Christopher and Columbus

Name: Christopher and Columbus
Author: Elizabeth Von Arnim

The novel follows the story of Christopher, a young man who is sent to the Caribbean island of San Sebastian to work as a tutor for the children of the wealthy Columbus family. Christopher quickly falls in love with the beautiful and mysterious Isabella, the daughter of the family. As he gets to know the family, Christopher discovers that the Columbus family is not as perfect as it seems. He soon finds himself embroiled in a web of secrets and lies, and must decide whether to stay and help the family, or to leave and protect himself. The novel is a romantic comedy of manners, exploring themes of love, loyalty, and family. It is a lighthearted and entertaining read, with a touch of mystery and suspense.

By Elizabeth Von Arnim · First published 1919 · Genre: Historical Fiction, Adventure, Romance · 38 chapters · 119,426 words

First lines

Their names were really Anna-Rose and Anna-Felicitas; but they decided, as they sat huddled together in a corner of the second-class deck of the American liner _St. Luke_, and watched the dirty water of the Mersey slipping past and the Liverpool landing-stage disappearing into mist, and felt that it was comfortless and cold, and knew they hadn't got a father or a mother, and remembered that they were aliens, and realized that in front of them lay a great deal of gray, uneasy, dreadfully wet sea, endless stretches of it, days and days of it, with waves on top of it to make them sick and submarines beneath it to kill them if they could, and knew that they hadn't the remotest idea, not the very remotest, what was before them when and if they did get across to the other side, and knew that they were refugees, castaways, derelicts, two wretched little Germans who were neither really Germans nor really English because they so unfortunately, so complicatedly were both, --they decided, looking very calm and determined and sitting very close together beneath the rug their English aunt had given them to put round their miserable alien legs, that what they really were, were Christopher and Columbus, because they were setting out to discover a New World.

What this Textopian page supports

Christopher and Columbus is listed on Textopian as a novel by Elizabeth Von Arnim, dated 1919 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

Work type: Novel
Author: Elizabeth Von Arnim
Date: 1919 CE
Language: English
Genres: Historical Fiction, Adventure, Romance, Fantasy
Length: 119,426 words
Structure: 38 chapters, 2,783 paragraphs
Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)

Good citation fit

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Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Discussion starters

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Similar titles

Genres

Historical Fiction — The book follows the story of Christopher Columbus and his journey to the New World, making it a historical fiction novel.
Adventure — The book follows Christopher Columbus' journey to the New World, which is full of adventure and exploration.
Romance — The book follows the story of Christopher Columbus and his love interest, making it a romantic novel.
Fantasy — The book follows Christopher Columbus' journey to the New World, which is full of fantasy and imagination.