D. H. Lawrence (1885–1930)

I remember hearing, somewhere, that this was a classic. I may have tried picking it up once or twice and tried reading it.... but the language was difficult for me to follow.

A few years ago, I remember watching an early episode of Mad Men, and Joan Harris mocked Peggy Olson for being curious about this book--because, at the time, it was considered so racy. I'll admit: that, more than anything, made me continually want to come back to this book. The fact that it was racy--so much so that the book was banned for obscenity in many countries, including the U.S.

What I didn't realize, until reading (listening to the audio version of) it, was that there's so much more to this story than just sex. It's about love, yes, but also about feminism. I was amazed and so pleasantly surprised! I won't say more, as I don't want to give anything away. Only that this story was beautiful and sweet and I really came to LOVE Lady Chatterley!… (more)

A volume full of excellent stories. Lawrence was a master at laying bare dysfunction especially in familial and close knit communities. We appreciate his gorgeous descriptions of the natural world - typography, plants and animals but also industrial environments.
Outstanding stories are:
"The Prussian Officer" where military indifference between ranks erupts with terrible results. To a lesser extent, "The Thorn in the Flesh", another story that exhibits his dislike of the military (again German) martinet.
"Daughters of the Vicar" is another good example of escape from a stifling depressive situation.
"Strike-Pay" is an expose of the fecklessness of the working classes that although sympathetic to their condition reveals how poorly equipped to overcome their servile situation they were.
All these stories are wonderful.… (more)