A classical masterpiece - Rated 
I was late coming to this novel. I have heard of the film but never seen it and foolishly thought the book would be some OTT Mills and Boon-type love story. In fact it is a gripping page turner, at times so witty I laughed out loud and at others so dramatic I couldn't put it down. Fowles has such a deep understanding of what it takes to be a novelist that he can subvert the usual roles of character and reader and allows us to join forces with the narrator as we watch the drama unfold. A hugely passsionate and brilliantly well-written novel. I know I can't now see the film as it would never measure up.
Still fresh and intriguing - Rated
As fresh and intriguing as on my first reading of this book many years ago. The Victorian age is brilliantly portrayed from the genteel pretensions of Lyme to the rough and tumble of the seedier parts of London. The main characters are strongly portrayed. Would-be paleontologist Charles is from a comfortable upper class background but condescends happily to become engaged to Ernestina who is a pleasant but shallow daughter of a prosperous middle class draper. But into their lives comes Sarah, the enigmatic woman who is rumoured to have been "ruined" by a liaison with French seaman.
Fowles is particularly good on the class war and social mores of the time: The attitude of society to Sarah is shocking as is the off-hand way in which servants are treated. When Ernestina's father suggests that Charles join the drapery business he is truly aghast at the idea even though he has no career in mind.
Sarah remains ambiguous - we are left uncertain as to whether she is manipulative and self-absorbed or badly treated and depressed. Throughout the book she both irritates and evokes our sympathy.
The other central character is the writer himself. He playfully drops in and out of the writing, discussing the motives of the characters and suggesting three different endings. This works superbly. The French Lieutenant's Woman is a twentieth century classic.
A finely tuned twentieth century classic - Rated
This is by far the most finely crafted novel by John Fowles i have read. He generally enjoys long - but no less than erudite - passages of analysis and description, but this is the one that strikes a very good balance between craft and content. The novel begins as a traditional Victorian novel of manners, but it very soon becomes apparent that this method is (as the blurb on the back says) actually being mocked very artistically by the author. Classical realist descriptions are often interposed with references to the time the narrator is narrating from; 1969. The author never lets you fall into the trap usually set by an omniscient narrator, and reminds you of your position as a reader. This comes most starkly into focus when the narrator begins to 'converse' with the reader on what should happen with the various characters. The final, and very well crafted piece of metafiction comes when the author appears in the same train carriage as a character, and expresses his desire to have alternative endings. This is an appropriate contrast to the more clumsier proponents of metafiction, such as Paul Auster. The metafiction aside, he also manages to engage in meaningful social and political commentary, as well as providing a passionate and convincing love story.
In short, this is a novel that is not only a highly capable and complex piece of art, but one that is thoroughly readable as a modern British classic.
More than just a historical novel - Rated
Let me begin by admitting that it is some time since I read this book. I have seen the film, which contains a great deal of additional content - enjoyable though. I am astonished that no one else has reviewed the book.
The plot of the novel can be read on a website dedicated to the author, so I will not summarise it here. Suffice it to say that this is a historical novel set in the middle of the nineteenth century. The author writes with authority about the period, and engages with some of its most important issues. His prose is extremely vivid and makes you feel that you are present at the events he describes. The character of Sarah is intriguingly mysterious, but whereas in The Magus (a lesser work by the same author) the mystery does not give way to a convincing characterisation in every case, in this book the events are plausible. An additional pleasure, however, is the author's experiment with the whole concept of the novel. His ability to write sensually means that this is not the dry, cerebral exercise you might imagine, but fascinatingly playful.
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