From Library Journal
The published editions of Women in Love , probably Lawrence's greatest novel, have always been remarkably corrupt due to a lengthy, complex process of revision and transcription, a threatened libel suit, and numerous unauthorized bowdlerizations. The editors of this new Cambridge Edition have labored scrupulously to produce an authoritative text. What emerges, if not dramatically different, is fresher and more immediate. The introduction provides a valuable history of the novel's composition, revision, publication, and reception, and though the elaborate textual apparatus is strictly for advanced students of bibliography, the notes are splendid. Lawrence's 1919 Foreword and two early discarded chapters are also included. The recovery of a modern classic. Keith Cushman, Univ. of North Carolina, GreensboroCopyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
The relationship of four lovers and their beliefs are examined against the brutal backdrop of a small mining town. Maureen O'Brien splendidly creates the tone and tension of each character, dramatically accentuating the novel's theme of the destructive nature of relationships. The narration proves equally expressive, and O'Brien's voice has an entrancing lilt which complements each phrase. Her sensitive, fluid performance reflects the evolving mood of the work. The reading transports the listener to the world of the text with graceful dignity which unlocks the power of this enlightened work. s.l.d. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

FROM OUR EDITORS

A sequel to the banned novel, The Rainblow, Women in Love follows the tumultuous lives of the Brangwen sisters, Gudrun and Ursula. Turning his keen eye on the nature of love, commitment, passion, and marriage, Lawrence gives us the stories of two intelligent, incisive, and observant women, whose temperamental differences spark an ongoing debate regarding their society and their inner lives. The two very different sisters pursue thrilling, torrid affairs; but their quest for more mature emotional relationships uncovers some startling information about tehir lvoers and themselves.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

One of the greatest of twentieth-century novelists and poets, D. H. Lawrence wrote and lived with a passionate intensity that shocked his contemporaries. Lawrence composed Women in Love while at the height of his powers, and indeed, in its blend of lyricism, psychological revelation, and an eroticism that is never very far from violence, it can still startle and even discomfit readers. In this story of two very unconventional sisters, Ursula and Gudrun Brangwen, and the men they love, Lawrence argues urgently for a new conjunction between man and woman as "two pure beings, each constituting the freedom of the other." The ardent struggle of human souls coming into being, and into relationship with one another, is at the heart of Women in Love, and this wrenching, sometimes painful, thoroughly exhilarating process is brilliantly illuminated in Lawrence's masterpiece.

SYNOPSIS

"Let us hesitate no longer to announce that the sensual passions and mysteries are equally sacred with the spiritual mysteries and passions," wrote D.H. Lawrence.

In Women In Love, a masterpiece that heralded the erotic consciousness of the twentieth century. Echoing elements of Lawrence's own life, Women In Love delves into the mysteries between men and women as two couples strive for love against a haunting backdrop of coal mines, factories, and a beleaguered working class. New introduction by Louis Menand.

FROM THE CRITICS

AudioFile - Scott Lee DeNier