Cecily answers “Can I go back and read Rainbow after...”

Pamela M asked this question about Women in Love:

Can I go back and read Rainbow after reading Women in Love. I didn't realize that Women In Love was a sequel. I checked WIL out from my local library and also found audio book for WIL on youtube. I listen to the audio narration while I read the hard copy. Makes it move along a little more for me and catch symbolic meanings. Like me, does anyone else find a little of Birkin in oneself?

Cecily Yes, DO! The Rainbow is the most wonderfully poetic book - if you like to immerse yourself in floral, fiery, watery imagery.

I read them in chronologic…moreYes, DO! The Rainbow is the most wonderfully poetic book - if you like to immerse yourself in floral, fiery, watery imagery.

I read them in chronological order, but I actually preferred The Rainbow, so WiL was a very slight disappointment in comparison.

Reading them in reverse would not be very different from a story that starts in one period, then tells the main story in flashback.

The Rainbow covers three generations of Brangwens, of which Ursula is the third, so you see her as a child and teenager at the end of the book, as well as learning about her parents and grandparents. Despite that, it's more impressionistic at times, than the more plot-driven WiL.

Enjoy. (less)

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