The Rainbow in Reading 1001

May 25, 2022 Pamela rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audible, boxall-1001-read, guardian-1000-read

Intense and powerful, The Rainbow is the story of three generations of the Brangwen family in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Tom Brangwen is rooted to the land he farms and brings his widowed Polish emigré bride Lydia to live with him on the farm. His stepdaughter Anna marries a Brangwen cousin Will, and they struggle to compromise their clashing temperaments to find fulfilment and a sense of identity, while their daughter Ursula herself struggles to gain independence and a life outsi ...more

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Jun 24, 2017 Kaycie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, 1001_read

Oh wow, what a book! What a writer!

The Rainbow is largely...or entirely...a character-driven novel, so if you don't like that, it might not be your cup of tea. There is a plot, but it is largely there just to bring various emotions to the forefront. For me, it was brilliant, and I didn't want it to ever end.

This novel shines in its in-depth emotional characterization of its characters, and that's a hefty challenge with three generations of both men and women that are all vividly unique and beau ...more

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Oct 25, 2017 Bryan--The Bee’s Knees rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-read-in-2017, boxall-read, books-i-own-and-have-read, guardian-read

I thought this was just excellent. I had a lot of ideas as to what Lawrence was about, and after reading Sons and Lovers, I thought I'd confirmed them, but this one really changed my mind.

The Rainbow is an examination of the relationships between men and women (written mostly from the women's point of view), and of the struggle for dominance and individuality in the midst of the complex social structure of marriage and family as it existed in England in the later half of the 19th century. I don ...more

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