The Rainbow

By: D. H. Lawrence

Narrated by: Maureen O'Brien

Length: 20 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

Set in the rural midlands of England, The Rainbow revolves around three generations of Brangwens, a family deeply involved with the land and noted for their strength and vigour. When Tom Brangwen marries a Polish widow, Lydia Lensky, and adopts her daughter, Anna, as his own, he is unprepared for the conflict and passion that erupts between them. Their stories continue in Women in Love.

©1995 The Estate of Frieda Lawrence Ravagli (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"O'Brien reads the Brangwens, both women and men, as vital people, with instinctive lines that are both sensual and spiritual; always they are whole and organic as they are drawn inexorably into the Rainbow. Both book and reading give us Lawrence at his best." ( AudioFile)

Rich and evocative

A sprawling story that spans multiple generations of a family, this ambitious book is filled with rich imagery and passion, it tries to boldly capture the essence of human desire, and to showcase the failures inherent in such flawed creatures capable of so much beauty. It owes a lot to the Bronte works, especially Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. Lawrence's command of language is simply breathtaking at times. A wonderful work.

outstanding- a must read for women

exceptional, sensitive, nuanced, empathic and deeply empowering and respectful to the complexity of the feminine psyche and the need for self realisation and spiritual wholeness beyond codependency of romanticism

Extraordinary performance

Kudos to the narrator, she did an incredible job narrating this story, a novel that I will remember for a very long time.

A Decent Story for the Patient Listener

Not sure if the moral at the novel’s conclusion is worth the long listen... Also unsure if one could label this as a tragedy, as it is somewhat open to interpretation if Ursula’s final conclusion is one of subjugation or freedom. The aggression of the Horse’s Hooves could mean that she is not free, while the Rainbow could be a display of her freedom or her boundlessness.

I find Lawrence much more accessible than Henry James. Lawrence is more direct, much less verbose. James is pleonastic and circumlocutory. Lawrence’s family dynamics I would further argue are better developed, less antiquated.

Not sure if this is worth the listen. I would have preferred to read it than listen.

-Noah Balfour

Strangely Contemporary

Written in the early 1900's this novel seems strangely contemporary with characters and situations that still resonate. This novel is primarily about characters and their relationship to environment, and not much about story. The novel follows the lives of a family that transitions from rural to industrial life in turn of the century Britain. There is some mildly erotic bi-curious scenes and lots of frank sexuality. All the action in this book is quite slow and almost all is internal to the characters. The writing is touching and subtly powerful. The story mirrors real life, over multiple generations, so there is a balance of death and birth, and happiness and despair, but I did not find this at all depressing, but life affirming.

This book reminded me a bit of Jude of Obscure, which I also liked quite a bit.

I had read Sons and Lovers and liked it a lot. I liked this more, and just added the sequel Women in Love to my queue.

Not to miss

What a treasure. Erudite & Steamy. Part of women’s history and always so wonderfully close to nature.

A masterfully created unfiltered deep dive into what lies within us all.

This novel is a masterpiece of writing skill and an incredibly honest exploration of the turbulence that is just beyond the socially acceptable surface that we present to the world. At first I really struggled with the incredibly raw and potent emotions expressed by the characters as they tired to find some happiness and a way of living within the world. As the story progressed, I began to realize that, if you’re really honest with yourself, this IS what we are like on the inside. It definitely snuck up on me and I was at least 75% of the way through before I could actually admit this to myself.

Not for the faint of heart, but highly recommended.

Disappointing

I had hoped that Ursula would come to her senses but no. I love D. H. Lawrence and was glad to listen to this book.

Loved it!

A romantic ghost story. I found it very entertaining. I love Mary Jane Wells' voice.

Exquisite

There is no comparison with the intoxicating rhythm and depth of D.H. Lawrence’s writing style. No other can lay bare inner turmoil with such care and candor at once.