The Old Wives' Tale by Arnold Bennett

THE OLD WIVES' TALE follows the lives of two very different sisters, Constance and Sophia Baines, from their youth, working in their mother's draper's shop, to their old age. It is generally regarded as one of Bennett's finest works.

Arnold Bennett (1867-1931) was an English journalist, novelist, and writer.  After working as a rent collector and solicitor's clerk, Bennett won a writing contest which convinced him to become a journalist.  He later turned to the writing of novels, including his most famous CLAYHANGER and ANNA OF THE FIVE TOWNS.