A review by iarlais
Howards End by E.M. Forster

adventurous challenging reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This is an adventure story where the characters don't really adventure so much as ocassionally move between houses. Rather, the true adventure lies in the slow but strong transformation of the characters and their roles as the novel continues. If you were to read about everyone as they were in the first few chapters, you would be surprised to find out how much they've changed in the last few. To a certain extent, things happen because they happen, but overall the novel is very much driven by the characters' strong personalities that clash and bounce off each other. This novel tackles so many themes of class, sexuality, and gender wonderfully well, and succeeds in fleshing out these themes as well as its many characters. There's so much between the lines that call for endless analysis. I have never read an E.M. Forster novel before, but I can see why this one is regarded as his magnum opus.
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