Hilda Lessways (Unabridged) (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. An Edwardian Female Bildungsroman of Five Towns Realism, Provincial Constraint, and Moral Self-KnowledgeBy Arnold Bennett
Length13h 8m
About this audiobook
Hilda Lessways (1911), the second novel in Arnold Bennett's Clayhanger trilogy, shifts the narrative center from Edwin Clayhanger to the inwardly restless Hilda, tracing her emergence from provincial constraint into emotional, social, and moral self-knowledge. Set amid the Five Towns, Bennett's fictionalized Staffordshire Potteries, the novel combines realist precision with psychological subtlety, rendering domestic interiors, class anxieties, work, desire, and marriage with quiet authority. Its style is characteristically lucid and observational, yet unusually intimate in its attention to a young woman's consciousness within Edwardian society. Arnold Bennett, born in Hanley in 1867, drew deeply on the industrial Midlands of his youth, transforming its streets, trades, and social hierarchies into one of the most distinctive landscapes in English realism. His journalism, cosmopolitan experience in London and Paris, and interest in modern habits of work and self-fashioning inform Hilda's struggle for independence. Bennett's own departure from provincial life sharpened his understanding of both its limitations and its formative power. This unabridged edition is recommended to readers interested in major Edwardian fiction, women's inner lives in realist narrative, and the social textures of provincial England. It rewards patient attention with a portrait at once historically grounded and emotionally modern.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 4.0 (752)
Includes LibraryThing, Goodreads, StoryGraph, Amazon
GenreLiterary Classics, General Fiction
Length13 hrs 8 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateJul 10, 2013
LanguageEnglish
The Collected Works of Arnold BennettArnold Bennett439h 55m4.5 (45)$2.99 · $0.00
The Greatest Works of Arnold BennettArnold Bennett361h 12m4.4 (12)$1.99 · $0.00
Anna of the Five TownsArnold Bennett9h 20m3.7 (3.4K)$1.99 · $0.00
The Complete Novellas & Short StoriesArnold Bennett40h 46m$1.99 · $0.00
The Old Wives' TaleArnold Bennett25h 39m4.0 (6.8K)$1.99 · $0.00
Arnold Bennett: Buried Alive, The Old Wives' Tale & The Card (3 Books in One Edition)Arnold Bennett40h 8m4.2 (19)$1.99 · $0.00
CLAYHANGERArnold Bennett22h 1m4.0 (6.3K)$1.99 · $0.00
Hilda Lessways (Romance Classic)Arnold Bennett13h 3m4.1 (432)$1.99 · $0.00
The Complete Five Towns CollectionsArnold Bennett136h 4m4.4 (137)$1.99 · $0.00
The Adventures of Denry the AudaciousArnold Bennett19h 7m4.0 (1.7K)$1.99 · $0.00
THE ROLL-CALLArnold Bennett13h 54m3.6 (194)$1.99 · $0.00
RICEYMAN STEPSArnold Bennett11h 32m3.9 (1.1K)$1.99 · $0.00
MENTAL EFFICIENCY & OTHER HINTS TO MEN AND WOMENArnold Bennett3h 8m3.6 (461)$1.99 · $0.00
OVER THERE (War Scenes on the Western Front)Arnold Bennett4h 2m3.8 (151)$1.99 · $0.00
THESE TWAINArnold Bennett18h 6m4.0 (566)$1.99 · $0.00
The Grand Babylon HotelArnold Bennett8h 46m3.7 (3.7K)$1.99 · $0.00
Complete WorksArnold Bennett439h 59m4.2 (107)$1.99 · $0.00
THE OLD ADAMArnold Bennett10h 49m3.7 (25)$1.99 · $0.00
The Clayhanger Trilogy: Clayhanger, Hilda Lessways & These Twain (Complete Edition)Arnold Bennett51h 21m4.2 (1.5K)$1.99 · $0.00
The Matador of the Five Towns and Other Stories (Unabridged)Arnold Bennett10h 22m3.8 (153)$10 · $0.00
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee12h 18m4.5 (7.4M)$29 · $0.00
These Precious DaysAnn Patchett11h 14m4.5 (45.2K)$29 · $0.00
Pride & Prejudice (Annotated)Jane Austen15h 10m4.7 (13.3K)$2 · $0.00
The Jeeves and Wooster Stories: The Complete Collection (33 Books)P. G. Wodehouse21h 57m4.7 (2.8K)$15 · $0.00
The Gulag Archipelago Volume 3Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn21h 56m4.7 (8.9K)$46 · $0.00
This Side of Paradise - The Original 1920 Edition (Annotated)F. Scott Fitzgerald11h 30m4.6 (1.6K)$2 · $0.00
The Great Gatsby: Original 1925 Edition (An F. Scott Fitzgerald Classic NovelFrancis Scott Fitzgerald4h 45m4.6 (9.3K)$18 · $0.00
TWELFTH NIGHTWilliam Shakespeare, Sidney Lee16h 38m4.6 (2.8K)$1.99 · $0.00
The Complete Histories / History Plays of William Shakespeare (Annotated)William Shakespeare29h 42m4.6 (2.3K)$0.99 · $0.00
Braving the TruthRachel Held Evans11h 31m4.7 (359)$29 · $0.00
The Old Man and the Sea (Annotated)Ernest Hemingway4h 27m4.6 (1.4K)$2 · $0.00
Henry V (The Play, Historical Background and Analysis of the Character in the Play)William Shakespeare, William Hazlitt8h 50m4.6 (1.3K)$1.99 · $0.00
H. P. LOVECRAFT Ultimate Collection: Novellas, Short Stories, Poetry & Essays (Annotated)H. P. Lovecraft12h 28m4.6 (2.3K)$2 · $0.00
Time RegainedMarcel Proust16h 8m4.5 (10.6K)$1.99 · $0.00
The Mis-Education of the NegroCarter Goodwin Woodson4h 32m4.5 (28.4K)$10 · $0.00
TORAH - Bilingual Edition: English/Hebrew (Annotated)Max Margolis, JPS28h 26m4.6 (1K)$2 · $0.00
Betty Crocker picture cooky bookBetty Crocker, Inc. General Mills2h 13m4.5 (6.5K)$1 · $0.00
The Complete Tales of Beatrix PotterBeatrix Potter3h 36m4.5 (75K)$3 · $0.00
Anne of Green GablesL. M. Montgomery11h 1m4.5 (1.2M)$2.30 · $0.00
Crime and Punishment (The Unabridged Garnett Translation) (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoevsky24h 25m4.5 (15.4K)$0.99 · $0.00
WhistlerAnn Patchett10h 45m4.6 (4.6K)$29 · $0.00
Demon CopperheadBarbara Kingsolver21h 3m4.5 (949.4K)$46 · $0.00
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee12h 18m4.5 (7.4M)$29 · $0.00
Remarkably Bright CreaturesShelby Van Pelt11h 17m4.4 (1.7M)$29 · $0.00
Desperate MeasuresBrenda Jackson8h 59m4.7 (670)$28 · $0.00
This Side of Paradise - The Original 1920 Edition (Annotated)F. Scott Fitzgerald11h 30m4.6 (1.6K)$2 · $0.00
War LordBernard Cornwell13h 21m4.6 (33.1K)$33 · $0.00
The Great Gatsby: Original 1925 Edition (An F. Scott Fitzgerald Classic NovelFrancis Scott Fitzgerald4h 45m4.6 (9.3K)$18 · $0.00
Something Like LoveBeverly Jenkins10h 21m4.6 (2.7K)$29 · $0.00
Black History CollectionFrederick Douglass, Harriet Ann Jacobs, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois27h 9m4.6 (2.6K)$18 · $0.00
The Old Man and the Sea (Annotated)Ernest Hemingway4h 27m4.6 (1.4K)$2 · $0.00
White HotIlona Andrews13h 18m4.5 (136.9K)$5 · $0.00
The Ghost by the Billabong (The Matilda Saga, #5)Jackie French14h 58m4.6 (773)$33 · $0.00
Cast in BloodMichelle Sagara16h 35m4.6 (607)$33 · $0.00
The Captain Blood Trilogy (Annotated)Rafael Sabatini29h 20m4.6 (1K)$3 · $0.00
Ship of the Line (Annotated)Cecil Louis Troughton Smith11h 13m4.6 (1K)$2 · $0.00
The George Orwell CollectionGeorge Orwell24h 46m4.5 (14.4K)$12 · $0.00
ShivajiRanjit Desai25h 13m4.6 (3.1K)$24 · $0.00
Time RegainedMarcel Proust15h 38m4.5 (9.2K)$2 · $0.00
Driving ForceElle James4h 58m4.6 (407)$20 · $0.00
You may also like
MonticelloSally Cabot Gunning11h 54m4.0 (2.4K)$29 · $0.00
Washington SquareHenry James7h 21m3.9 (35.2K)$1.20 · $0.00
Hilda Lessways (Romance Classic)Arnold Bennett13h 3m4.1 (432)$1.99 · $0.00
Washington Square (Annotated)Henry James9h 1m3.9 (32.5K)$2 · $0.00
Fathers and ChildrenIvan Sergeevich Turgenev8h 15m4.1 (117.4K)$2.30 · $0.00
Speak No EvilUzodinma Iweala6h 21m4.0 (10.7K)$24 · $0.00
Edith Wharton: New Year's Day, False Dawn, The Old Maid & The Spark (4 Books in One Edition)Edith Wharton10h 3m4.1 (3.2K)$1.99 · $0.00
Hope Leslie (Historical Novel)Catharine Maria Sedgwick14h 49m3.7 (2.4K)$1.99 · $0.00
People of MeansNancy Johnson12h 11m4.0 (2.5K)$29 · $0.00
Fantomina, or, Love in a MazeEliza Haywood1h 14m3.7 (3.7K)$2 · $0.00
A Life: The Humble Truth (The Classic Unabridged English Edition) (Annotated)Guy de Maupassant7h 56m4.0 (19.1K)$2 · $0.00
The Hand That First Held MineMaggie O’Farrell, Alexis Soto Ramírez11h 24m4.1 (43.9K)$28
The Complete Works: Charlotte, Emily, Anne, Patrick & Branwell BrontëCharlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, Anne Brontë137h 14m4.6 (2.9K)$1.99 · $0.00
Aurora LeighElizabeth Barrett Browning8h 54m4.0 (6K)$2 · $0.00
KahloGerry Souter1h 11m4.1 (1.3K)$8 · $0.00
FridaHayden Herrera19h 3m4.2 (81.1K)$40 · $0.00
The Coquette, or, The History of Eliza WhartonHannah Webster Foster6h 26m3.8 (3.7K)$2 · $0.00
A Fluttered DovecoteGeorge Manville Fenn7h 4m$2 · $0.00
The Saint Laurent MuseC. W. Gortner10h 45m3.6 (308)$29 · $0.00
ValerieFrederick Marryat11h 19m$2 · $0.00