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El pozo de la soledad
by
Stephen Gordon (named by a father desperate for a son) is not like other girls: she hunts, she fences, she reads books, wears trousers, and longs to cut her hair. As she grows up amidst the stifling grandeur of Morton Hall, the locals begin to draw away from her, aware of some indefinable thing that sets her apart. And when Stephen Gordon reaches maturity, she falls passio
...more
Paperback, 447 pages
Published
2013
by La Tempestad
(first published 1928)
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Andy
Hoopla.com, as long as you have a library card.
Milena Reinherz
They were mercy kills.
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Start your review of El pozo de la soledad
it should be MANDATORY that everyone reads this book. everyone. there isn't anything too astounding about her writing style, and nothing too "deep" about it either. anyone could pick up this book and see clearly everything she's very clearly alluding to, so there isn't much mystery, but instead, a whole lot of straightforward honesty about an aspect of the world most overlook without even realizing.
what broke back mountain failed miserably in doing, ratcliffe did with ease. this isn't some kinky ...more
what broke back mountain failed miserably in doing, ratcliffe did with ease. this isn't some kinky ...more
Jul 25, 2020
Paul
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
virago,
reading-women-bingo-2020
If you are looking for cheerful and uplifting, don’t start here: the title gives it away. The main protagonist is Stephen Gordon, named Stephen because her father wanted a boy and stuck with the chosen name when a girl arrived. This is a very English novel:
“Not very far from Upton-on-Severn–between it, in fact, and the Malvern Hills–stands the country seat of the Gordons of Bramberly; well-timbered, well-cottaged, well-fenced and well-watered, having, in this latter respect, a stream that forks ...more
“Not very far from Upton-on-Severn–between it, in fact, and the Malvern Hills–stands the country seat of the Gordons of Bramberly; well-timbered, well-cottaged, well-fenced and well-watered, having, in this latter respect, a stream that forks ...more
what could have been a fascinating chronicle of a tough butch interloper challenging mainstream society becomes the drippy tale of a woman who just wants to be loved, and the cruel little bitch who leads her on. oh what a deep well! the writing's pretty swell though, that can't be denied. tres elegante. i was reminded of e.m. forster's equally drippy, equally beautiful (but rather more enjoyable) Maurice. plus i actually preferred the wish fulfillment of Maurice, sad to say. guess i'm not such a
...more
‘God,’ she gasped, we believe; we have told You we believe . . . We have not denied You, then rise up and defend us. Acknowledge us, oh God, before the whole world. Give us also the right to our existence!’
First things first, the cover on this edition is absurdly unrepresentative of the book.
Second, I liked the book. I would even recommend the book - it's just that it should come with a few notes:
1. It is endlessly long. And detailed. For no purpose. Whatsoever. If the length of the book was ...more
First things first, the cover on this edition is absurdly unrepresentative of the book.
Second, I liked the book. I would even recommend the book - it's just that it should come with a few notes:
1. It is endlessly long. And detailed. For no purpose. Whatsoever. If the length of the book was ...more
Apr 19, 2008
Jardley
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Internalized homophobic homosexuals
I read The Well of Loneliness because of was very interested in reading novels on homosexuality. I needed something to relate to. The book centers around a girl whose father desperately wanted a boy and so named her Stephen. Throughout her childhood Stephen is shown as a girl unlike others. The way she carries herself, the way she acts and the fantasies she has about seeing herself as "Nelson", stress the fact Stephen sexuality is in question. As she grow, Stephen begins to find love in women an
...more
this book was banned in England on publication in 1928, which of course made it a huge bestseller. and as it was published in France and the USA, it was easy to obtain copies.
and, of course, it is so tame by today's standards. the most explicit line in the book is "she kissed her full on the lips, like a lover". but the powers that be in England judged anything even hinting at lesbianism to be immoral.
in any event, it is a very fine novel, on it's own merits, and I really enjoyed it. the author ...more
and, of course, it is so tame by today's standards. the most explicit line in the book is "she kissed her full on the lips, like a lover". but the powers that be in England judged anything even hinting at lesbianism to be immoral.
in any event, it is a very fine novel, on it's own merits, and I really enjoyed it. the author ...more
If one thinks of "The Well of Loneliness" as having been written by a homophobic, sexist straight man then it begins to make sense. The central character (and stand-in for author Radclyffe Hall) is not a self-loathing lesbian at all, he's a transgendered man, and he's not exactly gay-friendly. The identification of Jonathan Brockett as gay by describing his hands as being “as white and soft as a woman’s,” for example, emphasizes Stephen’s conflicted feelings about his own sexuality and the femin
...more
Recently in these parts I declared that this novel was so dull that today it is essentially unreadable, and that its lasting importance has everything to do with history and not a thing to do with art. And I still generally stand behind these sentiments.
BUT.
I read it. And I kind of enjoyed it, at least in parts. I had based the above judgements on reading the first 60 pages or so (in retrospect the weakest section of the entire novel) and upon my decision to incorporate it in a paper on the que ...more
BUT.
I read it. And I kind of enjoyed it, at least in parts. I had based the above judgements on reading the first 60 pages or so (in retrospect the weakest section of the entire novel) and upon my decision to incorporate it in a paper on the que ...more
Jan 04, 2019
Ria
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
4stars,
lgbt-characters
James Douglas, editor of the Sunday Express, wrote, " Am well aware that sexual inversion and perversion are horrors which exist among us today. They flaunt themselves in public places … I would rather give a healthy boy or a healthy girl a phial of prussic acid than this novel."
‘’If our love is a sin then heaven must be full of such tender and selfless sinning as ours’’
‘’-Why does the world persecute us?
-Because in this world there is only toleration for the so-called normal.’’
This is a 3.8 fo ...more
‘’If our love is a sin then heaven must be full of such tender and selfless sinning as ours’’
‘’-Why does the world persecute us?
-Because in this world there is only toleration for the so-called normal.’’
This is a 3.8 fo ...more
Alternative title- The deep, deep, pitiful well of loneliness.
I mean, I knew this would be sad, but I hoped it wouldn't be quite as despairing. I suppose the clue was in the name and the fact this is early 20th century lesbian fiction, which we all know didn't end well. After all, we can't be encouraging the ladies.
Aside from the sexuality, this reminds me why the 1920s are my favourite period in literature. There's something so evocative about the time and although the writing style, of cours ...more
I mean, I knew this would be sad, but I hoped it wouldn't be quite as despairing. I suppose the clue was in the name and the fact this is early 20th century lesbian fiction, which we all know didn't end well. After all, we can't be encouraging the ladies.
Aside from the sexuality, this reminds me why the 1920s are my favourite period in literature. There's something so evocative about the time and although the writing style, of cours ...more
[3.5 -4] i have to admit, i’m very relieved to have finished this now. this book is simply, very sad. it was a hard one to read because i would always leave this book feeling worse about the world — that’s likely the point but it’s also exhausting. that writing isn’t mind blowing but it is impactful. particularly dialogue, stephen’s speeches on her love, puddle’s (internal) acceptance, her mother’s rejection, they all broke me. and the end, oh MY, it was practically disturbing.
also, i wonder if ...more
also, i wonder if ...more
Jul 07, 2016
Stef Rozitis
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
5-star,
literary,
women-writers,
lesbian,
read-women-2016,
lgbt-character-s,
queer,
women,
glbt,
romance
This book moves slowly and thoughtfully through many shades of tragedy. There's a sort of integrity to it. Not all readers will appreciate the Christian symbolism and theology but I did- the constant please for meaning and acceptance by a sort of outcast. A few times I sort of experienced Stephen as unrelatable because of how ridiculously wealthy she was, but then there were people like Jamie and Barbara to add counterpoint to it, there was just enough shown of the servants to undo the idea that
...more
Oct 18, 2009
El
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
20th-centurylit-early,
1001-books-list
I love reading books that have at some point been a source of controversy, the books that have been banned and censored, questioned and attacked. The Well of Loneliness is one of those books, and by looking at the cover of the edition I read there's a clue right there as to the reasoning for the controversy: "A 1920s Classic of Lesbian Fiction".
Steven Gordon is a wealthy English woman who is clearly not like other women, even from a young age. Her father had hoped for a boy and pinned those hope ...more
Steven Gordon is a wealthy English woman who is clearly not like other women, even from a young age. Her father had hoped for a boy and pinned those hope ...more
Oct 02, 2016
Marina (Sonnenbarke)
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
_literary-fiction,
uk
Reading this book proved incredibly difficult. I was unsure how to rate it, but decided for 2 stars in the end: the story is a very good one, extremely interesting, but the writing is so dull you can't begin to understand if you haven't read it. I'm sorry to have to say this, but it's what I felt about this book.
I understand why it is such an important book in literary history, but I really, really disliked it.
First of all, I don't really know why this should be considered as a story of lesbian ...more
I understand why it is such an important book in literary history, but I really, really disliked it.
First of all, I don't really know why this should be considered as a story of lesbian ...more
I read this the first time around in 1988, during my first term at university, hiding it from my room mate, under the covers. I enjoyed it then as the third lesbian book I'd ever read (after Patience & Sarah and Annie on My Mind), but found it harsh.
Slogging through it a second time now, for the Lesbian Book Club book of the month, it felt interminable. No detail is left unmentioned. Oh wait ... "and that night they were not divided." Just the odd detail lacking. That one sentence caused the boo ...more
Slogging through it a second time now, for the Lesbian Book Club book of the month, it felt interminable. No detail is left unmentioned. Oh wait ... "and that night they were not divided." Just the odd detail lacking. That one sentence caused the boo ...more
I remember checking this book out of the public library near my house and hiding it from my parents, so I must have been about 12 the first time I read it. It lived under my mattress for about three days while I read it. I think I checked out "One in Ten" along with it, heh.
The first time I read this book, I thought it was amazing. A queer love story from what seemed like forever ago! Wow! At the time, I felt alone and isolated, and it spoke to me. My second reading in college was not nearly as ...more
The first time I read this book, I thought it was amazing. A queer love story from what seemed like forever ago! Wow! At the time, I felt alone and isolated, and it spoke to me. My second reading in college was not nearly as ...more
Yerk. This is/was obviously a very important book, so it feels a shame to give it such a low grade but jaysus it was a bit painful after the novelty of the first 200 pages had worn off. The fact that it deals with lesbianism/gender issues in such a forthright way, especially for the time in which it was written ('20s)is v impressive. Orlando came out in the same year, but it doesn't deal with it as explicitly. No more than something like Twelfth Night did. Anyway, in the case of The Well... - im
...more
I read this book as a teenager and was so riveted by the story I still have my copy, yellowed pages and all.
Reading ‘The Well of Loneliness’ gave me an insight into something that people, in those days (1950’s) spoke of only in horrified whispers. It spoke of people who were misunderstood and denigrated because of how they felt, which seemed wrong to me even at an early age.
I re-read it a couple years ago and got the very same feeling as I did the very first time. I would never call this book d ...more
Reading ‘The Well of Loneliness’ gave me an insight into something that people, in those days (1950’s) spoke of only in horrified whispers. It spoke of people who were misunderstood and denigrated because of how they felt, which seemed wrong to me even at an early age.
I re-read it a couple years ago and got the very same feeling as I did the very first time. I would never call this book d ...more
This book is pretty Problematic™ (being a product of its time - content warnings for racism [inc. use of the N-word], sexism, homophobia, and some very outdated theories). But it's still a valuable read in terms of LGBTQ+ lit. If nothing else, it reminds us that there is history. Gay people didn't just appear out of nowhere a few decades ago. Having an identity is not some "trend", as is sometimes accused. That's important to remember. 🌈
Maybe I'll have more to write about it another time. Don't ...more
Maybe I'll have more to write about it another time. Don't ...more
well that was overwrought
This was such a fascinating look at gender and lesbian love in the 20th century.
Dec 26, 2020
Sportyrod
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
united-kingdom,
france
Epic story. This is up there with Jane Austen. I normally try to read quickly but this time I had to take it slow. I needed to feel every chapter, to feel every working part of this incredible story.
What impressed me most was that this was a breakthrough novel involving a lesbian relationship set in the late 1800’s, early 1900’s London and Paris. The story was wholesome: not just about how two people met. It was so much more. It began with Stephen’s (female) childhood and her self-discovery albe ...more
What impressed me most was that this was a breakthrough novel involving a lesbian relationship set in the late 1800’s, early 1900’s London and Paris. The story was wholesome: not just about how two people met. It was so much more. It began with Stephen’s (female) childhood and her self-discovery albe ...more
May 31, 2012
Liz
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
5-stars,
that-s-so-gay
I really like this book, but found it very, very depressing. Not depressing in a 'Im gonna slit my wrist with the sharp edges of the pages' depressed, more like a 'why is the word so cruel, where is my God now?' kind of depressed.
I really don't think the main protagonist Stephen needed to suffer so much; if Hall was trying to empower the 'inverted' and educate the mass about the 'inverted' I think she was smoking too many pipes, because if I had been 'inverted' in those days I would have weighe ...more
I really don't think the main protagonist Stephen needed to suffer so much; if Hall was trying to empower the 'inverted' and educate the mass about the 'inverted' I think she was smoking too many pipes, because if I had been 'inverted' in those days I would have weighe ...more
the well of loneliness redeeming points:
1. butch vulnerability and sensibility; she draws stephen as an incredibly compelling character, both powerful and sensitive, defiant and yearning for acceptance. i can appreciate what the novel’s trying to do, and how groundbreaking it was for its time; it’s essentially a plea for acceptance, and i think considering the way you can trace a lot of contemporary gay narratives back to it (“born this way”; “love is love”; etc) it was largely successful, in th ...more
1. butch vulnerability and sensibility; she draws stephen as an incredibly compelling character, both powerful and sensitive, defiant and yearning for acceptance. i can appreciate what the novel’s trying to do, and how groundbreaking it was for its time; it’s essentially a plea for acceptance, and i think considering the way you can trace a lot of contemporary gay narratives back to it (“born this way”; “love is love”; etc) it was largely successful, in th ...more
This is possibly the most beautiful book I have ever read. The prose is simply exquisite. Hall proves that imagery does not have to be tedious and overwraught. I felt a hundred times while reading this novel that I had never heard such a sentiment expressed so perfectly. In fact, sometimes the prose was so beautiful that the context almost faded away entirely, and I was simply left with a breath-taking sentence, paragraph or more...
Sadly, this book is still relevant 90 years after it was penned. ...more
Sadly, this book is still relevant 90 years after it was penned. ...more
I don't know what to think of The Well of Loneliness. I read it because it's a lesbian classic, and someone said that it was one of the first novels where horrible things don't have to happen to its lesbian protagonists. I can't actually imagine anything more agonising than what the protagonist, Stephen, does -- voluntarily giving up her lover to a male close friend to give her safety and security, acting as a martyr for her... And Barbara and Jamie: both of them die because of the life they lea
...more
Funny enough I find the character of Stephen quite similar to the character of Jo in Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. Both would have preferred to be men and both find the demeanor, dress and lifestyle expectations of women in their day to be dreary. Stephen is simply the sisterless, unloved, rich version of Jo.
Something about the choices Hall makes with the character of Stephen highlight her gender and sexual differences in a way that Alcott does not. They have many of the same thoughts, eeril ...more
Something about the choices Hall makes with the character of Stephen highlight her gender and sexual differences in a way that Alcott does not. They have many of the same thoughts, eeril ...more
3.5*
First book for my Banned Books module
By far one of my favourite books that I've read during my degree, and I wouldn't have picked it up if it wasn't for uni. It felt refreshing to see an LGBT+ character in a classic setting and I'd be open to reading another similar text.
For the first half of the novel The Well of Loneliness was definitely a 4* book - I love reading about the childhood, education, and upbringing of a character, and this was no different. I raced through the first half of t ...more
First book for my Banned Books module
By far one of my favourite books that I've read during my degree, and I wouldn't have picked it up if it wasn't for uni. It felt refreshing to see an LGBT+ character in a classic setting and I'd be open to reading another similar text.
For the first half of the novel The Well of Loneliness was definitely a 4* book - I love reading about the childhood, education, and upbringing of a character, and this was no different. I raced through the first half of t ...more
Jun 27, 2020
Laurie
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
20th-century-classics,
2020
It is difficult for me to say that reading this novel was a struggle because it is culturally important. Radclyffe Hall did a fantastic job showing the agonizing reality of being a lesbian in the early 20th century. They had to hide their love if they ever found anyone who returned their affection. If they didn't, they lived much as the governess in this novel as the unloved and lonely spinster. But Stephen, the main character, was too masculine in her physical appearance and clothing preference
...more
So I read this for a Lesbian Literatures course, and I have to state from the outset that I am well aware of the *significance* of the novel in such a course, and such a subset of lesbian history. Certainly it was landmark, insofar as the book was one of the (perhaps THE?) first to openly deal with homosexual or inverted desire. Moreover, the trial that banned the book brought the novel, Radclyffe Hall, and the 'lesbian identity' into the public eye in a rather big way. All very well and good.
Ho ...more
Ho ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading 1001: The Well of Loneliness- Radclyffe Hall | 2 | 12 | Dec 10, 2020 06:52PM | |
| Empowering or just depressing? | 10 | 91 | May 17, 2017 05:31PM | |
| Mental Health Boo...: The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall | 1 | 8 | Jan 29, 2017 11:41AM | |
| Mental Health Boo...: The Well of Loneliness - Lesbian or Transgender? | 4 | 51 | Oct 04, 2016 05:11AM | |
| Mental Health Boo...: The Well of Loneliness - Finishers, what did you think? (SPOILERS) | 4 | 12 | Oct 04, 2016 05:08AM | |
| Mental Health Boo...: The Well of Loneliness | 1 | 21 | Aug 22, 2016 12:49AM |
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Marguerite Radclyffe-Hall was born on the south coast of England. Her mother may have battered her, while her father, a playboy known as 'Rat', ignored her. In the drawing rooms of Edwardian society, Marguerite made a small name for herself as a poet and librettist. In 1907 she met a middle-aged fashionable singer, Mrs Mabel Batten, known as 'Ladye", who introduced her to influential people. Batte
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