Rating: 
Summary: hmm
Review: really short but actually quite pleasant. it's a cute little tale that i think my mother would benefit from reading, but that I myself enjoyed.
Rating: 
Summary: A Couple of gems mixed in with pebbles.
Review: The Clothes They Stood Up In is British playwright Alan Bennett's (author of the play The Madness of George III and later screenplay The Madness of King George) first novel. The story revolves around the Ransomes, a reclusive and childless middle age couple who are living out their isolated lives in "an Edwardian block of flats the color of ox blood" known as Naseby Mansions. One evening, after returning from a production of Mozart's "Cosi fan tutte", they find that their flat has been burgled, leaving it devoid of every single item that the Ransomes have accumulated in their life together, much of which had been of little use at all anyway. Faced with what would seem to be a devastating situation, the Ransomes in fact adapt to the situation as though it had been a blessing, and begin to rebuild their lives anew. It was at this point that I began to suspect that the main underling motive of the work was to serve as a critique of our modern materialistic culture, but then Bennett added an interesting twist. Based on a query from a storage company, the Ransomes undertake an impromptu expedition to a storage facility, where, to their surprise--but indignation, rage, or even dismay--they find their stolen property. Oddly, not only did they find all of their possessions, these possessions were arranged exactly as they had been in their flat; moreover, somebody by the name of Martin had made himself quite at home, apparently ignorant to the fact that everything about him was stolen. In fact, he--and his lover--made himself more than just at home, which after the Ransomes have their possessions restored to them, is key to how the story plays itself out. I have to say that the story proceeds along from this point in an interesting manner, although the ending in my opinion is somewhat indicative of the author's uncertainty as to how this off-beat tale should be resolved. This is of little consequence really, when one comes to think of it--the story, although possessing a certain degree social commentary, can easily be read superficially as a means of passing a few spare hours. Be forewarned: the format of this book is small, being smaller that the standard pocketbook and its stated length of 161 pp. is deceptive; the average word-per-page is much less than what one expects. For this reason, The Clothes They Stood Up In should really be considered a novella. Although not an overly impressive book, The Clothes They Stood Up In will provide the reader with a few hours of casual entertainment while not being excessive mind-numbing and/or pathetic.
Rating: 
Summary: This first novel doesn't stand out
Review: The Clothes They Stood Up In is British playwright Alan Bennett's (author of the play The Madness of George III and later screenplay The Madness of King George) first novel. The story revolves around the Ransomes, a reclusive and childless middle age couple who are living out their isolated lives in "an Edwardian block of flats the color of ox blood" known as Naseby Mansions. One evening, after returning from a production of Mozart's "Cosi fan tutte", they find that their flat has been burgled, leaving it devoid of every single item that the Ransomes have accumulated in their life together, much of which had been of little use at all anyway. Faced with what would seem to be a devastating situation, the Ransomes in fact adapt to the situation as though it had been a blessing, and begin to rebuild their lives anew. It was at this point that I began to suspect that the main underling motive of the work was to serve as a critique of our modern materialistic culture, but then Bennett added an interesting twist. Based on a query from a storage company, the Ransomes undertake an impromptu expedition to a storage facility, where, to their surprise--but indignation, rage, or even dismay--they find their stolen property. Oddly, not only did they find all of their possessions, these possessions were arranged exactly as they had been in their flat; moreover, somebody by the name of Martin had made himself quite at home, apparently ignorant to the fact that everything about him was stolen. In fact, he--and his lover--made himself more than just at home, which after the Ransomes have their possessions restored to them, is key to how the story plays itself out. I have to say that the story proceeds along from this point in an interesting manner, although the ending in my opinion is somewhat indicative of the author's uncertainty as to how this off-beat tale should be resolved. This is of little consequence really, when one comes to think of it--the story, although possessing a certain degree social commentary, can easily be read superficially as a means of passing a few spare hours. Be forewarned: the format of this book is small, being smaller that the standard pocketbook and its stated length of 161 pp. is deceptive; the average word-per-page is much less than what one expects. For this reason, The Clothes They Stood Up In should really be considered a novella. Although not an overly impressive book, The Clothes They Stood Up In will provide the reader with a few hours of casual entertainment while not being excessive mind-numbing and/or pathetic.
Rating: 
Summary: The Clothes They Stood Up IN
Review: Writers could take a lesson in how to write an entire sensitive and insightful saga complete with mystery, humor, drama and intrigue in the tiniest volume ever -- found my self laughing out loud and unable to lay it down til I had finished -- darn! wanted to make it last. Like British humor? Like great word pictures? You'll like this just fine.
Rating:
Summary: Bennet at his finest
Review: Yet another masterpiece from Bennett, this time the victims of his seditious satire are Rosemary and Maurice Ransome, a
middle-aged, middle-class, childless couple who are gradually drifting apart from each other in a long-term emotional
withdrawal. Their lives are governed by order and routine with the one remaining ember of passion between them lying in
Maurice's love of Mozart. This escapism from the reality of each other is shattered one evening as they return from the opera to
discover that they have been burgled, not just a smash-and-grab but instead everything has been taken, right down to the
insurance policy! As they gradually attempt to restore some semblance of order to their lives, Maurice discovers further
fulfilment in the new hi-tech CD players he could buy to improve the quality of his Mozart. Rosemary undergoes something of a
cultural revolution with visits to the local Pakistani grocer shop and the occasional venture into a "thrift shop". In a startling climax, Rosemary discovers the motive behind the theft and Maurice finds his inner-self awakened but in the most unpleasant of circumstances. Bennett's perspective on those around him and the foundations of middle-England are ruthlessly portrayed here in what is one the one hand a wonderful social comment and, on the other, an familiarly disenchanted critique. The precision with which Bennett selects his characters and provides us with the ammunition to assassinate them is remarkable, there is not a word wasted or thought used to excess, stunning.
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