Eh, I'm not quite sure what to think of this book really. Its like a cross between Desperate Housewives, Real Housewives of Orange County or one of those Harlequin Romance novels you get from the supermarket with Fabio on the front. Reading the background to it I can understand why Lawrence was so obsessed with sex (Tuberculosis and his wife's very public affair made him crazy) but I think the sex scenes in the book were gratuitous (sp?) and unnecessary. (but this aside how many times have you seen a show where they sleep together and you say to yourself why the heck was that put in?)

In so many ways I think Lawrence was just trying to get attention and shock people with the swearing & sex 'just because' (the book came out in the 1920's and was banned from both England and America although pirated copies came out for $15 a book). The underlying themes of Class divide and the commentary on economics in 'middle England' I thought were brilliant. At times I really felt sorry for Lady Chatterly--she had absolutely everything but yet felt suffocated by the societal pressures to be perfect in everyway and longed to be truly happy. I sensed a few similiarities with Anna Karenina in this respect. In the end she never finds her happiness with Mellors the gamekeeper which I think is a real lesson in itself.

Overall, glad I read it but wouldn't necessarily pick it up again.