The Light that Lies

McCutcheon, George Barr, 1866-1928Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 149K words
Chapters: 15

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 Light that Lies by George Barr McCutcheonAuthor: McCutcheon, George Barr, 1866-1928,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Feb 3, 2017

Editor's review

The Light that Lies is likewise by George Barr McCutcheon, an early American popular novel distinguished by its plotting. The title hints at the gap between truth and appearances; the story typically revolves around secrets, misdirection, and a truth gradually brought to light, moving at a brisk pace and suited to reading for diversion. Its main value lies not in canonical status in literary history but in offering a window onto early twentieth-century popular reading tastes: readers can see how the popular narratives of the day built suspense, handled character dialogue, and engineered twists within a limited length. As a Project Gutenberg electronic text, it is easy to obtain and costs nothing; the language is of moderate difficulty, making it very helpful for expanding the amount of English original reading. It is recommended as a short-range reading goal, advancing chapter by chapter, enjoying the story while noting how the author lays out clues.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy suspense and stories built on revelations of truth
Intermediate learners who want to expand their reading of English originals
Readers interested in early American popular literature

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer serious literature and works of ideas
Readers who want contemporary subject matter and a contemporary feel
Readers who rely entirely on Chinese and have no grounding in English

Reading tips

Set a pace of one or two chapters a day; short, incremental progress is easier to sustain.
Note where the author plants clues, and after finishing look back at key chapters to appreciate the structure.
Pair it with an audiobook or text-to-speech software to improve your feel for English.

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 similar in style to another work by the author?

It belongs to the same popular narrative line as McCutcheon's other works, distinguished by plot twists and a light touch. If you have read other works by the author and like their rhythm, the reading experience here will be fairly consistent; if this is your first encounter, you can also start here to get a feel for his narrative style.

What should I do if unfamiliar words keep interrupting my reading?

Read through a whole paragraph before dealing with unfamiliar words, and look words up only when they affect your understanding of key plot points. Keep a vocabulary notebook for high-frequency words and review them after each chapter; this preserves reading flow and gradually builds vocabulary.

Does the formatting of public-domain e-books affect reading?

The formatting quality of electronic texts varies by source, and differences in paragraph breaks or punctuation habits may appear. Choose a reader with adjustable font size and line spacing; if you suspect a formatting problem, compare another public-domain edition—it usually does not affect understanding of the story.

Comments

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About the author

McCutcheon, George Barr, 1866-1928 Author

George Barr McCutcheon (1866–1928) was an American novelist, though public information about his life and education is limited. The library holds 35 of his works, including Brewster's Millions, The Rose in the Ring, From the Housetops, Mr. Bingle, Her Weight in Gold, The City of Masks, The Flyers, and The Prince of Graustark. He is known for light, humorous popular fiction with clever plots and lively dialogue, often dealing with themes of wealth, identity, and romance. Brewster's Millions, famous for its premise of having to spend a fortune in order to inherit one, has been adapted for film and television many times and remains influential; the Graustark novels display his romantic imagination in the invented-kingdom genre. Overall, he was a widely read American popular novelist of the early twentieth century, valued for his entertaining and accessible storytelling.