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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Lucy Highchurch is a well-bred young woman of some means. While in Florence with her spinster cousin Miss Charlotte Bartlett, she meets George Emerson, a fellow guest at their pension. He is handsome but only a bank clerk, rather forward and totally unsuitable for a girl of Lucy’s station. To avoid further contact, the two women continue on to Rome, where Lucy encounters Cecil Vyse, a rather superior gentleman. She accepts Cecil’s proposal but continues to pine for the lowly clerk who has truly captured her heart. When she realizes she has made a terrible mistake, her confusion leads to even more “muddle.”
Forster’s novel takes aim at the British ideas of respectability and social class. Lucy wants to rebel against the many rules that govern her conduct, but she is torn. She loves her mother and brother, and wants the admiration of her social set, but she finds so many of these people tiresome and hypocritical. I was struck by how frequently the title phrase is mentioned. There are the obvious references to her room at the pension in Florence and to the view from the salon at her home in England. But Forster also explores the “view” of one’s acquaintances vs the reality of their inner core. It’s when this second way of looking at things (pun intended) comes into play that the novel really got interesting for me.
I did find the middle section – from the time Lucy and Charlotte left for Rome to Lucy’s epiphany regarding George and Cecil – somewhat slow going. In fact, I just about gave up on the book. But I’m glad I persevered; the last five chapters redeemed the work for me.
Forster’s novel takes aim at the British ideas of respectability and social class. Lucy wants to rebel against the many rules that govern her conduct, but she is torn. She loves her mother and brother, and wants the admiration of her social set, but she finds so many of these people tiresome and hypocritical. I was struck by how frequently the title phrase is mentioned. There are the obvious references to her room at the pension in Florence and to the view from the salon at her home in England. But Forster also explores the “view” of one’s acquaintances vs the reality of their inner core. It’s when this second way of looking at things (pun intended) comes into play that the novel really got interesting for me.
I did find the middle section – from the time Lucy and Charlotte left for Rome to Lucy’s epiphany regarding George and Cecil – somewhat slow going. In fact, I just about gave up on the book. But I’m glad I persevered; the last five chapters redeemed the work for me.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
“There’s nothing worse than a muddle in all the world. It is easy to face Death and Fate, and the things that sound so dreadful. It is on my muddles that I look back with horror—on the things that I might have avoided.”
emotional
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
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
another E.M. Forster book i really liked! the imagery of Florence in particular was really stunning and evocative, love how it explored feelings while travelling and how that relates to everyday life.
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
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Xenophobia, Classism
Minor: Murder