I already love everything I’ve read by Lawrence. I expected Love Among the Haystacks to be a love story with a lot of inner thoughts from the characters, and it’s pretty much exactly that. That’s what I love about Lawrence—and I’m a romantic at heart.
The way he described the atmosphere was interesting. Usually, writers just describe the scenery—the landscapes, the trees, the buildings, and so on—but in this one, the atmosphere is described through the actions of the people. You can feel that it’s a farm where people are working hard, and there’s still a lot to be done. The story is full of life and energy, which is perfect for a story about young love.
The characters are young men, and they feel like young men. They’re very realistic. I’m a woman, so of course I can’t say for sure what it’s like to be a young man, but I think Lawrence did a great job showing it through the characters. Their frustration, of course—but also the way they see each other and the women. The way they were so ready to fall in love. Their insecurities. It’s beautifully written.
We don’t get to hear the women’s inner dialogue as much as we do in Lady Chatterley’s Lover or Women in Love, but that’s not a bad thing. This story isn’t about the women. Still, the way they’re written is great—they feel very realistic. They’re women with feelings, with their own stories the men don’t fully know, with struggles, tempers, and failings. They’re not just damsels. And they’re not “proper” women like in books written around the same time. They’re common women with common problems many women of the time would’ve had. And the men fall in love with them anyway. I love that part. The moment they fall in love really does feel like young, poppy love.
I’m not sure what Lawrence was trying to say at the time, but it’s probably something about class—and it would’ve been progressive. They’re having relations out of wedlock; one of the girls is foreign, and the other is married and planning to elope. These things weren’t acceptable in England at the time. Which is weird—Thai society is much more relaxed when it comes to love and marriage.
I always love Lawrence’s writing. It’s so emotional—I could feel everything his characters felt. The scene where one of the brothers is trying to warm the girl up, asking about her life, listening to her, consoling her, and falling in love with her at the same time—that was beautiful. I almost cried reading it. It’s so romantic. It’s raining outside. And you’re looking into someone’s eyes, talking about the deepest things. That is how you fall in love.
This book really reminded me of young love and how I’ve fallen in love before. When you’re young, there’s so much going on in your life—work, the season changing, not being sure who you are or where you belong in the world. But then once in a while, you meet someone. And you get a little moment in time that can never be repeated, but it’s like the universe puts you there together. You talk, you bond in the deepest way—and the next thing you know, you’re in love.
This book is perfect for someone as romantic as me, of course—and also for anyone conservative who thinks people in the past were so proper and prudish. Nope—people will always find love. You can’t tell people who or how they’re supposed to love. If the Victorians couldn’t stop young people from doing it in the haystacks, no one can. Haha.