Despite quietly loathing his wife's penchant for fake jewellery, Mr and Mrs Lantin are happily married.When she dies, finances force him to sell her gems and he discovers that one of them is not only real but worth a significant sum of money.What keeps niggling Mr Lantin is that he didn't buy it for her – so who did?'The Fake Gems' is a cautionary short story from the pen of a master. The perfect addition to any collection of Maupassant's works.

Walter Schnaff is unlike the other soldiers in the Prussian army. While his brothers-in-arms advance through Normandy with the intent of subjugating the French and achieving victory, Walter is a pacifist who can't stand the thought of killing. Yet when his unit is ambushed, Walter's philosophy is tested to its limits. Can pacifism prevail when the enemy is closing in on all sides?Guy de Maupassant's short story "Walter Schnaffs' Adventure" explores the horrors of the 1870 Franco-Pr...

Laying the foundations for films, such as 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,' starring Jack Nicholson, 'Bertha' is a study on mental illness.While the narrator visits his old friend, Dr Bonnet, the doctor asks him to wait while he visits a patient. The patient is Bertha, a woman who was once young and beautiful but with no way of communicating with the outside world.Rightly or wrongly, Dr Bonnet subjects her to a series of experiments before her family decides there's an ans...

Laying the foundations for films such as 'Mother and Child,' starring Naomi Watts and Samuel L Jackson, 'Abandoned' packs a lot into a short space.As a younger woman, Madame de Cadour gave birth to an illegitimate son. She and her then-lover, Henri put the child up for adoption, but she has wondered about him ever since.40 years later, she decides to try and find him with Henri's help, and her husband is oblivious to the whole thing.Will Madame de Cadour and Henri f...

An elderly, aristocratic woman lives lavishly in a mansion with her beloved granddaughter. One morning her granddaughter reads her an article from the morning paper about several cases where adultery is punished in a violent way. A debate between the two women emerges, gaining momentum and passion with each second. This strong story of morality teaches us about human relationships, with a touch of Maupassant's classic dramatic flair.

When a young girl gets her heart broken, her beloved aunt embarks on an exploration of the art of kissing. The aunt explains in a series of letters that all of the misfortunes that the girl has been met with are a result of her lack of experience with kissing. Love and passion intertwine in this timeless journey, and Maupassant's delightful humor makes it a lighthearted read for all fans of romance.

What do you do when the love of your life dies?Monsieur Lemonnier completely adores his wife. He spends every second with her. The only thing that their relationship misses is a baby. The couple has been desperate to expand their family for years - to no avail. So when his wife falls pregnant, things seem too good to be true.Until she dies in childbirth.Monsieur Lemonnier transfers the love he had for his wife onto his son, believing him to be perfect also. Then a s...

Set in the Swiss Alps, 'The Inn' could almost be the template for 'The Shining,' starring Jack Nicholson.When winter sets in, the owners of the eponymous inn decide to go see the snow out in the nearby valley. Behind them, they leave the caretaker, Gaspard, Ulrich, and Sam the dog.However, when Ulrich leaves to go hunting and doesn't come back, Gaspard is left all alone...A haunting tale, swathed in snow and with a brooding, unsettling atmosphere, this is a perfect ...

"The Relic" is a love story in which Henry Fontal, a young man, writes to his old friend Abbe to help him in a very strange predicament. His engagement to Abbe's niece has collapsed due to a present he has brought back from his trip. Now he wants Abbe to assist him in any way possible in order for his beloved to fall in love with him once again. A light-hearted, entertaining, and somewhat religious tale, "The Relic" is about ordering one's priorities and testing man's capabilities to love ...

Our narrator sits and relishes the natural beauty of a river, contemplating how painful suicide must be. He dreams of a world in which a special device allows people to end their days peacefully, painlessly, and quickly. This imaginative, compelling musing on such an ever-present issue is a must-read for fans of Anton Chekhov.

Set on the French Riviera, 'Madame Parisse' tells the story of an aristocratic woman, trapped in an unhappy marriage.When her husband goes on a business trip for four days, she embarks on an affair with the dashing Monsieur Jean de Carmelin.However, neither of them can foresee the consequences of their illicit encounter. Told from an observer's point of view, this is a wistful, tragic, and romantic tale, packed with yearning and criticism of the social conventions of the ti...

Money doesn't buy happiness. But can it buy love?Two families live in the Norman countryside. Neither of them have any money. Both of them are happy, healthy, and fulfilled. A wealthy couple walks past regularly, marveling at the way the children play outside. Childless themselves, this sight makes them incredibly emotional. So they make the families an offer that neither of them can refuse, but will they accept?This social drama is perfect for fans of J.B Priestley's 'An I...