Love under Fire

Parrish, Randall, 1858-1923Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 447K words
Chapters: 45

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.Love under Fire by Randall ParrishAuthor: Parrish, Randall, 1858-1923,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Apr 1, 2004

Editor's review

Love under Fire is an English-language novel by Randall Parrish (1858–1923), in the American and Canadian literature class, released by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain eBook. Parrish was known for historical adventure and romantic fiction, and this book likewise sets its emotional thread against a turbulent backdrop, with the plot driven by suspense and shifts in the characters' circumstances—a brisk, highly entertaining read. Its value lies mainly in the diversion of genre fiction and as a sample of early twentieth-century American popular narrative taste. Note that this is the original English e-text, with no modern annotations or introduction; as a genre novel a century old, its characterizations and gender attitudes bear clear marks of their time, which today's readers may find alienating. It suits reading in segments on the commute or before bed, not readers seeking deep literary analysis or historical scholarship.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English-language fiction readers who enjoy romantic adventure stories with historical settings
Readers who want light reading access to early twentieth-century American popular fiction
Enthusiasts studying the evolution of American popular literature and genre fiction
Commuters with fairly fluent English reading who want plot-driven stories

Not a good fit for

Beginners whose English is not yet fluent and who need annotations
Readers expecting serious literary analysis and deep thematic discussion
Readers sensitive to period attitudes in old novels who may find them uncomfortable

Reading tips

Read the first two or three chapters to establish the characters and setting, then proceed chapter by chapter to avoid losing the thread.
Read it as a plot novel; don't look up every unfamiliar word—prioritize fluency.
If you are interested in genre literature, note the suspense setups and emotional-line conventions as you read.
Mark passages with attitudes you find uncomfortable and review them after finishing, so they don't disrupt your reading pace.

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

What kind of novel is this?

Judging from Parrish's authorial bent and the title, it is a romantic adventure popular novel set against a turbulent backdrop, with the emotional line and external crises advancing together. For the specific plot, rely on the e-text itself; check the opening chapters first to confirm the story's setting.

What English level is needed to read it?

The text is an early twentieth-century English novel with fairly straightforward narration and dialogue; with college-level English reading and a dictionary, it can be completed. If your English is weaker, read a Chinese translation or plot summary first, then try the original.

Does the e-edition have annotations or an introduction?

Project Gutenberg releases the public-domain text, usually without modern annotations, introduction, or background chronology. To learn about the author and period background, consult literary histories or encyclopedias alongside your reading.

Will the period attitudes in the book affect reading?

As a genre novel a century old, its character portrayals, gender roles, and racial representations may carry the prejudices of the time. Readers can treat it as a historical text, understand its period context, and maintain a critical distance from what conflicts with today's values.

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About the author

Parrish, Randall, 1858-1923 Author

Randall Parrish (1858–1923) was an American author. Public information about him is limited, and the details of his life are now difficult to trace. Judging from the sixteen works held in the collection, he was chiefly known for historical adventure novels, drawing much of his material from the early North American frontier and wilderness years, with forays into sea adventure and love stories set against wartime backgrounds. His representative works include When Wilderness Was King, set in the Illinois country; Beyond the Frontier, a romance of early days in the Middle West; Wolves of the Sea, which turns to adventure on the ocean; and Love under Fire and The Strange Case of Cavendish, which blend romance, suspense, and turbulent times. His narratives move briskly, with attention to scene-setting and dramatic turns of fortune, and his books found a popular readership in the early twentieth century, offering a useful sample of American historical adventure fiction of that era.