Neighbours

Stead, Robert J. C., 1880-1959Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 436K words
Chapters: 44

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.Neighbours by Robert J. C. SteadAuthor: Stead, Robert J. C., 1880-1959,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Mar 3, 2011

Editor's review

Neighbours is a novel by the Canadian writer Robert J. C. Stead (1880–1959), made available as a free e-book by Project Gutenberg. Stead long focused on prairie life in western Canada, and his works often depict how ordinary people in pioneer communities live together and clash. Taking neighborly relations as its central theme, this book is suitable as an introductory read for understanding early twentieth-century Canadian fiction in English and local social life. As a public-domain e-book, its value lies in the freely accessible text and a length suited to continuous reading; readers can observe how early pioneer narratives handle themes of human relations, land, and community order. Do not read for strong dramatic plot but rather note the values revealed in dialogue and everyday scenes. It suits readers interested in Canadian literature and English-language public-domain resources who can read in segments on electronic devices, and it also works as extensive reading material in English, with a dictionary and background notes to understand the social context of the time.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in Canadian literature in English and pioneer themes
Learners who want to use public-domain e-books for extensive reading practice in English
Literature enthusiasts studying early twentieth-century writing about community life in North America
Readers who enjoy leisurely paced novels that excel in human relations

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer strong plots and fast-paced mystery or action stories
Readers seeking modern urban settings and resonance with contemporary issues
Readers unaccustomed to the layout of public-domain e-books and old-fashioned English expression

Reading tips

Read the opening chapters first to clarify the characters and the origin of the neighborhood conflict, then continue.
Keep a simple character chart recording each household's position and how conflicts change, for easy reference.
Mark unfamiliar place names or period expressions and look them up after finishing a chapter, to avoid breaking the rhythm.
For extensive reading in English, read one or two chapters at a fixed time each day and copy out two or three representative lines of dialogue.

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 complete novel or an excerpt?

According to the Project Gutenberg entry, this is the full-text e-book of Robert J. C. Stead's novel Neighbours, a public-domain book, not an excerpt or adaptation. For specific formatting and appendices, refer to that e-book edition.

Can I read this book with average English proficiency?

This is an early twentieth-century English novel, with sentence patterns and wording characteristic of its time, but it is narrative overall and not especially difficult. Readers with intermediate English reading ability can make progress with a dictionary and background notes; if you are new to reading English originals, try one or two chapters first before deciding.

Do I need to know Canadian history before reading?

Systematic historical study is not necessary, but knowing that the story is set roughly during the period of prairie settlement and community formation in western Canada will make it easier to understand the characters' attitudes toward land, neighborly mutual aid, and community order. Look up background as specific events arise.

Is this book suitable for book club discussion?

Yes. The tension between neighborly relations, community norms, and individual positions readily prompts discussion about the boundaries of human relations and public life. Book clubs should discuss in stages according to the phases of conflict and sort out the main character relationships in advance to avoid the discussion becoming diffuse because of the many characters.

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About the author

Stead, Robert J. C., 1880-1959 Author

Robert J. C. Stead (1880–1959) was a Canadian author. Six of his works are held in this collection, commonly classified under inspirational growth. His writing draws heavily on life in the Canadian West. The novels The Homesteaders: A Novel of the Canadian West, The Bail Jumper, Neighbours, Dennison Grant: A Novel of To-day and The Cow Puncher centre on settlement, rural communities and the struggles of ordinary people, with plain prose that emphasises personal growth and moral choice in harsh surroundings. Songs of the Prairie shows that he also wrote poetry about prairie scenery and everyday feeling. Public information about his life is limited, so biographical details cannot be firmly established. His surviving works nonetheless offer a realistic picture of western Canadian society and experience, combining regional colour with an inspirational tone and providing useful insight into early prairie narrative.