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Daughters of the Vicar
A bleak, unrelenting tale of poverty and loss, Lawrence’s expertly crafted novella chillingly examines man’s increasing inability to love and be loved.
Looking for acceptance from his new congregation, the Reverend Ernest Lindley cannot ignore the fact that his parishioners are far from welcoming. Rather than confront such hostility, the Lindleys instead become ever more isolated: he “pale and miserable and neutral”; she “bitter and beaten by fear.” And having raised their children to be similarly dispassionate, it seems inevitable that their daughters should enter loveless marriages. While Mary becomes the dutiful wife, younger sister Louisa vows to experience love for herself—little knowing that such desires will divide an already broken family.
Most famous for Lady Chatterley’s Lover, D.H. Lawrence is universally regarded as one of the foremost figures of early 20th century literature.
Dramatised by Jane Beeson.
Director: Peter Leslie Wild.
Louisa....................Rachel Atkins
Mary......................Cathy Sara
Mrs Lindley..........Gillian Goodman
Mr Lindley............David Timson
Mr Massey...........Robert Pickavance
Alfred Durant......Peter Meakin
Mrs Durant..........Ann Rye
Miner.....................Sean Connolly
Looking for acceptance from his new congregation, the Reverend Ernest Lindley cannot ignore the fact that his parishioners are far from welcoming. Rather than confront such hostility, the Lindleys instead become ever more isolated: he “pale and miserable and neutral”; she “bitter and beaten by fear.” And having raised their children to be similarly dispassionate, it seems inevitable that their daughters should enter loveless marriages. While Mary becomes the dutiful wife, younger sister Louisa vows to experience love for herself—little knowing that such desires will divide an already broken family.
Most famous for Lady Chatterley’s Lover, D.H. Lawrence is universally regarded as one of the foremost figures of early 20th century literature.
Dramatised by Jane Beeson.
Director: Peter Leslie Wild.
Louisa....................Rachel Atkins
Mary......................Cathy Sara
Mrs Lindley..........Gillian Goodman
Mr Lindley............David Timson
Mr Massey...........Robert Pickavance
Alfred Durant......Peter Meakin
Mrs Durant..........Ann Rye
Miner.....................Sean Connolly
MP3 CD
Published February 4, 2000
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About the author
D.H. Lawrence
2,083 books4,189 followersDavid 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...
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...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
February 18, 2022
Read for uni
Someone in my seminar group referred to this as 'edgy Pride and Prejudice' and that just about sums it up
Someone in my seminar group referred to this as 'edgy Pride and Prejudice' and that just about sums it up
June 16, 2013
From BBC Radio 4:
4 Extra Debut. Impoverished sisters Louisa and Mary struggle to choose lives governed either by emotion or intellect. Stars Rachel Atkins and Cathy Sara.
4 Extra Debut. Impoverished sisters Louisa and Mary struggle to choose lives governed either by emotion or intellect. Stars Rachel Atkins and Cathy Sara.
November 26, 2015
More sexually charged longings of young women for manly miner types...
November 22, 2020
A vicar and his family moves to a town full of miners who aren't exactly happy to receive him. The vicar, Mr. Lindley, is not easily discouraged and strives to win their affection whilst also boosting his prestige. He seeks profitable marriages for his daughters, Louisa and Mary, be it in funds or in stature. This has dire consequences for both sisters.
This is honestly such a tragic story. I realise the ending is made to look slightly relieving, as Louisa is technically able to escape from an unhappy life that her sister has fallen into. But Mr. Lindley's response to Albert's request for Louisa's hand is just absurd. I was almost questioning whether the man has any heart at all, sending his daughter off as easy as that, all to prevent her associating with Albert to tarnish his reputation. He is no better than the people in his congregation whom he harshly judges for their cold behaviour towards him and his family.
This is honestly such a tragic story. I realise the ending is made to look slightly relieving, as Louisa is technically able to escape from an unhappy life that her sister has fallen into. But Mr. Lindley's response to Albert's request for Louisa's hand is just absurd. I was almost questioning whether the man has any heart at all, sending his daughter off as easy as that, all to prevent her associating with Albert to tarnish his reputation. He is no better than the people in his congregation whom he harshly judges for their cold behaviour towards him and his family.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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December 12, 2019[read for university]
January 10, 2022
•Read for University•
•••
I wish this book wouldn’t have been the first book that I finish reading this year but I needed to read it for University. To tell the truth, I needed to read “Daughters of the vicar” already last year but am very behind in all my reading for this specific course. My exam is in a few weeks so time to grind all the missed reading in the next couple of days.
•••
Now onto the review.
There is not really anything I can say about this book.
Would I have read this book if it wasn’t a requirement for one of my courses? No, never.
Even though the book in itself is very short, the pace of the book, for me anyway, dragged on and on. There wasn’t anything very noticeable, very acknowledgeable in this story and left me very disappointed when finishing the book. I finished it in 2 hours, yet honestly felt like the longest 2 hours of my life.
One thing I would like to talk about is D.H. Lawrence writing style. I did quiet enjoy how mundane, or for a lack of a better word, easy his choice of words were. What I have problems usually with older works is, I can’t quiet always catch the essence of a work, solely by the fact that I don’t understand the choice of words or the historical context the book is from. “Daughters of the vicar”, however, uses very mundane language, that we, today, still use, and that has made the understanding of the book easier for me.
•••
Would I recommend “Daughters of the vicar”?
Honestly, it’s up to your preference. I rarely read classics and/or older books, so for me I wouldn’t recommend it.
But if you do like classics and/or older books, or have read a few books from D.H. Lawrence before, and have liked his writing style, or are just looking for a quick read, then I would recommend this book.
•••
•••
I wish this book wouldn’t have been the first book that I finish reading this year but I needed to read it for University. To tell the truth, I needed to read “Daughters of the vicar” already last year but am very behind in all my reading for this specific course. My exam is in a few weeks so time to grind all the missed reading in the next couple of days.
•••
Now onto the review.
There is not really anything I can say about this book.
Would I have read this book if it wasn’t a requirement for one of my courses? No, never.
Even though the book in itself is very short, the pace of the book, for me anyway, dragged on and on. There wasn’t anything very noticeable, very acknowledgeable in this story and left me very disappointed when finishing the book. I finished it in 2 hours, yet honestly felt like the longest 2 hours of my life.
One thing I would like to talk about is D.H. Lawrence writing style. I did quiet enjoy how mundane, or for a lack of a better word, easy his choice of words were. What I have problems usually with older works is, I can’t quiet always catch the essence of a work, solely by the fact that I don’t understand the choice of words or the historical context the book is from. “Daughters of the vicar”, however, uses very mundane language, that we, today, still use, and that has made the understanding of the book easier for me.
•••
Would I recommend “Daughters of the vicar”?
Honestly, it’s up to your preference. I rarely read classics and/or older books, so for me I wouldn’t recommend it.
But if you do like classics and/or older books, or have read a few books from D.H. Lawrence before, and have liked his writing style, or are just looking for a quick read, then I would recommend this book.
•••
April 1, 2015
8.0
A wonderfully circumlocutory exposition on love, marriage and honor in the early 20th century. Daughters of the Vicar describes the marriages of two sisters - Mary and Louise, and how one was out of duty, and the other, of love. Lawrence doesn't opine the more moral marriage, rather details them using scrutinous language. Certainly, few authors would describe the passionate gaze as "torturous". Not essential reading by any means, but a worthwhile one.
A wonderfully circumlocutory exposition on love, marriage and honor in the early 20th century. Daughters of the Vicar describes the marriages of two sisters - Mary and Louise, and how one was out of duty, and the other, of love. Lawrence doesn't opine the more moral marriage, rather details them using scrutinous language. Certainly, few authors would describe the passionate gaze as "torturous". Not essential reading by any means, but a worthwhile one.
January 1, 2014
This short story reminded me of why I used to love Lawrence so much as a teenager. It has all the angst and repression that teenagers feel in a simple tale comparing the marital choices of two sisters, which is probably no different now than from the 1910s and 1920s. As an adult the prose seems more difficult to feel but is has sharpened my appetite for revisiting more of Lawrence's work.
May 20, 2011
Another Lawrence Classic - easy read, excellent.
Read
January 3, 2016Classic Lawrence. Gentry vs working man. Intelligence vs. ignorance. Reason vs. passion. Love vs. hate, and so it goes.
July 11, 2020
I love Louisa so much for getting rid of the coldness of the story. You’ve just reached your point of losing faith in love and marriage all together, and then she comes along and decides all she wants is actual love, not a marriage for duty.
The story was great though, I enjoyed it so much. My prospective professor at university sent me a list to do some reading in advance, and this story was in that list.
The story was great though, I enjoyed it so much. My prospective professor at university sent me a list to do some reading in advance, and this story was in that list.
September 3, 2021
Set in the early years of the 20th century, this earlier novella by one of my favourite classic authors, examines life and love in provincial England at a time when rural life was pitted against collier life. Reverent Lindley and his family live an isolated life within their community and as their daughters Mary and Louisa come of age, the women choose different paths in regards to love and marriage.
January 5, 2018
A very decent novella about two daughters, one of whom makes a convenient marriage without passion and the other marries beneath her station but with passion. Lawrence seems to favor the latter, though there is some ambiguity. He will revisit this theme in more compelling books.
July 10, 2024
A pretty brutally poignant story about the limitations of women’s choices in marriage in early 20th century England--you can choose a comfortable life with a man you don’t love (in this case, the new vicar), or a life of poverty with a man you do.
November 11, 2018
Ok that was just plain boring
December 30, 2019
Very good.
January 3, 2020
Listen to audio version (probably abridged). Nothing special, book probably better.
August 4, 2020
About man’s increasing inability to love and be loved.
December 30, 2021
The theme of the novella is passionate love or a desire for a agreeable life with comfort and status. But life is not so simple as Lawrence himself knew.
January 26, 2022
3.5 stars
March 6, 2022
I love the character of Louisa in this. “I must have love!”
September 28, 2023
Read 1914 edition
December 9, 2021
This story was alright. I don't think I really got it though. I'm not sure what it means. That will probably change after I've discussed it in my seminar class though
January 20, 2019
1ST READ
I liked the language used, it captured teenagers ways of thinking well. But, I found it funny in many instances, which is not really what it was written for, I think. Mixed feelings. 3 stars
2ND READ
I liked it better the second time around. Now that I did not have to pay as much attention to the story, I could look at the symbolism and word use more closely. Things start to make more sense and it is easier to see the connections between characters, the situations they are in, and the behaviour they show. 4 stars
I liked the language used, it captured teenagers ways of thinking well. But, I found it funny in many instances, which is not really what it was written for, I think. Mixed feelings. 3 stars
2ND READ
I liked it better the second time around. Now that I did not have to pay as much attention to the story, I could look at the symbolism and word use more closely. Things start to make more sense and it is easier to see the connections between characters, the situations they are in, and the behaviour they show. 4 stars
December 23, 2015
A quick read, for when you are traveling or sitting to sip your drink. You can obviously see the difference of the emotional dynamic between the women and the men in this novel. While the women are portrayed to be more emotionally experienced, the men are almost indifferent unless given a push. Louisa, the younger daughter, having to witness how unhappy her parents and her sister with their lifeless marriage, she is determined to marry out of love; little does she know how cold and indifferent the person she is in love with would turns out to be. She is hurt. But that doesn't matter, does it? Because she is going to demand her position and assert the affection she needs. Sometimes there are those whom we like more than they care to like us in return. And unless you lay out your affection boldly in front of them, confronting their fears, you won't get anything from them. In doing so, you are preserving your self respect but also giving them a chance to decide.
November 3, 2015
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0075s4xDescription: Louisa and Mary, daughters of the impoverished vicar of Aldecross, see only marriage as a means of escape from their routine lives. The arrival of a new young curate fills them with anticipation, but will his intellectual qualities match up to the more physical attractions of Alfred Durant, the son of a local miner? Lawrence's novella, written at around the same time as Sons and Lovers, is a classic tale of the struggle between emotion and intellect.
Stars Rachel Atkins as Louisa, Cathy Sara as Mary, Gillian Goodman as Mrs Lindley, David Timson as Mr Lindley and Robert Pickavance as Mr Massey.
January 20, 2013
This was a good book but not brilliant. The descriptions were evocative but some of the characters were quite unpleasant and the end was a bit vague so that I didn't really understand what happened at all.
June 28, 2007
This early Lawrence reads like an unfinished sketch of many of his later works. The themes are there, just not quite fleshed out on the characters.
March 19, 2011
Victorian literotica!
September 22, 2011
I think I dislike D.H. Lawrence. I read this with Lexy for a class. Depressing.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews