I just started reading this book and I’m about 25% in, and I am truly not sure why this is regarded so highly. Yes, it is surprising that this was written in the 1920s and contains material that may have been too scandalous to include at that time, but I am having a hard time reconciling what people find so interesting about it. I even read multiple Goodreads reviews and still can’t exactly place what draws people to this book.
The rhythmic repetition of words was charming at first but considering you have to slog through 500 pages of it made it get old very quickly.
I have read online that Birkin was a self insert for Lawrence’s actual thoughts, but the dialogue is so overly convoluted that I was having trouble digesting what exactly Birkin was so passionate about.
Another criticism of this book is that the protagonists were all unlikeable, which is actually not an issue for me. I found that the character dynamics between the main four were intriguing and definitely think the dialogue was the highlight of the book except…
Sometimes it felt like the dialogue was way too highbrow, I understand it was done to propel the conversation topics to things Lawrence wanted to critique in the real world but it made the story feel bloated.
I didn’t really get a strong sense of WHAT exactly DH Lawrence was trying to talk about, partly because of the roundabout repetition and it being an old story but because it didn’t really have a strong focus.
Can anyone explain to me what exactly were the main takeway points you got from Women in Love? Btw, I genuinely love character driven stories and don’t mind lack of plot and I also love antagonistic, complex relationships with good dialogue so I really thought I was going to enjoy this book but something about it just didn’t vibe with me!
Oh also I’ve read all the spoilers so feel free to speak freely. Am super curious what fans of this book have to say.
by Apprehensive_Dog3668