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
GenreLiterary Classics, General Fiction
Length13 hrs 8 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateJul 10, 2013
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
7Hilda Lessways (Unabridged) (pt. 3)
2Introduction
8Hilda Lessways (Unabridged) (pt. 4)
3Synopsis
9Hilda Lessways (Unabridged) (pt. 5)
4Historical Context
10Analysis
5Hilda Lessways (Unabridged) (pt. 1)
11Reflection
Show all chaptersShow less
6Hilda Lessways (Unabridged) (pt. 2)
12Memorable Quotes
ARNOLD BENNETT Ultimate Collection (Annotated)Arnold Bennett361h 11m$2 · $0.00
How to Live on 24 Hours a Day & The Game of Life and How to Play It (Annotated)Arnold Bennett4h 31m$2 · $0.00
How to Become an Author (Annotated)Arnold Bennett4h 40m$2 · $0.00
The Roll-Call (Unabridged) (Annotated)Arnold Bennett14h 7m$2 · $0.00
These Twain (Unabridged) (Annotated)Arnold Bennett18h 6m$2 · $0.00
THE FEAST OF ST. FRIEND - Study on the Meaning of Christmas & Holiday Spirit (Annotated)Arnold Bennett2h 10m$2 · $0.00
The Old Wives' Tale (Annotated)Arnold Bennett25h 52m$2 · $0.00
Anna of the Five Towns (Annotated)Arnold Bennett9h 24m$2 · $0.00
How to Live (Annotated)Arnold Bennett6h 7m$2 · $0.00
The Elusive Craft of Writing (Annotated)Arnold Bennett9h 17m$2 · $0.00
How to Become a Writer (Annotated)Arnold Bennett9h 16m$2 · $0.00
Hilda Lessways (Annotated)Arnold Bennett13h 4m$2 · $0.00
The Complete Clayhanger Family Novels (Clayhanger + Hilda Lessways + These Twain + The Roll Call) (Annotated)Arnold Bennett64h 34m$2 · $0.00
The Complete Short Stories of Arnold Bennett (Annotated)Arnold Bennett40h 51m$2 · $0.00
Mental Efficiency, and Other Hints to Men and WomenArnold Bennett1h 24m$2 · $0.00
The Lion's ShareArnold Bennett11h 25m$2 · $0.00
The Grand Babylon HôtelArnold Bennett8h 38m$2 · $0.00
Paris Nights, and Other Impressions of Places and PeopleArnold Bennett9h 20m$1 · $0.00
The City of Pleasure: A Fantasia on Modern ThemesArnold Bennett7h 52m$2 · $0.00
ClayhangerArnold Bennett21h 59m$2 · $0.00
Sherlock Holmes: The Ultimate CollectionArthur Conan Doyle59h 49m$5 · $0.00
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare: All 214 Plays, Sonnets, Poems & Apocryphal Plays (Including the Biography of the Author) (Annotated)William Shakespeare156h 38m$2 · $0.00
The Complete Works of Fyodor Dostoyevsky: Novels, Short Stories and Autobiographical WritingsFyodor Dostoyevsky270h 59m$2 · $0.00
The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America (Annotated)Howard Irving Chapelle, Tappan Adney13h 10m$2 · $0.00
Charles Dickens: Complete Works (Annotated)Charles Dickens819h 4m$2 · $0.00
The Complete Novels of Jane Austen & Brontë Sisters (Annotated)Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, Anne Brontë203h 52m$2 · $0.00
The Complete Works: Charlotte, Emily, Anne, Patrick & Branwell BrontëCharlotte Brontë, Anne Brontë, Emily Brontë138h 12m$1 · $0.00
The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde (Annotated)Oscar Wilde126h 19m$2 · $0.00
L. M. Montgomery – Premium Collection: Novels, Short Stories, Poetry & MemoirsLucy Maud Montgomery155h 1m$2 · $0.00
The Complete Works of the Brontë Family Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, Anne Brontë140h 13m$2 · $0.00
MARK TWAIN: 12 Novels, 195 Short Stories, Autobiography, 10 Travel Books, 160+ Essays & Speeches (Illustrated)Mark Twain415h 9m5.0 (2)$2 · $0.00
This Side of Paradise - The Original 1920 Edition (Annotated)F. Scott Fitzgerald11h 30m$2 · $0.00
The Great Gatsby: Original 1925 Edition (An F. Scott Fitzgerald Classic NovelFrancis Scott Fitzgerald4h 45m$18 · $0.00
All NovelsGeorge Orwell53h 48m$10 · $0.00
The Complete Works of TolstoyLeo Tolstoy412h 44m$1 · $0.00
The Complete Works of Louisa May Alcott (Annotated)Louisa May Alcott226h 24m$2 · $0.00
Sherlock Holmes series - completeArthur Conan54h 8m$3.50 · $0.00
The Fire Next TimeJames Baldwin2h 25m$15
The Count of Monte Cristo (With Original Illustrations)Alexandre Dumas54h$1 · $0.00
H. P. Lovecraft: The Complete Fiction (Annotated)H. P. Lovecraft50h 45m$2 · $0.00
RiversnowTess Thompson8h 11m$20
Supreme ClienteleAshley & JaQuavis8h 58m$20
Body Refinement in a Beast Tamer’s World, Book 1Seth Ring14h 7m$27
EmberJeffrey Wilson, Brian Andrews13h 58m$23
The Complete Works of Jane Austen (Unabridged)Jane Austen88h 8m5.0 (1)$1 · $0.00
Desperate MeasuresBrenda Jackson8h 59m5.0 (1)$28 · $0.00
Searching For ThanksgivingS.E. Smith4h 24m$20
Naughty 4Brenda Hampton7h 30m$17
The Dance with Me TrilogyShelley Shepard Gray21h 44m$35
Anne Shirley (Complete 14 Book Collection)Lucy Maud Montgomery125h 28m$2 · $0.00
The DopemanJaQuavis Coleman5h 25m$20
Sherlock Holmes: The Ultimate CollectionArthur Conan Doyle59h 49m$5 · $0.00
WhistlerAnn Patchett10h 45m4.3 (18)$29 · $0.00
Grand Opening 2Carl Weber9h 16m$20
Sons of Valor II: Violence of ActionBrian Andrews, Jeffrey Wilson12h 34m$23
Malevolent MagicMildred Abbott7h 13m$17
Bikes, Toys, and Hot BoyzGenesis Woods, Shantaé13h 9m$23
This Side of Paradise - The Original 1920 Edition (Annotated)F. Scott Fitzgerald11h 30m$2 · $0.00
War LordBernard Cornwell13h 21m$33 · $0.00
Ghetto BastardK’wan7h 37m$20
You may also like
The Brimming CupDorothy Canfield Fisher15h 4m$1 · $0.00
The Uncalled (Psychological Novel)Paul Laurence Dunbar6h 46m$2 · $0.00
Modern Broods; Or, Developments Unlooked ForCharlotte M. Yonge9h 14m$1 · $0.00
The Uncalled (Annotated)Paul Laurence Dunbar7h 5m$2 · $0.00
Mrs CraddockWilliam Somerset Maugham12h 21m$2 · $0.00
Go she must!David Garnett5h 36m$2 · $0.00
By the Light of the SoulMary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman17h 24m$2 · $0.00
OliveDinah Maria Mulock Craik16h 23m$1 · $0.00
Deerbrook (Annotated)Harriet Martineau24h 7m$2 · $0.00
Tomorrow About This TimeGrace Livingston Hill10h 42m$2 · $0.00
Junk BoyTony Abbott3h 11m$18 · $0.00
The Silver LiningJohn Roussel4h 43m$2 · $0.00
Colonel Carter's Christmas and The Romance of an Old-Fashioned GentlemanFrancis Hopkinson Smith4h 4m$1 · $0.00
We Two: A NovelEdna Lyall18h 47m$2.30 · $0.00
The Reckless LadyPhilip Gibbs13h 47m$2 · $0.00
Sisters ThreeGeorge de Horne Mrs. Vaizey6h 18m$2 · $0.00
Little Women - Unabridged with the original illustrations by Frank T. Merrill (200 illustrations)Louisa May Alcott21h 45m$1 · $0.00
The Glory of the ConqueredSusan Glaspell10h 26m$1 · $0.00
A New England Tale (Annotated)Catharine Maria Sedgwick8h 15m$2 · $0.00
Abbeychurch; Or, Self-Control and Self-ConceitCharlotte M. Yonge7h 47m$2 · $0.00