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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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
Looking at my Goodreads account, I know I do tend to give mostly five-star or four-star ratings to books I read. Seldom do I give a three-star, even more scarce is a two-star. I don't really have a concrete system for this and I still think it shouldn't be that serious or strict (in the end, it's all personal tastes, but as a Virgo Sun, Capricorn Moon, I am inclined to overthink these things). I would've given this a four star, because admittedly, classics have never been my favorite and some of the passages in this novel went over my head and the whole book was indeed challenging to read. But I often bestow five stars to books which have impressed me so much, left quite a mark, spurred emotions of varying degrees and kind, and which in the end, left me goosebumped. And in regards to all that, E.M. Forster's Maurice was an easy five star.
I almost dnf-ed this because I was already at mark 50-pages and I was still struggling to be interested. But a break from the book helped because I am now finished and I am chastising myself for almost dnf-ing this. Forster surprised me with this one. As mentioned, I really don't have much classic books to compare this to but I had an idea of stories from that era, that genre. That expectation was not what I experienced in this one. I was surprised and shocked in the most pleasant way possible. Homosexuality, mentioned! Described! Unveiled! Love between men, front and center! Celebrated! Upending the society and its class system, done! It was all so explicit, nothing, if a little, was left to implicit statements. And I didn't expect, frankly, for a classic to be this engrossing and alive. Even though the language was a challenge, the story Forster told was brimming with life, with characters—especially the three main men: Maurice, Clive, and Alec—so colorful and fleshed out and human, with their strengths and charm, as well as, surprisingly, their own cruelties and darknesses. That last part and that last goodbye shocked me to the core I was left gasping. It was so cathartic and it was so unlike the expectations I had of the genre, of that era, and of that writer from that time. But it was the perfect end note to this brilliant, brilliant book.
I really loved this. And this is one of those books that I would reread until every slang and writing style present and acquired while it was written during the time it was done was deciphered and fully understood. Until I have the story imprinted on my mind. Until I have all these characters living in me.
I almost dnf-ed this because I was already at mark 50-pages and I was still struggling to be interested. But a break from the book helped because I am now finished and I am chastising myself for almost dnf-ing this. Forster surprised me with this one. As mentioned, I really don't have much classic books to compare this to but I had an idea of stories from that era, that genre. That expectation was not what I experienced in this one. I was surprised and shocked in the most pleasant way possible. Homosexuality, mentioned! Described! Unveiled! Love between men, front and center! Celebrated! Upending the society and its class system, done! It was all so explicit, nothing, if a little, was left to implicit statements. And I didn't expect, frankly, for a classic to be this engrossing and alive. Even though the language was a challenge, the story Forster told was brimming with life, with characters—especially the three main men: Maurice, Clive, and Alec—so colorful and fleshed out and human, with their strengths and charm, as well as, surprisingly, their own cruelties and darknesses. That last part and that last goodbye shocked me to the core I was left gasping. It was so cathartic and it was so unlike the expectations I had of the genre, of that era, and of that writer from that time. But it was the perfect end note to this brilliant, brilliant book.
I really loved this. And this is one of those books that I would reread until every slang and writing style present and acquired while it was written during the time it was done was deciphered and fully understood. Until I have the story imprinted on my mind. Until I have all these characters living in me.
Desk novel sees the light: "thank you", the rest of us say. Forster's hands are always capable as he traces the things spoken and unspoken, with his characters always existing on the cusp of delicate violence.
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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
This book tore me down to build me back up again. Maurice’s struggles at times was incredibly relatable to even the strife of modern gay love stories. It seems that although the times have changed the overall struggle has not. But to be able to end this story with hope is something truly wonderful because that is even rare to find in today’s modern gay love stories. Which, normally end some sort of tragedy or unrequited love. I loved this story and can 1000% see myself come back and rereading it as a comfort read for sure.