
By Edward Bellamy 1898
A bustling train pulls into a sleepy New England village, and the locals swarm around the newcomer—a young man in a crisp lawyer’s suit, unmistakably recognized as one of their own. The townspeople’s warm greetings and the whispered gossip about his past paint a portrait of a community that cherishes its native son, eager to see how far his city‑bound ambitions have carried him.
He soon arrives at his family’s modest home, where the familiar scent of lilac and the sight of his mother and sister sorting currants at the window instantly revive his childhood memories. The scene is simple yet vivid: a gentle embrace, the clatter of fruit on the floor, and the lively chatter that fills the room as they prepare for the day’s chores.
Through these tender moments the story captures the tension between hometown loyalty and the pull of a larger world, inviting listeners to explore how a return home can both comfort and challenge a man’s sense of identity.
Full title
Hooking Watermelons 1898 1898
Language
en
Duration
~43 minutes (41K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by David Widger
Release date
2007-09-21
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1850–1898
Best known for the hugely influential utopian novel Looking Backward, this Massachusetts writer imagined a future shaped by social equality and shared prosperity. His fiction and essays helped turn late-19th-century political debate into something vivid, readable, and surprisingly personal.
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by Edward Bellamy

by Edward Bellamy

by Edward Bellamy

by Edward Bellamy

by Edward Bellamy

by Edward Bellamy

by Edward Bellamy

by Edward Bellamy