Bay - D.H. Lawrence

Advantages: The work of a genius.
Disadvantages: By far, not his best.

...I must admit that it took me two attempts and a lot of determination to finish this book but don’t let that negative first thought have you running for cover under the latest pink fluff to be churned out in mass publication. I think ‘The Plumed Serpent’ has more than its fair share of pros and cons. To begin, for those new to D.H.Lawrence, here is a small review and personal comment on the man himself: ~~D.H.Lawrence (The Man behind the Dirty Words!)~~ David Herbert Lawrence, novelist, short-story writer, poet and essayist, he was born in Nottinghamshire, England, in 1885 , his father was a miner and his mother an ex-schoolteacher. Early in his life Lawrence spent time as a school teacher before leaving because of his ill health. Prolific in his work he was a constantly at the centre of controversy, more often than not involving... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: A truly,great novel and good introduction to Lawrence.
Disadvantages: The idea of a rigid class system is dated.

...I was first introduced to the works of D H Lawrence by my English literature teacher and I have read and re-read many of his novels. But my favourite remains the largely autobiographical “Sons and Lovers”, written in 1913. Set in the mining village of Bestwood, the novel depicts the life of the Morel family. Gertrude Morel is a high-minded woman, religious, hard working and very moral. She is first attracted to Walter Morel, a coal miner, because of his passionate, earthy nature. Today we might say that Walter is her “bit of rough” but when that initial spark of passion is spent, Mrs Morel realises that she and her husband have nothing in common. She regards him in every way as her inferior and she grows to despise him and the lifestyle he has forced upon her. The further the husband and wife grow apart... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Could be thought as though-provoking, Lawrence deals with the characters fairly well.
Disadvantages: Tedious, boring, concetrates on sex descriptions too much.

...the cleverness of the plot. In Sons And Lovers, for instance, I really disliked Mrs Morel and Paul but the fantastic writing kept me totally hooked on the story. I fell in love with Lawrence during that, but this has certainly made me slip back out once again. Lawrence did succeed, at times though, by contrasting his characters. Connie and her husband Clifford were two completely different characters. As a man Clifford isn’t very strong emotionally, or is he confident. He’s very coy, and even was before his accident. At the beginning of their marriage, if anything, I got the feeling he was glad that he’d had the injury because he was so scared of having sex with Connie. I don’t know whether it was because he was scared he wouldn’t reach her standards, or whether he was just a bit too shy, but at the beginning... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful