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  • Anna of the Five Towns

  • By: Arnold Bennett
  • Narrated by: Peter Joyce
  • Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (66 ratings)
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Anna of the Five Towns cover art

Anna of the Five Towns

By: Arnold Bennett
Narrated by: Peter Joyce
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Summary

Set in stifled, industrial Staffordshire in the late 19th century, against a strong evangelical background, Anna of the Five Towns tells of the courting of hard businessman Ephraim Tellright's daughter by prosperous and accomplished Henry Mynors.

As her father's fortune grows, so does Anna understanding. She realises her legacy and responsibility for the possible ruination of her father's tenants, Titus Price and his son, Willie, who also loves her. Mynors is soon in partnership with Tellright. Will Anna defy the miserly Ephraim, offend Mynors, with their marriage imminent, and help the unfortunate Prices - or subdue her instincts and resign herself to the way of Business?

©2005 Arnold Bennett (P)2005 Assembled Stories

Critic reviews

"Peter Joyce is the most remarkable one-man band in audiobook publishing. Joyce, an experienced actor, reads them all himself." ( The Independent)
About Assembled Stories: Over the years the national press have reviewed Assembled Stories titles as "excellent", "remarkable", "entrancing", "superb", "magic for sure", "masterly", "wonderful", "a class act" and "a splendid example of audio at its best".

What listeners say about Anna of the Five Towns

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Brilliantly read and totally absorbing

The characters are vividly portrayed both by the author and by the narrator. A real classic of 'The Five Towns'

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good but the Yorkshire accent spoiled it for me.

A good old fashioned story but I really wish the Stoke-on-Trent dialect was spoken. Apart from a few words you would not recognise the location. The pottery dialect is unique and deserves recognition.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A tragedy cloaked in so much gentleness

A book, thankfully from a very different era from our own! The tyrannical father, the frugality & accepting narrowness of Anna' life & the little sister. The emotional blackmail imposed on Anna at the revivalist meeting, is so well drawn & counterbalanced by the genuine affection & goodheartedness of Mrs. Sutton.
Arnold Bennett came across as caring deeply for his characters, even the so unpleasant Ephraim Tellwright. And Bennett's description of the kitchen dresser... A very perceptive, gentle man

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautifully written and read

Read Anna of the five Towns many years ago, but enjoyed it even more with the excellent narrator.
Would highly recommend.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • M
  • 05-01-22

Arnold Bennett at its best

Read with great sympathy. I loved it all
I could picture the five towns in period

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