Show Boat, by Edna Ferber, is a classic novel that tells the story of the lives of performers on a Mississippi River show boat. The novel explores themes of love, race, and the changing times of the early 20th century. The story follows the lives of the performers, including Magnolia, the daughter of the boat’s owner, and her romance with a gambler named Gaylord Ravenal. The novel also delves into the lives of the African American performers on the boat, and the challenges they face in a society that is still grappling with issues of race and equality. Show Boat is a timeless tale that has been adapted into a successful Broadway musical and several films.

Cimarron, also by Edna Ferber, is a sweeping historical novel that tells the story of the settling of Oklahoma in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The novel follows the life of Yancey Cravat, a newspaper editor and lawyer who moves to Oklahoma with his wife, Sabra, to start a new life. The novel explores themes of ambition, love, and the clash of cultures as the settlers of Oklahoma try to build a new society. Cimarron is a powerful novel that offers a vivid portrait of a time and place in American history, and is considered one of Ferber’s greatest works.