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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
"I should have gone through life half awake if you’d had the decency to leave me alone."
You can tell this is a straight man writing about being gay
“A happy ending was imperative. I shouldn't have bothered to write otherwise. I was determined that in fiction anyway two men should fall in love and remain in it for the ever and ever that fiction allows, and in this sense, Maurice and Alec still roam the greenwood.”
-E.M. Forster
Secretly, E.M. Forster had the heart of a romance novelist. I say that half in jest, but also half seriously. Romance novel HEA's are serious business. We come to them for solace, for surety and comfort, and for the beautiful fantasy that two people can make it work even among the worst circumstances. And Forster was working under pretty poor circumstances, for to be happy, for him and his characters, was to go against most every social norm in existence at the time. This novel was famously not published until after his death, and was not very well-received even then.
I will admit that I liked the first half much less than I did the second. The first half has our hero Maurice unpleasantly trying to fit in and find himself, all while hiding the secret of his sexuality. It also features him being dumped by his first lover, who has decided to comply with society. But during the second half when Maurice meets Alec, and their relationship is "inappropriate" not just in terms of sex but of class, Maurice discovers a kind of freedom in just letting all of society go. Forster has his characters walk off into the proverbial sunset in defiance of all that his upbringing has taught him to admire, in the form of his former lover Clive, who he leaves standing alone.
We get this nugget from the hypnotist Maurice hires to cure him of his sexuality, as the hypnotist advises him to go to a country like France where his desires aren't illegal:
"Will the law ever be that in England?"
"I doubt it. England has always been disinclined to accept human nature."
Burn.
[3.5 stars]
-E.M. Forster
Secretly, E.M. Forster had the heart of a romance novelist. I say that half in jest, but also half seriously. Romance novel HEA's are serious business. We come to them for solace, for surety and comfort, and for the beautiful fantasy that two people can make it work even among the worst circumstances. And Forster was working under pretty poor circumstances, for to be happy, for him and his characters, was to go against most every social norm in existence at the time. This novel was famously not published until after his death, and was not very well-received even then.
I will admit that I liked the first half much less than I did the second. The first half has our hero Maurice unpleasantly trying to fit in and find himself, all while hiding the secret of his sexuality. It also features him being dumped by his first lover, who has decided to comply with society. But during the second half when Maurice meets Alec, and their relationship is "inappropriate" not just in terms of sex but of class, Maurice discovers a kind of freedom in just letting all of society go. Forster has his characters walk off into the proverbial sunset in defiance of all that his upbringing has taught him to admire, in the form of his former lover Clive, who he leaves standing alone.
We get this nugget from the hypnotist Maurice hires to cure him of his sexuality, as the hypnotist advises him to go to a country like France where his desires aren't illegal:
"Will the law ever be that in England?"
"I doubt it. England has always been disinclined to accept human nature."
Burn.
[3.5 stars]
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
This is a poignant insight into the experience of being gay in 1912 Britain, as the protagonist grapples with external and internalised homophobia. Written with E. M. Forster's usual exquisite attention to the detail of human character and social narratives. It retains a thread of hopefulness but I also found it quite heartbreaking. Beautiful prose, though I found the plot a bit slow at the start. This audio version is perfectly narrated by Ben Whishaw.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a beautifully written book that I loved very much, my only problem being that during the beginning I could not relate to the characters however this is a personal problem and I have no issues for the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Sexual assault
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
the fact that e.m. forster never knew how loved this became makes me want to cry
Forster wrote this in 1913 and 1914, when our knowledge about homosexuality was more limited than today. That, more than the period details or rigid class structures of last century make this seem a little dated. But Forster’s charm and keen observations are as sharp here as anywhere else. Recommended for everyone, but particularly gay readers who might not know how easy they have it today.
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No