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I read Sons and Lovers when I was about 16 because it was like one of the top books on the modern library top 100 novels of the 20th century. Not bad, but far f
by kinghtown 6y ago
I read Sons and Lovers when I was about 16 because it was like one of the top books on the modern library top 100 novels of the 20th century. Not bad, but far from great. I wrote him off for a few years as a dated blow hard.
A few years later I picked up The Rainbow in a used bookstore for no Particular reason. Ended up buying it. Turns out DH can actually write a stunning book after all. Women in Love is also great, but a death in the family affected my reading of it and I put the book down and haven’t managed to read anything by Lawrence since.
- dustincoates 6y agoSons and Lovers always loomed large for me, because it was a book that--over a period of fifteen years starting in college--I attempted to read and never got more than a third of the way through. It was the only book I took with me when I moved to Israel, back to Texas, to New York, and then to France. It went with me everywhere. I finally finished it last year. I had the same impression as you. I enjoyed it, but it seemingly didn't stick with me the way a book such as Crossing to Safety did. And yet I still find myself referencing that book perhaps more than any other. I'm glad I finally made it through.
- kinghtown 6y agoIt’s been about 20 years since I’ve read it and I barely remember the plot. I do remember S&L being a slog. Give The Rainbow a shot one day. There is a reason why his name gets mentioned along with some of the greats. He was a bit of a horny old goat, though.