East Markham Book Club
The Well of Loneliness
by Radclyffe Hall
by Radclyffe Hall
Stephen is an ideal child of aristocratic parents – a fencer, a horse rider and a keen scholar. Stephen grows to be a war hero, a bestselling writer and a loyal, protective lover. But Stephen is a woman, and her lovers are women. As her ambitions drive her, and society confines her, Stephen is forced into desperate actions.
The Well of Loneliness was banned for obscenity when published in 1928. It became an international bestseller, and for decades was the single most famous lesbian novel. It has influenced how love between women is understood, for the twentieth century and beyond.
Next Meeting Sunday 19th May 2024 at 7.30pm
Club Opinion
At May’s meeting the book under discussion was The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall. First published in July 1928, it is considered a pioneering book and was initially released without much fanfare or issue. However, in November of the same year, it was banned after a campaign by James Douglas, the editor of the Sunday Express. It did continue to sell well on the continent and publication in the UK resumed in 1949.
Not everyone could bring themselves to tackle the rather small print, but those of us who did, agreed that once you got past the first 100 pages, it was a worthwhile read. The problems raised by the book are unfortunately still eerily familiar a century later and we all found the story heartbreaking and sad (rather than indecent). The writing was, at times, a bit slow, but the vivid descriptions conjured up interesting characters and surroundings nicely.
Overall, we gave it 4 stars.
