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<rss xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:podcast="https://podcastindex.org/namespace/1.0" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" version="2.0"><channel><title>First Love</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/first-love--7139871</link><description><![CDATA[Embark on a journey through the tender and transformative realm of youthful affection, as suggested by the evocative title. This podcast delves into the myriad experiences of first love, capturing the exhilaration, heartache, and profound impact these early encounters can have on our lives. Each episode features a new complete audiobook that offers a rich tapestry of stories, exploring the innocence and complexity of love in its nascent stages. Through a rotating collection of narratives, listeners are invited to reflect on the bittersweet nature of growing up and the lessons learned from fleeting connections. This is not a single story but a series of unique explorations that reveal how first love shapes our identities and influences our future relationships. Discover a new book with every episode and immerse yourself in the timeless emotions that resonate across generations.]]></description><atom:link href="https://www.spreaker.com/show/7139871/episodes/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><language>en</language><category>Books</category><copyright>Copyright Romance Genre</copyright><image><url>https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/014a1ecaa4eafc8b98db8d101b60af07.jpg</url><title>First Love</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/first-love--7139871</link></image><lastBuildDate>Thu, 27 Aug 2026 09:23:02 +0000</lastBuildDate><itunes:author>Ivan Turgenev</itunes:author><itunes:owner><itunes:name>Romance Genre</itunes:name><itunes:email>spreaker79@podcastlibrary.org</itunes:email></itunes:owner><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/014a1ecaa4eafc8b98db8d101b60af07.jpg"/><itunes:subtitle>Embark on a journey through the tender and transformative realm of youthful affection, as suggested by the evocative title. This podcast delves into the myriad experiences of first love, capturing the exhilaration, heartache, and profound impact these...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Embark on a journey through the tender and transformative realm of youthful affection, as suggested by the evocative title. This podcast delves into the myriad experiences of first love, capturing the exhilaration, heartache, and profound impact these early encounters can have on our lives. Each episode features a new complete audiobook that offers a rich tapestry of stories, exploring the innocence and complexity of love in its nascent stages. Through a rotating collection of narratives, listeners are invited to reflect on the bittersweet nature of growing up and the lessons learned from fleeting connections. This is not a single story but a series of unique explorations that reveal how first love shapes our identities and influences our future relationships. Discover a new book with every episode and immerse yourself in the timeless emotions that resonate across generations.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:category text="Arts"><itunes:category text="Books"/></itunes:category><itunes:category text="Science"/><itunes:category text="Science"><itunes:category text="Nature"/></itunes:category><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><podcast:guid>6099081f-e773-5009-8b02-2eee663b7fbc</podcast:guid><itunes:type>episodic</itunes:type><item><title>Bill &amp; Doreen's Courtship (Selections from The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke)-C. J. Dennis</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/bill-doreen-s-courtship-selections-from-the-songs-of-a-sentimental-bloke-c-j-dennis--74630256</link><description><![CDATA[The title of the novella is almost an adequate summary in itself. The "boy-meets-girl-then-loses-her" story is universal but not, I think, banal - despite a surprise ending which notoriously turns out to be very little of a surprise. First Love is given its originality and poignancy by Turgenev's mastery of the piercing turning-point (akin to Joyce's "epiphanies") that transforms the character's whole being, making a tragic outcome inevitable. Even the nature symbolism is rescued from triteness by lovely poetic similes - e.g. "but at that point my attention was arrested by the appearance of a speckled woodpecker who busily climbed up the slender stem of a birch-tree and peeped out uneasily from behind it, first to the right, then to the left, like a musician behind the bass-viol." (Summary by Martin Geeson)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74630256</guid><pubDate>Thu, 27 Aug 2026 09:03:04 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74630256/bill_doreen_s_courtship_selections_from_the_songs_of_a_sentimental_bloke_c_j_dennis.mp3" length="19156246" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Ivan Turgenev</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>The title of the novella is almost an adequate summary in itself. The "boy-meets-girl-then-loses-her" story is universal but not, I think, banal - despite a surprise ending which notoriously turns out to be very little of a surprise. First Love is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[The title of the novella is almost an adequate summary in itself. The "boy-meets-girl-then-loses-her" story is universal but not, I think, banal - despite a surprise ending which notoriously turns out to be very little of a surprise. First Love is given its originality and poignancy by Turgenev's mastery of the piercing turning-point (akin to Joyce's "epiphanies") that transforms the character's whole being, making a tragic outcome inevitable. Even the nature symbolism is rescued from triteness by lovely poetic similes - e.g. "but at that point my attention was arrested by the appearance of a speckled woodpecker who busily climbed up the slender stem of a birch-tree and peeped out uneasily from behind it, first to the right, then to the left, like a musician behind the bass-viol." 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First Love is given its originality and poignancy by Turgenev's mastery of the piercing turning-point (akin to Joyce's "epiphanies") that transforms the character's whole being, making a tragic outcome inevitable. Even the nature symbolism is rescued from triteness by lovely poetic similes - e.g. "but at that point my attention was arrested by the appearance of a speckled woodpecker who busily climbed up the slender stem of a birch-tree and peeped out uneasily from behind it, first to the right, then to the left, like a musician behind the bass-viol." 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First Love is given its originality and poignancy by Turgenev's mastery of the piercing turning-point (akin to Joyce's "epiphanies") that transforms the character's whole being, making a tragic outcome inevitable. Even the nature symbolism is rescued from triteness by lovely poetic similes - e.g. "but at that point my attention was arrested by the appearance of a speckled woodpecker who busily climbed up the slender stem of a birch-tree and peeped out uneasily from behind it, first to the right, then to the left, like a musician behind the bass-viol." 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Even the nature symbolism is rescued from triteness by lovely poetic similes - e.g. "but at that point my attention was arrested by the appearance of a speckled woodpecker who busily climbed up the slender stem of a birch-tree and peeped out uneasily from behind it, first to the right, then to the left, like a musician behind the bass-viol." (Summary by Martin Geeson)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74564918</guid><pubDate>Tue, 25 Aug 2026 09:02:45 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74564918/milton_s_minor_poems_john_milton.mp3" length="113621840" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Ivan Turgenev</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>The title of the novella is almost an adequate summary in itself. The "boy-meets-girl-then-loses-her" story is universal but not, I think, banal - despite a surprise ending which notoriously turns out to be very little of a surprise. First Love is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[The title of the novella is almost an adequate summary in itself. The "boy-meets-girl-then-loses-her" story is universal but not, I think, banal - despite a surprise ending which notoriously turns out to be very little of a surprise. First Love is given its originality and poignancy by Turgenev's mastery of the piercing turning-point (akin to Joyce's "epiphanies") that transforms the character's whole being, making a tragic outcome inevitable. Even the nature symbolism is rescued from triteness by lovely poetic similes - e.g. "but at that point my attention was arrested by the appearance of a speckled woodpecker who busily climbed up the slender stem of a birch-tree and peeped out uneasily from behind it, first to the right, then to the left, like a musician behind the bass-viol." (Summary by Martin Geeson)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>14188</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/014a1ecaa4eafc8b98db8d101b60af07.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Whisper in the Dark-Louisa May Alcott</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/whisper-in-the-dark-louisa-may-alcott--74533212</link><description><![CDATA[The title of the novella is almost an adequate summary in itself. The "boy-meets-girl-then-loses-her" story is universal but not, I think, banal - despite a surprise ending which notoriously turns out to be very little of a surprise. First Love is given its originality and poignancy by Turgenev's mastery of the piercing turning-point (akin to Joyce's "epiphanies") that transforms the character's whole being, making a tragic outcome inevitable. Even the nature symbolism is rescued from triteness by lovely poetic similes - e.g. "but at that point my attention was arrested by the appearance of a speckled woodpecker who busily climbed up the slender stem of a birch-tree and peeped out uneasily from behind it, first to the right, then to the left, like a musician behind the bass-viol." (Summary by Martin Geeson)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74533212</guid><pubDate>Mon, 24 Aug 2026 09:09:12 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74533212/whisper_in_the_dark_louisa_may_alcott.mp3" length="53187309" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Ivan Turgenev</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>The title of the novella is almost an adequate summary in itself. The "boy-meets-girl-then-loses-her" story is universal but not, I think, banal - despite a surprise ending which notoriously turns out to be very little of a surprise. First Love is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[The title of the novella is almost an adequate summary in itself. The "boy-meets-girl-then-loses-her" story is universal but not, I think, banal - despite a surprise ending which notoriously turns out to be very little of a surprise. First Love is given its originality and poignancy by Turgenev's mastery of the piercing turning-point (akin to Joyce's "epiphanies") that transforms the character's whole being, making a tragic outcome inevitable. Even the nature symbolism is rescued from triteness by lovely poetic similes - e.g. "but at that point my attention was arrested by the appearance of a speckled woodpecker who busily climbed up the slender stem of a birch-tree and peeped out uneasily from behind it, first to the right, then to the left, like a musician behind the bass-viol." (Summary by Martin Geeson)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>6642</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/014a1ecaa4eafc8b98db8d101b60af07.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>When Woman Proposes-Anne Warner</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/when-woman-proposes-anne-warner--74502065</link><description><![CDATA[The title of the novella is almost an adequate summary in itself. The "boy-meets-girl-then-loses-her" story is universal but not, I think, banal - despite a surprise ending which notoriously turns out to be very little of a surprise. First Love is given its originality and poignancy by Turgenev's mastery of the piercing turning-point (akin to Joyce's "epiphanies") that transforms the character's whole being, making a tragic outcome inevitable. 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First Love is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[The title of the novella is almost an adequate summary in itself. The "boy-meets-girl-then-loses-her" story is universal but not, I think, banal - despite a surprise ending which notoriously turns out to be very little of a surprise. First Love is given its originality and poignancy by Turgenev's mastery of the piercing turning-point (akin to Joyce's "epiphanies") that transforms the character's whole being, making a tragic outcome inevitable. Even the nature symbolism is rescued from triteness by lovely poetic similes - e.g. "but at that point my attention was arrested by the appearance of a speckled woodpecker who busily climbed up the slender stem of a birch-tree and peeped out uneasily from behind it, first to the right, then to the left, like a musician behind the bass-viol." (Summary by Martin Geeson)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>11660</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/014a1ecaa4eafc8b98db8d101b60af07.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Storm Of London-Fernande Blaze De Bury</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/storm-of-london-fernande-blaze-de-bury--74462892</link><description><![CDATA[The title of the novella is almost an adequate summary in itself. The "boy-meets-girl-then-loses-her" story is universal but not, I think, banal - despite a surprise ending which notoriously turns out to be very little of a surprise. First Love is given its originality and poignancy by Turgenev's mastery of the piercing turning-point (akin to Joyce's "epiphanies") that transforms the character's whole being, making a tragic outcome inevitable. 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First Love is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[The title of the novella is almost an adequate summary in itself. The "boy-meets-girl-then-loses-her" story is universal but not, I think, banal - despite a surprise ending which notoriously turns out to be very little of a surprise. First Love is given its originality and poignancy by Turgenev's mastery of the piercing turning-point (akin to Joyce's "epiphanies") that transforms the character's whole being, making a tragic outcome inevitable. Even the nature symbolism is rescued from triteness by lovely poetic similes - e.g. "but at that point my attention was arrested by the appearance of a speckled woodpecker who busily climbed up the slender stem of a birch-tree and peeped out uneasily from behind it, first to the right, then to the left, like a musician behind the bass-viol." (Summary by Martin Geeson)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>25091</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/014a1ecaa4eafc8b98db8d101b60af07.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Liliecrona's Home-Selma Lagerlöf</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/liliecrona-s-home-selma-lagerlof--74430197</link><description><![CDATA[The title of the novella is almost an adequate summary in itself. The "boy-meets-girl-then-loses-her" story is universal but not, I think, banal - despite a surprise ending which notoriously turns out to be very little of a surprise. First Love is given its originality and poignancy by Turgenev's mastery of the piercing turning-point (akin to Joyce's "epiphanies") that transforms the character's whole being, making a tragic outcome inevitable. Even the nature symbolism is rescued from triteness by lovely poetic similes - e.g. "but at that point my attention was arrested by the appearance of a speckled woodpecker who busily climbed up the slender stem of a birch-tree and peeped out uneasily from behind it, first to the right, then to the left, like a musician behind the bass-viol." (Summary by Martin Geeson)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74430197</guid><pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 2026 09:08:54 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74430197/liliecrona_s_home_selma_lagerlo_f.mp3" length="224951905" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Ivan Turgenev</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>The title of the novella is almost an adequate summary in itself. The "boy-meets-girl-then-loses-her" story is universal but not, I think, banal - despite a surprise ending which notoriously turns out to be very little of a surprise. First Love is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[The title of the novella is almost an adequate summary in itself. The "boy-meets-girl-then-loses-her" story is universal but not, I think, banal - despite a surprise ending which notoriously turns out to be very little of a surprise. First Love is given its originality and poignancy by Turgenev's mastery of the piercing turning-point (akin to Joyce's "epiphanies") that transforms the character's whole being, making a tragic outcome inevitable. Even the nature symbolism is rescued from triteness by lovely poetic similes - e.g. "but at that point my attention was arrested by the appearance of a speckled woodpecker who busily climbed up the slender stem of a birch-tree and peeped out uneasily from behind it, first to the right, then to the left, like a musician behind the bass-viol." (Summary by Martin Geeson)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>28091</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/014a1ecaa4eafc8b98db8d101b60af07.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Her Prairie Knight-B. M. Bower</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/her-prairie-knight-b-m-bower--74387439</link><description><![CDATA[The title of the novella is almost an adequate summary in itself. The "boy-meets-girl-then-loses-her" story is universal but not, I think, banal - despite a surprise ending which notoriously turns out to be very little of a surprise. First Love is given its originality and poignancy by Turgenev's mastery of the piercing turning-point (akin to Joyce's "epiphanies") that transforms the character's whole being, making a tragic outcome inevitable. Even the nature symbolism is rescued from triteness by lovely poetic similes - e.g. "but at that point my attention was arrested by the appearance of a speckled woodpecker who busily climbed up the slender stem of a birch-tree and peeped out uneasily from behind it, first to the right, then to the left, like a musician behind the bass-viol." (Summary by Martin Geeson)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74387439</guid><pubDate>Thu, 20 Aug 2026 12:38:12 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74387439/her_prairie_knight_b_m_bower.mp3" length="99303264" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Ivan Turgenev</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>The title of the novella is almost an adequate summary in itself. The "boy-meets-girl-then-loses-her" story is universal but not, I think, banal - despite a surprise ending which notoriously turns out to be very little of a surprise. First Love is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[The title of the novella is almost an adequate summary in itself. The "boy-meets-girl-then-loses-her" story is universal but not, I think, banal - despite a surprise ending which notoriously turns out to be very little of a surprise. First Love is given its originality and poignancy by Turgenev's mastery of the piercing turning-point (akin to Joyce's "epiphanies") that transforms the character's whole being, making a tragic outcome inevitable. Even the nature symbolism is rescued from triteness by lovely poetic similes - e.g. "but at that point my attention was arrested by the appearance of a speckled woodpecker who busily climbed up the slender stem of a birch-tree and peeped out uneasily from behind it, first to the right, then to the left, like a musician behind the bass-viol." (Summary by Martin Geeson)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>12401</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/014a1ecaa4eafc8b98db8d101b60af07.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Pep The Story Of A Brave Dog-Clarence Hawkes</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/pep-the-story-of-a-brave-dog-clarence-hawkes--74346416</link><description><![CDATA[The title of the novella is almost an adequate summary in itself. The "boy-meets-girl-then-loses-her" story is universal but not, I think, banal - despite a surprise ending which notoriously turns out to be very little of a surprise. First Love is given its originality and poignancy by Turgenev's mastery of the piercing turning-point (akin to Joyce's "epiphanies") that transforms the character's whole being, making a tragic outcome inevitable. Even the nature symbolism is rescued from triteness by lovely poetic similes - e.g. "but at that point my attention was arrested by the appearance of a speckled woodpecker who busily climbed up the slender stem of a birch-tree and peeped out uneasily from behind it, first to the right, then to the left, like a musician behind the bass-viol." (Summary by Martin Geeson)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74346416</guid><pubDate>Wed, 19 Aug 2026 23:17:40 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74346416/pep_the_story_of_a_brave_dog_clarence_hawkes.mp3" length="61588135" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Ivan Turgenev</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>The title of the novella is almost an adequate summary in itself. The "boy-meets-girl-then-loses-her" story is universal but not, I think, banal - despite a surprise ending which notoriously turns out to be very little of a surprise. First Love is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[The title of the novella is almost an adequate summary in itself. The "boy-meets-girl-then-loses-her" story is universal but not, I think, banal - despite a surprise ending which notoriously turns out to be very little of a surprise. First Love is given its originality and poignancy by Turgenev's mastery of the piercing turning-point (akin to Joyce's "epiphanies") that transforms the character's whole being, making a tragic outcome inevitable. Even the nature symbolism is rescued from triteness by lovely poetic similes - e.g. "but at that point my attention was arrested by the appearance of a speckled woodpecker who busily climbed up the slender stem of a birch-tree and peeped out uneasily from behind it, first to the right, then to the left, like a musician behind the bass-viol." (Summary by Martin Geeson)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>7691</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/014a1ecaa4eafc8b98db8d101b60af07.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Pretty Sister Of José-Frances Hodgson Burnett</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/pretty-sister-of-jose-frances-hodgson-burnett--74204375</link><description><![CDATA[The title of the novella is almost an adequate summary in itself. The "boy-meets-girl-then-loses-her" story is universal but not, I think, banal - despite a surprise ending which notoriously turns out to be very little of a surprise. First Love is given its originality and poignancy by Turgenev's mastery of the piercing turning-point (akin to Joyce's "epiphanies") that transforms the character's whole being, making a tragic outcome inevitable. Even the nature symbolism is rescued from triteness by lovely poetic similes - e.g. "but at that point my attention was arrested by the appearance of a speckled woodpecker who busily climbed up the slender stem of a birch-tree and peeped out uneasily from behind it, first to the right, then to the left, like a musician behind the bass-viol." (Summary by Martin Geeson)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74204375</guid><pubDate>Tue, 18 Aug 2026 09:08:53 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74204375/pretty_sister_of_jose_frances_hodgson_burnett.mp3" length="63114160" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Ivan Turgenev</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>The title of the novella is almost an adequate summary in itself. The "boy-meets-girl-then-loses-her" story is universal but not, I think, banal - despite a surprise ending which notoriously turns out to be very little of a surprise. First Love is...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[The title of the novella is almost an adequate summary in itself. The "boy-meets-girl-then-loses-her" story is universal but not, I think, banal - despite a surprise ending which notoriously turns out to be very little of a surprise. First Love is given its originality and poignancy by Turgenev's mastery of the piercing turning-point (akin to Joyce's "epiphanies") that transforms the character's whole being, making a tragic outcome inevitable. Even the nature symbolism is rescued from triteness by lovely poetic similes - e.g. "but at that point my attention was arrested by the appearance of a speckled woodpecker who busily climbed up the slender stem of a birch-tree and peeped out uneasily from behind it, first to the right, then to the left, like a musician behind the bass-viol." (Summary by Martin Geeson)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>7882</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/014a1ecaa4eafc8b98db8d101b60af07.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Adventure of the Broad Arrow An Australian Romance-Morley Roberts</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/adventure-of-the-broad-arrow-an-australian-romance-morley-roberts--74158256</link><description><![CDATA[The title of the novella is almost an adequate summary in itself. The "boy-meets-girl-then-loses-her" story is universal but not, I think, banal - despite a surprise ending which notoriously turns out to be very little of a surprise. First Love is given its originality and poignancy by Turgenev's mastery of the piercing turning-point (akin to Joyce's "epiphanies") that transforms the character's whole being, making a tragic outcome inevitable. Even the nature symbolism is rescued from triteness by lovely poetic similes - e.g. "but at that point my attention was arrested by the appearance of a speckled woodpecker who busily climbed up the slender stem of a birch-tree and peeped out uneasily from behind it, first to the right, then to the left, like a musician behind the bass-viol." 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(Summary by Martin Geeson)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>14485</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/014a1ecaa4eafc8b98db8d101b60af07.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Ivory Tower-Henry James</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/ivory-tower-henry-james--74115594</link><description><![CDATA[The title of the novella is almost an adequate summary in itself. The "boy-meets-girl-then-loses-her" story is universal but not, I think, banal - despite a surprise ending which notoriously turns out to be very little of a surprise. First Love is given its originality and poignancy by Turgenev's mastery of the piercing turning-point (akin to Joyce's "epiphanies") that transforms the character's whole being, making a tragic outcome inevitable. 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(Summary by Martin Geeson)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>30693</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/014a1ecaa4eafc8b98db8d101b60af07.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>First Love-Ivan Turgenev</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/first-love-ivan-turgenev--73395666</link><description><![CDATA["First Love" by Ivan Turgenev captures the poignant experience of youthful infatuation, exploring the complexities of love, longing, and heartbreak. This timeless tale delves into the emotional turbulence that accompanies first love, a theme that resonates across generations and remains relevant in today's world. Turgenev's delicate prose invites listeners to reflect on their own experiences of love and loss, evoking a sense of nostalgia and understanding of the bittersweet nature of growing up. The exploration of innocence and the profound impact of first romantic encounters makes this audiobook a compelling listen for anyone seeking to connect with the universal truths of human emotion.]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73395666</guid><pubDate>Mon, 03 Aug 2026 16:58:10 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73395666/first_love_ivan_turgenev.mp3" length="88099494" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Ivan Turgenev</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>"First Love" by Ivan Turgenev captures the poignant experience of youthful infatuation, exploring the complexities of love, longing, and heartbreak. 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The exploration of innocence and the profound impact of first romantic encounters makes this audiobook a compelling listen for anyone seeking to connect with the universal truths of human emotion.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>11002</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/014a1ecaa4eafc8b98db8d101b60af07.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>First Love - Ivan Turgenev</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/first-love-ivan-turgenev--72743167</link><description><![CDATA[The title of the novella is almost an adequate summary in itself. The "boy-meets-girl-then-loses-her" story is universal but not, I think, banal - despite a surprise ending which notoriously turns out to be very little of a surprise. First Love is given its originality and poignancy by Turgenev's mastery of the piercing turning-point (akin to Joyce's "epiphanies") that transforms the character's whole being, making a tragic outcome inevitable. Even the nature symbolism is rescued from triteness by lovely poetic similes - e.g. "but at that point my attention was arrested by the appearance of a speckled woodpecker who busily climbed up the slender stem of a birch-tree and peeped out uneasily from behind it, first to the right, then to the left, like a musician behind the bass-viol." 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First Love is given its originality and poignancy by Turgenev's mastery of the piercing turning-point (akin to Joyce's "epiphanies") that transforms the character's whole being, making a tragic outcome inevitable. Even the nature symbolism is rescued from triteness by lovely poetic similes - e.g. "but at that point my attention was arrested by the appearance of a speckled woodpecker who busily climbed up the slender stem of a birch-tree and peeped out uneasily from behind it, first to the right, then to the left, like a musician behind the bass-viol." 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