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Quick answer: If you read Lady Chatterley's Lover, read D. H. Lawrence's Sons and Lovers and Women in Love, then Madame Bovary, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and The Awakening. All are classic novels that challenge social rules about class, marriage and desire.
D. H. Lawrence's 1928 novel tells of Constance Chatterley, trapped in a loveless marriage to an injured aristocrat, who has an affair with the gamekeeper Oliver Mellors. It was banned for decades for its frank language and sexual content, and its 1960 UK trial became a landmark. Please note that it contains adult content. The books below offer similar classics about passion, class and social change.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sons and Lovers | D. H. Lawrence | Adult | more Lawrence |
| Women in Love | D. H. Lawrence | Adult | relationships and ideas |
| The Rainbow | D. H. Lawrence | Adult | three generations |
| Madame Bovary | Gustave Flaubert | Adult | romantic disillusion |
| Anna Karenina | Leo Tolstoy | Adult | passion and society |
| Jane Eyre | Charlotte Bronte | Adult | gothic romance |
| Wuthering Heights | Emily Bronte | Adult | wild love |
| Tess of the d'Urbervilles | Thomas Hardy | Adult | tragic heroine |
| The Awakening | Kate Chopin | Adult | female independence |
| The Well of Loneliness | Radclyffe Hall | Adult | lesbian classic |
| A Room with a View | E. M. Forster | Adult | comedy of manners |
| Maurice | E. M. Forster | Adult | love and class |
| Howards End | E. M. Forster | Adult | class and inheritance |
| The Picture of Dorian Gray | Oscar Wilde | Adult | gothic classic |
| The Age of Innocence | Edith Wharton | Adult | society and desire |
1. Sons and Lovers by D. H. Lawrence
A young man torn between his mother and lovers in a mining town. Rich and personal.
Best for: more Lawrence.
2. Women in Love by D. H. Lawrence
Two sisters and their lovers explore ideas about love and society. Long and intense.
Best for: relationships and ideas.
3. The Rainbow by D. H. Lawrence
A family in the English Midlands over three generations. Lyrical and bold.
Best for: three generations.
4. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
A doctor's wife seeks romance and falls into debt. Precise and unforgiving.
Best for: romantic disillusion.
5. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
A married woman's love affair challenges Russian society. Long, wise and moving.
Best for: passion and society.
6. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
An orphan becomes a governess and meets the secretive Mr. Rochester. Passionate and dramatic.
Best for: gothic romance.
7. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Heathcliff and Catherine's destructive bond on the Yorkshire moors. Dark and stormy.
Best for: wild love.
8. Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
A poor girl is wronged by society and men. Powerful and sad.
Best for: tragic heroine.
9. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
A wife in Louisiana wants to live for herself. Short and scandalous in its day.
Best for: female independence.
10. The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall
A woman struggles to live truthfully in 1920s Britain. A landmark of queer literature.
Best for: lesbian classic.
11. A Room with a View by E. M. Forster
A young woman must choose between convention and passion in Italy and England. Light and moving.
Best for: comedy of manners.
12. Maurice by E. M. Forster
A man faces his sexuality in Edwardian England. Written in 1913-14, published in 1971.
Best for: love and class.
13. Howards End by E. M. Forster
Two families clash over a house. Thoughtful and sharp.
Best for: class and inheritance.
14. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
A man stays young while his portrait ages. Witty, dark and short.
Best for: gothic classic.
15. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
A man in 1870s New York is torn between duty and passion. Sharp and bittersweet.
Best for: society and desire.
How to Choose
For more Lawrence begin with Sons and Lovers. For passion and tragedy choose Madame Bovary, Anna Karenina or Tess of the d'Urbervilles. For gothic romance pick Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights. For women's independence read The Awakening. For queer classics try The Well of Loneliness or Maurice. Many of these books were once shocking, so reading them with context helps. The 1960 trial of Penguin Books for publishing the uncensored novel in Britain is one of the most famous obscenity cases in publishing, and the jury's verdict allowed the book to be sold freely. Reading Lady Chatterley's Lover in its time helps: look for editions with an introduction that explains the 1960 trial and the censorship battles. If you want similar classic fiction without the controversy, Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights are less explicit. Audiobooks are available, and many readers say the lyrical passages about nature stand out.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Lady Chatterley's Lover about?
A married woman begins an affair with her husband's gamekeeper.
Who wrote it?
D. H. Lawrence.
When was it published?
Privately in 1928, and in Britain in 1960.
Why was it banned?
For its sexual content and frank language, and for its challenge to class barriers.
Is it explicit?
It contains sex scenes and strong language by the standards of its day.
Is it a long book?
About 300 pages.
Is it still controversial?
Less so, but it remains a landmark in the history of censorship.
What should I read next?
Try Sons and Lovers.
Was Lady Chatterley's Lover published in several versions?
Yes. Lawrence wrote three versions, and the third is the one usually read.
Is it a love story or a social critique?
It is both, and the class theme is as important as the romance.