Clayhanger by Arnold BennettMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
A fascinating and surprising novel.
For most of the novel you are chasing Edwin Clayhanger wondering what will happen to him next. But in the end there is a breathless set of issues that completely capture your attention. Great read!
I enjoyed reading about Edwin and his father because as a coming of age piece it was so realistic. His sense of duty is so strong but the hurt and resentful feelings that the author endows Edwin with come across so well. His awkwardness with women as a very young teenager and later as a mature man seemed so typical of him. I could not wait to find out how he would go on through the rest of the book. Bennett’s writing is brilliant; funny, with understanding and great empathy about the people of the Staffordshire Potteries in the 19th century.
