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sintija123 's review for:
The Well of Loneliness
by Radclyffe Hall
Many reviews have been written about The Well of Loneliness by both - those who hated it and those who consider it a masterpiece. I found some of the criticisms about this book absolutely out of place, considering it was written nearly 100 years ago.
The writing of this book felt dull in some places but really beautiful in others. My main problem with it was the length and the pacing. Had it been twice the length, the well-done fragments would've stood out more and captured the message the author desperately tried to convey. Hall wrote this book trying to give voice to a marginalized group (homosexual women) and to portray herself and others like herself in a humane way thus trying to start a discourse about the unfair judgment of homosexuality. A reader can't help but notice how important this was to Hall since she makes it abundantly clear repeating numerous times how lonely and alienated Stephen feels only to make sure that readers really understand that. That being said, neither the length of the book nor the way it's written would have changed the fact that it was destined to be banned. I just wish it had been shorter so reading it wouldn't feel like going around in circles.
Despite being quite a hard read, I value the nerve Hall had for trying to publish this work. Though scandalous at the time, it is now one of the sapphic literature's pillars and I'm glad having finally read it.
P.S. (I have to point this one out) - People who write reviews emphasizing the thought of Stephen being transgender are missing the point of the book (I'm sorry but that's true). Of course, the gender perception at the time this book is set was very different from the present day. Naturally, Stephen would express her feelings of not fitting in with other women, which further accentuates the prevailing societal norms and stereotypical roles of men and women. Stephen, who has been brought up in a conventionally masculine way and is rich, educated and attracted to women, would indeed find it easier to actually be a man. Yet this thought stems not from her own feelings but from the outer pressure - society that inflicts the gender norms onto her and she has trouble abiding by them. Gender is one of the themes in this book that doesn't get enough attention in the reviews yet it adds more depth to this book.
The writing of this book felt dull in some places but really beautiful in others. My main problem with it was the length and the pacing. Had it been twice the length, the well-done fragments would've stood out more and captured the message the author desperately tried to convey. Hall wrote this book trying to give voice to a marginalized group (homosexual women) and to portray herself and others like herself in a humane way thus trying to start a discourse about the unfair judgment of homosexuality. A reader can't help but notice how important this was to Hall since she makes it abundantly clear repeating numerous times how lonely and alienated Stephen feels only to make sure that readers really understand that. That being said, neither the length of the book nor the way it's written would have changed the fact that it was destined to be banned. I just wish it had been shorter so reading it wouldn't feel like going around in circles.
Despite being quite a hard read, I value the nerve Hall had for trying to publish this work. Though scandalous at the time, it is now one of the sapphic literature's pillars and I'm glad having finally read it.
P.S. (I have to point this one out) - People who write reviews emphasizing the thought of Stephen being transgender are missing the point of the book (I'm sorry but that's true). Of course, the gender perception at the time this book is set was very different from the present day. Naturally, Stephen would express her feelings of not fitting in with other women, which further accentuates the prevailing societal norms and stereotypical roles of men and women. Stephen, who has been brought up in a conventionally masculine way and is rich, educated and attracted to women, would indeed find it easier to actually be a man. Yet this thought stems not from her own feelings but from the outer pressure - society that inflicts the gender norms onto her and she has trouble abiding by them. Gender is one of the themes in this book that doesn't get enough attention in the reviews yet it adds more depth to this book.