Title: The Rainbow

Author: D.H. Lawrence

Genre:Classic Literature 

Publisher: Penguin Classics

Format: Paperback

Pages: 491

Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Set in the rural Midlands of England, The Rainbow (1915) revolves around three generations of the Brangwens, a strong, vigorous family, deeply involved with the land. When Tom Brangwen marries a Polish widow, Lydia Lensky, and adopts her daughter Anna as his own, he is unprepared for the conflict and passion that erupts between them. All are seeking individual fulfilment, but it is Ursula, Anna’s spirited daughter, who, in search for self-knowledge, rejects the conventional role of womanhood.

Review:

There is just something about Lawrence’s writing that I just adore. He is a good mix between explaining the surroundings and setting, and character dialogue that I don’t find that I get bored of his descriptions. He also had a beautiful way of describing the surroundings.

The Rainbow follows three generations in a small town in England during the middle to late 1800s. Each generation has different struggles and different ways of overcoming those struggles.

Anna and her husband William are interesting characters in that they fall in love so they just get married, because that is what you do when you’re in love. But they fight a lot and they drive each other crazy! Their daughter, Ursula, has a different mindset and wants to be more of a modern woman. She wants to take care of herself and she doesn’t want to marry someone just because she loves them. It’s an interesting concept.

Another thing that is so interesting about Lawrence is he is not afraid to talk about the passions that humans feel towards each other and how those passions drive people. This was quite ground breaking for his time. There is also talk of a same sex relationship which is also quite groundbreaking. I really enjoyed this book and I liked to think about the reactions at the time it was published!

Happy reading!