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The Clothes They Stood Up In
The Ransomes had been burgled. "Robbed," Mrs. Ransome said. "Burgled," Mr. Ransome corrected. Premises were burgled; persons were robbed. Mr. Ransome was a solicitor by profession and thought words mattered. Though "burgled" was the wrong word too. Burglars select; they pick; they remove one item and ignore others. There is a limit to what burglars can take: they seldom take easy chairs, for example, and even more seldom settees. These burglars did. They took everything.
This swift-moving comic fable will surprise you with its concealed depths. When the sedate Ransomes return from the opera to find their Notting Hill flat stripped absolutely bare—down to the toilet paper off the roll, they face a dilemma: Who are they without the things they've spent a lifetime accumulating? Suddenly the world is full of unlimited and frightening possibility.
This swift-moving comic fable will surprise you with its concealed depths. When the sedate Ransomes return from the opera to find their Notting Hill flat stripped absolutely bare—down to the toilet paper off the roll, they face a dilemma: Who are they without the things they've spent a lifetime accumulating? Suddenly the world is full of unlimited and frightening possibility.
161 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1997
174 people are currently reading
2657 people want to read
About the author
Alan Bennett
272 books1,107 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Alan Bennett is an English author and Tony Award-winning playwright. Bennett's first stage play, Forty Years On, was produced in 1968. Many television, stage and radio plays followed, along with screenplays, short stories, novellas, a large body of non-fictional prose and broadcasting, and many appearances as an actor. Bennett's lugubrious yet expressive voice (which still bears a slight Leeds accent) and the sharp humour and evident humanity of his writing have made his readings of his own work (especially his autobiographical writing) very popular. His readings of the Winnie the Pooh stories are also widely enjoyed.
Alan Bennett is an English author and Tony Award-winning playwright. Bennett's first stage play, Forty Years On, was produced in 1968. Many television, stage and radio plays followed, along with screenplays, short stories, novellas, a large body of non-fictional prose and broadcasting, and many appearances as an actor. Bennett's lugubrious yet expressive voice (which still bears a slight Leeds accent) and the sharp humour and evident humanity of his writing have made his readings of his own work (especially his autobiographical writing) very popular. His readings of the Winnie the Pooh stories are also widely enjoyed.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 763 reviews
February 20, 2016
Had I not seen a friend add this recently I might have missed this little gem! Something about the cover and title drew me in, but when I saw its cute, compact size I couldn’t resist. This author is so funny. Some parts I found downright hysterical, but the humor is so dry you could almost miss it. And the characters, namely Mrs. Ransome, were a hoot. An English couple goes out to an opera one evening and comes home to find they’ve been completely stripped of their belongings. Everything! As the mystery unfolds we learn some surprising things about the couple, and how they react in different ways to their losses makes it interesting. It makes you think about how our possessions can shape us and what really matters in life. It was amusing and poignant, and so cleverly written. Can't wait to read more from this author.
March 27, 2020
So, I've read Alan Bennett's The Uncommon Reader, as well as The Lady In The Van already and came upon The Clothes They Stood Up In by chance. I had to read it. Alan Bennett is a must-read, like Shakespeare, Hemingway, Oscar Wilde, Gabriel García Márquez, John Steinbeck, Willa Cather, Daphney Du Maurier, et al.
They all have one highly interesting thing in common: they never acquired degrees in creative writing, in which identity politics became an indulgence in poisonous entertainment. You've read one, you've read them all. A set menu of opinions which declare anything outside this box not only wrong, but also evil. Through millions of writings, a monolithic opinion devoid of maverick personalities are forced upon the bibliophile. The battle of opinions lost its venue. The reader is sadly the loser.
Jane Austin is another superb example of classic penmanship defying the teachings of creative writing. Never got that degree. Never needed it. Mark Twain didn't either. And they were never intimidated/threatened by cultural appropriation. They wrote what they saw, and became masters at it. The same with all the Eastern European authors before communism switched off their creativity and pushed them into a comatose brain-death. Talking about cultural appropriation: Pearl S. Buck did not have that degree either. What about Margaret Mitchell's Gone With The Wind. My word, wordsmiths par excellence they were.
Reading a novella such as The Clothes They Stood Up In, brings that luvly bubbly back into my blood. It's like opening a good ole bottle of champagne, drinking the stars, as Dom Perignon exclaimed about the unwanted bubbles in his wine. Experiencing the word-art of a brilliant mind is like holding heaven in my hands. Unique, refreshing, a timeless wonder.
The Clothes They Stood Up In is a quirky, funny and almost surreal novella, which simultaneously inspires a feeling of sadness and compassion while laughing out loud. The reader is left to decide what will happen after the ending. Mr. and Mrs. Ransome (quite appropriate last name) will be difficult to forget. She said they were robbed, he said they were burgled ( a play on the psychological, mentally and physical effect it had on them both). The ransom... a lifetime of living together told that part of the story.
They all have one highly interesting thing in common: they never acquired degrees in creative writing, in which identity politics became an indulgence in poisonous entertainment. You've read one, you've read them all. A set menu of opinions which declare anything outside this box not only wrong, but also evil. Through millions of writings, a monolithic opinion devoid of maverick personalities are forced upon the bibliophile. The battle of opinions lost its venue. The reader is sadly the loser.
Jane Austin is another superb example of classic penmanship defying the teachings of creative writing. Never got that degree. Never needed it. Mark Twain didn't either. And they were never intimidated/threatened by cultural appropriation. They wrote what they saw, and became masters at it. The same with all the Eastern European authors before communism switched off their creativity and pushed them into a comatose brain-death. Talking about cultural appropriation: Pearl S. Buck did not have that degree either. What about Margaret Mitchell's Gone With The Wind. My word, wordsmiths par excellence they were.
Reading a novella such as The Clothes They Stood Up In, brings that luvly bubbly back into my blood. It's like opening a good ole bottle of champagne, drinking the stars, as Dom Perignon exclaimed about the unwanted bubbles in his wine. Experiencing the word-art of a brilliant mind is like holding heaven in my hands. Unique, refreshing, a timeless wonder.
The Clothes They Stood Up In is a quirky, funny and almost surreal novella, which simultaneously inspires a feeling of sadness and compassion while laughing out loud. The reader is left to decide what will happen after the ending. Mr. and Mrs. Ransome (quite appropriate last name) will be difficult to forget. She said they were robbed, he said they were burgled ( a play on the psychological, mentally and physical effect it had on them both). The ransom... a lifetime of living together told that part of the story.
April 13, 2018
Sulle note di Mozart si compie un misfatto. I coniugi Ransome non avevano fatto altro che trascorrere una serata all’opera a sentire “Così fan tutte “. Al rientro nel loro appartamento non troveranno più nulla .. persino la carta igienica, lo scopettino del gabinetto , la moquette . Un fatto singolare, un furto in piena regola , ma questa situazione grottesca è solamente un pretesto per sondare il territorio coniugale di questa coppia di mezza età. L’autore con un testo estremamente ironico, con un racconto tragicomico ci fotografa quella società ricca di pregiudizi e preconcetti. Quindi la coppia è costretta a ricominciare tutto dal principio, e saranno così costretti a relazionarsi con il mondo esterno, e così si ritroveranno davanti ai loro limiti e tabù . Questa nuova convivenza gli indurrà ad avvicinarsi e conoscersi, forse , per la prima volta.
L’atto finale è rivelatore , nelle ultime pagine c’è la riflessione e sono quelle più sensate di tutto il racconto, e mi hanno lasciato un po’ di amarezza . Una penna arguta che riesce a trasportare il lettore .
L’atto finale è rivelatore , nelle ultime pagine c’è la riflessione e sono quelle più sensate di tutto il racconto, e mi hanno lasciato un po’ di amarezza . Una penna arguta che riesce a trasportare il lettore .
January 31, 2023
Grottesco, sì. Teatrale, anche.
Ma sostanzialmente amarissimo, intrinsecamente triste.
Ma sostanzialmente amarissimo, intrinsecamente triste.
March 11, 2020
Arriving home one night after the opera, the Ransomes find they have been burgled, the burglars leaving nothing whatsoever behind. The Ransomes’ relationship is an empty shell but this event leads Mrs Ransome to reconsider her life and to plan changes. Both are repressed, ordinary individuals leading separate lives within their marriage yet Bennett manages to make us laugh at them and pity them in equal measure. Not his finest work and not much more than a short story but this is classic Alan Bennett and, along with most of the country, I love him! [I found this on the bookshelf of a holiday home we’re staying in this week. It was a gift ‘To Mum, Love Sue’. An odd choice, Sue, but I’m glad your Mum left it behind.]
January 21, 2008
I’m fascinated by all of the deceit and lies that long-term relationships often accumulate around them. Not the big lies – You know, 'I’ve been having an affair for twenty years, darling' – but the little things that hardly matter, but we still try to keep hidden anyway. I’m also fascinated when both people know the other knows, but go on with the game anyway. Perhaps some relationships end because there are not enough 'little lies'. Hard to tell.
So, there was little question I would like this. There is an honesty to Bennett’s writing that just about stops one’s breath. The stuff in this about the ‘dirty pictures’ for example.
Although, to be honest, I don’t think I would like to be a character in one of his books if he didn’t like me.
But I’m not going to tell you anything about this story – except that it is very clever, moving and funny. All good comedy should almost move us to tears.
There be twists and even turns and to tell you anything about it might just give it all away which would just spoil it - it really would.
May 30, 2019
Primo libro di Bennet, grazie all'offerta, piaciuto moltissimo ! Se gli altri fossero alla stessa altezza, proseguirei volentieri .
March 2, 2021
Pues este relato me dejó con algunos frentes abiertos, el planteamiento de está historia en principio pintaba muy bien, y si me reí en algunos párrafos de esta lectura por lo inverosímil, sin duda la narración es de lo más singular y extraña. Y que Casualidad segundo libro que leo seguido que aparece este nombre: Rosemary.
Entendí algunos de lo mensajes que están escritos en este relato, como por ejemplo que perder los bienes materiales no es tan grave, que todo es reemplazable, que salir a comprar lo esencial, después de que te vacíen tu casa, se convierte en una verdadera aventura, "claro la aventura será para el que tenga dinero para comprar o un buen seguro de robo que le ayude", bueno pero ese es otro tema, que no voy a tratar en esta reseña.
Pero sin embargo hay detalles que a mí me faltaron en esta historia, o quizá no lo supe ver, pero hay párrafos y explicaciones inacabadas o poco entendibles y con muy poco sentido, me parecía un relato escrito con prisas.
La banda sonora de esta lectura es la de Mozart, importante siempre para mi la música en todo lo que leo.
Pintaba muy bien, no quiero poner nada más, es un relato corto y si pongo más lo destriparía, no salí satisfecha de este lectura en absoluto, divertida bueno, surrealista también, pero muy mal planteada según vas leyendo también , ahora eso si los Ransome son encantadores, divertidos y muy peculiares.
Conclusión de esta lectura, nunca el tiempo es perdido cuando se lee y por mucho que no te haya gustado una lectura o no la hayas entendido, siempre hay algo bueno en todas las novelas.
Posdata: Pero nunca olvidéis que la historia que cuenta un libro no siempre es igual.
Extractos del libro:
Había concluido que la gente podía renunciar a cosas; lo que no podía era dejar de comprarlas.
Se estaba dando un baño de música y limpiándose de todas las preocupaciones de la jornada.
El diccionario era su libro favorito.
La perfección es siempre perfectible.
Entendí algunos de lo mensajes que están escritos en este relato, como por ejemplo que perder los bienes materiales no es tan grave, que todo es reemplazable, que salir a comprar lo esencial, después de que te vacíen tu casa, se convierte en una verdadera aventura, "claro la aventura será para el que tenga dinero para comprar o un buen seguro de robo que le ayude", bueno pero ese es otro tema, que no voy a tratar en esta reseña.
Pero sin embargo hay detalles que a mí me faltaron en esta historia, o quizá no lo supe ver, pero hay párrafos y explicaciones inacabadas o poco entendibles y con muy poco sentido, me parecía un relato escrito con prisas.
La banda sonora de esta lectura es la de Mozart, importante siempre para mi la música en todo lo que leo.
Pintaba muy bien, no quiero poner nada más, es un relato corto y si pongo más lo destriparía, no salí satisfecha de este lectura en absoluto, divertida bueno, surrealista también, pero muy mal planteada según vas leyendo también , ahora eso si los Ransome son encantadores, divertidos y muy peculiares.
Conclusión de esta lectura, nunca el tiempo es perdido cuando se lee y por mucho que no te haya gustado una lectura o no la hayas entendido, siempre hay algo bueno en todas las novelas.
Posdata: Pero nunca olvidéis que la historia que cuenta un libro no siempre es igual.
Extractos del libro:
Había concluido que la gente podía renunciar a cosas; lo que no podía era dejar de comprarlas.
Se estaba dando un baño de música y limpiándose de todas las preocupaciones de la jornada.
El diccionario era su libro favorito.
La perfección es siempre perfectible.
May 10, 2017
La tua fine il mio inizio
Per una curiosa coincidenza, dopo trent'anni di matrimonio a due coniugi viene svaligiata la casa e i due rimangono privati di tutte le loro cose.
La casa deserta mette la coppia di fronte alla loro vita passata; ma mentre lui non è in grado di cogliere spunti per cambiare (“Siamo tutti esseri umani. Io sono un avvocato.”), la moglie prende l’incidente come una opportunità e scopre il piacere di trasgredire gli schemi in cui fino a quel momento era stata imbrigliata.
Sottili le continue punzecchiature e l’umorismo che serpeggia nel libro, come ad esempio la smodata passione di Mr. Ransome per il “Così fan tutte” di Mozart, che insinua l'inesistenza della fedeltà femminile, mentre raccoglie all’insaputa della moglie foto pornografiche che tiene nascoste i un libro di cucina.
Mrs Ransome nelle sue riflessioni giunge a rendersi conto di quanto la loro vita fosse sovraccarica di oggetti inutili. Servizi da dodici anche non invitando mai nessuno a cena, asciugamani per gli ospiti anche pur non avendo mai ospiti.
La vita alla fine non è altro che accumulazione di oggetti, per la maggior parte inutili, che rappresentano una sorta di coperta di Linus, una protezione. Solo la perdita di questa protezione ci consente di tornare a vivere, riscoprendo il gusto delle cose.
“La gente può fare a meno di tante cose; il problema è che non riesce a non andare a comprarle.”
Le "cose" creano ricordi e i ricordi ci fanno credere nei rapporti. Così, senza le cose materiali, il rapporto tra i due coniugi mette tristemente in mostra i suoi limiti.
Resta alla fine, come spesso in questi libri, il sapore amaro di una vita vissuta senza capirsi, senza stimarsi, senza amarsi, senza sfiorarsi.
E la tristezza, quando uno dei due muore, dell’esclamazione: “E ora posso incominciare”.
March 21, 2022
Very british, very entertaining! Alan Bennett macht seinem kurzweiligen Sprachstil Lust auf mehr!
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August 28, 2017Metti una sera a teatro. E poi...
Che fai quando torni da una serata a teatro e trovi la casa vuota, completamente vuota? Niente mobili, niente cucina, ma nemmeno l'arrosto che avevi lasciato nel forno, la moquette, nè la carta igienica e lo scopinetto del bagno. Solo chi ha provato un furto in casa propria sa cosa si prova: la rabbia per l'intrusione nel proprio spazio privato, la sensazione che quella non sia più la tua stessa casa di prima, il dolore per la perdita degli oggetti amati fonte di ricordi. Bennet racconta con divertente comicità tutta Britsh la reazione dei due coniugi a questo evento, e le differenti capacità di entrambi di uscire dal trauma che ne deriva, perfino dopo che ritroveranno il bandolo della matassa di tutta una serie di concause scombinate, sino al finale irriverente e un po' crudele. Divertente, soprattutto l'aver scoperto che la polizia inglese, che come la nostra considera l'opportunità di ritrovare la refurtiva solo un miracolo, ti mette a disposizione uno psicologo per il post trauma. Uno spasso
Che fai quando torni da una serata a teatro e trovi la casa vuota, completamente vuota? Niente mobili, niente cucina, ma nemmeno l'arrosto che avevi lasciato nel forno, la moquette, nè la carta igienica e lo scopinetto del bagno. Solo chi ha provato un furto in casa propria sa cosa si prova: la rabbia per l'intrusione nel proprio spazio privato, la sensazione che quella non sia più la tua stessa casa di prima, il dolore per la perdita degli oggetti amati fonte di ricordi. Bennet racconta con divertente comicità tutta Britsh la reazione dei due coniugi a questo evento, e le differenti capacità di entrambi di uscire dal trauma che ne deriva, perfino dopo che ritroveranno il bandolo della matassa di tutta una serie di concause scombinate, sino al finale irriverente e un po' crudele. Divertente, soprattutto l'aver scoperto che la polizia inglese, che come la nostra considera l'opportunità di ritrovare la refurtiva solo un miracolo, ti mette a disposizione uno psicologo per il post trauma. Uno spasso
December 10, 2014
Mi sono trovata a sorridere, almeno all'inizio. Poi ho preso a riflettere. In questo libro surreale e grottesco è racchiuso un grande messaggio. Da regalare a chi ha bisogno di ricominciare da capo, a chi rimane attaccato alle cose divenendone prigioniero, a chi non riesce a vivere o meglio a rinascere a nuova vita. Tutto questo in meno di 100 pagine scritte come sempre Bennett sa fare.
July 26, 2021
Mi piace molto lo stile di Bennett ma questo libro non mi ha coinvolta, forse un po’ troppo ripetitivo per i miei gusti.
February 14, 2017
4.5 stars
Mr. and Mrs. Ransome arrive home from the opera to find that everything they own, aside from the clothes on their back, has been stolen. While Mr. Ransome is irritated and angry, Mrs. Ransome reacts unexpectedly.
"To have the carpet almost literally pulled from under her should, she felt, induce salutary thoughts about the way she had lived her life....it was up to her to make of it what she could. She would go to museums, she thought, art galleries, learn about the history of London; there were classes in all sorts nowadays--classes she could perfectly well have attended before they were deprived of everything they had in the world, except it was everything they had had in the world she felt, that had been holding her back. Now she could start."
This was a charming little novella, full of moments of delight and insight. Though it only took me about an hour to read the entire story, it, like Bennett's An Uncommon Reader and The Lady in the Van, is one that will stay with me for a long while to come.
Mr. and Mrs. Ransome arrive home from the opera to find that everything they own, aside from the clothes on their back, has been stolen. While Mr. Ransome is irritated and angry, Mrs. Ransome reacts unexpectedly.
"To have the carpet almost literally pulled from under her should, she felt, induce salutary thoughts about the way she had lived her life....it was up to her to make of it what she could. She would go to museums, she thought, art galleries, learn about the history of London; there were classes in all sorts nowadays--classes she could perfectly well have attended before they were deprived of everything they had in the world, except it was everything they had had in the world she felt, that had been holding her back. Now she could start."
This was a charming little novella, full of moments of delight and insight. Though it only took me about an hour to read the entire story, it, like Bennett's An Uncommon Reader and The Lady in the Van, is one that will stay with me for a long while to come.
January 4, 2011
A Christmas read, in one day. In fact I was listening to Bennett earlier in the day on Radio4 as I ironed (The Lady in the Van). He is a delightful writer, charming, funny and every word counts. Here a middle aged, middle class couple come back from the opera to find everything in their house gone. Not a normal burglary - even the toilet roll holder has been taken. Of course this sets off a chain of events that peels back the layers of the couple's marriage. I was captivated mostly all through, an unusual denouement was extremely funny and revealing, the only thing that jarred a little was the wife's naivety. OK, it was great fun seeing her watch daytime TV for the first time and be puzzled by and then use the emotional language (people knew where they were coming from, they needed to open up etc), but really I'm sure she would have known what a 'business park' was, for example..
October 28, 2017
Aprire gli occhi e dispiegare i sensi solo ad un punto inoltrato della propria vita e iniziare infine a vedere e sentire, avere la consapevolezza di non poter più recuperare il tempo perduto, deve essere agghiacciante, quasi da desiderare di poter tornare ad essere cieco...
June 13, 2017
3.5
Sono pochi gli autori che riescono a strapparmi facilmente una risata genuina e fra di essi sicuramente c'è Alan Bennett.
In questo racconto lungo, o romanzo breve che dir si voglia, Bennett ci presenta una situazione rocambolesca e paradossale, due anziani coniugi londinesi rientrando da una noisa serata passata e teatro scoprono di aver subito un furto in casa, ma stavolta i ladri non hanno portato via solo i beni preziosi, soldi e gioielli, ma si sono portati via tutto, compresi divani, foto, e armadi.
Questa strana situazione sarà solo l'inizio di una serie di vicende paradossali e surreali, al limite fra la comicità e l'amarezza fino a far dubitare l'anziana coppia delle proprie esistenze facendo vacillare le loro sicurezze.
Sono pochi gli autori che riescono a strapparmi facilmente una risata genuina e fra di essi sicuramente c'è Alan Bennett.
In questo racconto lungo, o romanzo breve che dir si voglia, Bennett ci presenta una situazione rocambolesca e paradossale, due anziani coniugi londinesi rientrando da una noisa serata passata e teatro scoprono di aver subito un furto in casa, ma stavolta i ladri non hanno portato via solo i beni preziosi, soldi e gioielli, ma si sono portati via tutto, compresi divani, foto, e armadi.
Questa strana situazione sarà solo l'inizio di una serie di vicende paradossali e surreali, al limite fra la comicità e l'amarezza fino a far dubitare l'anziana coppia delle proprie esistenze facendo vacillare le loro sicurezze.
February 1, 2020
A while back I was given 3 Alan Bennett books, I'd never read anything by him before and started off with The Lady in the Van (because I had seen the film), next was Father Father Burning Bright (because it was the one in the middle) and whilst they were very good they were nothing compared to the 3rd book. The Clothes They Stood Up In is funny, quirky and quite absurd, if the twist was more sinister then it would have worked as an episode of The Twilight Zone. The Ransome's come back from the opera to find they have been burgled, everything has been taken, the carpets, toilet paper, underwear, everything was gone....they even took the casserole that was in the oven! Totally bizarre, why would anybody do that and how could they do it without anybody noticing?
The story then becomes a journey of self discovery for Mrs Ransome as she feels lighter having been released from a lifetime of clutter she finds joy in rebuilding her life, finding new shops and changing her character of talking to people far different from her. It is a rather sweet little book, plenty of laughs and it kept me interested with the various plot twists trying to figure what was going on. I was surprised to find this was Bennett's first book, a hell of a start to his career.
Blog review: https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2020...
The story then becomes a journey of self discovery for Mrs Ransome as she feels lighter having been released from a lifetime of clutter she finds joy in rebuilding her life, finding new shops and changing her character of talking to people far different from her. It is a rather sweet little book, plenty of laughs and it kept me interested with the various plot twists trying to figure what was going on. I was surprised to find this was Bennett's first book, a hell of a start to his career.
Blog review: https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2020...
December 8, 2017
Un furto stravolge due vite
Il primo capitolo con il suo humor inglese mi ha strappato più di un sorriso. Battute dette come verità (ci sono gli esseri umani e ci sono gli avvocati) il graffiare acido della personalità del signor Ransome è controbilanciato dall'acqua cheta che Bennet assegna alla sua dolce metà, la signora Ransome.
Purtroppo l'estenuante elenco di descrizioni e la morale finale spiattellata in faccia senza un vero artificio narrativo annichiliscono la vena ironica e l'originalità di questo romanzo breve.
Il primo capitolo con il suo humor inglese mi ha strappato più di un sorriso. Battute dette come verità (ci sono gli esseri umani e ci sono gli avvocati) il graffiare acido della personalità del signor Ransome è controbilanciato dall'acqua cheta che Bennet assegna alla sua dolce metà, la signora Ransome.
Purtroppo l'estenuante elenco di descrizioni e la morale finale spiattellata in faccia senza un vero artificio narrativo annichiliscono la vena ironica e l'originalità di questo romanzo breve.
May 11, 2013
I picked this book up because I loved Alan Bennett's book "The Uncommon Reader." This is a charming British novella involving a bizarre robbery and a befuddled middle-aged English couple. It doesn't have the payoff that Uncommon Reader does, but it's still a pleasant read.
December 31, 2020
Cercavo un audiolibro che potesse tenermi sveglia e farmi compagnia durante un breve viaggio notturno e devo dire che questo ha svolto la sua funzione egregiamente. Frizzante, ironico, divertente e amaro allo stesso tempo. Un piacevolissimo ascolto.
3,5
3,5
September 6, 2015
Una sghignazzata alle spalle della decenza. Un gioiellino.
July 6, 2021
Simpatico. Se devo essere sincera non mi ha coinvolto più di tanto.
È vero che dal momento che il libro si sofferma solo su un evento che è accaduto, in questo caso il furto nella casa dei signori Ransome, puo essere un poco rischioso nel cadare nel noioso e ripetitivo.
Sicuramente Bennett è uno scrittore simpatico che nonostante si parli sempre e solo di un evento, riesce a farlo in maniera piacevole e mai pesante.
È vero che dal momento che il libro si sofferma solo su un evento che è accaduto, in questo caso il furto nella casa dei signori Ransome, puo essere un poco rischioso nel cadare nel noioso e ripetitivo.
Sicuramente Bennett è uno scrittore simpatico che nonostante si parli sempre e solo di un evento, riesce a farlo in maniera piacevole e mai pesante.
February 28, 2025
Un racconto breve che si basa su un furto a dir poco originale. Il classico british humour con l'aggiunta di un messaggio aspro. Una lettura di compagnia per un'ora particolare che non mi ha comunque colpita come mi aspettavo. Mediocre.
October 3, 2008
We gain a lot of our identity from the things we surround us with, especially the things in our homes. If suddenly all our possessions are taken from us, what then?
This is what happens to the Ransoms, a middleage couple, who when arriving home from the opera discover that all they have is the clothes they wore that night - everything in their appartment is gone.
Mrs. Ransom comes to view this as a chance for a new beginning - she starts to feel that all the old stuff was holding her back. Mr. Ransom takes it as an opportunity to get new and better things.
But then they get it all back in a most surprising way ... and what then?
I liked the premise of this short book a lot and I think the author nailed it with this quote: "Lots of people could give up things /.../; what they couldn't do without was shopping for them." (page 60) - I think that's so true, a lot of us are addicted to buying.
I also like how he portrayed the couple - the small secrets that they thought they kept so well from each other but that the other had always known anyway.
And in a lot of ways, the ending was very appropriate and couldn't have been any different - but still I felt something missing in the story and that's the reason for the 3 star rating. Maybe it should have been a bit longer (it's only 161 small pages) ... But an interesting short read anyways.
This is what happens to the Ransoms, a middleage couple, who when arriving home from the opera discover that all they have is the clothes they wore that night - everything in their appartment is gone.
Mrs. Ransom comes to view this as a chance for a new beginning - she starts to feel that all the old stuff was holding her back. Mr. Ransom takes it as an opportunity to get new and better things.
But then they get it all back in a most surprising way ... and what then?
I liked the premise of this short book a lot and I think the author nailed it with this quote: "Lots of people could give up things /.../; what they couldn't do without was shopping for them." (page 60) - I think that's so true, a lot of us are addicted to buying.
I also like how he portrayed the couple - the small secrets that they thought they kept so well from each other but that the other had always known anyway.
And in a lot of ways, the ending was very appropriate and couldn't have been any different - but still I felt something missing in the story and that's the reason for the 3 star rating. Maybe it should have been a bit longer (it's only 161 small pages) ... But an interesting short read anyways.
December 19, 2019
The Ransomes come home from the opera to find that absolutely everything, down the the carpets, toilet paper and holder, to the oven containing the roast has been taken from the carpet. Nothing is left but the bare floor, the toilet, sink and bathtub sans shower curtain. No doubt this is funny to some, but given that humour is subjective, not for everyone. I found it not very funny at all. More than that by the end I wondered why it had to end just the way it did.
So, if you are an Alan Bennett fan, by all means read this, but it was not my cup of tea.
So, if you are an Alan Bennett fan, by all means read this, but it was not my cup of tea.
February 4, 2024
This is a subgenre I'm calling Crass Twee because the tone is cutesy (and the cover suggests the Edwardian era) but it's set in the present and dialogue includes "What the fuck for?" and "taking it up the butt." Alan Bennett is known for being a playwright; this is his first "novel" - but I would call it more of a literary tchotchke.
November 6, 2022
This is a superb story from Alan Bennett. As I read this, I was able to imagine listening to an audiobook of this story narrated by the author and loving the inflections of his voice.
The story is about Rosemary and Maurice Ransome who come home from the opera to find their flat has been stripped bare, everything is taken including the casserole in the oven as well as the oven. The couple have to decide how to react to this sudden act and work out who they are without their possessions as well as making decisions about what to buy to replace their losses. What does the order of their purchases say about them?
Half way through the story they receive a letter indicating they owe money to a storage facility in Aylesbury about 40 miles away. Upon investigation, they find all their possessions have been laid out in the facility exactly as they were in the couple's flat.
Who has done this and why?
The story is about Rosemary and Maurice Ransome who come home from the opera to find their flat has been stripped bare, everything is taken including the casserole in the oven as well as the oven. The couple have to decide how to react to this sudden act and work out who they are without their possessions as well as making decisions about what to buy to replace their losses. What does the order of their purchases say about them?
Half way through the story they receive a letter indicating they owe money to a storage facility in Aylesbury about 40 miles away. Upon investigation, they find all their possessions have been laid out in the facility exactly as they were in the couple's flat.
Who has done this and why?
September 13, 2024
Con toni comici e umoristici, Bennett racconta del drammatico evento che i coniugi Ransome devono affrontare: la loro casa è stata svaligiata interamente dai ladri. La perdita degli oggetti, la perdita delle “certezze” della quotidianità, porta ad una nuova prospettiva, una prospettiva che svelerà la vera natura del rapporto matrimoniale dei Ransome. Ormai assuefatti dal gelo del loro rapporto, e da un misero se non inesistente rapporto affettivo, il matrimonio sembra essere un peso (che grava soprattutto in una casa vuota). Un’interessante riflessione, quindi, sulla natura dei rapporti umani e sulla segretezza che questi possono celare, anche se sono consolidati dagli anni. Più malinconico rispetto alla “Sovrana lettrice” e, sebbene molto breve come narrazione, estremamente illuminante sull’interiorità dei personaggi.
Stile essenziale e ritmo serrato, un libro che è ottimo anche per essere recitato o letto a voce alta.
Stile essenziale e ritmo serrato, un libro che è ottimo anche per essere recitato o letto a voce alta.
March 26, 2025
I Ransome al rientro dal teatro scoprono che la loro casa è stata svaligiata dai ladri. Si sono portati via tutto, anche la moquette, il rotolo della carta igienica, il forno e l’arrosto che cuoceva dentro, forse un po' asciutto. La ricerca dei responsabili del furto, comica, a tratti grottesca, porterà i due coniugi non solo a sentire la mancanza di ciò che hanno perso ma anche di ciò che non hanno mai avuto. Dalla completa cancellazione delle loro vecchie vite, avranno modo di provare anche solo a immaginarne una nuova: l'alimentazione, l' abbigliamento, gli accessori, il rapporto con l'altro, gli hobby e perfino il sesso possono cambiare.
Alan Bennet mi ha divertita ancora una volta, facendomi sorridere e riflettere come suo solito, lasciandomi con tanti e vari interrogativi. Cosa faresti se avessi la possibilità di azzerare completamente la tua esistenza? Come reagiresti a vederla attraverso gli occhi di un estraneo?
Alan Bennet mi ha divertita ancora una volta, facendomi sorridere e riflettere come suo solito, lasciandomi con tanti e vari interrogativi. Cosa faresti se avessi la possibilità di azzerare completamente la tua esistenza? Come reagiresti a vederla attraverso gli occhi di un estraneo?
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