Drusilla with a Million

Elizabeth CooperProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.5

Word count: 351K words
Chapters: 36

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.Drusilla with a Million by Elizabeth CooperAuthor: Cooper, Elizabeth, 1877-1945,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Oct 1, 2004

Editor's review

Drusilla with a Million is a novel by Elizabeth Cooper, available in Project Gutenberg's free ebook library in its original English. The story centers on a protagonist who unexpectedly comes into a fortune of one million, and through the changes that wealth brings, it explores how an ordinary person chooses and feels when life is suddenly transformed. Cooper's prose is plain and direct, with the plot driven by dialogue and everyday scenes; it reads easily and serves well as an introduction to early twentieth-century American popular fiction. The Project Gutenberg edition is convenient to read on a computer, tablet, or e-reader, and is also suitable as extensive reading material for English learners. Readers interested in how a female character navigates resources and relationships, or who want to sense the social atmosphere of the era through light reading, will find pleasure here. Note that the book is over a century old, and some attitudes and expressions bear the marks of their time; read it with historical awareness rather than judging it by contemporary standards.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers new to early American popular fiction who want to start with an English original for extensive reading
Literature lovers interested in women and wealth themes who prefer plain, straightforward narration
Learners who want to expand their English reading with free public-domain ebooks
Readers curious about everyday life in early twentieth-century America

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting strong plot twists or modern-paced storytelling
Readers who need a Chinese translation and do not wish to read the English original
Readers who find the social attitudes and expressions of a century ago hard to accept

Reading tips

Read one chapter first to gauge the language difficulty, then decide whether to read intensively or extensively.
Jot down key turns in character relationships and changes in wealth as you read, for easy reference.
If reading for English study, pick two or three passages per chapter and note sentence structures and word choices.
After finishing, consider the era of publication and revisit the social context behind the characters' choices.

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 book in Chinese or English?

This is the original English edition, released by Project Gutenberg as a free public-domain ebook. Check that you are comfortable reading in English before starting; if you prefer a Chinese translation, you will need to find one separately.

I haven't read other works by the author. Can I start with this one?

Yes. It is a standalone novel and does not depend on prior works. Read the first few chapters to get familiar with the characters and narrative voice, then proceed at your own pace; no prior knowledge of the author's life is required.

What devices are suitable for reading the ebook?

Project Gutenberg texts can usually be opened on computers, tablets, phones, and e-readers, and the font size can be adjusted. For long reading sessions, choose an eye-friendly device and take breaks.

The book contains outdated attitudes. How should I approach that?

The book was written in the early twentieth century, and some expressions and attitudes reflect the limitations of their time. Read it as a historical text, focusing on the characters' circumstances and the narrative style, while staying alert to what conflicts with contemporary values rather than simply accepting it.

Comments

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About the author

Elizabeth Cooper Author · American · 1877–1945

Elizabeth Cooper (1877–1945) was an American writer, born Elizabeth Eslick in Homer, Iowa, and died in 1945. She lived for many years in Asia as an adult, traveling to places including China, Egypt, Turkey, and Japan, an experience that deeply shaped her writing. Her works mostly depict the lives of women in these countries, focusing on their circumstances and emotions within family and social settings, with delicate prose and a distinct cross-cultural perspective. Her representative works include My Lady of the Chinese Courtyard, Drusilla with a Million, and Living Up to Billy. Three of her works are held in this collection. Public information on her education, the details of her writing career, and the publication and circulation of her works is limited and awaits further verification.