Riassunto
Trama e riassunto di La stella nera
A chi è rivolto
Readers who love spy adventure, trains and ocean liners, a witty young hero and a gently growing romance, set against the glittering Paris of July 1914 and the first hours of the Great War.
Che cos’è questo libro
A box left by a murdered man sits in a quiet country house, and a child loves to play with it. The Dark Star is Robert W. Chambers's novel of the summer of 1914, when Europe slides toward war. A poor country girl, a witty young illustrator and a bronze Mongol demon called the Yellow Devil are pulled into a chase from Brookhollow to Paris. Expect romance, spies, comedy, trains and ocean liners.
In questo riassunto
- 1A child, a box and a diaryFree
- 2A poor girl dreams of drawing
- 3A smooth stranger offers a way out
- 4A wedding that may not be one
- 5A street fight and a flight into the night
- 6Letters from a growing girl
- 7The woman in the empty house
- 8Spies at sea and bombs in a stateroom
- 9Paris and the first morning of war
Punto chiave 1 di 9
A child, a box and a diary
Little Ruhannah Carew plays with an olive wood box that belonged to Herr Conrad Wilner, a German engineer who died in Turkey. Inside are Kurdish daggers, photographs, linen scrolls covered in plans, and a bronze demon called Erlik, the Yellow Devil.
Her father, the Reverend Wilbour Carew, walks on crutches after a massacre at his mission. Each time she plays, he reads aloud from the dead man's diary. It tells of secret work drawing forts for the Kaiser, and of a girl who had a sister named Naia.
This cozy family scene sets up the whole book in miniature. The box, the demon, the diary and the names all return later.
That’s 1 of 9 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 113,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 7 h 35 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary
- LanguagesEnglish and 11 other languages
Questions about La stella nera
What is The Dark Star by Robert W. Chambers about?
It follows Rue Carew, a poor girl from upstate New York, and the illustrator Jim Neeland as they are drawn into a spy chase over a box of German fortress plans, ending in Paris as the First World War begins.
Who is the Yellow Devil in The Dark Star?
The Yellow Devil is an old bronze figure of Erlik, a Mongol demon and Prince of Darkness. It sits in the olive wood box, and characters say that trouble follows it wherever it goes.
Is The Dark Star a true story?
No, it is a novel. It was written during the First World War and uses real events of 1914, such as the murder of the archduke and the outbreak of war, as the background for invented characters.
Who is Ilse Dumont in The Dark Star?
Ilse Dumont is a German born singer and spy working for Turkey. Neeland nicknames her Scheherazade after their first meeting. She tries to take the box, yet she also saves his life more than once.
Is The Dark Star easy to follow?
Yes, the plot moves along with clear scenes, short chapters and plenty of humor. Each part has a clear setting, such as a farmhouse, a train, a liner or a Paris street, which keeps the story easy to follow.