"David Herbert Lawrence was born in 1885 in Nottinghamshire, England where his father was a miner. His experience growing up in a coal-mining family provided much of the inspiration for Sons and Lovers. Lawrence had many affairs with women in his life, including a longstanding relationship with Jessie Chambers (on whom the character of Miriam is based), an engagement to Louie Burrows, and an eventual elopement to Germany with Frieda Weekley. Sons and Lovers was written in 1913, and contains many autobiographical details. Many of Lawrence’s novels were very controversial because of their frank treatment of sex, and both The Rainbow and Lady Chatterley’s Lover were banned during his lifetime. This controversial treatment of sex is evident as well in Sons and Lovers; Lawrence’s fear of negative public opinion may have been one reason for his vague use of language and the obscure treatment of sex in the novel."
Sons and Lovers (1913) by D.H. Lawrence was on the list of titles previously read by my long standing book group. I mentioned at our last meeting I was in the midst of it (Sons and Lovers) and the moderator asked how I liked it. I said I was enjoying it very much. He said when the group originally read it, there was only one person (a man who no longer attends) who liked it. I was sort of surprised.
It might be a bit like the woman who got tired of reading how Robinson Crusoe was scrounging for food and making plans endlessly (to her, I loved it). Except with Sons and Lovers it might have been they got tired of the mundane bits of mining family life. Or they got very tired of the sons and their lovers and the sons relationships to their mother.
I did enjoy it. Every bit of it in fact. It was about 17 hours on CD. I had purchased it from Audible.com and downloaded it to my iPod. I started it the week before we headed to the coast and then finished it on our drive east (the night with no power).
There is a preview option for all books on Audible. You can listen and compare the various readers to see how you like their voices. It is all about voice and pace and accent. I like a book from outside the USA to be read in a voice with an accent from that area. There are some books where I prefer a neutral voice (no distinct accent). And I am very careful about the pace. I do not like a reader who rushes.
It struck me the mom in the story had married a boy friend instead of a husband (Anna Quindlen). And then when she didn't have a husband (still married, but he is sort of an unfortunate fixture), she connected at an emotional level with two of her sons (in place of husband). Interestingly, but not surprisingly, the third son, who was most like his father and adored his father is barely mentioned in the book.
I also understood the importance of young men only dating women they would like to marry, women they would like to raise their children. And I understand how easily people get stuck with each other if they date too long.
I didn't know the book was autobiographical until I read the Sparknotes. I tend not to read anything about the titles I read until after I have finished the book. No one at my house had read this book. Sometimes if the kids have read something, they will give me a heads up (like Tess of the d'Urbervilles where middle told me it was a t-r-a-g-e-d-y and I should remember that all the way through to the end).
I thought Sons and Lovers was a good read. Now that I am finished, I will find out why the book group people didn't like it. It might be that it was a very low attendance meeting and he was giving me a false impression.
