Berenice

Oppenheim, E. Phillips (Edward Phillips), 1866-194Project Gutenberg · United StatesMar 2023

3.4

Word count: 192K words
Chapters: 20

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971, and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today. Berenice by E. Phillips Oppenheim. Author: Oppenheim, E. Phillips (Edward Phillips), 1866-1946. Language: English. Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature. Release Date: Nov 25, 2009.

Editor's review

Berenice is a novel by the British writer Edward Phillips Oppenheim, digitized by Project Gutenberg and classified under English literature. Oppenheim is known for strongly plotted popular fiction involving international intrigue and high society, and this book belongs to that vein of his work. As a public-domain ebook, its primary significance is accessibility: readers can freely obtain the original text of early twentieth-century British popular fiction and observe how suspense, identity, and social settings were handled at the time. While reading, note the author's techniques for setting up twists and how dialogue drives the revelation of information. Bear in mind that this is a product of its era: the narrative pace differs from today's genre fiction, and some social attitudes bear clear marks of the period. If your focus is literary history or narrative technique, it is a useful sample; if you seek light entertainment, adjust your expectations. Treat it as a slice of the popular-fiction industry rather than a standalone must-read classic.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in early twentieth-century British popular fiction
Those studying Oppenheim's work or suspense narrative techniques
Learners who need public-domain English texts for reading practice
Readers who enjoy old-style plotting and can accept the context of the era

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer contemporary fast-paced suspense and demand strong stimulation
Readers who are not used to English originals and rely on Chinese translations
People sensitive to depictions of old-era social attitudes

Reading tips

Read the first third to map the characters and core suspense, then decide whether to read the whole book.
Keep a simple character chart and update it as you read to avoid confusing old-style names.
Note the suspense set up at chapter endings; excerpt two or three passages to analyze pacing.
For language study, read dialogue-heavy passages closely to grasp old-fashioned English expression.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this a suspense novel?

According to Project Gutenberg, this is an English novel by Oppenheim classified under English literature. Oppenheim often wrote strongly plotted popular fiction, but the source provides no specific plot summary, so base your judgment on the text itself rather than assuming a category.

How can I read it without a Chinese translation?

This is a public-domain English ebook with an English text. Readers with basic English can work through it chapter by chapter with a dictionary or bilingual tools, focusing first on characters and the main chain of events rather than word-by-word parsing.

Is it suitable as English-learning material?

It can serve as extensive reading, but the book is early and its sentence patterns and vocabulary carry period features, so it is not equivalent to contemporary English. Focus on understanding the plot, look up old-fashioned expressions as needed, and do not imitate all of its usage.

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About the author

Oppenheim, E. Phillips (Edward Phillips), 1866-194 Author

E. Phillips Oppenheim (Edward Phillips Oppenheim, 1866–194) was a writer known for mystery and espionage fiction. Public information about him is limited, and the biographical details in our records are incomplete. The existing catalogue shows that he was a prolific author, with 61 of his works held on this site, including The Great Impersonation, The Double Traitor, The Governors, The Lost Ambassador, The Yellow House, and Stolen Idols. These works generally centre on disguise and false identity, political intrigue, detective pursuit, and adventure; their plots are tightly paced and full of suspense, and he was skilled at advancing the narrative through complex relationships among characters. His works are often classified under inspirational growth, reflecting readers' interest in the choices and turning points of fate faced by his characters.