The Old Wives' Tale

By: Arnold Bennett

Narrated by: David Haig

Length: 24 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Exclusively from Audible

'An old woman came into the restaurant to dine. She was fat, shapeless, ugly, and grotesque. She had a ridiculous voice, and ridiculous gestures. It was easy to see that she lived alone, and that in the long lapse of years she had developed the kind of peculiarity which induces guffaws among the thoughtless.

I reflected, concerning the grotesque diner: "This woman was once young, slim, perhaps beautiful; certainly free from these ridiculous mannerisms. Very probably she is unconscious of her singularities. Her case is a tragedy. One ought to be able to make a heartrending novel out of the history of a woman such as she."'

So said Arnold Bennett when explaining what inspired the creation of The Old Wives' Tale.

Broken up into four parts, the lives of two sisters are laid bare; one timid and unassuming, the other romantic and adventurous. From working as children in their family's drapery shop to their later years, Constance and Sophia's journey through life could not be more different. While one travels the world and defies male expectations, the other becomes a dutiful wife and mother.

Despite this, Bennett's skilful and witty narrative ultimately leads our protagonists in the same direction, making The Old Wives' Tale an intriguing interpretation of the circle of life and, unsurprisingly, his most popular work.

Arnold Bennett wrote over 20 novels and 10 plays, including Anna of the Five Towns, Clayhanger, These Twain, Hilda Lessways and Buried Alive. In June 2017, to mark the 150th anniversary of his birth, the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery commissioned a bronze statue of the author. He was elegantly immortalised sitting in a chair and holding an open book in his left hand.

Narrator Biography

David Haig is a classically trained actor, writer and LAMDA graduate. His film appearances include Two Weeks' Notice, Florence Foster-Jenkins and Four Weddings and a Funeral.

He wrote The Good Samaritan which opened at the Hampstead Theatre in 2000 to great reviews. His first script, entitled My Boy Jack, had also been performed at the Hampstead Theatre in 1997 and later broadcast on ITV, starring David Haig and Daniel Radcliffe.

Haig's theatre credits include Our Country's Good, for which he won a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award, Tom and Viv, which took him to Broadway, and the musicals Mary Poppins and Guys and Dolls.

His notable television roles in series such as Doctor Who, The Darling Buds of May, The Thin Blue Line, and Penny Dreadful have also been exemplary of his varied acting skills and dynamic voice.

Other than The Old Wives Tale, David has also contributed to the narration of The National Archives' In Their Own Words: A History in Letters.

Public Domain (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Wonderful

This is a wonderful book, beautifully read. I have always liked Bennett. (Perhaps some one will do The Statue, that he wrote with Eden Phillpotts, another good story.) It is amazing what a good writer can do with such "quiet" material. The lives of two sisters: One quite ordinary and the other forced by circumstances to survive by force of will. My only complaint is the same I have with so many audio books, and that is the horrible music. It sounds as if it were played by a speaker-phone on hold. I hope this penchant in audio books goes away for it is always distracting. The reader here was excellent, but he did pronounce Sophia, Sofia a couple of times which confused me. Still, this was one of the best books I've listened to all year. I doubt that you will forget the charactors and situations in this story for a long time.

How English Novels Can Be Tolerable

How English Novels Can Be Tolerable

I confess that I have an inherent bias against "quintessential English novels" as I usually find every character exasperating and unlikeable. And while I didn't find myself falling in love with any character of #oldwivestale by #arnoldbennett , I didn't find myself too terribly hating them either. As a rule, I find Victorian Era English novels tedious and exasperating because that generally describes the characters and, of course, being products of the generation, these characters are true to form. What I found different was that I could extend a measure of pity and compassion because, generally speaking, these characters are all seemingly naive.

This is apparently the fifth of a series of books dubbed "The Five Towns" which talks of life in these villages of the industrial Midlands of England in what is now Staffordshire. The focal point is the relationship of two sisters, Sophia and Constance Baines, daughters of a respected drapery merchant in the town of Bursley. While older sister Constance can't imagine herself anywhere but in the old town and the family trade, the fetching younger Sophia can imagine a life very different than the industrial town of her birth. The book covers a 70 year period that has them pursuing very different paths and, eventually, reconciling their differences after decades of separation. There is much sadness and frustration as they confront a rapidly modernizing world at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th Century. I hadn't heard of the novel before my introduction to it as #87 of the #modernlibrarytop100novels . While interesting and beyond the average fare of the time and place, I don't find myself curious enough to want to read the other five novels in the series.

Beauty and frailty of human endeavor

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.

Loved Every Word

The narrator is simply perfect. I listened with my eyes closed whilst I was on the treadmill every day. I have lost over 22 pounds doing this with other books as well as this one. An hour just flies. I just don't want to get off. Well, this story is spell-binding. The style of writing is lovely. The setting and characters are charming and the author makes the listener feel part of the whole scene. I have read the book prior to listening to this version and loved it but the superb narration has made me totally fall in love with this author. Fabulous in every way. Just love it all. I couldn't stop listening but I didn't want the story to end. Hooray for this narrator.... thank-you so much for your wonderful work... it has given me such immense pleasure and enjoyment. Who would have thought working out could be so much fun!

On overlooked bit of history

My first reaction: How did anyone have enough leisure time to write this extremely long and detailed book? It follows the life of two sisters from their early teens through their soon-to-be-separate lifetimes in two different countries as they cope with rapidly changing Western culture into the capitalistic, corporate, Industrial Age. Business, real estate and traditional family expectations undergo enormous changes that ultimately morphed into today's society. More interesting as a peek into everyday life in historical times than merely the people involved, although the diametrically different sisters are interesting in their own right and emblematic of the era. Not a page-turner, but a book that keeps you interested to the end.

A hidden treasure

Brilliantly read by David Haig, it’s a witty and insightful story of big fish in a small pond, and vice versa.

A charming, funny book

I enjoyed this book more than any I've listened to in a long time. It has some really funny sections. I especially enjoyed the birthday party for the 4-year-old boy. If you have ever had workmen at your home, you'll enjoy that description.
If you like Trollope, give this a listen.

Excellent...but slow

This book is a very good read following two sisters throughout their lives in the late 1800s.
The characters are deep and realistic and the story is subtle, funny, and touching.
The story does not have much tension or action, it is a story of tiny incremental transformations of real life.
I love long stories covering a lifetime with excellent character development, which this book did well and I am glad I read it. Yet, this did not stick with me. Although pleasant, it was slow and I never really connected with the characters...it was like viewing the characters from above instead of being immersed in the story.

The narration was excellent (but I did not like the musical interludes)

A good read if you like this kind of book, but I don't think it is an essential read.

Life is too short for B rate authors

After plodding through this book, I will be reluctant to try all books from slightly renowned authors. It is not necessary to write down every thought that has ever come into existence. This drivel should probably just be left on the shelf.