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The Old Wives' Tale

3.81 of 5 stars 3.81 · rating details · 1,128 ratings · 86 reviews

With a New Introduction by Francine Prose
Commentary by Rebecca West, W. Somerset Maugham,
Virginia Woolf, H. G. Wells, Henry James, and J. B. Priestley

"[Arnold Bennett's] superb Old Wives' Tale, wandering from person to person and from scene to scene, is by far the finest 'long novel' that has been written in English and in the English fashion, in this generation."
�H. G. We...more

Paperback, Penguin Classics Edition, 624 pages

Published December 18th 2007 by Penguin Books Ltd (first published 1908)

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Jun 23, 2012 Janet rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, english-fiction, favorites, historical-fiction, memorable-characters

A testament to the power and influence of Goodreads is the discovery of this gem which otherwise would have escaped my notice.

Bennett grabbed me with the second sentence of his preface and never let go for a moment. In many ways this 5 page preface is more compelling than the actual novel. Here he relates an anecdote of sitting in a favorite cafe when an old woman comes in talking to herself and dropping her parcels. She is the subject of immediate ridicule by the two waitresses, one old enough...more A testament to the power and influence of Goodreads is the discovery of this gem which otherwise would have escaped my notice.

Bennett grabbed me with the second sentence of his preface and never let go for a moment. In many ways this 5 page preface is more compelling than the actual novel. Here he relates an anecdote of sitting in a favorite cafe when an old woman comes in talking to herself and dropping her parcels. She is the subject of immediate ridicule by the two waitresses, one old enough to know better and one young enough to be more charitable. He muses that this fat, ugly, old woman was once young, slim, perhaps beautiful but most certainly free of her ridiculous mannerisms. He continues that thought with the realization “…that the change from the young girl to the stout aging woman is made up of an infinite number of infinitesimal changes, each unperceived by her…” This is the story he writes but with two sisters, Sophia and Constance, whose lives he chronicles from girlhood through old age across a canvas that stretches from a provincial English town to Paris and back. Initially published in 1908, the story is set in the mid 19th century.

This is a book of small moments – the petty disappointments, jealousies, power struggles and vanities that are woven into every life. There are no grand gestures here. Joselito in his review absolutely nailed it when he wrote, “It's an exciting, unputdownable reading frenzy of non-events.” The lasso? Bennett’s deft observations and characterizations. I can’t think of another writer who has captured youth and aging better than he. On youth: “As for them, they marveled at the phenomena presented in Sophia’s person; they admired; they admitted the style of her gown; but they envied neither her innocence nor her beauty; they envied nothing but her youth and the fresh tint of her cheeks.” On aging: “Nothing could destroy the structure of her beauty, but she looked worn and appreciably older.” On acceptance: “The truth was that, though her bereavement had been the cause of a most genuine and durable sorrow, it had been a relief to her. When Constance was over fifty, the energetic and masterful Sophia had burst in upon her lethargic tranquility and very seriously disturbed the flow of old habits. Certainly Constance had fought Sophia on the main point, and won; but on a hundred minor points she had either lost or had not fought. Sophia had been ‘too much’ for Constance, and it had been only by a wearying expenditure of nervous force that Constance had succeeded in holding a small part of her own against the unconscious domination of Sophia. The death of Mrs. Scales had put an end to all the strain, and Constance had been once again mistress in Constance’s house. Constance would never have admitted these facts, even to herself; and no one would ever have dared to suggest them to her. For with all her temperamental mildness she had her formidable side.”

Bennett underscores that no life is ever small to the person living it. Think about that for a moment: no life is ever small to the person living it. Annie Lamott once wrote, “I may not be much but I’m all I think about.” Bennett's sentiments exactly. A pitch perfect novel – recommended without reservation.

Note: I read the Modern Library edition which shows a date of 1911 but I don't think that's right. The preface was written by Bennett which may not be included in the edition with the introduction by Francine Prose.(less)

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Jun 24, 2012 Cecily rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, miscellaneous-fiction

A simple concept of parallels and contrasts in the lives of sisters, carefully told with gentle irony. It starts in 1864 when Constance and Sophia are 16 and 15 respectively and follows them to the end of their lives. Book 1 covers their teenage years together above and in a draper’s shop in a small town in the Staffordshire Potteries (central England). Book 2 is in the same location, but focuses on Constance. Book 3 is set in Paris during great political upheaval and war, and is about Sophia. I...more

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May 02, 2013 Sketchbook rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: currently

2 sisters, 2 separate lives : "I have been through too much, I cannot stand it." Yes, we're only concerned with our paltry selves, so why do some whine, Why did this novel not mention this or that war or crisis. Why? Cos outside events never matter . In his preface Bennett notes that ordinary people are never aware of history's dramatic events.

And talented Cyril, the child of one sis : so cute, so spoiled. At 33, his "habits were industrious as ever. He seldom spoke of his plans and never of h...more

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Oct 31, 2011 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks

I enjoyed this immensly! The story tells the tale of Constance and Sophia Baines' lives from girlhood to death at the end of the 19th century. They were, perhaps, from today's point of view, not very exceptional lives - especially Constance's - but it is so well written and Bennett has such a delightful way of describing everything that you don't really notice this! His main characters have great depth, and the narratve is wonderfully tongue in cheek. My enjoyment was no doubt increased by the f...more

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Sep 14, 2009 Melinda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: best-of-2009

I LOVED THIS BOOK! First published in 1908, it read like a modern-day novel - not tedious and wordy like many Victorian novels. The author painted such vivid characters, scenery and narrative that it was very easy to get swept up in the storyline. Covering a span of 50 years the story is about two sisters, Constance and Sophia Baines, following their lives from youth into old age. The book is broken down into four "books": Book 1 is about the teen-aged girls and their mother; Book 2 is a chronic...more

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Sep 27, 2008 James rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, lincoln-park-group, historical-fiction

Arnold Bennett's The Old Wives' Tale is a good, but not great, novel about the lives led by two women from a small town in England. While he writes with both a high degree of realism and historical accuracy there are moments, especially in the opening chapters, that test the reader's patience. His devotion to the quotidian details of everyday life does not always rise to the level of interest, even when presented well by a master prose stylist. Our Lincoln Park Book Group discussed this novel th...more

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May 12, 2013 Leon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

...more

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 Bursley during the repressive mid-Victorian period to old age in the modern era of mass marketing and the internal combustion engine. The setting ranges from the Wesleyan Methodist chapel in Bursley to a Paris brothel, the action from the controlled domestic routine of the Baines household to wife murder and the Siege of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1.
This edition of The Old Wives' Tale gives fascinating critical insights into Bennett's most wide-ranging novel, considered by many to be his masterpiece.

Review

Novel by Arnold Bennett, published in 1908. This study of the changes wrought by time on the lives of two English sisters during the 19th century is a masterpiece of literary realism. Constance and Sophia Baines, the daughters of a shopkeeper, grow up in the rural town of Bursley. Sophia eventually runs off and settles in Paris with her husband, who is a cad, and Constance remains behind in England and marries the mild-mannered shop assistant. The sisters are reunited years later when they are old, and Bennett skillfully contrasts what has remained stable in their characters with the differences time and environment have produced in their personalities. This long and ambitious work established Bennett's reputation as a novelist. -- The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature

From the Inside Flap

With a New Introduction by Francine Prose
Commentary by Rebecca West, W. Somerset Maugham,
Virginia Woolf, H. G. Wells, Henry James, and J. B. Priestley

" [Arnold Bennett's] superb Old Wives' Tale, wandering from person to person and from scene to scene, is by far the finest 'long novel' that has been written in English and in the English fashion, in this generation."
--H. G. Wells

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 in their father's drapery shop in provincial Bursley, England, during the mid-Victorian era, through their married lives, to the modern industrial age, when they are reunited as old women. The setting moves from the Five Towns of Staffordshire to exotic and cosmopolitan Paris, while the action moves from the subdued domestic routine of the Baines household to the siege of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War.

"Like Wordsworth, [Arnold Bennett] has triumphed over the habitual; he has not let it disguise the particle of beauty from him."--Rebecca West

ARNOLD BENNETT (1867-1931) looked to Flaubert, Maupassant, and Balzac for inspiration in the fashioning of his own acutely realistic novels, including his masterpiece, The Old Wives' Tale (1908). His first novel was A Man from the North (1898), and he is also known for his Clayhanger trilogy (1910-16).

The author of thirteen books of fiction, FRANCINE PROSE is a
fellow of the New York Institute for the Humanities and the New York Public Library's Center for Scholars and Writers.

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Dec 13, 2012 Gabriel C. rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

It's hard for me. I can't quite tell what parts are supposed to be ironic or tongue in cheek, and so I don't know whether the things that make me recoil or roll my eyes are sly or earnest. I don't like all the cases of the vapors. I don't like the weird medicine used on those cases of the vapors. Basically I don't like old-fashioned ailments and treatments as a plot device.

I'm always going to be a little bit bored and a little bit annoyed by the social constraints of the 1800s because they are...more

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Oct 27, 2012 Daryl rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In the author's own preface to the edition I read (which I read when I was about 2/3 through the book), he mentions that the public reaction to the book when first published was that it was "honest but dull, and that when it wasn't dull it had a regrettable tendency to facetiousness." Bennett doesn't dispute this idea; in fact, he says it confirms an opinion held by someone who's judgement he trusted. Though he adds that over time, the reception of the book became "less and less frigid." Not too...more

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Jul 04, 2012 Tony rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction-mainstream

THE OLD WIVES’ TALE. (1908). Arnold Bemmett. ****.
I have a pile of books “to be read” that comprise my “guilt” pile. They are usually from the group known as classics, and have small print, and are exceedingly long. I put off reading any of them until my guilt level exceeds my capability of enduring it. That’s how I picked up this novel by Bennett. I’ve known for years that this was considered his best work, and had even broken myself into his style by reading one of shorter works first, now I’...more

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May 14, 2012 Joselito Honestly and Brilliantly rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

He saw a fat, old, ridiculous, shapeless woman in a restaurant. Then he imagined her once as a vivacious young girl, perhaps pretty when she was a young woman, had some love affairs, married, brought forth children, and now she's like that, most likely alone and forgotten. For a long while he thought of writing a story about an old woman like her. When he finally got himself into writing it, he thought it would be more challenging to write about two of them, so Arnold Bennett made them sisters--...more He saw a fat, old, ridiculous, shapeless woman in a restaurant. Then he imagined her once as a vivacious young girl, perhaps pretty when she was a young woman, had some love affairs, married, brought forth children, and now she's like that, most likely alone and forgotten. For a long while he thought of writing a story about an old woman like her. When he finally got himself into writing it, he thought it would be more challenging to write about two of them, so Arnold Bennett made them sisters--Constance and Sophia Baines.

Life, aging and death. We follow the story of the sisters' two-penny lives (spoiler alert: read on!). They live in a small English provincial town above their father's draper's shop. We see them when they were small girls, grow up to be young women: Constance marrying a local guy (and later inheriting her father's business), while the more spirited Sophia steals money from her aunt and elopes with a playboy traveling businessman to Paris. She remains childless, abandoned by her husband, but by stroke of luck was able to put up a business and prospered. Constance, on the other hand, stays in their town, has a son, sees her loved ones grow old and die one by one (her parents, friends, her husband). Her son leaves to seek his fortune elsewhere.

In old age the sisters are briefly reunited. They shared problems with househelps, their dogs, and Constance's son's apparent neglect of her. Then they, too, die one by one.

You yawn and ask inwardly: why then is this a 5-star? Because this is a masterpiece of realistic writing, Bennett's description of the everyday, humdrum happenings of ordinary 19th century people sucks you inside the book and makes you feel the characters like they're real flesh-and-blood. It's an exciting, unputdownable reading frenzy of non-events. A remarkable example of the old-fashioned way of telling a story, utilizing no attention-getting, sophisticated-sounding modern tricks. Something you'll miss when you get back again to the great, unreadable novels of the current times where you have to pretend understanding them, or deceive yourself into believing that you somehow got the point of your 3-week reading labor, to give them a decent rating.(less)

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Sep 16, 2011 Carol rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 19th-century-novels

Arnold Bennett has a tremedous talent for realism. This late nineteenth century novel about the lives of Sophia and Constance Baines, sisters from a small Staffordshire town, rings completely true. Constance lives the more conventional life, marrying the lead apprentice in her father's shop and eventually having a son; whereas Sophia's life takes a much more daring turn - she runs off to Paris with a less than scrupulous man. After he leaves her, Sophia survives the siege of Paris on her own and...more

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Jan 24, 2011 Mary rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was written in the early 20th century but let me tell you, Arnold Bennett the author captured human nature as it exists today. There were so many lines in this book that I had to text my mother because the author just nailed down human nature like a hammer. My favorite line is one about PRovidence or God's Will, and how people have a tendency to attribute all the fortunate happenings to Providence. How many times have I heard, "Oh this was MEANT to be!" My mother's bookclub leader has...more This book was written in the early 20th century but let me tell you, Arnold Bennett the author captured human nature as it exists today. There were so many lines in this book that I had to text my mother because the author just nailed down human nature like a hammer. My favorite line is one about PRovidence or God's Will, and how people have a tendency to attribute all the fortunate happenings to Providence. How many times have I heard, "Oh this was MEANT to be!" My mother's bookclub leader has read this book a total of 6 times and that one paragraph about Providence is her favorite. Here it is:

The person who undertook the main portion of the vigils was a certain Aunt Maria--whom the girls knew to be not a real aunt, no a powerful, effective aunt like Aunt Harriet of Axe-- but a poor second cousin of John Baines; one of those necessitous, pitiful relatives who so often make life difficult for a great family in a small town. The existence of Aunt Maria, after being rather a "trial" to the Baineses, had for twelve years past developed into somthing absolutely "providential" for them. (It is to be remembered that in those days Providence was still busying himself with everybody's affairs and foreseeing the future in the most extraordinary manner. Thus, having foreseen that John Baines would have a "stroke" and need a faithful, tireless nurse, he had begun 50 years in advance by creating Aunt Maria, and had kept her carefully in misfortune's way, so that at the proper moment she would be ready to cope with the stroke. Such at least is the only theory which will explain the use by the Baineses, and indeded by all thinking Bursley of the word "providential" in connection with Aunt Maria.

You will read this book and think about how it captures people you know today.
It is not a page-turner and like a lot of classics, it takes a true bookworm to read, finish and appreciate the book. It took me a few months to finish as it's rather long.
The book follows the lives of a mother and two daughters from childhood to old age. The first part of the book is focused on the family itself. The second part is devoted to the older daughter who is appropriately named Constance. The third part is about Sophia, the younger daughter. This book should be mandatory reading for every young woman as it clearly shows that the choices you make can and will affect your whole life. Constance and Sophia grew up together in the same house and lived the same childhood. HOwever, they made vastly different choices which led to vastly different adult lives. However, the ending of the book taught me that the values that you grow up with really stay with you for life. When Constance and Sophia get back together as old women, it makes for a touching, and bittersweet closure. (less)

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Jan 15, 2011 Esther rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classic, audio-book

What did I like about this book? It wasn't really exciting, or novel, nor were the characters that compelling - and yet, it was thoroughly good. The preface helped me to like it, I admit. Bennett writes about seeing two older women in a restaurant and feeling curious about what made them so different and yet brought them to the same place - and wanting for a long time to explore that idea in his writing. So this novel is really focused on the idea that small everyday choices build upon each othe...more

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Apr 30, 2010 carl theaker rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: modern-library-100

A momentary self-congrats: with this novel, I finished the Modern Library top 100.
Only took me about 5 years, but I did it.

This novel was a worthy finale being quite a tome, 620 pages, and since written
in the early 1900s, was worried it might be difficult.

However it was a pleasant read, the story of the Baines family, primarily
Constance and Sophia from their teens through old age and death. Starting
around 1860, you get a look at the working class districts of England,
a view of middle class life...more

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Nov 30, 2009 Bob rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

With one exception, all of Arnold Bennett's fiction was published in the couple of decades following the death of Queen Victoria, yet in tone it is much more Victorian than Edwardian (certainly none of your post-Eliot modernism can be detected at all). In his stated attempt to emulate Flaubert, Zola and other French realists, he has a few startling passages (for example, an attempt to represent the pains of giving birth) that one is hard put to imagine in Elizabeth Gaskell or even the Brontes.
Fo...more

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Feb 20, 2012 Veronica rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Veronica by: Modern Library's 100 Best Novels

Two sisters, quite dissimilar, embark upon their lives and part as very young ladies and reunite as much older women. The Old Wives’ Tale was reportedly based on Bennett’s observations of an elderly woman dining alone in Paris. He believed her peculiar behavior invited ridicule and so wondered at her life as a young woman.

Set in Burslem and Paris beginning near the mid 1800′s through the turn of the century, we meet the appropriately named Baines sisters; sophisticated Sophia and constant Consta...more Two sisters, quite dissimilar, embark upon their lives and part as very young ladies and reunite as much older women. The Old Wives’ Tale was reportedly based on Bennett’s observations of an elderly woman dining alone in Paris. He believed her peculiar behavior invited ridicule and so wondered at her life as a young woman.

Set in Burslem and Paris beginning near the mid 1800′s through the turn of the century, we meet the appropriately named Baines sisters; sophisticated Sophia and constant Constance and follow them through the end of their lives.

Constance Baines is the homebody, seemingly content with her life at her family’s drapery shop. She accepts her position and seems to have no ambition beyond marriage and supporting the family’s business. She marries Samuel Povey, the shop’s dedicated assistant, ensuring her permanence in Burslem. Family tragedies with the Povey’s take their toll and impact the uneventful days. A seemingly simple woman, I believe there was a little more to her that was never quite revealed. Even upon overhearing things not meant for her ears, she behaved unaffected, but surely was not.

Quite unlike her sister, Sophia Baines decides at an early age that she by no means intends to stay tethered to the family business. She runs away to elope with the young cur, Gerald Scales, who abandons her in Paris. Anticipating troubles, she manages to take money from her husband who had no qualms about leaving her abandoned and penniless. Her wits and self-preservation carry her through and she eventually becomes a successful pension owner, but not until she earns the battle scars of life. Her evidential feelings of superiority to her sister cannot mask her regret for the one thing she does not have; a child of her own.

Chirac, a French acquaintance of Gerald Scales falls in love with Sophia, but the feelings are not mutual. A journalist and a gentleman, he helps Sophia to succeed and become an independent and wealthy woman, When he realizes his adoration is one-sided, he departs in a balloon destined for failure. Bennett’s time writing in Paris surely was the inspiration for this character.

Quotes:

Mrs. Baines had suffered much that day. She knew that she was in an irritable, nervous state, and therefore she said to herself, in her quality of wise woman, “I must watch myself. I mustn’t let myself go.” And she thought how reasonable she was. She did not guess that all her gestures betrayed her; nor did it occur to her that few things are more galling than the spectacle of a person, actuated by lofty motives, obviously trying to be kind and patient under what he considers to be extreme provocation.

He was adopting the injured magisterial tone of the man who is ridiculously trying to conceal from himself and others that he has recently behaved like an ass.

Mr. Bennett evidently had keen insight into the human psyche so I’d love to chat him up over his own upbringing. That he escaped a mundane life to pursue his literary ambitions is a topic I’d applaud him for over a glass of wine although I’d steer clear of the criticism he apparently confronted.

My rating for The Old Wives’ Tale is an 8 out of 10.(less)

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Sep 16, 2012 Deborah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Another classic that I thoroughly enjoyed, although not all the way through. I think it made a difference that I am older and could identify with some of the preoccupations of the protaganists (the are widows btw, not spinsters, which is what I was expecting, possibly foolishly) Bennett uncannily captures the emotions and thought processes of people (not just women) - his description of a young woman falling in love/lust is faultless. Much more candid than one is lead to expect from Victorian no...more

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Jan 11, 2011 Ellie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, 1001-books, favorites, british

Arnold Bennett is one of the great under-read authors ever. His prose is shining-carved out of marble each word beautiful resonating off the surrounding ones. But really-his craft is so pure and every word counts. Of course, it's good his writing is so unsentimental because it keeps his stories from being unbearable sad (instead of just barely bearably painful). This is the book I would recommend people begin with if they don't know Bennett; I found it the most accessible with even a little humo...more

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Sep 27, 2012 Simon rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I set off on a cycle ride and had this book in the bag. At the end of each day I'd eat some cheese and biscuits and an apple and read a chunk of this. The first few chapters were read in Haworth, the second section, when I really began to get into the story, was read in the sunshine, by the river, at Bolton Abbey. I continued through upper Wharfedale and Wensleydale and into Westmoreland, each day getting more and more into this remarkable book. I read it at the birthplace of Robert the Bruce an...more

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Jul 16, 2012 Gonz rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: classics

This novel left me with the somewhat scary realisation that our old age is where we pay for the choices we make in our youth successfully conveying an idea and opinion about the passage of time.
The characterisation, on the other hand, remains a collection of clever sketches that are incapable of arousing an emotional response. In this the flaw of the novel is exposed: being clever rather than moving.
Although the very ordinariness and inherent conservatism of the main characters is crucial to t...more

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Aug 15, 2011 Carl rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Realistic fiction in the tradition of Zola. Bennett follows two sisters as they move from young girls to old women. No sentimentality at all--there is not one attractive character in the book. Constance stays in the shop her whole life, marries the hired man (Povey) and has one child, Cyril, who shows no particular gratitude to her for her devotion to him. Sophie runs off with Gerald Scales who squanders all their money and then leave her alone in Paris where she makes a life for herself as an i...more

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Feb 09, 2011 Rachel Crooks rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I continued to read this book, and it took weeks. There was something about it that made me want to know what was going to happen to Constance and Sophia... what is strange is, that nothing really notable or surprising ever happens to them. They just live very normal, ordinary lives, even the sister who brings shame to her family by eloping. It's well-written; it didn't strongly inspire me; the characters were alluring without being warm or overly memorable. I am not sure what sort of impact it...more

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Apr 16, 2013 Primero Fin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Excellent. I won't waste my/your time to repeat synopsis.

At one level, this is simply the story of two ordinary lives. Told in wonderful detail that brings the characters and settings and history to life.

At another level, this is timeless philosophical obsersvation about youth, aging, cycles of life and death, growth and decline of people, culture, tradition and communities.

There are some parts of this book that are unparalleled works of art.

For example the description of baby Cyril playing on a...more

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Nov 14, 2011 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, read-2011

This book is the small details in life. Two sisters - of a mercantile family - lead very different lives. One stays in Bursley her whole life. And the other one scandalously elopes with a less than honorable traveling salesman. Late in life the two sisters reunite. Sophia reflects on her leaving and returning to Bursley Square:

Her return was accepted with indifference. Her escapade of thirty years ago entirely lost its dramatic quality. Many people indeed never heard that she had run away from...more

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Nov 29, 2011 John rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have finally finished this thing. So relieved. I really need to quit subjecting myself to the nauseum that is Victorian novels. Absolutely nothing happens in this book with the exception of the sections dealing with the youngest Baines daughter, Sophia.

Sophia is the only one in the family that actually lived. She left the tiny town of Bursley for, in my opinion, stupid reasons, but she left. And she lived a life worthy of talking about. Constance, the elder sister, sat around, got fat and comp...more I have finally finished this thing. So relieved. I really need to quit subjecting myself to the nauseum that is Victorian novels. Absolutely nothing happens in this book with the exception of the sections dealing with the youngest Baines daughter, Sophia.

Sophia is the only one in the family that actually lived. She left the tiny town of Bursley for, in my opinion, stupid reasons, but she left. And she lived a life worthy of talking about. Constance, the elder sister, sat around, got fat and complained about her sciatica. I think she needed a backiotomy.

Considering this book is old and if you read the introduction (at least the introduction in my copy) there is no such thing as a spoiler, so here comes a spoiler.

Arnold Bennett is a stone cold killer. Of all the characters given ample page time, they all die. And they don't die interesting deaths, they die boring old age deaths.

Here is the problem I have with Victorian novels. They all center around women. Kidding, there's more to it. They all center around women that are supposed to be bucking the societal trends for women of the time. Either they want to marry for love and not wealth (although they always marry for wealth, love just happens to be a convenience) or they are living the feminist lifestyle and can do anything that men can do aside from peeing standing up without making a big mess.

This was Sophia, she fell in love and left Bursley against her family's wishes and mine. She traveled and experienced the world, fell out of love, because it turned out her worthless cad of a husband was indeed, a worthless cad of a husband. He admitted to marrying her just so he could get inside her girdle. Thank god those times are past, have to get married just to get some nookie (right, Fred?). Now, all of that stuff happens on the second date. Intercourse happens on the second date, right?

Going on, Sophia's marriage falls apart, she becomes a successful business lady, moves back home to be with her ailing sister. Finds out that her husband, whom she hasn't seen in 36 years is ill. Travels to see his idle body, then gets sick on the ride home and dies. WTF! She was the only interesting aspect of this book. Then you go and kill her, Arnold. I hate you so much.

Anyway, I'm putting off these crappy books for awhile. Gonna read some self-help stuff that my mom gave me instead. I can already tell you that they won't help. I'm a wreck.

*As an aside, anyone else sick of coworkers not grasping the concept of the reply and reply all buttons? What's the deal? Am I right or am I right?(less)

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May 03, 2011 Miriam rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In the preface, Bennett explains that he saw this decrepit old woman who everyone was laughing at, and he decided to write a book about her (invented) life, because even old women are people, too. Something about the tragedy of getting old, losing youth, and only the outward shell is left. And no one sees the tribulations and things that made you, just the shell. Fine. And how nice of him to bother to write nicely about women. I hope he doesn't hurt himself patting himself on the back. He writes...more

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Dec 27, 2009 Wanda rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, classics

I loved this book! A fabulous tale written by a man told in the voices of two sisters and their overbearing mother (she got to be a real pain in the butt at times).

Why would you want to read this book, you ask? Well, it is told in four parts and over the expanse of 50+ years, we really get to know the trials/tribulations of these sisters and their mother. The writing style is easy to read and the story just flows along and before you know it, you have reached the end of the book and you are sat...more

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Jan 04, 2013 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

At long last I have finished it! Arnold Bennett is one of the authors I have always meant to read; however, I never really made much effort to do so. One reason I suppose that I haven't rushed out to read his work is that it comes with that "naturalist" label,and that is a category that is less appealing to me. I suppose my evaluation of the books is that it is a minutely observed portrait of two sisters of different temperaments coming to womanhood in the mid-19 century. Yet minutely observed i...more

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Oct 08, 2012 Carol Ann added it · review of another edition

I first read TOWT over 20 years ago and it is by far AB's best book. Anyone new to Arnold Bennett should read this one first. Set both in Bursley, Stoke on Trent and Paris. If you have never visited the 5 towns (I know it's 6 towns, but I am a Bennett fan) this will give you an idea of the people who live and work in the area. The mindset of the people has not changed. Burslem (Bursley in the novels) has changed little. You can walk round the town and visit the places in the book.

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About Arnold Bennett

Enoch Arnold Bennett (always known as Arnold Bennett) was one of the most remarkable literary figures of his time, a product of the English Potteries that he made famous as the Five Towns. Yet he could hardly wait to escape his home town, and he did so by the sheer force of his ambition to succeed as an author. In his time he turned his hand to every kind of writing, but he will be remembered for...more

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Quotes from The Old Wives' Tale

“The manner of his life was of no importance. What affected her was that he had once been young. That he had grown old, and was now dead. That was all. Youth and vigour had come to that. Youth and vigour always came to that. Everything came to that.” — 1 person liked it

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