James Tait Black Memorial Prizes
The Lost Girl: A Novel (Modern Library Classics)
Set in the town of Woodhouse, the novel follows the commercial dreamer James Houghton and his daughter Alvina. Within a class-conscious community, Alvina's movement toward the outside world unfolds as a story of desire, love, and the search for freedom.
Work Information
The opening moves from James Houghton's commercial fantasies to the shape of Alvina's life.
The Lost Girl is D. H. Lawrence's 1920 novel, issued here as the 2003 Modern Library paperback and later ebook edition. It follows Alvina, the daughter of a draper, as she moves through theater and Italy toward life beyond family and class constraint.
Review Summaries
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It is presented as a strong D. H. Lawrence novel, valued for its sharp physical detail and intense sensuality.
Book Information
- Publisher
- Random House Publishing Group
- Published
- 2003-10-14
- Pages
- 400 pages
- Language
- 英語
- Size
- 13.2 x 2.2 x 20.2 cm
- ISBN-13
- 9780812969979
- ISBN-10
- 9780812969979
- Price
- 4037 JPY
- Category
- 洋書/Literature & Fiction/Classics
The Lost Girl , D. H. Lawrence’s forgotten novel, is a passionate tale of longing and sexual defiance, of devastation and destitution. Alvina Houghton, the daughter of a widowed Midlands draper, comes of age just as her father’s business is failing. In a desperate attempt to regain his fortune and secure his daughter’s proper upbringing, James Houghton buys a theater. Among the traveling performers he employs is Ciccio, a sensual Italian who immediately captures Alvina’s attention. Fleeing with him to Naples, she leaves her safe world behind and enters one of sexual awakening, desire, and fleeting freedom.
Lee Siegel is a critic and essayist living in New York City, whose writing about literature, art, politics, film, and television has appeared in Harper's , The New Republic , Time , The Atlantic Monthly , and The New Yorker , among other publications. He received the 2002 National Magazine Award for Reviews and Criticism.
Reviews
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I had read D. H. Lawrence's two famous books when I was young and loved his writing. This, not well known work, is a real gem. Just loved every minute of reading.
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I love D.H.Lawrence's style, the way he describes the characters, places, etc.. This is a story about a girl who could not make her mind about her future, with a positive ending. I won't give any more details, but justto mention that I really enjoyed to read it from the beginning to the end.
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Prodotto corrispondente alla descrizione. Molto consigliato
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David Herbert Lawrence is definitely an acquired taste, and one that, until I read this novel, I never thought I'd acquire. However, after seeing a terrific performance of The Daughter-in-law (Oberon Modern Plays) at the Lowry Theatre earlier this year, I was intrigued by the gritty physicality of Lawrence's writing, and decided to give this, one of his lesser-known works, a go - and I was glad I did. The novel is fairly straightforward and develops pretty slowly, as the unquenchable loser James Houghton (pronounced 'Huffton') grasps scheme after harebrained scheme in order to become wealthy and give his only daughter, Alvina, and sickly wife, the life he thinks they were born for. By the time of his death, mid-way through the novel, Alvina has taken centre-stage, and we see her striving to break out of the shadow of her feckless father and find love in a world threatened by war. The blurb talks about Alvina 'leaving her safe world behind her, and finding one of sexual awakening and fleeting freedom', however this makes the story sound more racy than it actually is, and unlike the notorious Lady Chatterley's Lover (Wordsworth Classics) , it's hard now to fathom why the book was initially frowned upon, after its 1920 publication.
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Lawrence's book is a masterpiece. The setting of the period, the people,their lives, is a must to follow. The ending leaves you wanting to know more. A must