11 h 28 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 11 h 28 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens when an apparently ideal marriage meets a desire that reason cannot settle?
On a vast ranch in the hills of northern California, Dick Forrest runs his estate with clear thought and strong will. His wife, Paula, is lively, graceful and a skilled rider. Their life looks ideal from outside. Then Evan Graham, an old family friend, arrives to a warm welcome, and the balance begins to shift.
In The Little Lady of the Big House, Jack London brings a working estate and a troubled marriage into close view. Farming, animals and money give the ranch its substance; jealousy, loyalty and desire test the people within it. Dick believes in facing facts, but three decent, clever people now want different things—and none wants to lie.
What you’ll discover
- A ranch in full detail Explore the farming, animals and money that sustain the life behind the big house.
- Paula beneath the surface Meet a lively, capable rider whose feelings trouble the apparent ease of her life.
- An unsettling welcome Watch Evan Graham's arrival quietly change the balance between a husband and wife.
- Reason tested by desire Follow Dick's belief in plain speech as love brings jealousy and loyalty into conflict.
- Room for difficult feelings Spend time with three people whose wish for honesty makes their tangled desires harder.
Who will love it
Readers who love big landscapes, horses and ranch life, lively table talk about ideas, and a love story told with candor will find plenty here. Anyone curious about Jack London beyond his sea and gold tales will enjoy it.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Dick Forrest runs his ranch like a machine
- A rich boy learns the world with his fists
- He buys brains and builds a kingdom
- Paula fills the Big House with play and music
- The sages of the madroño grove talk everything to pieces
- Evan Graham arrives and cannot seem to leave
- A song and a trail marker
- Dick sees everything and follows his own code
- What the story is about and how it is told
Who’s who
- Dick ForrestThe owner of a 250,000-acre California ranch, a breeder and inventor who trusts facts, plans everything and prides himself on playing fair.
- Paula ForrestDick's wife, called the Little Lady, a musician, horsewoman and diver of rare gifts who wants both love and loyalty.
- Evan GrahamA tall, fair adventurer and writer, Dick's old friend, who comes to the ranch to finish a book about South America.
- Ernestine and Lute DestenPaula's young half sisters, lively and teasing, who fill the Big House with pranks, tennis and talk.
- Terrence McFaneAn Irish anarchist among the sages of the madroño grove, who loves ideas, drink and Paula, and defends idleness.
- Leo MalkenA shy young poet who lives with the sages and adores Paula from afar, speaking up for the high ideals of love.
- Oh DearPaula's quiet Chinese maid, who sees more than anyone says and feels deep loyalty to both her mistress and Dick.
Formats and delivery
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- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 11 h 28 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 7 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.
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Read and hear La Piccola Signora della Grande Casa 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.
La Piccola Signora della Grande Casa
by Jack London · 1916
Dick Forrest rules 250,000 acres by push button, until a friend arrives who has eyes for his wife.
Medium level10–20 hours to read25 languages
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In short
How does a man who plans every hour of his day prepare for the one thing he cannot schedule? The Little Lady of the Big House, by Jack London, is set in California in 1914.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Dick Forrest runs his ranch like a machine
The story opens in the dark at half past four. Dick Forrest wakes smiling, knows exactly who and where he is, and presses a row of buttons. His sleeping porch holds a clock, a barometer, a telephone switchboard and a pistol in a holster by the bed.
By seven he is giving orders by telephone about a dam on the Buckeye, late tractors and flytraps. Then he rides out on a biting sorrel mare he calls the Man-Eater and makes a tour of the ranch. He passes Angora goats, Shire mares plowing the hills, Shorthorn bulls, blacksmith shops and a village of neat bungalows for his workers. Whenever something displeases him, he jots a note in a pad.
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What is The Little Lady of the Big House about?
It tells of Dick Forrest, a rich California rancher, his gifted wife Paula, and Evan Graham, a friend who comes to stay. As feelings grow between Paula and Graham, Dick must decide how to meet a problem he cannot plan away.
Who is the Little Lady in the title?
She is Paula Forrest, Dick's wife of twelve years. Small, graceful, brave and artistic, she rides stallions, plays the piano and swims like a champion. The Big House is the huge concrete mansion Dick built on the ranch.
Is The Little Lady of the Big House based on a true story?
It is fiction, set in 1914. Dick's ranch methods, scientific farming and big plans give the story a detailed working world.
The author
Jack London
1876–1916 · American novelist and journalist
Jack London (1876–1916) was an American author, journalist and social activist. He was born in San Francisco and lived in California. He wrote novels, short stories and essays. His novels include The Call of the Wild (1903), The Sea-Wolf (1904), White Fang (1906) and Martin Eden (1909). He died in California.
More by Jack London
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