Reviews

Mid-way through A Passage to India, I had the feeling that it felt like the work of a great moralist and just a pretty good novelist. From there, though, Forster lets his main characters — who initially feel like thin archetypes — go in so many genuinely surprising directions, including some that I’m still puzzling over and can’t tell if they are the work of an incredibly subtle writer or just an inattentive one. By the end, you get the feeling for Forster being a writer with surprising optimism in his view of human nature, and bottomless cynicism in his view of human societies.

jencunn2024's review against another edition

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3.0

This is an important classic if you can get through it. I have no doubt the subject matter was important for its time geopolitically. It is a long, boring read. Forster’s writing is fine just not exciting. There is beautiful imagery and detail that provide wonderful description about India and its peoples as well as its religions. Forster presents an interesting setting during the colonial British Raj and India’s independent movement in the early 20th Century. It is chock full of racial contention and the struggle for India’s identity as a nation made of multiple religions. I enjoyed some of the misguided views of one type of person toward another but did not appreciate the flighty, superficial feel of the characters and their ridiculous cynicism.

belleb1401's review against another edition

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challenging slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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