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3.96k reviews for:
A Room with a ViewA ROOM WITH A VIEW by Forster, E. M. (Author) on Oct-23-1989 Paperback
E.M. Forster, E.M. Forster
3.78 AVERAGE
3.96k reviews for:
A Room with a ViewA ROOM WITH A VIEW by Forster, E. M. (Author) on Oct-23-1989 Paperback
E.M. Forster, E.M. Forster
3.78 AVERAGE
"Quiero que tenga sus propios pensamientos incluso cuando la estreche entre mis brazos".
Novela clásica completamente actual por su concepción empoderadora del amor. La Italia renacentista como contraposición a la rígida Inglaterra victoriana: no es raro que los capítulos italianos sean los mejores.
Novela clásica completamente actual por su concepción empoderadora del amor. La Italia renacentista como contraposición a la rígida Inglaterra victoriana: no es raro que los capítulos italianos sean los mejores.
Tale of a young woman who goes against convention for happiness. One of those stories where not much happens. But interestingly one of the things that lets the young couple better understand one another is they happen to witness a murder. Then it's not really mentioned again.
I'm not very good at writing book reviews but I'll try my best with this one. When I first started reading this book I thought it was dry and boring. But the more I read it got better and turned out to be a real gem. What I loved about this novel was Forster's amazing narration, his understated humor of class division, and the way he directly talks to the reader, cleverly acknowledging their presence. I loved all the characters, they all are charming and amusing in their own way (even Cecil), especially Mr. Emerson and his son George Emerson (my new male literary crush). Lucy's character is very easy to relate to since a lot of young people are in what Mr. Emerson refers to as a "muddle". I can definitely identify with her condition and feelings. The pond scene with George, Freddy, and Mr.Beebe is great. My only complaint is with the ending, it is too abrupt, I wish there was more! This is the first E.M. Forster book I've read and I look forward to reading more of his work.
I saw the film right after I finished the book. I was so excited to see Daniel Day Lewis as Cecil! Great casting, best part of the film. I didn't like the guy who played George, I like mine better :)
I saw the film right after I finished the book. I was so excited to see Daniel Day Lewis as Cecil! Great casting, best part of the film. I didn't like the guy who played George, I like mine better :)
I am not cultured enough to understand all of the allusions and philosophy in this book, but I enjoyed this quick read. I want to see the movie - I think the dialogue and humor will come across wonderfully on film (and slightly better than it did for me in the book).
One of the reasons why I wanted to read [b:A Room with a View|3087|A Room with a View|E.M. Forster|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388781285l/3087._SY75_.jpg|4574872] by [a:E.M. Forster|86404|E.M. Forster|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1402057803p2/86404.jpg] was because this book was listed in my alphabetized books-to-read list, which is alphabetized, on Google Docs. After sorting through some of the titles that began with 'a,' [b:A Room with a View|3087|A Room with a View|E.M. Forster|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388781285l/3087._SY75_.jpg|4574872] had a title that captivated me as well as concepts and themes that compelled me to check this out at my library.
One of the many strengths of this novel is how vibrant the main character, Lucy Honeychurch, is. As the reader, I was advocating for Lucy to not only find what she wanted, but I wanted her to find herself. Lucy is musically gifted, and the motif of music also shows itself as a champion of the novel. Another strength of this novel is the way sociological expectations as well as familial expectations are portrayed. While the expectations have shifted today, I still think this novel holds relevance, especially within the way economic class is treated within this novel. I also think this author wrote about age very well in this novel. It feels as though the older characters in the novel symbolize an older, more traditional, view of what life should be like, and then the younger characters are representatives for what the contemporary viewpoint, at the time, is. The multiple theatrics of the characters was very entertaining as well; there are several conversations throughout the book that showcase a character fuming with fury or acting with passion rather than logic. I also think the commentary on Italian customs adjacent to British (or English?) customs was fun to read about as well. I think Forster had a beautiful handle on prose, there are many excerpts from the story that painted beautiful scenes and eloquently portrayed the physical environment that the reader is navigating.
There are a few weaknesses within the novel, and these weaknesses caused me to rate the book with less stars than most reviews. Outside of the main character, the characters are not very well constructed to the point where it is not only difficult, but almost unnecessary, to keep track of who is who. The reader knows a lot about Lucy, but the other characters seem to be on the fringes of Lucy Honeychurch's roller-coaster story. Religion also plays a very present role throughout the story, which almost weakens the story and almost serves as a distraction. The predictability of [b:A Room with a View|3087|A Room with a View|E.M. Forster|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388781285l/3087._SY75_.jpg|4574872] kind of left me feeling a sense of nothingness, but I was entertained nonetheless. From the very beginning of the conflict Lucy is presented with, the reader is coaxed into wondering what Lucy is going to decide, even though it is very apparent what decision Lucy will make. I also must say that there were times when I wanted to stop reading the book (combination of disinterested, feeling like the plot stagnated, et cetera). However, I am still glad I read [b:A Room with a View|3087|A Room with a View|E.M. Forster|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388781285l/3087._SY75_.jpg|4574872] altogether.
One of the many strengths of this novel is how vibrant the main character, Lucy Honeychurch, is. As the reader, I was advocating for Lucy to not only find what she wanted, but I wanted her to find herself. Lucy is musically gifted, and the motif of music also shows itself as a champion of the novel. Another strength of this novel is the way sociological expectations as well as familial expectations are portrayed. While the expectations have shifted today, I still think this novel holds relevance, especially within the way economic class is treated within this novel. I also think this author wrote about age very well in this novel. It feels as though the older characters in the novel symbolize an older, more traditional, view of what life should be like, and then the younger characters are representatives for what the contemporary viewpoint, at the time, is. The multiple theatrics of the characters was very entertaining as well; there are several conversations throughout the book that showcase a character fuming with fury or acting with passion rather than logic. I also think the commentary on Italian customs adjacent to British (or English?) customs was fun to read about as well. I think Forster had a beautiful handle on prose, there are many excerpts from the story that painted beautiful scenes and eloquently portrayed the physical environment that the reader is navigating.
There are a few weaknesses within the novel, and these weaknesses caused me to rate the book with less stars than most reviews. Outside of the main character, the characters are not very well constructed to the point where it is not only difficult, but almost unnecessary, to keep track of who is who. The reader knows a lot about Lucy, but the other characters seem to be on the fringes of Lucy Honeychurch's roller-coaster story. Religion also plays a very present role throughout the story, which almost weakens the story and almost serves as a distraction. The predictability of [b:A Room with a View|3087|A Room with a View|E.M. Forster|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388781285l/3087._SY75_.jpg|4574872] kind of left me feeling a sense of nothingness, but I was entertained nonetheless. From the very beginning of the conflict Lucy is presented with, the reader is coaxed into wondering what Lucy is going to decide, even though it is very apparent what decision Lucy will make. I also must say that there were times when I wanted to stop reading the book (combination of disinterested, feeling like the plot stagnated, et cetera). However, I am still glad I read [b:A Room with a View|3087|A Room with a View|E.M. Forster|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388781285l/3087._SY75_.jpg|4574872] altogether.
It seems like a lot of the content needs an understanding of upper-class English society at the start of the 20th century. I found it really had to focus to keep my mind on the book as none of the characters grabbed me, nothing in the story hooked my interest.
I do wish that the book was longer, and I do wish that Forster would have paid much more attention to the story rather than the techniques.
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Not what I expected from a modernist (?) writer. The characters were written to life and all of them were likable in different ways. The love story was excellent but not the star of the show. I’d recommend to adults interested in light philosophy, light romance, humanism, modernism that isn’t cynical, Italian/English scenery, and good endings.