All Formats & Editions

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

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

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

'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

The Old Wives' Tale is a novel written by Arnold Bennett, first published in 1908. The story follows the lives of two sisters, Constance and Sophia Baines, who were born and raised in the small town of Bursley, England during the mid-19th century. The sisters are very different... 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

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