Anna of the Five Towns (Aziloth Books)

The narrative explores Arnold Bennett's formative years in Hanley, a region marked by industrial pollution and the struggles of its inhabitants. After moving to London at 21 to pursue a career as a solicitor's clerk, he began writing for magazines. Influenced by Guy de Maupassant, Bennett believed in the power of storytelling focused on ordinary lives, a conviction that led to his successful series on life in the Potteries, earning him immediate critical acclaim in 1902.