Telling Tales

by Alan Bennett

pTen childhood snapshots from the master of the monologue#58; p A STRIP OF BLUE, PROPER NAMES, OUR WAR, EATING OUT, AN IDEAL HOME, AUNT EVELINE, A SHY BUTCHER, UNSAID PRAYERS, DAYS OUT, NO MEAN CITY p Following on from the phenomenal success of Writing Home, Alan Bennett reminisces about his early years #8211; from his schooldays to undergraduate life at Oxford University. p It was an ordinary childhood #8211; growing up in Leeds taught Alan early on that #8216;life is generally something that happens elsewhere#8217;. Yet the children who long for German bombs to lend their city some wartime glamour; the working class mother who reads Ideal Home and dreams of coffee mornings and cocktail parties; and 18-year-old Alan #8211; a practising Anglican who is deeply distrustful of God, strike a chord within all of us. p In fact, it is their very ordinariness that makes these tales so special #8211; combined, of course, with the wry observation and tender understatement that have earned Alan Bennett his place at the forefront of contemporary writing.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Autobiography, Memoir, Audiobook, British Literature, Drama

Audio Cassette

First published November 6, 2000

About the author

Librarian 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.

Reviews

[Petra - is winning against kitchen-invading fowl]

I have read a lot of Alan Bennett, I hope he forgives me if I ever gave him less than 5 stars, because that was a defect in me, and not in his writing. The Lady In The Van and the wondrous The Uncommon Reader about the Queen discovering books, are among the best books I've ever read. So this memoir of his years growing up in Leeds is a sheer delight.

[Lara]

The only thing better than reading what Alan Bennett has written is listening to Alan Bennett reading what Alan Bennett's written.

[Diana]

I'm halfway through, and absolutely love it. One of those books I won't want to finish.

[David Campton]

Originating as BBC TV monologues by the author himself you cannot read these without hearing his distinctive accent and delivery even without having heard them broadcast. I love Bennett's plays and other monologues; his use of language and observational skills are second to none, and while I really enjoyed this short anthology, focusing on his own early life, it also pointed up a number of reasons why I, surprisingly, found his own autobiography stultifying. The first is that while his style is refreshing and perceptive in such short pieces, it is seemingly unending in the larger tome. In one piece he accuses an aunt of engaging in "interminable, over-detailed and ultimately inconsequential narrative" and he could be said to have inherited some of her traits... Within these monologues that is curtailed... not so in his auobiography. This is emphasised when he disengenuously in both these monologues and his autobiography tries to point out how dull his early life was. In the autobiography it becomes a self-fullfilling prophecy. However, in the monologues his clarity of insight is more self evident... particularly in the chapters on ageing and names, the sad one reflecting on his faith life and the closing and very pertinent one on education. Better stop now... this is nearly as long as one of his monologues... And I'm not getting paid for this (which was actually a very sour note with which Bennett launched the whole work, suggesting that he had written these monologues rather than do interviews where he would trot out such anecdotes for free... I suspect he wasn't joking...)

[Ted]

A collection of ten short pieces that feature Bennet’s reminiscences of his childhood and family during the 1930s and 40s in Leeds. The stories have a touch of nostalgia and some include a bit of humor. In many, there is a confessional element in which Bennett briefly reveals a note of embarrassment about his working class origins, his parents’ tastes or some of his own deficiencies. His childhood doesn’t seem to have been a particularly happy one; nor was it an unhappy one. Nevertheless, he does occasionally express shame and regret when writing about his family and their social status. Later on, he makes amends for this by saying some endearing things about his parents and Leeds as well. I had hoped to find more humor in these stories but it just wasn’t there. Still, a mildly enjoyable read.

[David Hallstrom]

Telling Tales is a series of often funny and poignant short stories - about 12 pages each - about growing-up in Leeds.

The pieces slowly advance from his young boyhood, confused by a war that colored everything, yet also seemed far away, on through his start as a writer.

Telling Tales is not as powerful or moving as his "Talking Heads" series but I am not certain it is meant to be. Bennett highlights his knack for catching the poetry of the absurd humor and melancholy sadness of simple day to day life.

[Steve]

Too good to rush I limited myself to one reminiscence at a time between other books. These tales don't disappoint but then Bennett never does, (I've just come across him in Olivia Manning's Fortunes of War - free on YouTube) he's great in it although the adaptation is a mere sketch of Manning's two trilogies.

Every tale in this is worth 5 stars but if I had to pick a favourite it would be the penultimate. I went through much the same with supernatural beliefs but fortunately jettisoned them at a younger age.

[Luke]

It is with regret that I give this book 2 stars. This book has some value as a historical document as people like Bennett are slowly fading away. Having said that, I still have a few older relatives that remind me of Alan Bennett so there was no real reason for me to read this book.

There are a few themes that interested me, such as growing up during the war and it being a big part of his life but at the same time feeling detached from it up in Leeds. There were some other themes that didn't quite land, it was a bit all over the place to be honest. If he had written a linear memoir then I might have liked it more... then again whenever I read a celebrity autobiography, I always want to get past the early life section and into the juicy stuff...

[Lisa Williams]

Lovely little collection. Photo at start of each one adds to the Magic. You can hear him in every sentence.

[Swee]

Really humorous summary of some of Bennett's childhood memories, really good for those who want to experience a flavour of his wiring style.

[Davino Nascimento]

Charming, enjoyable and entertaining.

[Graham Sillars]

Written in Bennett’s usual deadpan manner, but somehow still feeling full of life.

A writer I will always recommend to anyone looking for a brilliantly written and impactful read!

[James]

A short little book that manages simultaneously to be about nothing and everything.

[Marcus]

Small book of childhood anecdotes.

[Frances]

Never disappoints ....

[Deborah Lynch]

As I hear Alan Bennett's voice in my head whenever I read his books, it didn't seem too much of a leap to download an audio edition of this book. I need something to distract me from the treadmill misery that is both January, when I'm keen to exercise and Winter so the ground is covered in snow, here in Idaho. This created a problem. Periodically I would have to step to the side of the treadmill, clutching my side, unable to breathe with laughter. At other times I had to stop and let the tears course down my face. This is Alan Bennett - I don't know what it is about the man's writing that affects me so strongly (aside from the fact that it's very good, obviously). These are people you know, real people with real stories, and I never tire of hearing them.

[Brenda]

Alan Bennett, award-winning playwright, writer, actor, etc., remembers his childhood in Leeds, Great Britain.

These ten tales are perfect little wisps of remembrances, delicate curls of chocolate on the cake of Bennett's other memoirs. I've read his bigger autobiographical tome "Untold Stories" and I seem to remember some of the same incidents.

No matter - Bennet is simply charming in his writings. There's a slight melancholy throughout which is perfectly balanced by his sly wit.

I think my favourite is "Aunt Eveline." His description of her decollete is laugh-out-loud hilarious.

I give this only 4 stars because it's simply too short!

[Jonathan]

A very enjoyable and entertaining collection of autobiographical pieces, originally broadcast by the BBC, covering Alan Bennett's childhood and early adult years, most notably concerning his thoughts on his parents. Consistently amusing and warm-hearted, a cup of hot chocolate kind of read.

[Bettie]

Alan Bennett reads his wry recollections and observations about his early life, growing up in Leeds.

[Paul Servini]

Charming talks about his childhood, his parents, life in the provinces etc. Very personal and warm.

[William Mankelow]

Loved every story, will be reading this a few times I think.

[Connaire Demain]

if your not reading them in his distinictive voice your doing it all wrong.

[Sal Noel]

Now as an audio book can you ask for anything more?

[Michel Dignand]

ten vignettes from his early life. Amusing, interesting.

[Anthony Evans]

Witty, nostalgic and pure Bennett