Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2461600 in Books
• Published on: 1999-07
• Formats: Audiobook, Unabridged
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 6
• Binding: Audio Cassette

Synopsis
Arnold Bennett's splendidly comic portrayal of Edward Henry Machin, known as Denry to his mother to save time, is set in Bursley, one of the author's Five Towns of Staffordshire. Starting in 1897, when Denry first saw the smoke of the potbanks, the tale chronicles his rise to fame and wealth including such events as improving his exam results to guarantee success, adjusting the guest list of the municipal ball to include himself and then daring to ask the Countess of Chell to dance! Denry is given a week's notice as a result of this last impertinence but soon turns it to his advantage, setting up in business as a Rent Collector and Estate Agent. Eventually Denry becomes Bursley's youngest Mayor having gained the reputation of the Five Towns greatest 'Card'.

Customer Reviews

The Card is a can-do character whose optimism wins through.
Bennett was fascinated by the interesting-ness of ordinary things and people, and his wry observations of the rise and rise of Edward Henry Machin (whose mother saved a certain number of seconds each day by calling him Denry) is probably the best introduction to his work. Denry is a can-do character whose optimism shines through the thick Stoke smoke. Impulsive and generous, Denry triumphs over the petty provincial pride of his superiors. He dares and wins. Bennett was also a student of transition, and was keenly aware of the contrasts of the generations, and the passing of one era. The Card is fun; my all time favourite light novel

The great Arnold Bennett
Arnold Bennett was fine writer, and his more light-hearted novels, like this one, are delights. The only reason I don't give this five stars is that it's a bit episodic, in keeping with the magazine serialization from which it sprang; I like even more the sequel, also about Mr. Machin, called The Regent.