The Card, a Story of Adventure in the Five Towns
Author: Arnold Bennett;
Genre: Fiction;
Format: Kindle ebook;
Publisher: Public Domain;
Rating: [usr 4].
This is a delightful story about a young man in early-twentieth-century England who raises himself up by his shirttails (and some luck). Denry is a bit hapless and clumsy as a young man, but he has flashes of genius when in a bind. His goal is to make money and to rise in society, yes, but also to help his hometown.
The author included a lot of humor as he described the antics of Denry to better himself; he poked fun at the establishment, local traditions, and Englishmen in general, without being nasty. Denry’s mother is a great character, the epitome of the char woman who sticks to what she knows. And Denry’s romantic interests are, needless to say, good hearted but bumbling.