Cosi fan tutte. CD.

by Alan Bennett, Uwe Friedrichsen, Brigitte Heinrich

book data

205 ratings, 3.41 average rating, 51 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		16%
4		27%
3		40%
2		13%
1		2%

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published

August 2003 by Wagenbach (first published 1997)

details

Audio CD

isbn

3803140757 (isbn13: 9783803140753)

description

The Ransomes had been burgled. "Robbed," Mrs. Ransome said. "Burgled," Mr. Ransome corrected. Premises were burgled; persons were …more

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Sep 10, 2007

thunderous applesauce rated it:

(review of isbn 0375503064)

one of the most charming books i have read. its also the smallest (both in size and length)! the story revolves around a middle-aged couple, whose apartment is robbed by some particularly thorough thieves. Bennett deftly uses a few character quirks in describing the Ransomes, making them incredibly and painfully human. as for the events after the theft...suffice to say that they are very surprising.

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

2 comments

Feb 03, 2008

Gina rated it:

(review of isbn 0375503064)

Read in February, 2008

Where has Alan Bennett been all my life? Tiny book, but funny, smart and sad.

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Oct 02, 2008

Christina Stind rated it:

(review of isbn 0375503064)

bookshelves: 2008, fiction

Read in October, 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 b...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

6 comments

Jan 20, 2008

Trevor rated it:

(review of isbn 0375503064)

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 lit...more

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Aug 22, 2008

Doug rated it:

(review of isbn 0375503064)

Read in August, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

1 comment

Mar 05, 2010

Elizabeth (Miss Eliza) rated it:

(review of isbn 0375503064)

bookshelves: challenge-typically-british-2010, fiction

Read in March, 2010

Mr. and Mrs. Ransome have been robbed, no burgled, robbed happens to a person, burgled to a premise. Of course this couldn't have been normal thieves, because they took everything. Stove with dinner in it, to toilet paper. Nothing is left and the Ransome's do not know what to do. They spent their life accumulating stuff that never was really enjoyed or served much purpose, except for Mr. Ransome's music equipment that he used to listen to Mozart, which his wife wasn't privy to due to the large h...more Mr. and Mrs. Ransome have been robbed, no burgled, robbed happens to a person, burgled to a premise. Of course this couldn't have been normal thieves, because they took everything. Stove with dinner in it, to toilet paper. Nothing is left and the Ransome's do not know what to do. They spent their life accumulating stuff that never was really enjoyed or served much purpose, except for Mr. Ransome's music equipment that he used to listen to Mozart, which his wife wasn't privy to due to the large headphones he was known to sport. But while the abrupt change in their life seems to serve no purpose for Mr. Ransome, Mrs. Ransome acquires a new sense of control. Being allowed to make buying decisions, going to stores she never would have thought to enter in Notting Hill, watching day time television. Things are slowly shifting due to the cataclysmic event and then one day everything changes again and everything is as it was, but only now it doesn't seem the same.

In this brief yet odd little novella by Alan Bennett I was hoping to achieve the same sense of joy and elation I had when reading The Uncommon Reader. I did not. Such wonderful books are rare and far between and I should not have expected so much of his first book. I found the characters unlikable and unrelatable for the most part. Mrs. Ransome had some humanity, but Mr. Ransome was a bully and his new found porn obsession quite unsettling. At one point, when they located their furniture, I was hopeful. The roguish Martin, who would totally be played by DeanLennox Kelly in the tv adaptation, brought a life and interest to the story. But his departure took the life away. I thought perhaps this brief contact would bring some life into Mrs.Ransome, but sadly it did not. It only brought about wistful remembrances of Martin on Mrs. Ransome's part, as well as my own. I would like to have read Martin's story. Instead we are left with two hollow people who have an abrupt and surprising end which, while I didn't see it coming, left me liking the novella even less. If you're looking for mild British entertainment with not much depth, try this. If you want extreme British entertainment with loads of depth, pick up Alan Bennett's The Uncommon Reader.(less)

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Aug 13, 2009

Xirxe rated it:

bookshelves: hörbücher, literatur, permanent

Read in February, 2009

Dem Ehepaar Ransome wird während eines Opernbesuches im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes die gesamte Wohnung ausgeräumt - es gibt nicht einmal mehr Klopapier. Wie sich das Leben dieses typischen britischen Middleclass-Ehepaars -steif, prüde, leicht versnobt- durch diesen Vorfall ändert, schildert Bennett außerordentlich humorvoll, doch ohne Klamauk. Mit viel Wortwitz und Ironie erzählt er, wie Beide auf ihre jeweils eigene Art und Weise mit diesem Ereignis umgehen.
Und Uwe Friedrichsen ist ...more

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Jan 08, 2010

Wanda rated it:

(review of isbn 0375503064)

bookshelves: 2010, bbc-radio

Read in January, 2010

Do we own our possessions or do our possessions own us? Are we defined by our possessions? These are two questions which this novella seemed to ask of me. And, if our possessions are suddenly taken from us, are we still the same people or because we are forced to go out and purchase new ones, do we then become new people?

A funny, satirical little novella which seems to ask more questions than provide answers - you will not want to miss this one!

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Aug 12, 2009

Marvin rated it:

(review of isbn 0375503064)

Read in April, 2001

A starred book on my reading list, this was a disappointment. Bennett begins with a couple returning home to discover their apartment totally stripped; ALL their possessions are gone. It's a promising premise for our materialistic culture, but for Bennett it's only the stage for a modest domestic drama, nothing more, & the conclusion further undermines whatever power the premise could have invoked.

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Aug 14, 2009

Tracy rated it:

(review of isbn 0375503064)

bookshelves: fiction

Read in August, 2009

Really enjoyed this one. Perhaps more a long short story than novel. Easy to see Bennett's playwriting background in the dialogue, but the jumps between points of view - which I liked - would be hard to stage. Story inspired plenty of "what if this happened to me?" thinking. Lot of great humor here, though I know that some references were lost on American me.

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Nov 16, 2007

Moushumi Ghosh rated it:

(review of isbn 0375503064)

My playwright friend enlightened me about the author Alan Bennett. Bennett is a playwright himself whose first novel is this parable. It’s the sorry of the ironically named rather traditional couple called the Ransomes.

One day, mysteriously they are robbed off ALL the items in their apartment down to the roll of toilet paper. For a while, they try to adjust to their existence minus all the material things. Mrs. Ransome discovers new things and neighbours and better adjusts to the s...more

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Jun 07, 2009

Bonnie rated it:

(review of isbn 0375503064)

Read in June, 2009

I liked the first book I read by this author, so why not try another. A couple returns from the opera to find everything-literally-stolen from their apartment. What you learn about the couple, and what they learn about themselves, especially the wife, is a short read with a bit of dry wit and a touch of the surreal.

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Jan 07, 2010

Bettie rated it:

(review of isbn 0375503064)

bookshelves: english-root, fraudio, funneh, published-1997, satire, shortstory-shortstories-novellas, winter20092010

Read in January, 2010

recommended to Bettie by: Wanda

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 26, 2008

Phyllis rated it:

(review of isbn 0375503064)

bookshelves: mood-character, mood-language

Comic fable about the sedate Ransomes who reture from the opera to find that their flat is completely empty. They are faced with the question of what to do without the things they've spent a lifetime collecting. British humor.

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May 22, 2008

Almira rated it:

(review of isbn 0375503064)

recommends it for: someone who enjoys a good story

The Ransomes' lives never vary - day in, day out. Mr.Ransome is a solicitor and a very exacting person, regarding his stereo system and Mozart.
Mrs. Ransome follows her husband's lead and no thought of trying anything outside "the lines".
One evening, at the opera, the Ransomes' apartment is burgles, not just picked over here and there, BUT everything is taken by the burglars, the furniture, their clothes, the appliances and even all the food in the flat.
Mrs. Ransome ...more

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Aug 02, 2009

Peter rated it:

(review of isbn 0375503064)

Read in June, 2001

Alan Bennett is just an astounding observer of human nature and he is able to translate the same into truly funny works of original literature. This is a quick read that will stay with you forever.

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