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Where Angels Fear to Tread

e.m. forster

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When the young English widow Lilia Herriton takes off on the grand tour and along the way marries a penniless Italian, her in-laws are far from amused. That the marriage should fail and poor Lilia die tragically are only to be expected. But that Lilia should have had a baby - and that the baby should be raised as an Italian! - are matters requiring immediate correction by Philip Herriton, his dour sister Harriet, and their well-meaning friend Miss Abbott.

148 pages, Paperback

First published January 1,1905

This edition

Format
148 pages, Paperback
Published
June 17, 2004 by Kessinger Publishing
ISBN
9781419193774
ASIN
1419193775
Language
English
Characters More characters

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About the author

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e.m. forster

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Edward Morgan Forster, generally published as E.M. Forster, was an novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is known best for his ironic and well-plotted novels examining class difference and hypocrisy in early 20th-century British society. His humanistic impulse toward understanding and sympathy may be aptly summed up in the epigraph to his 1910 novel Howards End: "Only connect".

He had five novels published in his lifetime, achieving his greatest success with A Passage to India (1924) which takes as its subject the relationship between East and West, seen through the lens of India in the later days of the British Raj.

Forster's views as a secular humanist are at the heart of his work, which often depicts the pursuit of personal connections in spite of the restrictions of contemporary society. He is noted for his use of symbolism as a technique in his novels, and he has been criticised for his attachment to mysticism. His other works include Where Angels Fear to Tread (1905), The Longest Journey (1907), A Room with a View (1908) and Maurice (1971), his posthumously published novel which tells of the coming of age of an explicitly gay male character.

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Community Reviews

Rating(4 / 5.0, 99 votes)
5 stars
33(33%)
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35(35%)
3 stars
31(31%)
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99 reviews All reviews
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lucia2
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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What a lovely surprise! I wasn't expecting to enjoy this book but it was a really enjoyable read. It takes you through all of the emotions and Forster perfectly sums up that life doesn't turn out the way you want it to, there very rarely are happy endings. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to reading more of his work.
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cacao_c
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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There is no denying that E M Forster writes beautifully. His sentences are so carefully scripted and each word feels intentional. However, I didn't really enjoy this book. It is tragic and sad which I generally love because it makes me feel connected to the characters. But in this book I never really connected with any of the characters who were all unsympathetic. I don't like perfect characters that are too perfect or too imperfect. I want them to be flawed and real, but still likable or relatable. I want to have compassion and empathy for them and in this book I didn't feel anything for them.

So, 3 stars for the quality writing, but it is not a book I will ever read again.
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rinhail
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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Sorry guys... I really didn't like this book. Borderline 1.5/2 stars!

Honestly, out of the four books I read, this one was the one I found the most disappointing. It was very info-dumpy, most of the characters were very unlikeable and the storyline surrounding the attempt of trying to kidnap a baby from its father after the mother dies in childbirth was one at times, I didn’t feel comfortable reading about. I liked the length and the geographical settings but that was all. My penguin edition however will definitely look nice on a bookshelf with other penguin classics.
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HyperbolaDegen
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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This is my favorite by E.M. Forster. I gave A Room with a View three stars and A Passage to India four, but this is even better than that!

A love story that I love, and it is extremely short! I don't usually enjoy short novels. It is a classic worth being called a classic.

Forster captures different sorts of people and their respective ways of being. We have Harriet who is logical and straight thinking and Miss Caroline Abbott who wavers but recognizes the value of passion…..as well as its dangers. There is Gino Carella, an Italian that will throw you off your feet and charm you so you only see the stars sparkling in the heaven. There is Philip - British, class oriented but drawn to the charms of Italy too. Forster's characters are tempted and pulled and swayed and at the same time true to themselves. I had to marvel how Forster pulled this off in so few pages! One reads this for character portrayal and to find out how the love knots will be resolved. Who will end up with whom? Where and how? England or Tuscany, Italy. The time setting is the end of the 19th Century.

Forster captures different cultural tendencies beautifully, accurately, with a light touch and with humor. First he made me laugh at British, end of the 19th Century social mores peppered with clever observations. Then the characters caught me up and pulled me in. Finally Forster impressed me with his perception of human character. Relationships are not drawn in neat and simple lines, but in knots and tangles…..as in, I think, real life! It is this tangled mess and how the book concludes that I particularly like.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Edward Petherbridge. The beginning was almost impossible to decipher. If not stubborn you may just throw in the the towel. I'll say politely that he didn't destroy what IS a marvelous classic! The narration I have given two stars; it’s OK and not impossible to follow. I managed. I didn't give up, but it could have been LOTS better! I only want accents, exclamations and varied intonations if the author’s words remain clear. Just my personal point of view though, which may of course differ from others’.

I really enjoyed this book. It is close to amazing in its perceptiveness, in its ability to catch a snap-shot of how people do sometimes behave and in its humor.
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vicky27_1
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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I wasn’t sure if I had read EM Forster before. I think I kind of bluffed my way through for a paper back when I was a student by skimming through a ‘Passage to India.’ This time, ‘Where Angels Fear To Tread’ beckoned to me almost 20 years later after that pretense as a student. I love that title, although I am not sure how to apply that title to the book.

This was the first of EM Forster’s novels and he didn’t think too highly of it. If I were an Italian, I would be kind of offended by Forster’s repeated digs at Italy and its culture. Somehow, I still kept turning the pages because Forster is so sarcastic at the English society of those times that it’s delightful to read these jabs and spurs.

That’s what made the book for me. As an introduction to Forster, it serves the purpose. In the end, all I could think of was the book cast light on the numerous ways we burn the shallow waters of our self when mired in our self-pity, judgments, prejudices, and that one thing - to go where we fear to tread. Ah, if only we embrace our fears.
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blandmaster
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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This was E.M. Forester's first novel. It is about a young widow in her early 30's who travels to Italy for a holiday. She meets a much younger man in the hotel in which they both reside. They fall in love and marry. This is unsettling to her in-laws back in England. They attempt to interfere only to end up with a most tragic outcome.
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