The taming of Nan: Classic Book Guide and Free Edition
The taming of Nan: author and translator credits, catalogue synopsis, subjects and links to the Gutenberg reading formats.
The taming of Nan is catalogued by Project Gutenberg with author credits for Holdsworth, Ethel Carnie (1886–1962).
Catalogue synopsis
Project Gutenberg supplies this automated synopsis of the opening text:
"The taming of Nan" by Ethel Carnie Holdsworth is a novel written in the early 20th century. Set between an industrial Lancashire town and its surrounding farms, it centers on the volatile Nan Cherry, her long-suffering porter husband Bill, their impressionable daughter Polly, and the principled young farmer Adam Wild. The story explores domestic tyranny, working-class life, superstition, and the pull between town freedoms and country discipline as a family crisis forces reckonings and choices. The opening of The taming of Nan plunges into a raw dawn scene where Nan’s relentless rage collides with Bill Cherry’s patient strength until a violent flare-up ends their bout and he leaves for work, only for Nan to “sweep him out” with salt and a whispered spell. Nearby, Adam Wild guards his prize wheat from trespassers; a moonlit prank brings Polly and her friends into his field, and after he breaks up their rough play, a humiliating scuffle ends with Adam vengefully kissing Polly before driving her off. That night Polly returns home late to a desolate kitchen and Granny Harker’s stern comfort, only to learn Bill has lost his legs in a rail accident, a shock that exposes the household’s fragility and Polly’s naive restlessness. The section closes as the Cherry clan organizes a bring-your-own feast to welcome Bill back from hospital, revealing a chorus of kin—pious, practical, and comic—poised around the stricken family.
Book and edition facts
- Title: The taming of Nan
- Author credits: Holdsworth, Ethel Carnie (1886–1962)
- Catalogue language: English
Catalogue subjects
- England, Northern -- Fiction
- Families -- Fiction
- People with disabilities -- Fiction
- Scolds -- Fiction
- Spouses -- Fiction
- Working class -- Fiction
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Source notes
Catalogue metadata is public domain and is supplied through Gutendex, which imports Gutenberg's machine-readable catalogue. The automated synopsis is source-supplied, not an independently verified review. Author dates above describe the credited people; no ebook release date is presented as the book's original publication date.
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