
audiobook
by Maria Edgeworth, Charles Lamb, Mary Lamb, Alicia Catherine Mant
In a bustling London street, seven‑year‑old Rosamond clutches her mother’s hand while a parade of colorful shop windows tempts her imagination. From glittering jewellery to a chemist’s dazzling jars, each display provokes a cascade of questions about beauty, usefulness, and the simple wish for a new pair of shoes. The narrative captures her earnest, almost poetic negotiations with a pragmatic mother who balances affection with the hard facts of daily poverty.
When the pair finally enters the crowded shoemaker’s shop, the contrast between the dark, leather‑scented interior and the bright, hopeful jars outside sharpens Rosamond’s longing. Her candid observations about the smells, the stones in her shoe, and the promise of a perfect fit reveal a child's sharp eye for both wonder and necessity. The story gently explores the tension between desire and need, inviting listeners to recall their own childhood quests for something just out of reach.
Language
en
Duration
~2 hours (133K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by David Edwards, Ross Cooling and the Online Distributed Proofreading Canada Team at http://www.pgdpcanada.net. (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
Release date
2010-11-28
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

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A sharp, lively storyteller who helped shape both the modern novel and children’s literature, she wrote with unusual realism about family life, education, and Irish society. Her books mix wit, moral insight, and a close eye for how people actually behave.
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Best known for the warm, witty Essays of Elia, this beloved English essayist brought humor, memory, and everyday London life into some of the most personal prose of the Romantic era. He also helped introduce Shakespeare to young readers through Tales from Shakespeare, written with his sister Mary Lamb.
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by Maria Edgeworth

by Maria Edgeworth

by Alicia Catherine Mant

by Charles Lamb

by Maria Edgeworth

by Maria Edgeworth

by Maria Edgeworth

by Maria Edgeworth