Two sisters, Ursula and Gudrun Brangwen, and their relationships dominate the novel. Ursula, a teacher herself, is in love with the school inspector Rupert Birkin who is initially involved with Hermione Roddice (a dominating lady with whom he is not happy). Gerard Crich, a friend of Birkin, is the other main character. He is weighted down by the deaths that have occurred in his family (he accidentally caused his brother's death at an early age and feels guilty when his sister too dies, by drowning). Gerard takes over the running of the mine from his father but his initially strong position is weakened by his relationship with Gudrun that in time is made difficult by an emptiness in Gerard. Ursula and Rupert, meanwhile, are married, and the novel continues to explore their happier relationship. Gerard and Gudrun are torn apart by sorrow and the latter's flirting with the sculptor Loerke …
Two sisters, Ursula and Gudrun Brangwen, and their relationships dominate the novel. Ursula, a teacher herself, is in love with the school inspector Rupert Birkin who is initially involved with Hermione Roddice (a dominating lady with whom he is not happy). Gerard Crich, a friend of Birkin, is the other main character. He is weighted down by the deaths that have occurred in his family (he accidentally caused his brother's death at an early age and feels guilty when his sister too dies, by drowning). Gerard takes over the running of the mine from his father but his initially strong position is weakened by his relationship with Gudrun that in time is made difficult by an emptiness in Gerard. Ursula and Rupert, meanwhile, are married, and the novel continues to explore their happier relationship. Gerard and Gudrun are torn apart by sorrow and the latter's flirting with the sculptor Loerke in the Alps while the four central characters holiday together. Some saw the novel as filled with depravity and vice, but Lawrence maintained that it was his finest work. The author himself is present in the novel as the character Rupert. Please Note: This book has been reformatted to be easy to read in true text, not scanned images that can sometimes be difficult to decipher. The Microsoft eBook has a contents page linked to the chapter headings for easy navigation. The Adobe eBook has bookmarks at chapter headings and is printable up to two full copies per year. Both versions are text searchable.
I'm glad I did persevere to finish this book, although there were several times when I felt like giving up, that I was putting in a lot of effort for minimal reward.
I found the relationship between Gerald and Birkin to be the high point of this book. Their conversations seemed to me to be the most alive, whereas those between the women and these men were frequently repetitive and overly melodramatic. And, to be honest, I struggled to understand what the sisters Ursula and Gudrun actually found attractive in either man. However Lawrence's view of the roles of women and men are very much of a time and of a class and, as such, it was interesting to discover his perspective.
