The Virgin and the Gipsy (Penguin Great Loves) [Paperback]

The rector had a tragedy in his marriage. The woman whose virginal beauty and nature he had loved became frustrated with him, and left him for another man while he cares for their two young daughters. Despite his loss of "she who was Cynthia," the rector still loves that memory. His younger daughter, Yvette, grows up to be a lot like her mother. That makes life tough for her, because her Grandmother and maiden Aunt rule the roost, and despise anything that or anyone who reminds them of "she who was Cynthia." Despite the encouragement of her more conventional older sister, Yvette is at sixes and sevens. She cannot stand her home, her family, or the young men who woo her. She feels totally bored and frustrated.

In the midst of her crisis after school ends, she notices a gypsy who seems to command and excite her at the same time. He is the only person who has ever positively moved her, and she doesn't know what to make of it. But her lack of focus keeps her from doing much about it. So the idea of running off with a married father of five children who lives in a caravan doesn't exactly thrill her.

The tension builds in the household as her rector father discovers she has made friends with "unsuitable" people (a couple living together prior to marriage, following the woman's divorce). Yvette cuts off her connection with them.

Probably nothing would have happened, but the gypsy returns one more time . . . and the unexpected happens. Vague thoughts must become bold action, or danger awaits!

The book's ending has many of the qualities of "The Lady or the Tiger" and you will be left to fill in the blanks of what happens next in your own mind.

The book left me feeling a little uncomfortable. The class distinctions, the hatred, the unpleasantness to one another, and the purposeless lives irritated me. I wasn't sure where Lawrence agreed with these views and where he did not. He seems to be coming down on the side of those who are "disreputable" but he is hard on them for having inappropriate qualities as well. It's almost as though Lawrence didn't like any of his characters, except perhaps the gypsy. Certainly, it is rewarding to read about complex characters who are flawed.

The book's main weakness is that the metaphors weigh a bit too heavily on the story. A little more subtlety would have made the story more appealing. For much of the book, I thought the structure stuck out too much. There is little action for most of the story, yet the character development is limited except for Yvette and her father.

Those who are used to modern novels will find all of the hinting around about sexual attraction to be a little strange. I thought that it was sort of charming in the context of a society that liked to pretend that such emotions only occurred on a limited basis within marriage.

After you enjoy the story (be sure to stick with it to the end!), I suggest that you think about where we deny emotions and attitudes that people have every day. What honesty and spontaneity are lost thereby?

Enjoy your honest emotions as well as your honest thoughts! Be kind to all you meet!

The rector had a tragedy in his marriage. The woman whose virginal beauty and nature he had loved became frustrated with him, and left him with two young daughters for another man. Despite his loss of "she who was Cynthia," the rector still loves that memory. His younger daughter, Yvette, grows up to be a lot like her mother. That makes life tough for her, because her Grandmother and maiden Aunt rule the roost, and despise anything that or anyone who reminds them of "she who was Cynthia." Despite the encouragement of her more conventional older sister, Yvette is at sixes and sevens. She cannot stand her home, her family, or the young men who woo her. She feels totally bored and frustrated.

In the midst of her crisis after school ends, she notices a gypsy who seems to command and excite her at the same time. He is the only person who has ever positively moved her, and she doesn't know what to make of it. But her lack of focus keeps her from doing much about it. "She was born inside the pale. And she liked comfort, and a certain prestige." So the idea of running off with a married father of five children who lives in a caravan doesn't exactly thrill her.

The tension builds in the household as her rector father discovers she has made friends with "unsuitable" people (a couple living together prior to marriage, following the woman's divorce). Yvette cuts off her connection with them.

Probably nothing would have happened, but the gypsy returns one more time . . . and the unexpected happens. Vague thoughts must become bold action, or danger awaits!

The book's ending has many of the qualities of "The Lady or the Tiger" and you will be left to fill in the blanks of what happens next in your own mind.

The book left me feeling a little uncomfortable. The class distinctions, the hatred, the unpleasantness to one another, and the purposeless lives irritated me. I wasn't sure where Lawrence agreed with these views and where he did not. He seems to be coming down on the side of those who are "disreputable" but he is hard on them for having inappropriate qualities as well. It's almost as though Lawrence didn't like any of his characters, except perhaps the gypsy. Certainly, it is rewarding to read about complex characters who are flawed.

The book's main weakness is that the metaphors weigh a bit too heavily on the story. A little more subtlety would have made the story more appealing. For much of the book, I thought the structure stuck out too much. There is little action for most of the story, yet the character development is limited except for Yvette and her father.

Those who are used to modern novels will find all of the hinting around about sexual attraction to be a little strange. I thought that it was sort of charming in the context of a society that liked to pretend that such emotions only occurred on a limited basis within marriage.

After you enjoy the story (be sure to stick with it to the end!), I suggest that you think about where we deny emotions and attitudes that people have every day. What honesty and spontaneity are lost thereby?

Enjoy your honest emotions as well as your honest thoughts! Be kind to all you meet!

The rector had a tragedy in his marriage. The woman whose virginal beauty and nature he had loved became frustrated with him, and left him with two young daughters for another man. Despite his loss of "she who was Cynthia," the rector still loves that memory. His younger daughter, Yvette, grows up to be a lot like her mother. That makes life tough for her, because her Grandmother and maiden Aunt rule the roost, and despise anything that or anyone who reminds them of "she who was Cynthia." Despite the encouragement of her more conventional older sister, Yvette is at sixes and sevens. She cannot stand her home, her family, or the young men who woo her. She feels totally bored and frustrated.

In the midst of her crisis after school ends, she notices a gypsy who seems to command and excite her at the same time. He is the only person who has ever positively moved her, and she doesn't know what to make of it. But her lack of focus keeps her from doing much about it. "She was born inside the pale. And she liked comfort, and a certain prestige." So the idea of running off with a married father of five children who lives in a caravan doesn't exactly thrill her.

The tension builds in the household as her rector father discovers she has made friends with "unsuitable" people (a couple living together prior to marriage, following the woman's divorce). Yvette cuts off her connection with them.

Probably nothing would have happened, but the gypsy returns one more time . . . and the unexpected happens. Vague thoughts must become bold action, or danger awaits!

The book's ending has many of the qualities of "The Lady or the Tiger" and you will be left to fill in the blanks of what happens next in your own mind.

The book left me feeling a little uncomfortable. The class distinctions, the hatred, the unpleasantness to one another, and the purposeless lives irritated me. I wasn't sure where Lawrence agreed with these views and where he did not. He seems to be coming down on the side of those who are "disreputable" but he is hard on them for having inappropriate qualities as well. It's almost as though Lawrence didn't like any of his characters, except perhaps the gypsy. Certainly, it is rewarding to read about complex characters who are flawed.

The book's main weakness is that the metaphors weigh a bit too heavily on the story. A little more subtlety would have made the story more appealing. For much of the book, I thought the structure stuck out too much. There is little action for most of the story, yet the character development is limited except for Yvette and her father.

Those who are used to modern novels will find all of the hinting around about sexual attraction to be a little strange. I thought that it was sort of charming in the context of a society that liked to pretend that such emotions only occurred on a limited basis within marriage.

After you enjoy the story (be sure to stick with it to the end!), I suggest that you think about where we deny emotions and attitudes that people have every day. What honesty and spontaneity are lost thereby?

Enjoy your honest emotions as well as your honest thoughts! Be kind to all you meet!