10 h 47 minAudiobook15 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 10 h 47 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What can you trust when appearances deceive and family ties come under pressure?
In Black Is White, George Barr McCutcheon draws readers toward a world of secrets, betrayal, and hidden truths that threaten a family. Romance meets deception, and appearances offer uncertain ground. What people say may be the opposite of what is true.
The title puts two opposites side by side and calls them the same. That challenge sets the tone for a novel rooted in early twentieth-century American popular fiction. McCutcheon writes for the pleasure of the story, with clear storytelling, drama, romance, and surprise.
What you’ll discover
- Appearances you cannot trust Enter a world where the surface of things gives you reason to look again.
- Family ties under pressure Follow a story of secrets and betrayal, with a family's bonds at stake.
- Romance alongside deception Discover the pull of romance in a novel concerned with falsehood and hidden truths.
- A title that challenges Keep the title's opposing words in mind as you read for truth beneath appearances.
- The pleasure of story Let clear storytelling and dramatic surprises carry you from one scene to the next.
Who will love it
Readers who enjoy a grand old household full of secrets, a mysterious bride, a touch of Eastern magic and a family drama with real emotional stakes will feel at home in these pages.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A wireless message shakes a household
- Frederic finds warmth with the Desmonds
- The bride arrives and charms them all
- A new mistress rearranges the house
- The old men grumble while Frederic boils
- Dreams betray Brood's old love
- Lydia hears the secret and a storm breaks
- Doubts return with the daylight
- Love, doubt and the voice of the past
Who’s who
- James BroodA rich, steely traveler who brings home a new bride and is tormented by doubt about the son he has raised.
- Frederic BroodBrood's lonely twenty-two-year-old son, a gifted pianist who longs for his father's love and falls under his stepmother's spell.
- YvonneBrood's beautiful new wife, charming and mysterious, who seems to have her own hidden purpose in the house.
- Lydia DesmondBrood's nineteen-year-old secretary, honest and brave, who loves Frederic and tries to hold him to the truth.
- Mrs. DesmondLydia's mother and the former housekeeper, steady and wise, loyal to Brood's memory of her dead husband.
- Danbury DawesA short, fat old adventurer who loves Brood and drink, and who is won over by Yvonne's kindness.
- Joseph RiggsDawes's tall, quarrelsome lifelong friend, fiercely loyal to Brood and suspicious of the new mistress.
- RanjabBrood's silent Hindu servant and conjurer, who watches the household and seems to know what others think.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 10 h 47 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 15 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Il nero è bianco in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Il nero è bianco
by George Barr McCutcheon · 1914
A rich adventurer brings home a Paris bride, and his lonely son falls under her spell.
Medium level10–20 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
Black Is White is a novel by George Barr McCutcheon, the American writer who also gave readers Graustark and Brewster's Millions. It opens in a Fifth Avenue mansion in New York on a stormy December night, with a message that has crossed the Atlantic by wireless.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A wireless message shakes a household
The story begins in a library on lower Fifth Avenue on a bleak December night. Two old men, Danbury Dawes and Joseph Riggs, sit by the fire and stare at a blue envelope on the table. It holds a wireless message from James Brood, the master of the house, who is somewhere out on the Atlantic. Neither man has ever seen such a thing, and neither will go to bed until it is opened.
They have good reason to care. Twenty years earlier they found Brood in the worst corners of Calcutta, a ruined man wasted by drink and grief, and they pulled him back to life. With a third friend, John Desmond, they followed him through jungles, deserts and the Himalayas, and more than once they saved him from death. Now his money keeps them safe and comfortable in his home.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Il nero è bianco
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is Black Is White by George Barr McCutcheon about?
It tells of James Brood, a rich New York traveler who marries a mysterious Frenchwoman and brings her home to his son, his old friends and a household full of secrets. The book mixes family drama, romance and mystery.
Who is Ranjab in Black Is White?
Ranjab is Brood's Hindu servant, a silent man rescued by Brood and his friends in India. He performs magic tricks and seems to know what others are thinking, which makes him both loyal and unsettling.
Who are Dawes and Riggs?
Danbury Dawes and Joseph Riggs are two elderly American adventurers who saved James Brood's life in Calcutta and now live in his house. They supply the book's humor and a great deal of loyalty.
The author
George Barr McCutcheon
1866–1928 · American novelist
George Barr McCutcheon was an American novelist born in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, in 1866. He worked as a newspaper reporter in Lafayette, Indiana. His novels include Graustark, published in 1901, and Brewster’s Millions, published in 1902 under the name Richard Greaves. He died in New York City in 1928.
More by George Barr McCutcheon
All 5 booksMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
