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The Old Wives' Tale
Hardcover
Publisher Price: $71.95
Publisher: Lushena Books
Published: Aug 19 2025
Pages: 564
Weight: 2.61
Height: 1.69 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
The Old Wives' Tale by Arnold Bennett (1908) is a richly detailed novel that follows the contrasting lives of two sisters, Constance and Sophia Baines, over several decades, from their youth in a provincial English town to their old age.
Constance stays in their hometown of Bursley, leading a quiet, dutiful life running the family drapery business. Sophia, in contrast, rebels against convention, elopes to Paris, and experiences a turbulent, more dramatic life, including surviving the Siege of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War.
Despite their very different paths, the novel explores how both women endure love, loss, aging, and societal change. It offers a profound reflection on the passage of time, the resilience of women, and the seemingly ordinary yet complex lives people lead.
The title refers to the idea that the stories of so-called old wives are filled with quiet wisdom and hidden depth.
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