Books like Hlomu the wife by Dudu Busani-Dube

180 p. ; 21 cm.1010L Lexile

Richard, Duke of Cleybourne, returns to his country estate to deal with the tragic loss he had suffered four years earlier. But the arrival of Miss Jessica Maitland and Gabriella, his new ward, throws a wrench into his plans. The governess, feisty and flame-haired, reveals that the girl is in danger, and the mysterious events escalate into a murder mystery at Cleybourne Castle.

When heir Saul Parenti unexpectedly ascends the Arrezzian throne after his cousin’s death, he and his new wife Giselle must balance royal duties with a fragile marriage, as Giselle’s painful past threatens their future.

How did marriage, considered a religious duty in medieval Europe, become a venue for personal fulfillment in contemporary America? How did the notion of romantic love, a novelty in the Middle Ages, become a prerequisite for marriage today? And, if the original purpose of marriage was procreation, what exactly is the purpose of marriage for women now?Combining "a scholar's rigor and a storyteller's craft"(San Jose Mercury News), distinguished cultural historian Marilyn Yalom charts the evolution of marriage in the Judeo Christian world through the centuries and shows how radically our ideas about marriage have changed.For any woman who is, has been, or ever will be married, this intellectually vigorous and gripping historical analysis of marriage sheds new light on an institution most people take for granted, and that may, in fact, be experiencing its most convulsive upheaval since the Reformation.

From reserved gentleman to society's darling Laurence Bretton has been the talk of the Ton since the shock announcement that he is the celebrated playwright Valentine Lawe. Keeping up the charade for his sisters' sake isn't a problem-that is, until he lays eyes on Lady Joanna Northrup ... Since her father inherited his title, Joanna is no longer free to marry for love. Now she must choose a wealthy, titled husband-and soon! Regretfully, this doesn't include the dashing Laurence-and certainly not his flamboyant alter ego. But the twinkle in his eyes tells her there's so much more to this man. If only he can pen a happy ending for them both ...

Like 'The Japanese Wife', the other stories in this collection are also about residents and non-residents. In 'Grateful Ganga', an American rock queen shares her love tunes with a Punjabi businessman even as she mourns her dead husband; in 'Snakecharmer', a retired Israeli American professor arrives in India with the intention of committing suicide, only to be saved by a snakecharmer's daughter. Father Tito, the emigre Yugoslav of Father Tito's Onion Rings, is haunted by the Holocaust as he intercedes between Hindu and Muslim rioters. The stories here are about unexpected love and accidental gifts; about finding oneself among strangers; about living elsewhere and living in one's dreams. They parade a full cast of priests, whores, rebels, dead emperors, bush soldiers, poachers, conmen and connoisseurs - angels and demons rubbing shoulders with those whose lives are never quite as ordinary as they seem.

A spirited choreographer escapes love and duty, only to find her soulmate forcing her to confront the tradition she has fled.