The Rainbow

By: D. H. Lawrence

Narrated by: Maureen O'Brien

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)

Family history

Three generations of a family are examined, showing the changing roles of women and the changing society from approximately 1840 to 1905.

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

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.

Wonderful!

D. H. Lawrence is brilliant! What a wonderful writer! He describes complex people who live in the 1920s and their thoughts and families. These families are not Aristocrats or titled. These people are just people with thoughts and intelligence who journey through their lives experiencing what joy children are or the bliss of consummation. It is a delightful novel to connect with these feelings and thoughts.

Maureen O’Brien is the best narrator, I wished she narrated Part 2, Women in Love.

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