Book info

• Title Sons and Lovers
• Author D. H. Lawrence
• Year 1913
• Genre Classic

The marriage of Gertrude and Walter Morel has become a battleground. Repelled by her uneducated and sometimes violent husband, delicate Gertrude devotes her life to her children, especially to her sons, William and Paul - determined they will not follow their father into working down the coal mines. But conflict is evitable when Paul seeks to escape his mother's suffocating grasp through relationships with women his own age.

Thoughts

I was half dreading reading this, for no good reason as I didn’t know anything about it except it was on my Reading List. As it turns out, it was quite an enjoyable read, although as with a handful of the books I’m reading at the moment, it was full of angst and ultimately quite depressing.

What I liked about it, though, was the gentle traipsing nature of the narrative. It felt like reading a version of the Archers radio programme - it feels like nothing is happening on a day to day basis, but then you look back at the month and realise it has been quite eventful.

I did find it a bit frustrating, that the characters continue to stick with others they don’t like, and how quickly they would veer from complete love to complete hatred. It felt a bit over the top and not totally rational. Nevertheless, I quite liked it and am glad it was on the list.

Rating: 3 / 5