Customer Reviews

The Old Wives' Tale (Penguin Classics)

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I read a 1911 hardback edition, with an Arnold Bennett's introduction which gave away a lot of the plot. In this review, I'll try not to make the mistake that Arnold Bennett made -- that may be the only mistake in the book. This is one of those rare books which feature people and places you know: the characters act -- not as you expect them to act -- but as real people do. And that's not all: this book -- with one of the dullest titles imaginable -- gives us a microcosm of life in the late nineteenth century but one which is connected to life in the 21st. It's recognizable, and yet it isn't. Threaded in this book are histories of marketing, mercantilism, urban developement, fashion, mass transit. They are presented in such a way that you can see how we ended up where we are.

Biography of 2 English sisters spanning later half of 19th century. Constance, the good-natured older sister, grew up, married and raised a family all in the bonding accordance of social and familial expectation, while the beautiful Sophia's stubbornly independent streak propelled her to elope from her family, country and tradition into an utterly varied life. Both main characters are brilliantly etched inside and out, divulging both the beauty and frailty of human endeavor.

This novel produces a wonderful portrayal of two sisters as they go through various situations in their marriages and their relationships with
their parents.

Very well worth reading once you get used to the "language". I loved the book.