Books: Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence

We just finished reading Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence. We found it on the Modern Library's list of Editor's Picks 100 greatest Classics of all time (this was a convoluted title list). Sons and Lovers was an interesting case study into the relationship between a son and a mother, and how over-mothering your children can stunt them emotionally for life.

Sons and Lovers tells the story of the Morel family. Gertrude and Walter meet at a dance, and get married; they are an unhappy couple, he drinks too much and treats her poorly. As a result, she pours all of her efforts into raising and loving her eldest son William, and later her more gentle son Paul. This love, later in his life, prevents him from fully living his own life, and choosing his own happiness. The book is said to be fairly autobiographical of D.H. Lawrence himself.


Quick vote: We really didn't like the characters in this book, but we got the sense that it was the kind of book in which the author didn't want you to like the characters. We did enjoy the book though, not our favorite, but pretty interesting.