February ~ E M Forster

Edward Morgan Forster, generally published as E.M. Forster, was a novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is known best for his novels examining class difference and hypocrisy in early 20th-century British society.

A Room with a View (published in 1908)

Wendy L:

The plot of this book revolves around 2 English ladies who travel to Italy for a holiday. They meet others in the boarding house and when they return to England, these friendships continue.

It’s a ‘coming of age’ novel with classic English characters and with themes of class difference, truth and hypocrisy.

Wendy enjoyed it.

Judy A:

Judy thought the beginning of the book was quite tedious to read, but the further she read, the more she enjoyed it. She loved some of the characters.

Julia:

While she liked the book, Julia commented on the number of adaptions to TV, stage, film and radio there had been from what is quite a small book.

Sarah:

Sarah was another who found it difficult to read, but enjoyed it enough to read it from cover to cover. She thought the book was about discovering life and love after children and when previous marriages didn’t work out. This is something she may be able to relate to later when she is closer to the age of the characters.

Charis:

She thought that the author had not developed the female characters enough and that he may have difficulty writing about women. Whereas the men’s characters we well developed.

Howards End (published in 1910)

Marina:

This long book revolves around 2 families, the Wilcox’s and the Schlegels.

The Wilcox’s had kept all their property in their family through marriage. Howards End is a house, the story begins and ends there.

The Schlegels are German and had become a target for prejudice and bigotry reflected in the remarks made by others. The children are left an annuity from their parents and so lead a cultured, privilege life.

They connect through different scenarios. Marina thought that some of the remarks about bigotry and race relations and influence of the media are still relevant today.

 

Judy D:

She likes the author’s writing style but found this one a bit tedious. Despite this, she enjoyed reading it again, having previously read it as a young girl.

The Longest Journey (published in 1907)

Claurene:

Claurene thought this was a ‘horrible book’, saying the author waffled through the story of a young man studying at Cambridge University. He had met a woman, whom he thought he loved, but she was engaged to someone else.

Val:

This book also disappointed Val, calling it ponderous with long waffling sentences in places.

She thought it was closely autobiographical. Ricky goes to Cambridge and is surrounded by privileged young men. He struggles with the views of the wealthy young men. The ending was brutal.

A Passage to India  (published in 1924)

Diane: Set in the era of the British Raj, Diane was upset by the exploitation of the Indians, and found it difficult to get into the book.

She commented that all his novels seem to reflect class differences and hypocrisy.

Pamela:

This is a complicated book with the title probably taken from a poem by Walt Whitman. This is a philosophical poem about the Suez Canal, a long narrow way between 2 cultures.

It was Pamela’s opinions that the women’s characters were not developed. The theme of the book was miscommunication and misunderstanding, between the Indians and English and among the Indians.

The book described India through English eyes.

Bev:

Bev described the book as ‘slow and labourious’ not her favourite.

Judy De La T:

Judy enjoyed the book especially the contrast in cultures but found there were some inconsistencies.

Again, there was the comment that the female characters were not well written.

Judy J:

An additional theme, according to Judy, was friendship. The changing and developing friendships were influenced and in response to the misunderstanding and miscommunication mentioned previously.

In an early draft, Forster had Aziz guilty of the assault and found guilty in court. The eventual change makes the ending more ambiguous.

 

Where Angels Fear to Tread  (published in 1905)

Connie:

Connie thought that the description of the characters was very good, but some were hateful people who ‘would be if they could be’. They looked down on servants and their attitudes and behavior made her very annoyed.

The author had put his own feelings about homosexuality into the book.

Joan:

This was Forster’s first book and the story contained wit and intrigue. It played on the cultural differences between the English and the Italians, and between manners and snobbery. The story was entertaining and not drawn out like other books.

Kris:

Kris described it as a ‘quick and easy read’ and found it interesting how the author examined hypocrisy in society.

Another recommendation: Heritage by Judy Nunn

Tam:

The story is set in the Snowy Mountains where refugees from many nations in war-torn Europe are employed to build the Snowy Mountains Scheme. It was completed with pride and the sweat and blood of displaced people.

Tam thought the portrayal of the characters was amazing and even though they are fictitious they had good facts behind them. She enjoys reading fiction based on fact. As in all this author’s books, her research is very thorough.

A great read with a reasonably good ending!

 

Future Book Clubs

March~ Michele Giuttari

A Florentine Death

A Death in Tuscany

A Death of a Mafia Don

A Death in Calabria

April~ Di Morrissey

Choose your own title.