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mhverney's review against another edition
4.0
Alison MacLeod is a fantastic writer. I read Unexploded a couple of years ago and it blew my mind - it is among my ten best books. I picked up Tenderness with misgivings, since I strongly dislike Lawrence as an author, not out of prudishness but because I strongly object to his views on women. Tenderness is a long read, and at the end of it I find my dislike for Lawrence as an author has now turned into dislike of the man himself, who comes across as ineffectual, unreliable and unpleasant. This being said, I liked the book. It is a testimony to MacLeod’s writing that although I disliked the main character, I still got immersed into the book. It is an ambitious book, bringing Lawrence back to life - and imagining his death - retelling the trial in the 1960s that finally lifted the ban against Lady Chatterley’s Lover in England and throwing in Jackie Kennedy for good measures. I particularly enjoyed the Jackie Kennedy’s story, as well as Lawrence’s time in England during the First World War. The retelling of the trial starts well but is overlong.
roseawall's review against another edition
3.0
I received an ARC of this from Dymocks Australia. A story about D. H. Lawrence and his book and the controversy surrounding it over the years.
lottieroddis's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
this book had flaws: it was long and often arduously descriptive, there were too many characters to keep track of, and i have SOME issue with lawrence. however, the emotion, the beauty, and the sheer devotion on every page was enough to make me adore tenderness. macleod’s writing is exceptional (also, i am dina)
dykenerd's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
alisonjfields's review against another edition
4.0
Very well done historical novel. And i love a literary trial.
cmn69's review against another edition
Oh god, I really tried with this one. I really tried! Maybe I’m renewing my big book fear or maybe this is symptomatic of a shrinking attention span but I didnt really like any of the characters enough to continue to pursue this one. The third person, flitting perspective made the narritive feel impersonal and a medly of strange names and nicknames I couldnt keep up with overwhelmed my focus - often had to reread several pages to gather my bearings again. I quite enjoyed the later scenes, the courtroom and Jackie Kennedy I found delicious. But who cares! who cares about who Lawrence stayed with before the war or how he taught Mary to write. The call from the school library to return this one felt like a prompt to admit defeat. Really got me in a slump even some shitty little romantic fluff couldnt drag me out of. Oh well, onwards and upwards I suppose.
reachant's review against another edition
5.0
At almost 600 pages this is a big read, but absolutely, positively, worth it. It was so well written with threads of the story being brought together to take the reader on a journey of Lawrence’s last novel, Lady Chatterley’s lover. I only read LCL a few years ago, but I am tempted to go back and read it again now with the insight I have now into the novel, and its introduction into society 30 years after it was written and banned as a beautiful work of literature rather than as an obscenity. I fully and heartily recommend this beautiful book.