A review by violetturtledove
The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

This book is many things; it's touching, slow, brave , depressing, beautiful and an all-encompassing story of the queer experience.

I found it especially slow at first, it starts before the protagonists birth and spends quite a while on her childhood. For all the love of Morton, it's only on leaving it that the story really starts. But it's beautifully written, there were many times I felt a phrase was familiar and I'm not sure if it's been quoted a lot or simply absorbed into the queer literature that has followed it.

Whereas modern books might focus on some aspects of the queer experience, this being a 'first of its kind' packs it all in, and there's a lot of philosophising on aspects such as the demoralising results of being rejected by society, the pressure of being a 'pioneer' trying to change society for others like you, or the dilemma of living in society but denying yourself.

There's a strong theme of the love of nature, and the contrast with those who see the characters as 'unnatural'. 

A lot of what is said probably seems commonplace or obvious today, but it may not even be discussed today if not for books like this.