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Title: Sons and Lovers (Oxford World's Classics) by D. H. Lawrence, David Trotter ISBN: 0-19-283860-1 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 01 June, 1998 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $10.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.08 (60 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A Must-Read!
Comment: 'Sons And Lovers' is perhaps the most touching classic by D H Lawrence. The story revolves around the Morel family, a lower-middle class family living on the Nottingham coalfield. Initially, Lawrence vividly describes the hardships faced by Mrs. Morel in raising a family of three sons and a daughter while living from hand to mouth, in face of the frequent beatings delivered by an oft-drunk miner husband. For the larger part, he examines in detail the passionate relationship between Mrs. Morel and her second son, Paul. Disillusioned from her drunkard and temperamental husband and devastated by the death of her elder son, Mrs. Morel has high expectations from her second son, Paul. At the same time, Paul is torn between his duty towards his beloved mother, and his passion for the two other women in his life, Clara and Miriam. It is widely believed that through this novel, Lawrence has addressed the dynamics of his own complicated relationship with his mother, and has depicted the dilemma that faced him. D H Lawrence has masterfully handled the fragile subject of intimate relationships between loved ones. In my view, it is a definite must-read. Also recommended: Waiting by Ha Jin, The Losers' Club by Richard Perez
Rating: 4
Summary: I can't relate to Paul's relationship with his mother
Comment: In reading any novel you bring a certain amount of yourself and your experiences with others to the table, which helps you to understand the characters you meet. For me it was difficult to comprehend the relationship between Paul and his mother; it is unlike anything I've experienced before, and I can't imagine the feelings he had or how they affected his relationships with his lovers.
Paul and Miriam were a trifle difficult, as well, though I was closer to getting it with them. One fo my problems was that I kept projecting personality characteristics onto Miriam as I grew to know her (sometimes verging on stereotypes), only to understand later that that wasn't who she was, that she too was unlike anyone I had met before, though similar in some respects. I would like to read Lawrence's account of the real person whom Miriam was based on.
The characters in Sons and Lovers are people that will ultimately expand your understanding of human nature, but for me, their motivations were so foreign that I didn't entirely grasp them the first time around. The best I could do was recognize that Lawrence was depicting very real people in a very detailed and compassionate way. I, however, remained out of the loop for most of the book.
The most I gained from Sons and Lovers was a detailed sketch of life in early 20th centurey England. It was interesting to note that, despite the stereotype of the proletariat during the industrial revolution, being a coal miners family did not automatically relegate you to a lifetime of poverty. Not only did the miners make decent enough wages to afford a house, furniture, good food and several pints of beer a week, but for a man (at least) of other talents, the sky was the limit as to how far he could go.
Rating: 4
Summary: Husbands and Mama's Boys
Comment: This story of the Morel family begins with a dramatic portrayal of the effect industrialization has on human lives. Mr. Morel, a coal miner in turn-of-the-century Britain, lives a life of drudgery, anger and desperation. He takes his frustrations out on his wife Gertrude, while the real source of his unhappiness is his own low self-esteem. Gertrude is embittered by his hardness and so looks to her sons to fill all her emotional needs. This constitutes Part One of the novel, which to this reviewer's taste is the more satisfying section. The detailed descriptions of the arguments and even outright fights between the married couple are as powerful as anything in fiction, and bleakly dramatize how poverty can destroy the very hearts and souls of the working classes. Morel is oppressed by his employer, so he in turn oppresses his wife, who emotionally smothers her sons. Fight the power!
All of which is what makes Part Two such a disappointment. The entire second half of the book revolves around the second son, Paul, and how his closeness to his mother makes it impossible for him to engage in satisfactory relationships with other women. Miriam, the milquetoast who yearns for a transcendent, spiritual love, cares for Paul so much that she lets him walk all over her. The much tougher and independent Clara introduces Paul to a more physically satisfying relationship, but neither of them has any real attachment to the other. The weakness of this second half is not just that it all seems to take far too long; it's that over time, the characters become very unsympathetic. None of them have the strength of will to break away from their failing relationships, despite the fact that these failures cast dark shadows across their lives. And there's certainly nothing tragic about these young people mooning about, complaining that their relationships aren't what they'd like them to be; most especially in the context of Part One, which reminds us that there are people in this world who are really suffering.
Readers who are deeply interested in the internal subtleties of male-female relationships (and this probably includes a majority of young women) will love this book. If the two parts were published separately, this reviewer would unhesitatingly give Part One five stars, while grudgingly giving Part Two three and a half. For Mama's boys (and those who've seriously dated them) this book certainly rates five stars, but others will find these characters so annoying that even four stars may seem generous.
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Title: Women in Love by D. H. Lawrence ISBN: 0451525914 Publisher: Signet Classics Pub. Date: 01 January, 1995 List Price(USD): $6.95 |
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Title: Lady Chatterley's Lover: Complete and Unexpurgated 1928 Orioli Edition by D. H. Lawrence ISBN: 0553212621 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 December, 1983 List Price(USD): $4.95 |
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Title: The Rainbow (Modern Library Classics) by D. H. Lawrence, Keith Cushman ISBN: 0375759654 Publisher: Modern Library Pub. Date: 12 February, 2002 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
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Title: Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler ISBN: 0553265954 Publisher: Bantam Books Pub. Date: 01 April, 1984 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: A Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man (Penguin Classics) by James Joyce ISBN: 0142437344 Publisher: Penguin Books Pub. Date: 25 March, 2003 List Price(USD): $9.00 |
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