The Old Wives' Tale is a superb novel by Arnold Bennett, first published in 1908. 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 lives of the sisters 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 the Staffordshire Potteries to exotic and cosmopolitan Paris. The narrative beautifully captures the transition from the subdued domestic routine of the Baines household to the dramatic events of the modern age, such as the siege of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War.

This novel was inspired by Bennett's observation of an old lady in a café, sparking a reflection on how her life might have been lived. The Old Wives' Tale is a testament to the integrity of ordinary lives, making it as readable and enjoyable today as it was over a century ago.