A Room With A View

Finally finished it. Easy reading, not very compelling. Liked the scenes, Italy and Windy Corner. Will watch the movie now. I agree with Lucy's final decision - I liked George, didn't like Cecil.

Romantic and classic book that shows the upper class values as opposed to the lower class. Love still rules in these two stories.

My soul has wandered through Cathedrals bewildered by the smell of Sistine and the sight of Gods and Goddesses.

The theme is beautifuly portrayed, but the novel is more likely boring to read.
Yet, travelling through cultures was a breathtaking journey to me, indeed. Moreover, love was purely portrayed. It was a precious gift that has nothing to do with lust and erotic needs. It was simply pure and spontaneous.

The use of Italian phrases confused me, for I don't speak Italian! I was sort of lost for a while.

Listened to a fantastic audio performance of this by Rebecca Hall, which is available on Audible. EM Forster wrote absolutely beautiful prose, although the story itself is not that complex. Even if you aren't that into the story, the writing is beautiful to listen to.
I might watch the 1985 movie version as well, given the (baby) all star British actor cast.

Separate reviews for Howards End and A Room with a View below:

Howards End

I really didn't enjoy this one. There were so many themes cramped into this very short novel that I felt like I needed an English teacher looking over my shoulders explaining things to me.

Henry Wilcox and his son, Charlie are the epitome of upper-class snobbery. They think the lower-class uneducated, lazy, and crude. They think that men are superior to women, reflected in the way Henry treats Margaret (he thinks she's intelligent but should be left at that lest she becomes unladylike), and the way they laugh at Dolly who's merely a bimbo to them. Margaret and Helen Schlegel are also rich but they're idealists and aware of their privilege. Helen has a distorted sense of duty to the poor that manifests in her trying to force her help onto the lower-class (the Basts) even when they don't want it. Margaret, on the other hand, transforms into a submissive woman, who thinks she can change Henry but unconsciously becomes his enabler. Meanwhile, Leonard Bast represents the lower-class; his only desire is to have intellectual conversations with the Schlegel sisters but instead finds unsolicited help being foisted onto him. He is proud even when thrown into desperate situations.

While I appreciate the literary merit of this novel, in the end I really struggled to keep my interest especially in the long-winded passages of reflection that came too close to becoming stream-of-consciousness writing (a writing device I dislike).

A Room with a View

Slightly more enjoyable. I thought Part 1 was draggy and a tad boring. Part 2 was much better especially when Lucy started taking control of her life. I found her outbursts against the patronizing people around her particularly satisfying. This novella is a dig at social class and English snobbery by way of a love story. Also made me realize the importance of being truthful to one's feelings. And the ending was very beautiful.

I understand why so many people love Forster. He was an intelligent writer and weaved social commentaries into his work deftly. But I honestly had to slog through these two stories and ultimately, I think his writing just isn't for me.

Beautiful story, almost as good as The Great Gatsby.

A Room with a View is one of my favorite books. I loved its overall theme of happiness comes from following what your instincts, not just what the world dictates. Forster did a wonderful job in his characterization of Lucy, Charlotte (oh how I love Charlotte, she is one of my most favorite characters ever), and Mr. Beebe, especially.

Howards End is well-written and engaging, but lacks some of the lightness of A Room with a View. It is more centered on criticism of social classes. The characters were interesting, I loved Helen, Margret and Mr. Bast. I did not really love Margret and Henry Wilcox's relationship, frankly because I did not like him as a character.

Overall, while both books are worth the read, A Room with the View is definitely worth reading over and over again.

3.5
A bit too classic ish

The protagonist, young Lucy Honeychurch, belongs to a well-to-do British family. She travels with her cousin and chaperone, Miss Bartlett, to Italy, in order to improve her culture and see the sights. At the Pensione Bertolini Lucy meets the eccentric Emersons, father and son, who, throughout the book, teach her lessons on how to be herself and shed the strict conventions of British high-middle class. From Florence to Rome and then back to Surrey Lucy experiences many challenges along the way that enable her to develop her true self.

Italy plays a foremost role in Lucy's journey of self-discovery. Things are different in Italy. People are less tight-laced and live more according to their heart's desires. Lucy unconsciously senses that Italy is showing her the way towards the realisation of her hidden true self.

E. M. Forster shows real sensibility and much understanding of the cultural differences between Italy and Edwardian England without resorting to cliches or overused plot devices. He also refrains from portraying Italy through the supercilious eyes of a British gentleman. It is much to his credit as a writer that he has a fine sensibility about different cultures and countries.

A Room With a View is, in my opinion, an essential book for readers who enjoy reading about complex (and also humorous) journeys of self-discovery.

classic romance 2015 reading challenge Edwardian England. Published in 1908 to both critical and popular acclaim, A Room with a View is a whimsical comedy of manners that owes more to Jane Austen that perhaps any other of his works. The central character is a muddled young girl named Lucy Honeychurch, who runs away from the man who stirs her emotions, remaining engaged to a rich snob. Forster considered it his 'nicest' novel, and today it remains probably his most well liked. Its moral is utterly simple. Throw away your etiquette book and listen to your heart. But it was Forster's next book, Howards End, a story about who would inhabit a charming old country house (and who, in a larger sense, would inherit England), that earned him recognition as a major writer. Centered around the conflict between the wealthy, materialistic Wilcox family and the cultured, idealistic Schlegel sisters-and informed by Forester's famous dictum 'Only connect'-it is full of tenderness towards favorite characters.

Howards End is a view of the English society of 100 years ago. The characters are mostly people who have an "income" so are concerned with society and conventions. I found them tedious except for the heroine, Margaret, but even she isn't without faults. finished Sep 5, 2009
A Room With a View I set the book aside after I finished the first novel. I finally finished the second novel in this edition. I found Victorian society strange looking back from a completely different century. The conventions that were observed between men and women have certainly changed over the years. finished Dec 6, 2009

Makes a nice little double feature. Howard’s End is exciting in the middle and then ends rather lopsidedly, whereas A Room With A View is lopsided until the neat ending. I think HE is probably more complex/interesting, but really enjoyed both.

Howard’s End thoughts:
I love the family in this so much!! And I love the implied lesbians. And I love Margaret’s mission to fix Henry, and I loved that line that everyone quotes slightly less than I expected, perhaps because I failed to totally understand it. And I loved the way that the landscape plays into the story. And I loved Mrs. Wilcox in all her perfect-mother-untouchable-goddess-ness. She reminded me of Mrs Dempster in Fifth Business— altogether too good to be possible, a child’s image of maternal innocence. Indulgent, unreal, lovely.

A Room With A View thoughts:
- Cecil gave me gay vibes
- Love the narrator intercessions! You feel like you and the author are on the same team. And this sense if Lucy’s true self struggling to break through how she was raised. And little throwaway lines about Charlotte’s past!! Delightful.
- Mr. Emerson has slight Mrs. Wilcox energy. it’s really him, and not George, who enables Lucy to break free, who probes at her from the start to speak and act not like a nice English schoolgirl, but like herself. Neat stuff.