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Frieda

A Novel of the Real Lady Chatterley

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Frieda

By: Annabel Abbs
Narrated by: Leith McPherson
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About this listen

 The moving story of Frieda von Richthofen, wife of D.H. Lawrence - and the real-life inspiration for Lady Chatterley's Lover, a novel banned for more than 30 years

Germany, 1907. Frieda, daughter of aristocrat Baron von Richthofen, has rashly married English professor Ernest Weekley. Visiting her family in Munich, a city alive with new ideas of revolution and free love, and goaded by a toxic sibling rivalry with her sisters, Frieda embarks on a passionate affair that is her sensual and intellectual awakening.

England, 1912. Trapped in her marriage to Ernest, Frieda meets the penniless but ambitious young writer D.H. Lawrence, a man whose creative energy answers her own needs. Their scandalous affair and tempestuous relationship unleashes a creative outpouring that will change the course of literature - and society - forever. But for Frieda, this fulfilment comes at a terrible personal cost.

A stunning novel of emotional intensity, Frieda tells the story of an extraordinary woman - and a notorious love affair that became synonymous with ideas of sexual freedom.

'I loved this novel so very much. Abbs' writing is glorious.'MELISSA ASHLEY, The Birdman's Wife

'Emotionally intense . . . A gripping story' Daily Telegraph Biographical Fiction Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Biography Marriage

Critic Reviews

What an achievement! Abbs' writing is glorious, whether she is describing the flowers and plants of the English countryside or the riotous cafes of the intelligentsia of bohemian Munich... Frieda is an outstanding second novel, as immensely satisfying in its extraordinarily lyrical language, as in its explorations of the consequences of the uncompromising choices made by its all to humanly flawed central characters. Five stars of shimmering brilliance. I loved this novel so very much.
A hugely impressive debut. Annabel Abbs has brought to life an extraordinary cast of characters - Joyce, Beckett et al. - and painted their rackety, bohemian world in vivid technicolour
Here is a powerful portrait of a young woman yearning to be an artist, whose passion for life and rage at being unable to fulfil her talent burns from the pages
Poignant and absorbing ... thoughtful historical fiction that transports you to another time and place
Avant-garde Paris ... bursts onto the page in this gripping fictionalisation of an extraordinary life
This intimate and absolutely splendid novel must top my recommendations as the best 20th-century fiction of the year
poignant... leaves readers with plenty to ponder, as novelists should (Jill Burton)
t's an interesting tale
All stars
Most relevant
I loved this story from the beginning. Annabel Abbs has an amazing skill with detail that brings the characters, scenes and story to life.
Beautifully read by Leith McPherson.

An amazing story

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My very first enquiry into D H Lawrence’s life and literary motivations, I found this stimulated further interest in his biography. A chauvinist or aesthete, one gets a glimpse of both. Frieda and ‘Lorenzo’ were a curious couple but somehow complimented each other in their needs, but Frieda comes over as a powerful muse for a man who may have been a literary genius. My northern English roots drove me through this book but I particularly valued the historical postscripts at the end. The narration was OK. The German accents more authentic.

Any D H Lawrence aficionado might value this story.

Understanding D H Lawrence

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