The Second Lady Chatterley's Lover

by D.H. Lawrence

Originally published abroad in 1928, and unavailable in Britain until 1960 when it was the subject of an infamous obscenity trial, Lady Chatterley's Lover is now regarded as one of the pivotal novels of the 20th century. Lawrence's determination to explore every aspect—sexual, social, psychological—of Lady Chatterley's adulterous liaison with the gamekeeper Oliver Mellors makes for a profound meditation on the human condition, the forces of nature, and the social constraints that people struggle to overcome. Lawrence's final novel—here presented in the more explicit 1927 version which he described as "so improper that it'll never be printed"—confirms his standing as one of the most eminent fiction writers that England has produced.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Romance, Novels, 20th Century, Literature

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1954

About the author

David Herbert Richards Lawrence was an English writer of the 20th century, whose prolific and diverse output included novels, short stories, poems, plays, essays, travel books, paintings, translations, literary criticism, and personal letters. His collected works represent an extended reflection upon the dehumanizing effects of modernity and industrialisation. In them, Lawrence confronts issues relating to emotional health and vitality, spontaneity, human sexuality and instinct.

Lawrence's opinions earned him many enemies and he endured official persecution, censorship, and misrepresentation of his creative work throughout the second half of his life, much of which he spent in a voluntary exile he called his "savage pilgrimage." At the time of his death, his public reputation was that of a pornographer who had wasted his considerable talents. E. M. Forster, in an obituary notice, challenged this widely held view, describing him as "the greatest imaginative novelist of our generation." Later, the influential Cambridge critic F. R. Leavis championed both his artistic integrity and his moral seriousness, placing much of Lawrence's fiction within the canonical "great tradition" of the English novel. He is now generally valued as a visionary thinker and a significant representative of modernism in English literature.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D.H._Law...

Reviews

[Gabriela · Rating 5 out of 5]

From all the Big Books about women (Anna K, Madame B) this is the one I have enjoyed the most. Constance resonated with me a lot, she is shown as a charachter that wants to be independent. Clifford is just her boss in a way, just like he is a boss to the proletariat. So it's natural for her to feel so locked up inside that house. Her scape is in another man, that is true, but I like how each of them respects the other.
This version seemed so much more poetic to me, I would get lost in the adjectives and on the insights Lawrence makes. I really recommend this book.

[C.W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A personal favorite.

[Joanna Johansson · Rating 5 out of 5]

They do not write such pieces anymore

[Liliana Valenzuela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been on a D.H. Lawrence kick lately. He’s probably in the public domain by now, and I thought it’d be fun to do a new, American Spanish, updated, modern Spanish translation of his work. I saw the recent French movie Lady Chatterley (2006, directed by a woman, Pascale Ferran), which I loved, then read this 2nd version of the novel (sometimes known as John Thomas and Lady Jane) in which it’s based (this very sloppy British edition is unfortunately marred by typographical errors), apparently less verbose and pontificating than his final 3rd version, which everyone has read. Then I read parts of a Spanish translation I had laying around, and it was ok, but I thought I could do much better. Especially re: the “dialect” of the gamekeeper, which this translator did not touch at all, just stated that those parts were in dialect. Of course, I don’t know HOW one could translate such dialect when the novel takes place in the Midlands, in England, but it would be an interesting challenge. I don’t know how much demand there would be for a new D.H. Lawrence Spanish translation, and which publisher would take it, but I’m in love with his language!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

When my book club selected Lady Chatterley's Lover, I picked up this 2nd draft of the famous novel to read instead. I'd already read LCL twice before and appreciated the chance to get a new angle on it. I immediately became obsessed with the differences between the two and soon I had read both versions at least three times, going back and forth. Now I have a deeper appreciation for LCL and Lawrence's art that I'd never have had without the JTLJ version. We have his widow to thank for letting us see further into his process. JTLJ presents a more tender love affair, a less misanthropic and depressive gamekeeper, and more grinding on the class issue. I missed Mellors' letter to Connie at the end of LCL, but not Connie's earlier affair with the playwright. I wanted so much to put together my favorite aspects of both novels and publish my own draft of the masterpiece, but instead, I will always read both versions whenever I come back to revisit Connie and her gamekeeper in their little hut in the woods.

[LordOfDorkness · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the life of me, I can't understand what moron decided to call this edition "The Second Lady Chatterley's Lover." Did you know that the Lady Chatterley does not have in fact a second lover? Nor was there, at any point in this novel or in the history of humankind, ever actually a second Lady Chatterley? No? Me either.

As far as the book itself, there's heaps of grim English countryside, grim English people, sometimes floppy sometimes erect English penises, and lots of instances of people who cry themselves to sleep whenever they're not able to touch another person's junk.

Overall, not bad. A bit dry at times, though I suspect this may be due to some of the book's fire having been tamped down due to its depictions of sex and sexual exploration coming across as less racy and exciting when viewed through the lens of the modern reader. But you can hardly fault the novel or that, as we're now almost 100 years since its original publishing date.

[Christy Lené · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an alternate version of D.H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover. Having read them within weeks of each other, I like this version slightly better, but they’re both exquisitely written. What a pleasure to finally give this author a look. This was a writer well tuned to the human condition.

My timing in finally reading this was was good.. very good. Netflix also just released a new adaptation of Lady Chatterley’s Lover. It’s one of the only movies I’ve ever watched again in such a short period of time. The characters & story were fresh in my head increasing my enjoyment tenfold. This cinematic version is exceptionally true to the book which is always a good thing. Everything about the adaptation is perfection. It’s truly a masterpiece that represents the book/s well.

This and lady Chatterley’s Lover were my first books by this author. Soon after I started The Rainbow and I’m already smitten. The alter of my appreciation of literature has transferred to D.H. Lawrence. He quickly earned a very comfy spot among my favorite authors.

[GLF (Seeing better than ever!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

After having recently re-read "The First Lady Chatterley" (version #1 of Lady Chatterley's Lover"), I re-read the second version, "John Thomas And Lady Jane". This version brings in much more of the physical side of their relationship (ie the Lady & the gamekeeper), while still exploring the social implications of the two main characters being of different 'social classes' and both being married.

While this is a longer book than the first, this version does not drag on towards the end exploring the futility of their relationship surviving after Parkin has left his employment as the gamekeeper on the estate. Instead it deals with these issues more briefly and leaves the reader with a glimmer of hope for the future of the mix matched lovers.

This version, if published and made readily available, would surely have caused a controversy as the details of the physical side of their relationship would have been far beyond what would have been considered acceptable nearly 100 years go.

However, Lawrence went on to write a third version which was published and became the book best known today - "Lady Chatterley's Lover".

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always thought that Lady Chatterly would be more about sex than about class. But I think what interests me most about this 2nd version of D.H. Lawrence's novel are the conversations (and internal monologues) the characters have about class and the differences between the classes. Even Connie, the female protagonist, though part of the gentry, is critical of the trappings of her own life. (While she seems to have a more elevated view of the lower class people she comes into contact with, she is still dismissive of them as a whole, but if you really break it down I think she's critical of the mines and the destruction of the English countryside and less so the working class people whose only choice is to work in the mines or the steel mills.) That said, the sex scenes are intense and explicit. This is surely the first novel from the 1920s (SPOILER ALERT!) I've read that shares a conversation between two sisters where one tells the other about her lover's penis. ;-0 This version was written in English in 1927 but not published in English until 1972.

[Dorothy Liu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite this book is famous for the so-called profane and sordid scenes, this book is philosophical and physiological and shed light on the interwar Britain.

Similar to old masters arts of nudes that celebrate human beauty, This book is not pornography that is purely commercial. This book pondered on spiritual and physical love and might give insights on a successful marriage.

[Debora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely the best version of the three.

[Amanda mcguire · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5/4 stars?

[Jason Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blah de blah...

[Frederick Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the cleanest books I have ever read. Clean in its prose and clean in its content. A lovely reading experience. What a shame this wonderful novel of Lawrence was used by Grove Press to break the censorship barrier in the early 60's. After the court decision (gee, what do you know) the presses began to roll with a lot of money making literary porn.

i still have strong images after 30 years of the Chatterly estate that I formed reading this. Note that these are NOT images of "John Thomas" or "Lady Jane"!

[Julie Iskander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somewhere in the middle of the book I started to hate the book. I felt Connie was more of a man. I had this feeling that D H Lawrence failed in touching the essence of the female in Connie. But by the end of the book, I loved Connie again. The eternal female, the fire is there and is feared by those who can't appreciate, feared by coward. She can't be touched except by a real man made of fire like her.

I appreciated the class struggle that was drawn in the book and the fading England people were facing.

A nice read

[Raquel · Rating 4 out of 5]

D.H. Lawrence's second version of his most famous/controversial work, Lady Chatterley's Lover, has all the sex but less glamour: the groundskeeper (named Parkin in this version) is not as young and beautiful, the main characters are a bit harder to like, and the social commentary is more biting.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adhor this book i love Oliver Parkin/Leviers I think he is wonderful. But Constance tends to be a bit draining because she over annalyses everything. I would love to know what happened to them after the end of the book.

[Pia]

I wonder if I'll like DH Lawrence as much as Pearl does...

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read Lady Chatterly's Lover, but I read this version and I liked it. My stepfather's first name is John Thomas, and he understandably goes by his middle name, Andrew.

[J.S. Meresmaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sata kertaa parempi kuin Lady Chatterleyn rakastaja!

[Sammalpeura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sata kertaa parempi kuin Lady Chatterleyn rakastaja!

[Ronnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The seemingly impossible to find "real" version of Lady Chatterley's Lover. Veeeery seeeexxxxyyy!

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, romantic, forever to be shared and cherished with others - and better than the final version, Lady Chatterley's Lover. Go out of your way to find this book if you are a D.H. Lawence fan.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Lady Chatterley's Lover, but I must say, this version of the book seems to be more ponderous on the subject of love; which made this read even more enjoyable.

[Klara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hat mir wirklich gut gefallen. Erinnert etwas an Irrungen und Wirrungen von Fontane. Nur mit mehr Sex.