Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
I had a hard time getting into this classic from the early 1900’s. Once I did, I found much to enjoy in this coming of age tale. Here are the highlights for me.
*There is some serious wit in this book.
*I almost always enjoy conflict centered on the choice to remain conventional, or embrace the opportunity to explore other possibilities.
*The chapter titles - they are so clever!
*Lucy and George, the couple at the center of the story, I found to be very entertaining.
*The length :)
*There is some serious wit in this book.
*I almost always enjoy conflict centered on the choice to remain conventional, or embrace the opportunity to explore other possibilities.
*The chapter titles - they are so clever!
*Lucy and George, the couple at the center of the story, I found to be very entertaining.
*The length :)
just plain delightful. I'd seen (and loved) the film adaptation first, watching which I felt they were too harsh on Cecil, but the novel really fleshes out how much of a twat he is. Nearly perfect.
There were so many hints in this novel that Lucy was going to follow in the footsteps of her cousin Charlotte and of the Miss Alans by not getting married. They that marry do well, but they that refrain do better. But of course it's a novel of English propriety and so (spoiler) Lucy does marry in the end. You must marry or your life will be wasted.
EM Forster seemed to be fighting against society's expectations throughout the novel, giving us characters like Mr. Emerson, who is exasperated that Lucy can't take his Room with a View because they haven't been properly introduced yet. Lucy follows convention to the letter, going so far as to ask others what is right and what is wrong. However, once the room exchange is accepted, Lucy's literal as well as figurative view starts to change, until she ultimately chooses a husband for love rather than for decorum.
Forster's writing style is engaging and witty, making this one a pleasant read.
a tightly stuffed armchair, which had the color and the contours of a tomato.
It is so difficult - at least, I find it difficult - to understand people who speak the truth.
A silence followed which might have been impressive, but was merely awkward.
Secrecy has this disadvantage: we lose the sense of proportion; we cannot tell whether our secret is important or not.
Life is easy to chronicle, but bewildering to practice.
He doesn't always look as if he's going to burst into tears.
There's nothing worse than a muddle in the world.
EM Forster seemed to be fighting against society's expectations throughout the novel, giving us characters like Mr. Emerson, who is exasperated that Lucy can't take his Room with a View because they haven't been properly introduced yet. Lucy follows convention to the letter, going so far as to ask others what is right and what is wrong. However, once the room exchange is accepted, Lucy's literal as well as figurative view starts to change, until she ultimately chooses a husband for love rather than for decorum.
Forster's writing style is engaging and witty, making this one a pleasant read.
a tightly stuffed armchair, which had the color and the contours of a tomato.
It is so difficult - at least, I find it difficult - to understand people who speak the truth.
A silence followed which might have been impressive, but was merely awkward.
Secrecy has this disadvantage: we lose the sense of proportion; we cannot tell whether our secret is important or not.
Life is easy to chronicle, but bewildering to practice.
He doesn't always look as if he's going to burst into tears.
There's nothing worse than a muddle in the world.
"The solitude oppressed her; she was accustomed to have her thoughts confirmed by others or, at all events, contradicted; it was too dreadful not to know whether she was thinking right or wrong."
Forster was known to write books that focused on class differences and that were a study on society and people. This is considered to be one of his lighter novels but that doesn't stop it from showing how the elites, and those who aim to connect with the elites, see others as "lesser than".
We follow our heroine, Lucy, on a trip in Italy accompanied by her much older cousin, Charlotte. The book starts with the cousin complaining about the rooms they've been given at the Bertolini and how there isn't even a view. Their rather loud musings are interrupted by an old man and his son who insist on an exchange of the rooms, but seeing how the old man seemed to have "no manners" and was so vulgarly outspoken, Charlotte is hesitant at first. Throughout their stay, the people around them make vague assumptions about the father-son pair just because of their unconventional ways, but Lucy can't help but think that they are rather nice people, while being repeatedly told not to "associate" with them. We witness Lucy's growth as she tries to free herself from the stifling expectations and "manners" of others to become a more authentic version of herself, true to her nature and true to the way she plays her piano.
The book is also well equipped with witty and hilarious dialogue and incredulous displays of manners and politeness. You're more than likely to be familiar with at least one type of character in your own setting. It's strange how a lot of the times when I read classic books with social commentary, I can't help but think how relevant they are, even to this day.
Forster was known to write books that focused on class differences and that were a study on society and people. This is considered to be one of his lighter novels but that doesn't stop it from showing how the elites, and those who aim to connect with the elites, see others as "lesser than".
We follow our heroine, Lucy, on a trip in Italy accompanied by her much older cousin, Charlotte. The book starts with the cousin complaining about the rooms they've been given at the Bertolini and how there isn't even a view. Their rather loud musings are interrupted by an old man and his son who insist on an exchange of the rooms, but seeing how the old man seemed to have "no manners" and was so vulgarly outspoken, Charlotte is hesitant at first. Throughout their stay, the people around them make vague assumptions about the father-son pair just because of their unconventional ways, but Lucy can't help but think that they are rather nice people, while being repeatedly told not to "associate" with them. We witness Lucy's growth as she tries to free herself from the stifling expectations and "manners" of others to become a more authentic version of herself, true to her nature and true to the way she plays her piano.
The book is also well equipped with witty and hilarious dialogue and incredulous displays of manners and politeness. You're more than likely to be familiar with at least one type of character in your own setting. It's strange how a lot of the times when I read classic books with social commentary, I can't help but think how relevant they are, even to this day.
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
not so much a love story but more of a coming-of-age tale that lightly explores what it means to be a woman in a restrictive society—delving into the dilemma of whether compromising one’s personal identity and freedom is a worthwhile exchange for achieving social acceptance
objectively well-written, it just didn’t appeal that much to me personally
objectively well-written, it just didn’t appeal that much to me personally
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Classism
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Ingen skal si at A Room With a View er en dårlig skrevet bok, men jeg fikk meg sjeldent til å være overfylt med engasjement når jeg leste den heller. Noe av det kommer nok av at jeg forsøkte speedreading under en stor del av boka, jeg endte med å ikke få med meg så voldsomt mye av detaljene. Ga etterhvert det opp og leste mer normalt, og da var boken mer underholdende. Likevel, den er litt klisjeaktig - selv om den kanskje var med på å originalt definere klisjeen - og det er noe som for meg skader underholdningsverdien sammen med det at det var vanskelig å følge detaljene og se de store sammenhengene etter at jeg hadde gått igjennom en stor del av boka uten å fokusere. Vel, uansett, verdt å ha lest, ikke så fabelaktig når en leste den, og alt i alt forsto jeg mere av filmen den gang jeg så den. Desverre.
After many conquests we shall attain simplicity. It is our heritage.
Skimmed again because I watched an adaptation and wanted to see how it compared to the original source material. : )
A very readable comedy of manners. E.M. Forster is no Jane Austen, but then, he's not trying to be.
89/2022 Una habitación con vistas. E.M.Forster. Alianza Editorial. 296 páginas. Traducido por José Luis López Muñoz.
Pues más de lo mismo que la peli, pero sin ver Florencia. Se me hizo bastante cuesta arriba porque es leeeeento como él solo. Lo terminé porque me gustó la película y ya sabía lo que iba a pasar.
Os veis la peli que sale Florencia.
Pues más de lo mismo que la peli, pero sin ver Florencia. Se me hizo bastante cuesta arriba porque es leeeeento como él solo. Lo terminé porque me gustó la película y ya sabía lo que iba a pasar.
Os veis la peli que sale Florencia.