Journal of Solitude would later become a key text in women’s studies courses. Like her other books, both memoirs and novels, this one explores isolation, solitude, love, relationships, sexual orientation, success, failure, gratitude, love of nature, the seasons, and the struggles of a creative life. Read More→
By Emma Ward | On October 17, 2017 | Updated May 8, 2023 | Comments (3)
This selection of quotes from Black Beauty, one of the best-selling children’s books of all time, reflect its author’s belief in the inherent rights and dignity of all animals.
Anna Sewell (1820 – 1878) inherited her talent from her mother, Mary Wright Sewell, who was a writer of poetry and novels.
Anna’s inspiration for her only novel, Black Beauty (1877) came from personal experience. She fell while walking home from school and broke both of her ankles at the age of fourteen. Read More→
By Emma Ward | On October 15, 2017 | Updated October 26, 2025 | Comments (0)
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797 – 1851) was a British author whose work crossed several genres (essays, biographies, novels, short stories, and dramas), though the book she’s best remembered for is Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus, one of the most remarkable works in English literature.
Read a detailed synopsis of this unforgettable story, and keep reading for a selection of memorable quotes from Frankenstein.
When she was seventeen years old, Mary she eloped from England to Italy with the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, setting off a life of upheaval and tragedy. One of the results was the creation of If you love this book, make sure to read in Mary Shelley’s own words how she came to write Frankenstein while still in her teens. Read More→
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