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peachiisun1111's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
found the main character pretty insufferable but he had a lot of character development so it's ok!! amazing atmosphere and emotion, altho the second half of the book is defo more interesting
there were some rlly tense moments and rlly happy ones, the writing really made me feel immersed in them
didn't expect the (kind of) twist at the very end but i really liked how forster didn'thave abbott fall in love with the conventional person we expected, rlly matching the spirit of the book
there were some rlly tense moments and rlly happy ones, the writing really made me feel immersed in them
didn't expect the (kind of) twist at the very end but i really liked how forster didn't
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Violence
rieviolet's review against another edition
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I cannot fault Forster's writing style and I also think that he really has a way with portraying characters' feelings and thoughts. I found most of the characters quite unlikeable but they still felt very alive on the page.
I think that he is also quite good at making social commentary but, at least in this particular book, a lot of sharp analysis was counterbalanced by a lot of "not so good" analyis. Maybe it's because he focused on a culture that was not his own. In any case, as an Italian, I can say that his depiction of Italy evoked many different reactions in me: I was amused, perplexed and in disbelief, annoyed, striken and in sad agreement ("Italy is such a delightful place to live in if you happen to be a man", but then again such a comment could honestly be applied to most countries in the world). Overall, I think that it was quite a clumsy representation of the country and its people.
It was a bit of a up-and-down reading experience. I struggled in the beginning to get into the narration but, as the story progressed, I became more engrossed and wanted to keep on reading. However, that ending, I did not like it one bit. The shift in tone was so abrupt and the tragic final event was extremely upsetting and its consequences barely explored, but I could at least somehow understand how we got there (also keeping in mind the themes that the author explored here, and even more so in later books). And then, the final scene on the train with Miss Abbott and her confession. I'm sorry E.M. Forster but that made no bloody sense at all.
Not a terrible read but not one that I might want to revisit in the future, I'll stick with Maurice.
I think that he is also quite good at making social commentary but, at least in this particular book, a lot of sharp analysis was counterbalanced by a lot of "not so good" analyis. Maybe it's because he focused on a culture that was not his own. In any case, as an Italian, I can say that his depiction of Italy evoked many different reactions in me: I was amused, perplexed and in disbelief, annoyed, striken and in sad agreement ("Italy is such a delightful place to live in if you happen to be a man", but then again such a comment could honestly be applied to most countries in the world). Overall, I think that it was quite a clumsy representation of the country and its people.
It was a bit of a up-and-down reading experience. I struggled in the beginning to get into the narration but, as the story progressed, I became more engrossed and wanted to keep on reading. However, that ending, I did not like it one bit. The shift in tone was so abrupt and the tragic final event was extremely upsetting and its consequences barely explored, but I could at least somehow understand how we got there (also keeping in mind the themes that the author explored here, and even more so in later books). And then, the final scene on the train with Miss Abbott and her confession. I'm sorry E.M. Forster but that made no bloody sense at all.
Not a terrible read but not one that I might want to revisit in the future, I'll stick with Maurice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Ableism, Child death, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Pregnancy