Best Selling Books by Rebecca West

Rebecca West’s stunning debut novel: The classic story of a soldier’s amnesia and its effect on the women in his life A strange woman arrives at the door with unsettling news for Jenny and her sister-in-law Kitty: Jenny’s husband has lost his memory while fighting in the war. As their solider returns home, the women discover that his mind is stuck on the woman he loved fifteen years before—the same woman who first delivered the news of his memory loss and whom Jenny and Kitty regard as socially beneath them. As they care for him and react to this news, they come to understand the power of love—past, present, unrequited, and unconditional. Psychologically astute, West’s unforgettable first work of fiction reveals her innate skill at understanding the constructs of class that hamper people’s attempts to connect with one another.

A collection of Rebecca West’s early journalistic writings reveals her clarity of mind, severity of wit, and relevancy in today’s modern world In this collection of early writings, beginning when Rebecca West was just eighteen years old, Jane Marcus sheds light on one of the foremost feminist and political thinkers of our time. West’s essays, reviews, and public correspondence tackle many subjects, including politics, suffrage, education, morality and ethics, the arts, and social figures of the day. Her writings offer a glimpse of the real Rebecca—not some stuffy suffragette, but a vibrant, funny, provocative, and brilliant woman whose determined pen strokes outwit her contemporaries and remain inspiring today. A feminist to the core, West parried with her readers, other writers, and a culture slow to accept change. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Rebecca West featuring rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the Department of Special Collections and University Archives, McFarlin Library, at the University of Tulsa.

A “compelling . . . oddly intriguing” psychological thriller set in fin-de-siècle Paris from the New York Times–bestselling author of Black Lamb and Grey Falcon (The New York Times). During early revolutionary stirrings in Russia, after an unexpected turn of events, Laura Rowan, the coddled granddaughter of an exiled British nobleman, becomes her grandfather’s sole companion on a fateful train ride. In France, a young revolutionary approaches Laura and her grandfather with information that will turn her world upside down, and their travels become a thrilling journey into the heart of the struggle against Tsarist Russia. In this suspenseful novel, West brings to life a battle between entitled imperials and the passionate, savvy communist revolutionaries who dare to face them.

Hailed as among the most important books of the twentieth century, Rebecca West’s magnum opus is a history, a travelogue, and a sociological study of Yugoslavia that examines how the past shapes the present In a breathtakingly wide-ranging journalistic work, West richly chronicles her travels throughout Yugoslavia in the 1930s, introducing vivid characters and illuminating details. More than a travelogue, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon connects the people and places West encounters to the long history of conflict that has formed national identities in the Balkans across a millennium of shifting alliances. West writes, “I had come to Yugoslavia because I knew that the past has made the present, and I wanted to see how the process works.” As profound, sad, and funny as when it was first published in 1941, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon interrogates the forces that continue to shape our modern world.

A thoughtful romantic novel of love found, lost, rekindled, and redefined Isabelle, a wealthy American widow, arrives in France to restart her life and discovers she has her choice of eligible suitors. Torn between a placid liaison with a southerner and a tortuous affair with a Frenchman, Isabelle’s plans suddenly take an unexpected turn that will ultimately lead her to a love that will force her to reconsider the implications of her affluent existence. With her signature wit and wisdom, West presents a captivating ode to marriage’s depth and the romance of the bond between husband and wife.

In the second installment of Rebecca West’s Saga of the Century trilogy, Rose Aubrey, her sisters, and her cousin stand on the brink of adulthood and a new era for women They have put down their schoolbooks and put up their hair, but a talented musician and her kin ponder what being a young woman on one’s own will entail. Abandoned by their feckless father, Rose and her family must move beyond their comfortable drawing room to discover a world of kind patrons, music teachers, and concert hall acclaim, but also domestic strife, anti-Semitism, and social pressure to marry. Set before World War I, Rebecca West’s intimate, eloquent family portrait brings to life a time when women recognized their own voices and the joys of living off one’s own talents.

A New York Times bestseller, this riveting account of the Nuremberg trials by a legendary journalist is simply “astonishing” (Francine Prose). Sent to cover the war crimes trials at Nuremberg for the New Yorker, Rebecca West brought along her inimitable skills for understanding a place and its people. In these accomplished articles, West captures the world that sprung up to process the Nazi leaders; from the city’s war-torn structures to the courtroom security measures, no detail is left out. West’s unparalleled grasp on human motivations and character offers particular insight into the judges, prosecutors, and of course the defendants themselves. This remarkable narrative captures the social and political ramifications of a world recovering from the divisions of war. As engaging as it is informative, this collection represents West’s finest hour as a reporter.

Published posthumously, this wise and entertaining family history and memoir offers keen insight into the origins of Rebecca West and her work Working on Family Memories for over twenty years, West set out to narrate the story of her mother’s, father’s and husband’s unique and talented families. As in her novels, the richly drawn characters of her heritage and childhood traverse a diverse landscape, from Scotland to Australia to Africa, encountering love, loss, and a panoply of challenges. Although fans will recognize many settings, characters, and themes from her novels, West’s exploration of her family stands on its own as an engaging narrative. Told with her compelling voice, West’s chronicles reflect not only the importance of family to identity, but to the way one relates to the larger world.

A beautiful actress of the 1920s faces painful decisions about her lovers and her future in Rebecca West’s posthumously published semi-autobiographical novel Star of the stage, Sunflower has everything but the attention she craves from her long-time—and married—lover, Lord Essington, a brilliant and intense man occupied with more intellectual thoughts. Eager for a more rewarding experience, Sunflower must decide whether another “great man,” the Australian Francis Pitt, will offer a more traditional relationship and happiness. Written during West’s own psychoanalysis and never finished, Sunflower ponders topics of the power struggle between the sexes, and a woman’s freedom to determine her romantic destiny. Drawn heavily from West’s own relationships with H.G. Wells and Lord Beaverbrook, this roman à clef gives a glimpse of the author’s own struggle to find a satisfying relationship.

A brilliant romantic novel that traces the generational pulls of love and fidelity At seventeen, Ellen Melville’s life is filled with passion for the suffrage movement, her mother, and Edinburgh, if not romance. Then Richard Yaverland, a successful older man, enters her life. Haunted by his own illegitimacy, Richard wants to avert the pain that left his mother a bitter woman even as he kindles a passionate romance. As Ellen and Richard tentatively try on the roles of lovers, the spark of a new relationship will inspire the people around them to consider their own connections. As West’s clever and enchanting heroine falls in love, she inspires the reader to reflect on the different ways that love can change the course of our lives, for better or worse.

A travelogue and historical exploration of Mexico from one of the twentieth century’s greatest travel writers Dame Rebecca West travels through Mexico and explores its people, history, religion, and culture in her unfinished work Survivors in Mexico, carefully stitched together by Bernard Schweizer in this posthumously published edition. West tackles the country’s broad historical legacy—the Spanish conquest and Mexican revolution, the muralist movement, race relations, and contemporary life—and delves into the personal, intimate lives of key figures such as Hernán Cortés, Montezuma, Dr. Atl, Diego Rivera, and Leon Trotsky. Conceived as a companion to West’s masterful classic Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, this book showcases the complexity of West’s character, addresses the paradoxes inherent in her work, and allows for a mature understanding of her ideology. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Rebecca West featuring rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the Department of Special Collections and University Archives, McFarlin Library, at the University of Tulsa.

A collection of Rebecca West’s critical thought, essays, and reviews that sparkles with her wit and intelligence Throughout her life, West worked as a journalist and critic, and in this collection readers will discover her vibrant voice, which is at times frank and frequently humorous. Whether considering her escapades in Prohibition-era New York or her own path to writing fiction, West’s essays offer captivating stories and apt reflections on human foibles—as well as her own personality. That same honesty is evident in her reviews, in which West tackles subjects such as Winston Churchill’s memoir and Brave New World, but never shies away from either a critical or playful tone. A wonderful introduction to the author’s nonfiction writing, and a veritable goldmine for fans, The Essential Rebecca West brings the writer, her voice, and her times to life.

From the time that George Bernard Shaw remarked that “Rebecca West could handle a pen as brilliantly as ever I could and much more savagely,” West’s writings and her politics have elicited strong reactions. This collection of her letters—the first ever published—has been culled from the estimated ten thousand she wrote during her long life. The more than two hundred selected letters follow this spirited author, critic, and journalist from her first feminist campaign for women’s suffrage when she was a teenager through her reassessments of the twentieth century written in 1982, in her ninetieth year. The letters, which are presented in full, include correspondence with West’s famous lover H. G. Wells and with Shaw, Virginia Woolf, Emma Goldman, Noel Coward, and many others; offer pronouncements on such contemporary authors as Norman Mailer, Nadine Gordimer, and Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.; and provide new insights into her battles against misogyny, fascism, and communism. West deliberately fashions her own biography through this intensely personal correspondence, challenging rival accounts of her groundbreaking professional career, her frustrating love life, and her tormented family relations. Engrossing to read, the collection sheds new light on this important figure and her social and literary milieu.

West’s acclaimed examination of traitors, this gripping profile takes readers inside World War II spy rings and gets to the heart of what it means to betray one’s country Throughout her career, Rebecca West dug into psyches, real and fictional, to try to understand the meaning of betrayal. In the aftermath of World War II, West was incensed when several wartime turncoats were tried with seeming indifference—and worse, sympathy—from the British public. In exploring these traitors’ origins, crimes, and motivations, West exposes how class division, greed, and discrimination can taint loyalties and redraw the relationships between individuals and their fatherland. A fascinating book, The Meaning of Treason combines the intrigue of a spy novel with West’s classic, careful dissection of man’s moral struggles.

Rebecca West’s gripping chronicle of England’s World War II traitors, expanded and updated for the Cold War era In The Meaning of Treason, Rebecca West tackled not only the history and facts behind the spate of World War II traitors, but the overriding social forces at work to challenge man’s connection to his fatherland. As West reveals in this expanded edition, the ideologically driven amateurs of World War II were followed by the much more sinister professional spies for whom the Cold War era proved a lucrative playground and put Western safety at risk. Filled with real-world intrigue and fascinating character studies, West’s gripping narrative connects the war’s treasonous acts with the rise of Communist spy rings in England and tackles the ongoing issue of identity in a complex world.

A talented, eccentric London family tries to find their place in the world in this semiautobiographical novel by a New York Times–bestselling author. Papa Aubrey’s wife and twin daughters, Mary and Rose, are piano prodigies, his young son Richard Quin is a lively boy, and his eldest daughter Cordelia is a beautiful and driven young woman with musical aspirations. But the talented and eccentric Aubrey family rarely enjoys a moment of harmony, as its members struggle to overcome the effects of their patriarch’s spendthrift ways. Now they must move so that their father, a noted journalist, can find stable employment. Throughout, it is the Aubreys’ hope that art will save them from the cacophony of a life sliding toward poverty. In this eloquent and winning portrait, West’s compelling characters must uncover their true talent for kindness in order to thrive in the world that exists outside of their life as a family.

An enlightening collection of short stories and other unpublished works that highlight Rebecca West’s deft hand at fiction Published posthumously, these short stories and excerpts from unfinished works highlight what made West a highly regarded novelist: sensuous descriptions, self-sufficient yet vulnerable heroines wrestling with the meanings of identity and love, and even brushes with magic and mysticism. West’s powerful narrative style draws readers into her worlds, whether via a comic sketch, a romance, or a thriller. Many of these characters will remind West’s fans of their later published incarnations. Sure to be a pleasure for new readers and seasoned fans alike, this insightful collection informs as much as it entertains.

Mary en Rose is het tweede deel van de Aubrey-trilogie, die vertelt over de excentrieke, intellectuele familie Aubrey. Moeder Clare heeft door een slimmigheid wat geld verdiend en de familie Aubrey geniet nu van kleine luxes. De kinderen zijn opgegroeid tot tieners: de tweeling Mary en Rose zit op een muziekacademie in Londen en ontdekt een wereld aan muziekleraren en concertzalen, maar ervaart ook de onromantische hardheid van het leven als professioneel pianist. Hun broer, Richard Quin, lijkt voorbestemd voor literaire grootsheid in Oxford. Hun oudere zus Cordelia heeft haar artistieke ambities opgegeven om te trouwen en nicht Rosamund werkt als verpleegkundige. Maar als de Eerste Wereldoorlog uitbreekt en zijn donkere schaduw over de wereld werpt, worden alle zwaarbevochten zekerheden van de familie Aubrey aan het wankelen gebracht.

Rosamund is het derde en laatste deel van de Aubrey-trilogie, die vertelt over de excentrieke, intellectuele familie Aubrey. In de jaren na de Eerste Wereldoorlog reizen Mary en Rose, nu twee beroemde pianisten, door Amerika. Ze verblijven in de meest exclusieve hotels en worden als sterren ontvangen op feesten, waar champagne rijkelijk vloeit en de gasten charmant en bevoorrecht zijn. Maar luxe en succes zijn niet alles, want in deze wereld lijkt niemand echt liefde voor muziek te hebben. De oorlog heeft bij Mary en Rose diepe sporen achtergelaten en ze zijn niet in staat de kloof tussen heden en verleden te overbruggen. Als nicht Rosamund een plotse keuze maakt, moeten ze heroverwegen wat familie en liefde voor hen betekenen. In Rosamund volgen we hun pijnlijke reis naar emotionele en artistieke volwassenheid.

One of the pioneer studies of the American expatriate novelist.