2.5 "This Champagne has gone flat and don't tell me that Vanilla is from Madagascar" stars !!!

Third Most Disappointing Read of 2019 Award

In my late teens I read all of Mr. Forster's books and although not my favorites I enjoyed them thoroughly. I wanted to re-read one at random and see what my forty-something self thought and felt. Alas, this particular reading of Howard's End did not hold up for me the way I had expected it too.

I want to to be clear though that I found parts of it sparkling but the majority of it was simply ho-hum and did not stand the test of time.

This is a novel that writes about particular substrates of class in early twentieth Century England. We have the cultured and idle rich, the brash and industrious nouveau riche and the struggling working classes. There is also commentary on city vs. rural living, relations between the genders and the superiority of anything British over anything continental never mind foreign. A novel about social commentary and where England was headed during that period of time. This is all very good but Mr. Forster forces it down our throats between absolutely brilliant and hilarious dialogue that if left alone would have stood on their own in a thought provoking and very pleasant way.

The characters are not well drawn out, the men are either blustering dominants, idle entitled layabouts or over-romantic zealots. The women are mostly hysterical, over-emotional, irrational and if sensible than dull either in appearance or imagination or intelligence. The plot is convenient.

This novel does shine though in its dialogue and some of the description of both cityscape and rural living as well as the quirky descriptions of some of the more minor characters.

An enjoyable read that to me is more a bagatelle than a substantial sonata.

PEOPLE ARE STRANGE; this encompasses that truism well for two British families in the novel; the wealthy Wilcoxes and the intellectual Schlegels, similar looking however under the layers so different it may to modern eyes seem they're from another species. Yes different classes, the old taboo in the fading society of 19th century England which still cares for it until money becomes more important than who are your relatives. Monetary benefits will soon give outsiders the edge and better comfort as the aristocracy falls victim to the hard working, the leisurely ones slow descent into irrelevant status. They may have the titles, others the cash and since all are equal with bread, nobody cares as long as you provide. Two sisters Margaret Schlegel older and more stable of the British born, with German roots family, like the ruling Royals and prettier younger Helen at 21, by eight years, too idealistic for her own good, oh also Theobald (Tibby) the juvenile, insignificant brother . Being orphans Margaret is in nominal charge...sometimes... causes problems. Henry Wilcox , rich very successful businessman but not with his children, a remote figure, the oldest son Charles bold, materialistic but needs his father's guidance as do the rest, younger Paul who enjoys the outdoors in foreign countries, rude daughter Evie self-absorbed and least Ruth the quiet, gentle wife, mother, she loves her home Howards End. Unfortunately this will not last. The fly in the ointment, not his aim, lower class Leonard Bast unhappy, poor , a wife he despises... meets the two sisters, well you can imagine the unhappy consequences. A study in the long gone British society written in 1910, yet it does show a nation in transformation, the good , the bad and human greed striving always to become prosperous but at what cost? Nevertheless sometimes change isn't welcomed. E.M. (Edward Morgan ) Forster was a brilliant writer and observer of life in its numerous complexities, a person with the power to recognize the absurdities and joys of living on Earth. His only shortcoming was he gave up literature much too soon... ......And before I forget, amusing busybody Aunt Juley Mund, of Margaret, Helen and Tibby, steals every scene she is on the page, the chuckles are a pleasant divergent for the otherwise mostly disagreeable situations.

Beautifully written and what I was expecting when I started this book but it's so much more than that. Bucolic settings pave the way for lessons in Victorian era mores, economics and class.

First off I have to say that I love the heroines in this book. It's so nice to see women portrayed as having opinions on something other than clothes and the household. Meg and Helen are wonderful idealists albeit misguided. They work towards helping the working class to better their lives.

I'm honestly at a loss as to why Meg marries the practical Henry other than to further the plot. He seems at odds with her views and most everything she does. He even dislikes her furniture! He's also deceitful (in more ways than one) which she all too readily forgives him for being. I guess it's good that she does marry him or we might not have had such a wonderful book.