The Book: Women in Love, by D.H. Lawrence
The Food: (English high tea): cucumber sandwiches, roast chicken, fresh fruit, scones, brie and crackers, salad, and iced tea. To Drink: creme de menthe, character Rupert Birkin's signature drink .
The Food: (English high tea): cucumber sandwiches, roast chicken, fresh fruit, scones, brie and crackers, salad, and iced tea. To Drink: creme de menthe, character Rupert Birkin's signature drink .
The Discussion: This book made for a great discussion, because it was rich with philosophical ideas. Also, because we spent about 15 minutes trying to figure out where exactly the "loins" are located on the human body.
We all agreed that Lawrence was an astute observer of the social anxiety that people often feel, but don't speak aloud. We also felt that Lawrence was a bit heavy-handed on the sexual angst. It often read like a harlequin romance novel, i.e., "His blue eyes were lit up with a flame of desire. He was attractive, his blood seemed fluid and electric. His blue eyes burned with a keen yet cold light, and there was a certain beauty in all his body, his moulding." I mean, really . . . is this a classic or the latest Stephanie Meyer novel? It seemed like at some point, everyone in the book was yearning for someone else in the novel. We felt like the characters exhibited the hormonal and emotional maturity of a junior high homeroom.
Speaking of emotional maturity - the characters in the book all seemed to have some serious intimacy disorders. Each relationship was defined by the push-pull of love vs. repulsion, and their feelings for each other changed on a whim. The book definitely perpetuated the idea of intimacy = intensity, and you had to wonder, after reading, if Lawrence didn't actually believe that himself. One day, someone is madly in love. The next day, they want to kill the person. And not figuritively.
We felt that Lawrence was toying with some existential ideas similar to the themes Ayn Rand explored in Atlas Shrugged. Discontentment seemed to be a hallmark state of being for the four main characters. They all talked about trying to live at a level of transcendence, but at the same time they each seemed ruled by their emotions and overly influenced by the actions of others. It seemed like all of the characters had way to much time on their hands to be over-analyzing everything as much as they did. It seemed like the perfect example of why human beings need to find meaning and productivity. These people had too much money and too much time for their own good.
We thought that every character in this book seemed incredibly self-absorbed. There was no redemption and little insight gained for any character. Several of us absolutely hated Gerald, others found Birkin more dislikable because he was so self-righteous. We also discussed Gerald and Birkin's unusual, "I can't quit you" relationship, and wondering if they were both bi-sexual, or gay men trying to live within the confines of 1920's society. Lawrence's obsession with describing male bodies and women's fashions in great and loving detail might have given us a clue into his own life as well.
Favorite Quotes: There were so many great quotables in this book, but hands down, Jenn's submission wins the cake:
"She had a full mystic knowledge of his suave loins of darkness"
We like this quote so much that we may just name our book club Loins of Darkness. It has a certain ring to it, don't you think?
The Consensus: Though most of us found this book laborious to read and overly romantic/philosophical, we were all glad we read it. We also thought it made for a very interesting discussion, and would definitely recommend it as a pick for other book clubs, both for the historical significance and for the great discussion it is likely to spark.
The Rating: 3.5
