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Victorian novel set in the pottery district of Staffordshire and France during the Siege of Paris.

First published in 1908 The Old Wives' Tale affirms the integrity of ordinary lives as it tells the story of the Baines sisters--shy retiring Constance and defiant romantic Sophia--over the course of nearly half a century. Bennett traces the sisters' lives from childhood... Read Full Overview

The Old Wives' Tale by Arnold Bennett is a classic novel that tells the story of two sisters from their youth in the provincial English town of Bursley in the late 19th century to their old age in the early 20th century. It is a timeless tale of love, friendship, and family,... Read Full Overview

In the autumn of 1903 I used to dine frequently in a restaurant in the Rue de Clichy, Paris. Here were, among others, two waitresses that attracted my attention. One was a beautiful, pale young girl, to whom I never spoke, for she was employed far away from the table which I... Read Full Overview

'There are few more moving accounts of the effects of time, the passage of history and the slow encroachment of age than this remarkable, epic novel' Guardian Discover this powerful novel about the ordinary lives of the Baines sisters. The perfect next step for fans of Little... Read Full Overview

Arnold Bennett was an English writer best known as a novelist, but he started working in journalism when he won a literary competition hosted by Tit-Bits magazine. Moving up in the world of journalism Bennett became the assistant editor and in short order the editor of the magazine... Read Full Overview

The Old Wives' Tale (1908) celebrates the romance of even the most ordinary lives as it tells the story of the two Baines sisters, placid stay-at-home Constance and rebellious Sophia, from their girlhood to their last days. They move from the family drapery shop in provincial... Read Full Overview

The book is broken up into four parts. The first section, "Mrs Baines" details the adolescence of both Sophia and Constance, and their life in their father's shop and house (a combined property).The father is ill and bedridden, and the main adult in their life is Mrs Baines,... Read Full Overview