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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
I've read three novels by Forster, and this is my favorite. The movie adaptation is quite good, too, but the writing is lush and you get into the characters' heads a lot more in the book. When I read this in 2007, it was a re-read. I'd originally read it and loved it when I was in my early 20s. [Ed.: According to my journals, actually 18-going-on-19]
lighthearted
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 don't honestly know why I read this. It was one of my mom's favorite movies when I was a kid. I've said before that British costume drama makes me want to vomit broken glass. This isn't really any different. There were so many interesting things happening in society around the turn of the century, and these writers want to focus on, essentially, who likes whom in the upper class. Barf.
Still, with any effort, it's easy to see how this 1) is, in its own way, trying to show the characters struggling against the mold into which they have been forced by accident of birth 2) owes a TON to Jane Austen.
In the end, I guess I didn't absolutely loathe it.
Sometimes it takes us time to discover that we have fallen in love, we go on in blind denial despite all the indicators. In this book Lucy goes on a self-discovery trip not only to find love but also to find the faults in the upper middle class’s way of thinking and values on the turn of the twentieth century. Social commentary meeting delicate prose made this book an easy read.
Plenty fine, but not as good as I’d remembered! How about that!
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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:
Yes
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Mid way through, I’d dismissed this book as both boring and dry, with a very surface level romance, even if there were some interesting comments about class. Although I do still think the romance seemed a bit ridiculous and unjustifed, upon completion, my opinion’s completely changed. I think this was mainly down to the character development, especially regarding Miss Bartlett, who transformed from being the most annoying character to actually very tragic, all in a single sentence. The second half as a whole was also just more engaging than the first half; it was much easier to get wrapped up in the story, even if, again, it borders on the farcical at points. Also credits must be given to the title of the book, which I think is amazing when considering its themes of class divide. Overall, I enjoyed it and found myself very charmed by the end.
I liked Howard's End better than this novel, but still an entertaining piece of fiction about Edwardians.
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated