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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
It seems wrong to give such a low rating to a book that is considered such a classic, but I found it completely underwhelming. I would love to have someone who loves this book change my mind, but I was unimpressed. True, the prose is lovely. I also acknowledge the humor found in the social commentary. All that being said, why is this girl in such a “muddle” over a guy she really knows nothing about? The plot was extremely weak, all the major story beats were so brief that if you blinked you missed it, and none of the characters were likable. At least it was short.
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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:
Yes
women do like a view, it’s true
i did already know all that stuff he was saying but it still kinda ruled. its all very chill to me
i did already know all that stuff he was saying but it still kinda ruled. its all very chill to me
Story and characters are great but the writing style was just not for me
adventurous
challenging
informative
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:
N/A
reflective
slow-paced
Middle number of stars? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I kind of just want to sum up this review with an "Ugh, MEN."
'Cause it's like poor Lucy just escaped a fiance that wouldn't stop telling her what she was feeling or how she should be, and then guy-she-kissed-in-Italy-once's DAD is like, "Oh but you love my son, I know you do even though you say you don't, because I am a man and obviously what I think is more important than what you think."
But as I've said before, I struggle a lot with interpreting satire, so I'm not 100% sure that Forster's not just fucking with me, but I don't know how else to read this. It definitely picked up and got way more interesting in the second half, once Lucy and Charlotte left Italy. I don't know how I feel about Charlotte - sometimes I hated her and sometimes I felt bad for her, but she never came across as entirely sympathetic even on her best pages.
Also, how awesome would it have been if, instead of elderly spinster sisters, the Miss Alans had in fact been life partners that just couldn't be out because of Victorian Constraints or whatever. Once I started thinking that, it became head canon; you cannot convince me otherwise.
I kind of just want to sum up this review with an "Ugh, MEN."
'Cause it's like poor Lucy just escaped a fiance that wouldn't stop telling her what she was feeling or how she should be, and then guy-she-kissed-in-Italy-once's DAD is like, "Oh but you love my son, I know you do even though you say you don't, because I am a man and obviously what I think is more important than what you think."
But as I've said before, I struggle a lot with interpreting satire, so I'm not 100% sure that Forster's not just fucking with me, but I don't know how else to read this. It definitely picked up and got way more interesting in the second half, once Lucy and Charlotte left Italy. I don't know how I feel about Charlotte - sometimes I hated her and sometimes I felt bad for her, but she never came across as entirely sympathetic even on her best pages.
Also, how awesome would it have been if, instead of elderly spinster sisters, the Miss Alans had in fact been life partners that just couldn't be out because of Victorian Constraints or whatever. Once I started thinking that, it became head canon; you cannot convince me otherwise.
I almost gave up on this which is unusual for me, but ploughed on and begrudgingly finished it…. No idea what this book is about.
'A Room With a View' is a light romantic puff piece. I thought it a bit disjointed, but it is a quick and attractive read. A genuine Edwardian period piece, middle-class women were feeling slightly more empowered to speak of disagreeable subjects on occasion, having opinions, yet they were still quite restrained by extreme rules of acceptable mannered drawing-room behavior in this era. E. M. Forster, the author and a closeted gay man, thought Suffragettes were righteous, although his support was genteelly expressed in this novel through his main character, Lucy Honeychurch, a young lady beginning to come out from under the care of her family.
An English woman, Lucy Honeychurch, properly chaperoned, nonetheless becomes acquainted with an inappropriate young man, George Emerson, who she meets in a Italian hotel popular with the English, while on a European tour. She is aroused, gentle reader! Confusion follows. Her advisors, the proper cousin who is her chaperone, Charlotte Bartlett, the honest Reverend Beebe of her parish, and the gossipy novelist Eleanor Lavish, present her with alternative modes of thought and opinions as well, surprising her by the variety of visions of approaching the world in society.
Lucy wants to experience new flavors of life without moving beyond the normal and expected social boundaries of a young respectable Edwardian lady. She learns to her grief in Italy this is impossible, as violence and love raise their heads from unexpected directions straight at her - what to do? Social etiquette requires she return to her parents' home in England to regain her footing and an immediate, if rash, engagement with the wrong guy follows. However, fate brings that awful George Emerson back into her circle! Perhaps he can be avoided? Noooooooo! He makes her heart pound. And her fiancé is looking more and more like such a controlling ass....
I felt 'A Room With A View' was a bit tepid, but charming nonetheless. Two and a half stars, rounding up.
An English woman, Lucy Honeychurch, properly chaperoned, nonetheless becomes acquainted with an inappropriate young man, George Emerson, who she meets in a Italian hotel popular with the English, while on a European tour. She is aroused, gentle reader! Confusion follows. Her advisors, the proper cousin who is her chaperone, Charlotte Bartlett, the honest Reverend Beebe of her parish, and the gossipy novelist Eleanor Lavish, present her with alternative modes of thought and opinions as well, surprising her by the variety of visions of approaching the world in society.
Lucy wants to experience new flavors of life without moving beyond the normal and expected social boundaries of a young respectable Edwardian lady. She learns to her grief in Italy this is impossible, as violence and love raise their heads from unexpected directions straight at her - what to do? Social etiquette requires she return to her parents' home in England to regain her footing and an immediate, if rash, engagement with the wrong guy follows. However, fate brings that awful George Emerson back into her circle! Perhaps he can be avoided? Noooooooo! He makes her heart pound. And her fiancé is looking more and more like such a controlling ass....
I felt 'A Room With A View' was a bit tepid, but charming nonetheless. Two and a half stars, rounding up.