Cover of The City in the Clouds

The City in the Clouds

  • Free to read
  • 5 hours to read
  • 16 chapters
  • Reading level: 7th grade

"The City in the Clouds" by C. Ranger Gull is a novel written in the early 20th century. The story begins in Brazil with Gideon Mendoza Morse, a wealthy and influential figure, and introduces a mysterious atmosphere surrounding his daughter, Juanita, and their social circle. The narrative swiftly transitions to London, where the focus shifts to Tom Kirby, a journalist managing the Evening Special, who soon becomes captivated by Juanita's beauty and charm. At the start of the book, we witness Gideon Morse's idyllic life, juxtaposed with an ominous encounter with two visitors who seem intent on stirring unrest. As Morse navigates social complexities and dark threats, the narrative then introduces Kirby, who, intrigued by Morse’s daughter, quickly finds himself entangled in an unexpected rivalry with his close friends, who also aspire to win Juanita's affection. A pivotal revelation by a young journalist hints at a far-reaching secret connected to the towering structures arising in Richmond, setting the stage for suspense and interpersonal drama that hints at deeper themes of ambition, desire, and the consequences of wealth.

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Prologue

Under a gay awning of red and white which covered a portion of the famous roof-garden of the Palacete Mendoza at Rio, reclined Gideon Mendoza Morse, the richest man in Brazil, and—it was said—the third richest man in the world.

He lay in a silken hammock, smoking those little Brazilian cigarettes which are made of fragrant black tobacco and wrapped in maize leaf.

It was afternoon, the hour of the siesta. From where he lay the millionaire could look down upon his marvelous gardens, which surrounded the white palace he had built for himself, peerless in the whole of South America.

The trunks of great trees were draped with lianas bearing brilliantly-colored flowers of every hue. There were lawns edged with myrtle, mimosa, covered with the golden rain of their blossoms, immense palms, lazily waving their fans in the breeze of the afternoon, and set in the lawns were marble pools of clear water from the center of which fountains sprang. There was a continual murmur of insects and flashes of rainbow-colored light as the tiny, brilliant humming birds whirred among the flowers. Great butterflies of blue, silver, and vermilion, butterflies as large as bats, flapped languidly over the ivory ferns, and the air was spicy and scented with vanilla.

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Contents

  1. Prologue
  2. Chapter One
  3. Chapter Two
  4. Chapter Three
  5. Chapter Four
  6. Chapter Five
  7. Chapter Six
  8. Chapter Seven
  9. Chapter Eight
  10. Chapter Nine
  11. Chapter Ten
  12. Chapter Eleven
  13. Chapter Twelve
  14. Chapter Thirteen
  15. Chapter Fourteen
  16. Chapter Fifteen

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About this edition

This free edition of The City in the Clouds by Guy Thorne comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #37270, released 2011-08-30. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Novels.

Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).

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