The White Peacock is a novel by D. H. Lawrence published in 1911. Lawrence started the novel in 1906 and then rewrote it three times. The early versions had the working title of Laetitia.

Lawrence's first novel is set in the Eastwood area of his youth and is narrated in the first person by a character named Cyril Beardsall. It involves themes such as the damage associated with mismatched marriages, and the border country between town and country. A misanthropic gamekeeper makes an appearance, in some ways the prototype of Mellors in Lawrence's last novel, Lady Chatterley's Lover. The book includes some notable description of nature and the impact of industrialisation on the countryside and the town. Its provincialism may be compared with the novels of George Eliot and Thomas Hardy. (wikipedia.org)



Review by Barbara Unkovic:

I thoroughly enjoyed The White Peacock. I am probably biased as I am DH Lawrence's cousin. My mother is a Beardsall. I found the book to be very descriptive and it was easy to visualise the settings and the characters. It is much softer than his later work and a great introduction to his writing. I highly recommend it, especially for first time readers of this author.