The Old Wives' Tale by Arnold Bennett
This novel explores the lives of two sisters, Constance and Sophia Baines, who are brought up in a small town drapery shop in the mid-19th century. Constance remains in their hometown, marries and leads a relatively uneventful life, while Sophia elopes to Paris with a traveling salesman, living through the Siege of Paris and the Franco-Prussian War. The book contrasts the sisters' different experiences and how their choices shape their lives, ultimately reuniting them in their old age.
The 390th greatest book of all time
Purchase from
Bookshop.org or
Amazon
- Published
- 1908
- Nationality
- British
- Length
- Long
- Pages
- 600-800
- Original Language
- English
- Avg User Rating
-
(4.0)
- Alternate Titles
- None
If you're interested in seeing the ranking details on this book go here
This book is on the following 14 lists:
- 22nd on Choosing the Century's(20th) Favorite Books(1924) (The Literary Digest)
- 87th on The 100 Greatest British Novels (BBC)
- 87th on The Modern Library | 100 Best Novels (Modern Library)
- 2031st on Our Users' Honorable Mention Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (The Guardian)
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (The Book)
- 100 Books to Love (Sunday Times)
- A Hundred Novels to Change Your Life (The Daily Mail)
- Everything You Should Read without Being a Library Rat (Book by Luiz Carlos Lisboa)
- Famous Authors Name Their Favorite Novels(from 1915) (New York Times)
- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon (The Western Canon (Book) by Harold Bloom)
- Have You Read 100 Great Books? (The Jasper Lee Company)
- Masterpieces of World Literature (Frank N. Magill)
- William H. F. Lamont’s 100 Best Novels (1947) (archive.org)