Showing results by author "Arnold Bennett" in All Categories

This classic personal time-management book, originally published in 1908, has inspired generations of men and women to live deliberate lives. Not just another collection of timesaving tips, this book is more of a challenge to leave behind mundane everyday concerns, focus on pursuing one's true desires, and live the fullest possible life. Reflection, concentration, and study techniques make it easier to accomplish more truly rewarding undertakings than anyone ever dreamed possible.

How to Live on 24 Hours a Day by Arnold Bennett is a timeless classic on time management and personal development. The audiobook presents practical advice for making the most of every day and living a fulfilling life, providing insights on how to maximize productivity and find balance. Bennett’s guidance is ideal for anyone seeking to improve their efficiency, achieve goals, and lead a more purposeful life.

Learn to use your most precious commodity—time—to truly live. Arnold Bennett’s classic book, How to Live on 24 Hours a Day, has been changing the way people use and consider their time since it was first published in 1910. In the intervening century surprisingly little has changed—we...

Arnold Bennett was an English novelist and author. Among his most popular novels are The Grand Babylon Hotel and Anna of the Five Towns. However, none of his novels approached the popularity of his little book, "How to Live on Twenty-Four Hours a Day." It caused a sensation when first printed and continues to be printed and widely read today. In it, he offers practical advice on how one might live (as opposed to just existing ) within the confines of 24 hours a day.

The Old Wives' Tale is broken up into four parts, and the lives of two sisters are laid bare: one timid and unassuming, the other romantic and adventurous. From working as children in their family's drapery shop to their later years, Constance and Sophia's journey through life could not be more different. While one travels the world and defies male expectations, the other becomes a dutiful wife and mother.

In the industrial heart of Victorian England–now Stoke-on-Trent–lonely Anna Tellwright is dominated by her miserly, bullying father and the strict Methodist community of Bursley. Inheriting a fortune does not free her from subjugation: every direction has an obstacle and Anna must choose between the ambitious Henry Mynors (duty) and the sensitive Willie Price (desire). Will she break free from society’s expectations or succumb to the life laid out for her? Bennett’s depiction of the Potteries brings to life a world of social pressures, moral dilemmas, and the struggle for personal freedom.

Dive into Bennetts thought-provoking essays that effortlessly blend wit and wisdom. Human nature remains remarkably consistent throughout history, and Bennett’s insights continue to resonate, even today. This eclectic collection, penned during the tumultuous times of the First World War and the womens suffrage movement, invites readers to reflect on the enduring complexities of existence. (Summary by Ruth Golding)

You will learn how to make the time you need to acquire what you want out of life and what you want to achieve. There is no magic formula, just an explanation of how most people use and waste their time, and Bennett shows you another way of using time to your best advantage.

‘The Pretty Lady’ stands as one of Bennetts most insightful yet overlooked works. It tells the compelling story of Christine, a French prostitute who has fled the chaos of wartime Ostend to forge a new life in London. Rather than seeking sympathy, Christine embodies self-sufficiency, practicality, and resilience. She is not a predatory figure lurking for vulnerable soldiers but a savvy entrepreneur making the most of her circumstances. Her primary connection is with G.J. Hoape, a wealthy man beyond the militarys reach. Through this narrative, Bennett paints a haunting portrait of a wartime...

Meet Mr. Priam Farll, a gifted painter whose shyness is so profound that when his valet, Henry Leek, unexpectedly passes away, the doctor mistakenly identifies the dead man as Priam and the living artist as his servant. Rather than correct the error, Priam allows the ruse to continue. Following the lavish funeral in Westminster Abbey, he unexpectedly marries a widow and enjoys a blissful life—until financial troubles force him back to his easel. As a savvy art connoisseur begins to recognize Priam’s distinctive style, he believes the works to be those of a fraud and profits handsomely by ...

Carlotta Peel is not your typical young woman; she is sharp-witted, fiercely independent, and a gifted author with a deep yearning for love and the desire to serve her partner. This first-person narrative takes you on an unexpected and intriguing journey through her life, revealing the complexities of her heart and mind. - Summary by Simon Evers

Step into the world of Arnold Bennetts The Grim Smile of the Five Towns, a captivating collection of stories published in 1907. This is Bennetts second major anthology, following the acclaimed Tales Of The Five Towns from 1905 (available at Librivox). Set against the backdrop of Stoke-on-Trent, where much of Bennetts finest work unfolds, these stories reveal the authors signature dry wit that belies the grim in the title. Critics have come to appreciate the collections standout tale, Simon Fuge, with Margaret Drabble hailing it as one of the greatest short stories in the English language. John...

In a typewriting office owned by the affluent Felix Grig, young Lilian finds herself at the center of a delicate power struggle. The office is managed by Felixs stern spinster sister, Miss Grig, who harbors suspicions that her brothers interest in Lilian may cross professional boundaries. After Miss Grig dismisses Lilian in an attempt to protect her brother, Felix surprises everyone by inviting Lilian to dinner. What follows is a captivating exploration of their evolving relationship, marked by tension, intrigue, and unexpected romance.

A collection of strange and often grisly tales by some of the world's greatest writers, ranging from mildly unsettling to hair-raising.

Spanning nearly half a century, The Old Wives Tale is epic in scale and scope, tracing as it does the effects of time on two sisters and their surroundings. The novel is a domestic story told with tenderness, and is concerned not with heroic statesmen or soldiers, but with small details of daily life in a way which demonstrates Bennett’s great debt to French realist writers. The action is concentrated mainly within the provincial town of Bursley, a startling contrast to Paris where Sophia and Gerald elope.

You have to live on twenty-four hours of daily time. Out of it you have to spin health, pleasure, money, content, respect, and the evolution of your immortal soul. This timeless classic is one of the first self-help books ever written and was a best-seller in both England and America. It remains as useful today as when it was written, and offers fresh and practical advice on how to make the most of the daily miracle of life.

In this radical reinterpretation of six brilliant Arnold Bennett novels, it’s the 19th-century Midlands and over 10-and-a-half sweeping hours individuals rise and fall, they age, flourish, and try to keep up as the world around them changes into something unrecognisable, transformed by new technology. Fortunes are made and lost, hearts broken, empires built and deals made. These tales of aspiration and passion, damage and danger are told with Bennett's forensic, (journalist’s) eye for human psychology and a surprising degree of witty comedy.

This collection of short stories contains several gothic tales to bear macabre and chilling witness to writers as diverse as Rudyard Kipling, Guy De Maupassant, Edgar Allan Poe, Arnold Bennett, Daniel Defoe, Edith Nesbit and M.R. James. These tales are designed to unsettle you, just a little, while you sit back, and take in their words as they lead you on a walk to places you’d perhaps rather not visit on your own. Our stories include "My Own True Ghost Story" by Rudyard Kipling, "The Horla" by Guy De Maupassant, and more.

Discover a captivating collection of twenty-two short stories by Arnold Bennett, set primarily in the enchanting Five Towns—his affectionate term for the pottery manufacturing heartland of the English midlands. With rich characterizations and vivid storytelling, these tales paint a portrait of life in this unique region. (Summary by Andy Minter)

Roll-Call is the captivating sequel to the Clayhanger trilogy, delving into the youthful journey of George Edwin Cannon, the stepson of Edwin Clayhanger. As an ambitious architect, George embodies the aspirations of his stepfather but is also burdened by the arrogance that comes with family wealth. Bennett skillfully explores the challenges of raising children without spoiling them, making this narrative both poignant and thought-provoking. As Georges story unfolds, he ultimately joins the army, providing a powerful conclusion to this remarkable series. (Summary by Simon Evers)