The Come Back

Wells, Carolyn, 1862-1942Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 339K words
Chapters: 34

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.The Come Back by Carolyn WellsAuthor: Wells, Carolyn, 1862-1942,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jan 6, 2010

Editor's review

Carolyn Wells was a prolific early twentieth-century American author, and The Come Back is likewise available as a free eBook through Project Gutenberg, in the American and Canadian literature category. Wells is known for her plotting, and her works often carry a suspenseful, light narrative appeal; this novel is a good introductory sample of her style. The value of the Gutenberg edition lies in free access and readability anytime, but the text remains in its original form, lacking modern introductions and notes, so readers must enter the story's atmosphere and language rhythm on their own. While reading, focus on how relationships are laid out and suspense is set up, and observe how the author uses dialogue and detail to drive the plot—a common attraction of popular fiction of that era. For readers looking to broaden their reading of English popular literature, it is a convenient choice, suitable for reading in installments during commutes or spare moments.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy early suspense and popular fiction
Literature fans who want to understand Carolyn Wells's style
English learners who want to read English originals for free
Readers who prefer light plots and reading in spare moments

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking the complex twists of modern suspense novels
Researchers who need authoritative editions with detailed notes
Beginners with little patience for old-fashioned English

Reading tips

At the start, note who appears and how relationships are explained; sorting out who is who makes the plot easier to follow.
Use the suspense passages as anchors, and after finishing, look back at how the clues were planted to appreciate the author's narrative technique.
Advance chapter by chapter in spare moments, pausing briefly after each chapter to avoid confusing the clues.
If using it for English study, focus on excerpting the dialogue and imitating its colloquial expressions and rhythm.

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?

The material does not provide a detailed plot summary, but judging from author Carolyn Wells's background and the title, this is an early twentieth-century American popular novel, often featuring suspense and plot-driven characteristics. Readers can treat it as a sample for understanding popular narrative of that period.

What should I keep in mind when reading the Gutenberg edition?

The Gutenberg edition is a free electronic text with fairly plain formatting, generally without modern notes or introductions, and it may retain original wording and punctuation. It is advisable to keep a dictionary at hand and be patient with old-fashioned expressions, using it as an original text rather than a scholarly edition.

Can I read this book if my English is average?

The book is in English and was written in the early twentieth century, so its sentence patterns and vocabulary are somewhat distant from modern English. Readers with average English can try it, but they will need a dictionary and should slow down; if reading for study, start with chapters that contain more dialogue and gradually get used to the rhythm of the language.

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About the author

Wells, Carolyn, 1862-1942 Author

Carolyn Wells (1862-1942) was an American author. Public information on her life and education is limited, yet the 58 works held in this collection attest to the breadth of her output. Her subjects range widely: detective novels such as A Chain of Evidence, The Room with the Tassels, The Luminous Face, and The Vanishing of Betty Varian, which rely on carefully planted clues and mounting mystery, sit alongside parodic and light-hearted pieces like The Re-echo Club and The Lover's Baedeker and Guide to Arcady, while Rubáiyát of a Motor Car shows her knack for blending humor with popular themes. She was skilled at building suspense and layering twists, writing with wit and briskness, and combining popular entertainment with literary playfulness—earning her a place in the early twentieth-century Anglophone popular literary scene.