Clayhanger: Vocation, Love, Freedom, and New Beginnings

By Arnold Bennett

Book Overview

Set in the fictional Five Towns of Staffordshire, England, Clayhanger is the first installment of Arnold Bennett's Clayhanger Family trilogy (Clayhanger, Hilda Lessways, and These Twain). First published in 1910, this novel charts the journey of Edwin Clayhanger from a young man, burdened by the weight of familial duties, with architectural aspirations to the reluctant head of his father's printing and stationery business. Through the evolving stages of Edwin's life-his vocation, love, search for freedom, and establishment in life-Bennett crafts a compelling narrative of personal ambition, romantic entanglements, and the quest for individual autonomy against the backdrop of societal expectations. A century after its first publication, Clayhanger continues to be a pertinent exploration of the friction between one's own desires and the weight of familial expectations, resonating with modern readers as they navigate the intricate dynamics of self-identity and social roles.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 4910554157
• ISBN13: 9784910554150
• Release Date: April 2024
• Publisher: Matatabi Press
• Length: 714 Pages
• Weight: 2.07 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

An enjoyable read.

The story of a man from leaving school to middle age, set in an industrial town in the English midlands at the end of the 19th century. Sounds boring, but it isn't. Slow for the first few chapters, but then I found it unputdownable, you really get interested and want to know what happens. Lots of description of the environment of the time. No sex or violence, written no long after these actual times, so some bits of old fashioned prose. This aside, reminded me of Len Deighton's style of writing. I was a bit doubtful about buying this book, but I'm pleased I did.