The Lost Girl

By: D. H. Lawrence

Narrated by: Johanna Ward

Length: 15 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

Under-appreciated until now, The Lost Girl is perhaps D.H. Lawrence's most beautiful, thoroughly contemporary, love story. This captivating novel charts the journey of a woman caught between two worlds and two lives, one mired in dreary, industrial England and a life of convention, the other set in the vibrant Italian landscape holding the promise of sensual liberation. Alvina Houghton is fading into spinsterhood when she meets Naples-born Cicio, a vaudeville dancer who draws her into a dance of seduction, reawakening her desire as she defies her stifling upper-class life.

(P)2002 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Part of the magic of audiobooks is that they allow one to enjoy works that might be difficult to digest in print form. So it is with Lawrence's tale of a young woman's quest to find herself; it might seem endless in print, but narrator Johanna Ward makes the journey pleasant." (AudioFile)

Wanted to like it...

I am happy I only spent 5 dollars in the sale, and not a whole credit. I looked forward to a nice long literary story.... I just hung in there because I was able to listen during slow time at work. The narrator elongates her syllables in a way that I don't enjoy at all, and the story barely held my interest...and the suddenness of the ending would have infuriated me if I had been one bit emotionally involved in the tale.

Love story in the shadow of World War I

A good book from a great writer. The book is quite slow at the start and reflects rewriting a story in 1920 that was begun about 1914. Told entirely from the viewpoint of a woman. Intense feelings after the woman falls in love with a traveling stage actor, just as cinema is replacing live vaudeville shows. Not as enjoyable as Sons and Lovers or Women in Love. Excellent narrator.

slow

I found this to be over wordy and not something that would keep me alert on my commute to work.

post modern feminist drama

Lawrence builds and sensitizes Elvira's character beyond the frame of her times. a good journey.

Great performance

This isn't my favorite Lawrence novel, but this reader is absolutely the best I have encountered in an audiobook. She is a rare find: a reader who really understands what is and what is not important in a novel, and who is conscious at every moment of what the prose -- and especially the dialogue -- means.

So glad I "read" this!

It's unlikely I would have purchased and read this book, but the audible version of this early 20th Century novel made it easy/accessible. I was engaged with the story and impressed with Lawrence's telling of this simple, yet deeply woven, tale. As an contemporary American woman, I experienced the stifling atmosphere The Lost Girl lived in is a reminder of how many women have lived (and some do today), and could better appreciate her desire to break from it, and the courage needed to do so. The prejudices and racism of the day are also reminders of how far we have come (or not).

Really is lost...

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

I don't think anything could improve this book.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Johanna Ward?

Narrator was good at portraying the character.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Boredom, frustration, annoyance

Any additional comments?

Was disappointed by this story... It was just super dull and took forever for anything to develop! The main character really is lost, takes forever to decide anything and makes you want to slap her.. The narrator's voice makes her whiny and even more annoying. Wouldn't recommend unless you have a lot of time to be bored.