Anna of the Five Towns

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Description

Bennett's remarkable 'sermon against parental tyranny' set in the industrial world of early twentieth century England Against the beautifully evoked backdrop of the Potteries district, the 'Five Towns'--a gossipy community with its prayer meetings, hard physical work, small-minded bigotry and quick condemnation of others--Anna is dominated by her tight-fisted, tyrannical father. She inherits a fortune - with brilliant sympathy, charm and pain, Bennett describes the process by which Anna tries to navigate her way through the world and the emotional and moral challenges she faces.

Author Bio

Arnold Bennett (1867-1931) was one of the most versatile, ambitious and successful British novelists of the early 20th century. His novels and short stories both celebrate and deplore a rapidly changing Britain. Much of his greatest work is set where he grew up, in the Potteries of the West Midlands. Inspired by Zola and Maupassant, he realized that this world of brutal industrial work and rapid social change, religious severity and material temptation, was the perfect backdrop for everything from comedy to tragedy. He died of typhoid.