Sons and Lovers - D.H. Lawrence

David Herbert Lawrence was born on September 11, 1885, in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire. Although best known for his novels, Lawrence was also an accomplished poet, short story writer, essayist, critic, and travel writer. The first D. H.Lawrence book I ever read ( if you don't count the clandestine peeks made by my my cousin and I in our early teens of my Aunties Penguin copy of Lady Chatterley's Lover !!) was Sons and Lovers, and I loved his writing straight away. Bert - as Lawrence was always known - was the fourth child of Arthur John Lawrence, a coal miner who was hardly literate and Lydia, née Beardsall, a former schoolteacher, whose ...  Read the complete review

Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence was his first major novel, written in 1913. It has some profoundly autobiographical elements to it, not least in the character of Mrs Morel, Paul Morel's protective and demanding mother. The book is based in a very working-class community and some commentators believe it to be the first novel with this genuine working class backdrop. The novel centres around Paul Morel, the younger son of an alcoholic wife-beating miner and a stubborn, hard-working mother. Their relationship is scrutinised in detail throughout the novel and you watch its slow demise. This is made all the more poignant by the occasional reference ...  Read the complete review

I was first introduced to the works of D H Lawrence by my English literature teacher, a lady to whom I am deeply indebted for her insight into the works of D H Lawrence (and for explaining the naughty bits to a naïve Sixth Former!) and I have since 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 ...  Read the complete review

The Fox, written by D.H. Lawrence chronicles the life of two women at the beginning of the 1920’s: Banford and March. Banford is a small, delicate and physically weak woman with spectacles and ‘it did not look as if she would marry’. In contrast there was March, who was ‘more robust’ and ‘would be the man about the place’. The two spinsters owned a farm and worked it alone. It could be argued that they were like an old couple, used to each other’s company and undoubtedly set in their ways. The novella progresses a stage further when a young man, called Henry encroaches into their habitual state of affairs and ...  Read the complete review

Sons and Lovers is a 'classic' novel from the much celebrated writer D H Lawrence. The story is apparently semi autobiographical and is set in early 20th century Nottinghamshire, England. The book is about the Morel family, who live in a mining town where life revolves around the pit. The main character of the book is Paul Morel, but the first few chapters set the scene by detailing how his parents got together and their early family life, plus we learn about his elder brother William. Once we get into the story properly we meet Paul in more detail and learn that he has a very close relationship with his mother. We also get to meet his two love ...  Read the complete review