sophiaxlm's review against another edition
4.0
DH劳伦斯的书只看过这一本，小时候试图看《査泰来夫人》没看下去——对于看书喜欢看热闹的小朋友来说，劳伦斯真是太隐晦了。
世代务农的Brangwen家的男人们，有种近乎原始的、带着动物本能的单纯感，但又不是纯肉体的，反倒充满了连当事人自己可能都描述不出的情感与精神需求。但说到细腻繁复，像有着自然灵性的那些情感，还是属于这本书里的女人们。
“She turned, and saw a great white moon looking at her over the hill. And her breast opened to it, she was cleaved like a transparent jewel to its light. She stood filled with the full moon, offering herself. Her two breasts opened to make way for it, her body opened wide like a quivering anemone, a soft, dilated invitation touched by the moon.”
世代务农的Brangwen家的男人们，有种近乎原始的、带着动物本能的单纯感，但又不是纯肉体的，反倒充满了连当事人自己可能都描述不出的情感与精神需求。但说到细腻繁复，像有着自然灵性的那些情感，还是属于这本书里的女人们。
“She turned, and saw a great white moon looking at her over the hill. And her breast opened to it, she was cleaved like a transparent jewel to its light. She stood filled with the full moon, offering herself. Her two breasts opened to make way for it, her body opened wide like a quivering anemone, a soft, dilated invitation touched by the moon.”
emmarder's review against another edition
3.0
Slow burn (derogatory); creeps at a snails pace for a book about sexual tension.
schnauzermum's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to like this book. The themes are ones that interest me: changes in society, the role of women, relationships between men and women. Lawrence lays bare the unconscious desires and fears of his characters, but does so in such overripe prose. I assume that the repetition of words is deliberate, but I felt beaten around the head with each simile. Take this example:
His eyes ‘remained intent, and far, and proud, like a hawk’s, naïve and inhuman as a hawk’s. So she loved him and caressed him and roused him like a hawk, till he was keen and instant, but without tenderness. He came to her, fierce and hard, like a hawk striking and taking her.’
By the end of the book, writing like this was seriously annoying me. I’m sure others will find that the exploration of unconscious drives and emotions so powerful that the style isn’t a problem.
His eyes ‘remained intent, and far, and proud, like a hawk’s, naïve and inhuman as a hawk’s. So she loved him and caressed him and roused him like a hawk, till he was keen and instant, but without tenderness. He came to her, fierce and hard, like a hawk striking and taking her.’
By the end of the book, writing like this was seriously annoying me. I’m sure others will find that the exploration of unconscious drives and emotions so powerful that the style isn’t a problem.
c2pizza's review against another edition
5.0
There is a lot going on, obviously, as the focus is on the changes in the soul psychology of each generation of a family as it moves from agrarian to town to industrial settings. I could write all day about Ursula as her story of disillusionment, search for something beyond, and inner growth is eerily familiar to someone I know (better than anyone). Alas, writing a single sentence worn me out and I need to have a sleep before writing more review.
libdibs's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The third generation (Ursula) was 100% my fave
jerrica's review against another edition
4.0
This book took me a long time to read. There's not a ton in the way of plot: it's essentially in-house family dramas, the quiet dramas of family life, the way family life clashes with the newly-founded industrial society. So it's not, in so many words, a page-turner.
But the writing is impeccable, and delves into a myriad of topics relevant to England during this time period. It addresses sexuality (especially female sexuality) in a way that does not demonize it as was typical in the Victorian era. It remarks upon religion and spirituality and even lack thereof. It reveals some of the truths of familial interaction. And so much more.
So yes, it did take me a long time to get through this book. It requires a lot of attention. It's hard to jump into when you're in a crowded room. But it's gorgeous, dissected and scribbled in and overanalyzed...or not. I learned not only a great deal about 19th/20th century England and its values, but also, it seems, a lot about the craft of writing and how Lawrence stands as one of its great artisans.
And to any AP test buffs, a passage from this novel was included in the essay section of the 2013 AP Lit & Comp exam. Cool.
But the writing is impeccable, and delves into a myriad of topics relevant to England during this time period. It addresses sexuality (especially female sexuality) in a way that does not demonize it as was typical in the Victorian era. It remarks upon religion and spirituality and even lack thereof. It reveals some of the truths of familial interaction. And so much more.
So yes, it did take me a long time to get through this book. It requires a lot of attention. It's hard to jump into when you're in a crowded room. But it's gorgeous, dissected and scribbled in and overanalyzed...or not. I learned not only a great deal about 19th/20th century England and its values, but also, it seems, a lot about the craft of writing and how Lawrence stands as one of its great artisans.
And to any AP test buffs, a passage from this novel was included in the essay section of the 2013 AP Lit & Comp exam. Cool.
eebeejay's review against another edition
3.0
The first half was a bit of a slog for me but I got more into the second half. The language is lyrical and beautiful, but sometimes that made my eyes gloss over and wish that Lawrence was more terse. I think he did an admirable job of portraying the volatile states of mind of people who are in dysfunctional relationships. I can relate. The feminist bits are really heavy-handed and dated, very much a product of their time. But it was a good book for putting myself to bed in the evening and not an unenjoyable read.
yellowishresin's review against another edition
4.0
It is messy, but it’s Lawrence so I could not expect any different. I enjoyed the elements of repetition both in the prose and in the repeating dynamics (Father-Daughter relationships and romantic relationships). However, once one generation progresses we see very little of the generation before, I wish there were more moments like the Anna-Will wedding and Ursula’s relationship with her grandmother. This would give more form to the novel, as it is now, this is Ursula’s story with a very long prologue.
I couldn’t really connect to the dynamics of the two marriages. There was too much internal dialogue and dissection compounding into symbolic moments of realization. His will this, her will that, etc, etc. I keep missing the moments of interaction and actual day-to-day living that really drew me into Sons and Lovers.
Spotted author self-insert: Tom Brangwen
I couldn’t really connect to the dynamics of the two marriages. There was too much internal dialogue and dissection compounding into symbolic moments of realization. His will this, her will that, etc, etc. I keep missing the moments of interaction and actual day-to-day living that really drew me into Sons and Lovers.
Spotted author self-insert: Tom Brangwen
916's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
andforgotten's review against another edition
5.0
What a stunning, vivid description of life. I was completely entranced by his style and the complexity of his characters and read the whole novel in just a few days.