Reviews with content warning for Suicidal thoughts - Maurice: A Novel

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Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

Maurice: A Novel by E.M. Forster

91 reviews

herewegoagain's review against another edition

4.25

emotional reflective sad medium-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

Content Warnings

horriblediana's review against another edition

4.0

hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

zed_dog's review against another edition

4.5

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

A true queer classic: published posthumously 50+ years after it was written, and considered controversial even then. The story of a young man developing an understanding of his queerness; passionate and philosophical.

Content Warnings

thesawyerbean's review against another edition

4.25

challenging emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I really enjoyed this! The aesthetics and romance were tangible - as someone who studied at Cambridge, the descriptions of old-time Cambridge dark academia and the socialisation within it were engrossing and vivid. We experienced Maurice’s life and love as he did, a whirlwind of emotion and politics that felt both troubling and endearing.

It is a slow burn for sure, simmering with intensity but not boring at any point. Clive and Maurice’s blossoming romance was tense but ultimately beautiful - and the following events between them and Alec were at first devastating but finally satisfying.

A pleasure to read as one of the trailblazers of lgbtq+ literature - written in 1914 and only published in 1971 posthumously, following the legalisation of homosexuality in England.

Content Warnings

williamgideon's review against another edition

5.0

emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I had seen the film adaptation a billion times, since it's one of my all time favourites, so I was very excited to read the source material. And I was not disappointed either! The writing style is beautiful yet very comprehensible, the pacing is perfect, but my favourite part is the characters. Forster has really captured the complexeties that come with queerness, the different attitudes people have towards their own queerness. He does this through a dynamic set of characters with Maurice at the forefront, his journey from childhood to adulthood, from shame and disgust to liberation and happiness. What I really appreciate and what makes this story my favourite, is Maurice's growth.

The end, where he is able to stand up to Clive, to assert himself and his needs is so powerful and such a contrast to the earlier parts of the novel. I'm so happy Maurice got what he deserved.

The terminal note from Forster was also really great. I usually don't read those but it really added a lot for me this time.

Content Warnings

phoebemurtagh's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Content Warnings

theothersideofreading's review against another edition

4.75

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

zoloft_lesbian's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional hopeful sad

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

espiargrant's review against another edition

3.75

challenging emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This novel was a quick read, although my interest waned slightly in the middle, which slowed things down. I feel as though a fair amount of this book went over my head, as I don't often read classics, which makes this difficult for me to rate. But as far as classics go, it was quite palatable.
Overall, I enjoyed the story, and the characters felt complex and layered. However, some of the changes they undergo occur a bit too quickly to be believable. I think that Alec Scudder should have been introduced earlier in the story to give his character and his relationship to Maurice more room to develop.
Ultimately, I'm glad I read it, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a short, emotional, queer coming-of-age classic.

Content Warnings

hyacinthus_'s review against another edition

5.0

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

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