FindMyTBR
The Old Wives' Tale
"The Old Wives' Tale" is a novel by Arnold Bennett, first published in 1908. It deals with the lives of two very different sisters, Constance and Sophia Baines, following their stories from their youth, working in their mother's draper's…
About The Old Wives' Tale
"The Old Wives' Tale" is a novel by Arnold Bennett, first published in 1908. It deals with the lives of two very different sisters, Constance and Sophia Baines, following their stories from their youth, working in their mother's draper's shop, into old age. It is regarded as one of Bennett's finest works. The story covers a period of about 70 years from roughly 1840 to 1905, and is set in Burslem and Paris. The book is broken up into four parts, "Mrs. Baines", "Constance", "Sophia" and "What Life Is". The first section, "Mrs. Baines" details the adolescence of both Sophia and Constance, and their life in their father's shop and house. The father is ill and bedridden, and the main adult in their life is Mrs. Baines, their mother. Sophia eventually elopes with a travelling salesman, and Constance marries Mr. Povey, who works in the shop.
Where to listen & where it's available
The Old Wives' Tale is available as an audiobook on Apple Books. We haven't confirmed it on Spotify yet — but you can still search there below.
Buy or compare copies of The Old Wives' Tale
Retailer links open each store's page for this title. As an Amazon Associate, FindMyTBR may earn from qualifying purchases — see our affiliate disclosure.
More by Arnold Bennett
My Religion (Unabridged)
How to Live on 24 Hours a Day (Unabridged)
Mental Efficiency and Other Hints for Men and Women (Unabridged)
Arnold Bennett: How To Live on 24 Hours a Day: How to be more productive in live
These Twain
The Short Stories of Arnold Bennett: The bestselling and most successful British author of his day (1890-1930)
The Roll-Call
The Regent
The Old Wives' Tale — frequently asked
- Is The Old Wives' Tale on Spotify?
- We haven't confirmed The Old Wives' Tale on Spotify's audiobook catalog yet. Spotify audiobooks are included with Premium (up to a monthly listening limit) in supported markets.
- Is The Old Wives' Tale on Apple Books?
- Yes — The Old Wives' Tale is available as an audiobook on Apple Books.
- Who wrote The Old Wives' Tale?
- The Old Wives' Tale is by Arnold Bennett.
- Where can I buy the The Old Wives' Tale audiobook?
- Audible and Amazon both carry audiobooks; use the retailer links on this page to go straight to The Old Wives' Tale. For print copies, compare Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, and Books-A-Million.
FindMyTBR aggregates audiobook availability across Spotify, Apple Books, Audible, and Amazon so you can
move your Goodreads TBR to audio. Availability reflects titles we've confirmed; a service with no badge
just hasn't been confirmed yet. Covers via Open Library.
Search your whole Goodreads shelf →