I think the answer is to take a hybrid approach. Use an ORM where it makes sense. You shouldn't need to write SQL to do simple CRUD and elementary queries with

I think the answer is to take a hybrid approach. Use an ORM where it makes sense. You shouldn't need to write SQL to do simple CRUD and elementary queries with a join or two. But when things get more complex, you should be able to easily drop to SQL, and have the results mapped back to an object. Perhaps also a DSL that allows you to write queries in code. I have yet to find an ORM that can elegantly accomplish this, although SQLAlchemy comes close.