Rating: 
Summary: Sons and Mothers
Review: This is probably the most autobiographical of Lawrence's novels, dealing with the childhood, adolescence and early adulthood of the author. It is a brutally frank portrayal of the relationship betweem a domineering mother and the younger (and surviving) son, a relationship that colors every aspect of the protagonist's life, from his relationship with his father to his romantic relationships with two very different women. Lawrence paints this portrait with very fine brush strokes: an attention to descriptive detail and some of the best characterization in modern English literature. Although the reader might not like the characters in the novel, there is no doubt that these are real people - especially the mother, Mrs. Morel. The setting of the novel is the coal fields of Nottingham and Lawrence carries on the work begun by Thomas Hardy in writing of the English working class with realism and detachment, eschewing the English literary tendency to moralize and to judge.
When Lawrence began the novel he had only passing knowledge of the theories of Freud regarding the mother-son relationship that became the backbone of the psychologist's Oedipus Complex. Essentially the author was writing from experience: the psychic bond between Mrs. Morel and her son, Paul, was very similar to the bond shared by Lawrence and his mother. This bond between son and mother amounts almost to a husband and wife sort of love - without the sex - and prevents the son from ever achieving a fully satisfactory relationship with another woman because of the hold the mother has on the son's soul. It is not until the mother is dead that the son is able to begin to free himself from her hold. The novel, then, is the story of that struggle.
I have never been a great fan of Lawrence's literary style, finding it a bit too jerky and over edited - a criticism I find with this novel. True, there are passages of poetic beauty (especially some of the descriptions of the Nottinghamshire countryside) but I found the prose a bit too tedious and lacking spontaneity. This is probably Lawrence's best novel (far superior to the more popular Lady Chatterley's Lover) and the one on which his reputation is firmly based; also, a novel that should be read by every mother and every son.
Rating: 
Summary: Confused emotions of human psyche...
Review: This is really a book of psychological analysis. It's not exactly an autobiography but Lawrence makes a good deal self-eveluation of his childhood.When you read the novel you feel in an instant that someone who can describe human conditions that successfully,must have lived it all himself.Paul's excessive attachment to his mother and how his life became unbearable after her death shows the human helplessness.He tries over and over to LOVE someone other than his mother but each time he finds some missing part which is fullfilled by his mother. He really loves Miriam but somehow love also falls short to live happily-ever-after. When I first started the book I felt that the main character was Mrs.Morel. I was mistaken. Lawrence used all of the characters with nearly equal emphasis.Of course the leading one is Paul. On the other hand you take lots of things from other characters by his clear depiction. Paul,thus Lawrence, is a good psychologist.If you like to find your own thougts and feelings told by an author you should read Sons And Lovers.I finished it in a week.
Rating:
Summary: Husbands and Mama's Boys
Review: This story of the Morel family begins with a dramatic portrayal of the effect industrialization has on human lives. Mr. Morel, a coal miner in turn-of-the-century Britain, lives a life of drudgery, anger and desperation. He takes his frustrations out on his wife Gertrude, while the real source of his unhappiness is his own low self-esteem. Gertrude is embittered by his hardness and so looks to her sons to fill all her emotional needs. This constitutes Part One of the novel, which to this reviewer's taste is the more satisfying section. The detailed descriptions of the arguments and even outright fights between the married couple are as powerful as anything in fiction, and bleakly dramatize how poverty can destroy the very hearts and souls of the working classes. Morel is oppressed by his employer, so he in turn oppresses his wife, who emotionally smothers her sons. Fight the power!All of which is what makes Part Two such a disappointment. The entire second half of the book revolves around the second son, Paul, and how his closeness to his mother makes it impossible for him to engage in satisfactory relationships with other women. Miriam, the milquetoast who yearns for a transcendent, spiritual love, cares for Paul so much that she lets him walk all over her. The much tougher and independent Clara introduces Paul to a more physically satisfying relationship, but neither of them has any real attachment to the other. The weakness of this second half is not just that it all seems to take far too long; it's that over time, the characters become very unsympathetic. None of them have the strength of will to break away from their failing relationships, despite the fact that these failures cast dark shadows across their lives. And there's certainly nothing tragic about these young people mooning about, complaining that their relationships aren't what they'd like them to be; most especially in the context of Part One, which reminds us that there are people in this world who are really suffering. Readers who are deeply interested in the internal subtleties of male-female relationships (and this probably includes a majority of young women) will love this book. If the two parts were published separately, this reviewer would unhesitatingly give Part One five stars, while grudgingly giving Part Two three and a half. For Mama's boys (and those who've seriously dated them) this book certainly rates five stars, but others will find these characters so annoying that even four stars may seem generous.
Rating:
Summary: Husbands and Mama's Boys
Review: This story of the Morel family begins with a dramatic portrayal of the effect industrialization has on human lives. Mr. Morel, a coal miner in turn-of-the-century Britain, lives a life of drudgery, anger and desperation. He takes his frustrations out on his wife Gertrude, while the real source of his unhappiness is his own low self-esteem. Gertrude is embittered by his hardness and so looks to her sons to fill all her emotional needs. This constitutes Part One of the novel, which to this reviewer's taste is the more satisfying section. The detailed descriptions of the arguments and even outright fights between the married couple are as powerful as anything in fiction, and bleakly dramatize how poverty can destroy the very hearts and souls of the working classes. Morel is oppressed by his employer, so he in turn oppresses his wife, who emotionally smothers her sons. Fight the power! All of which is what makes Part Two such a disappointment. The entire second half of the book revolves around the second son, Paul, and how his closeness to his mother makes it impossible for him to engage in satisfactory relationships with other women. Miriam, the milquetoast who yearns for a transcendent, spiritual love, cares for Paul so much that she lets him walk all over her. The much tougher and independent Clara introduces Paul to a more physically satisfying relationship, but neither of them has any real attachment to the other. The weakness of this second half is not just that it all seems to take far too long; it's that over time, the characters become very unsympathetic. None of them have the strength of will to break away from their failing relationships, despite the fact that these failures cast dark shadows across their lives. And there's certainly nothing tragic about these young people mooning about, complaining that their relationships aren't what they'd like them to be; most especially in the context of Part One, which reminds us that there are people in this world who are really suffering. Readers who are deeply interested in the internal subtleties of male-female relationships (and this probably includes a majority of young women) will love this book. If the two parts were published separately, this reviewer would unhesitatingly give Part One five stars, while grudgingly giving Part Two three and a half. For Mama's boys (and those who've seriously dated them) this book certainly rates five stars, but others will find these characters so annoying that even four stars may seem generous.
Rating:
Summary: Sons and Lovers
Review: This work by D.H. Lawrence was rated number 9 on the top 100 list, and I think it's a fair rating. Sons and Lovers is a beautifully written and intricately drawn story of a young man. This actually serves as a pseudo autobiography as it mirrors DHL's life rather closely. There is a quality to this work that you do not find in contemporary novels. The characters are developed to an incredible depth and with great skill and precision. You find after reading this book that you feel you know some of the characters better than your neighbors. This is not a book about action or drama, it is about life. The focus here is not on the storyline, but on the people involved in it. As opposed to today's authors, Lawrence uses the storyline to define the character and personality of the participants. I think this book is so well written that it can make you look at your own friends and family and understand how little you really know of them. Many scholars talk about the idea of Lawrence introducing the Oedipal complex, but it's not really what this book is all about. While that psychiatrical phenomenon is a component of this work, the defining quality of this work is really about Lawrence's ability to capture the people in his story as eloquently and with such detail as he has. If you can appreciate good literature, this book is a must read for you.
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