A Room with a View / Where Angels Fear to Tread

by E.M. Forster

E. M. Forster’s beloved Italian novels, now in a single hardcover volume.

Forster’s most memorably romantic exploration of the liberating effects of Italy on the English, A Room with a View follows the carefully chaperoned Lucy Honeychurch to Florence. There she meets the unconventional George Emerson and finds herself inspired by his refreshingly free spirit— which puts her in mind of “a room with a view”—to escape the claustrophobic snobbery of her guardians back in England. The wicked tragicomedy Where Angels Fear to Tread chronicles a young English widow’s trip to Italy and its messy aftermath. When Lilia Herriton impulsively marries a penniless Italian and then dies in childbirth, her first husband’s family sets out to rescue the child from his “uncivilized” surroundings. But in ways that they can’t possibly imagine, their narrow preconceptions will be upended by the rich and varied charms of Forster’s cherished Italy.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, British Literature, Literature

424 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1908

About the author

Edward Morgan Forster, generally published as E.M. Forster, was an novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is known best for his ironic and well-plotted novels examining class difference and hypocrisy in early 20th-century British society. His humanistic impulse toward understanding and sympathy may be aptly summed up in the epigraph to his 1910 novel Howards End: "Only connect".

He had five novels published in his lifetime, achieving his greatest success with A Passage to India (1924) which takes as its subject the relationship between East and West, seen through the lens of India in the later days of the British Raj.

Forster's views as a secular humanist are at the heart of his work, which often depicts the pursuit of personal connections in spite of the restrictions of contemporary society. He is noted for his use of symbolism as a technique in his novels, and he has been criticised for his attachment to mysticism. His other works include Where Angels Fear to Tread (1905), The Longest Journey (1907), A Room with a View (1908) and Maurice (1971), his posthumously published novel which tells of the coming of age of an explicitly gay male character.

Reviews

[Captain Sir Roddy, R.N. (Ret.) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here I am 65 years old, and this was the first time that I had read either of these novels. I loved both of them. Interestingly, I think they are actually quite different too. Superficially, they are alike in that they are the vehicle for Forster's exploration of British social mores on the continent, specifically Italy; but that's just the top layer of each novel. "A Room with a View" was, to me, an almost quiet Austenesque introspective; while "Where Angels Fear to Tread" was a building crescendo of tragedy culminating in horror. In both novels it seems that Forster goes to great lengths to present characters that are all flawed at fundamental levels as they try to navigate the changing world around them at the end of the Victorian Age. It has been many, many years since I read Forster's "Howards End," but I have to wonder if that novel forms the set piece of the the three books? I plan to reread "Howards End" later this summer, followed by "A Passage to India."

[Sara J. (kefuwa) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first Forster book and going into it I expected to be a big Forster fan.

So how was it?

Fantastic!

A Room With A View: The central plot of the book is a romance which, if I'm honest, I couldn't care less about. What I did appreciate was the satirical commentary on society that I believe is where Forster's writing shines into timelessness. Paragraphs and lines throughout that stood out to me with their eloquence and were rather beautifully crafted. This is Forster's most widely read work I believe and one his many works adapted to the silver screen - I must try to watch it someday. I really appreciated the epilogue that Forster wrote years after he finished the initial novel - it was a really wonderful cap to the story and also added a swathe of appreciation for things gone by (viz. the landscape changed after the war, not even a marker save for a memory held by people and which will disappear once and for all once they too are gone).

Where Angels Fear to Tread: I think I enjoyed the 'plot' in this story more than the previous one (though overall it ended up being a bit off putting due to the outcome and seemingly nonchalance of it all) - it had more of the same satirical bent to it - a lot of talk about 'being proper' and the same “class battering” so to speak - and also shared Italy as a backdrop setting.

Pros: gorgeous writing, early 20th century slice of life
Cons: may be droll in places

First finished: 11may2020
Source: Book Depository

[John Sinclair · Rating 4 out of 5]

BOOK REVIEW ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It occurred to me while reading this how perfectly Ruth Prawer Jhabvala captured this book for the 1985 Merchant-Ivory film. I hadn’t read it before (IKR, how is that possible?) and it was richly rewarding. Forster wrote Parts 1 (Italy) and 2 (England) at different times, and it’s easy to see the seams in his work. But there is so much going on in the subtext that it hardly matters. I really do recommend this book. It is paired in this edition with the much shorter novel “Where Angels Fear to Tread” which also concerns the English and Italy, but in a very different way: it’s darker, but also funny at times, and ultimately tragic. It’s an interesting pairing.

#bibliophile #book #bookish #booklover #books #books2022 #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #bookworm #homelibrary #instabook #instabooks #reader #readers #reading #readingroom #readersofinstagram #bookreview
2022 📚 3

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually, I only read the first half of the book, "A Room With A View." So my 4 stars are solely for it.
Forster's writing can sometimes confuse me, but I'm really impressed with his incites of human behavior. The way he describes how people think and reason is incredibly discerning and relatable.
I really like this story and it's characters; however, I honestly enjoyed the movie version (from 1985, mind you) a little more than the book - which is something I rarely EVER say.
Nevertheless, it's a good read and I would definitely recommend it since Forster's writing is enjoyable.

[Troy Farlow · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn’t like this book at all - hardly saw what all the fuss was about.

Full Disclosure: I so didn’t like this book that I didn’t finish it. Sooooo, perhaps there was a wonderful ending or I simply “missed” the “greatness” of this book. But I doubt it ....

[Elif · Rating 2 out of 5]

A room with a view: Extremely hard read. I dreaded the moments I read this book. Certainly not for me, an action lover. Perhaps it was a great book for it’s time, and not a timeless read.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good novella, sharply observed characters - I like Forster's style.

[Meagan Orford · Rating 2 out of 5]

A room with a view

[Chris Timmons]

A crisp and witty and beautifully conceived novel on youthful romance.

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars? This did not live up to the hype I have heard. Yes it is a critique of edwardian society and you aren't supposed to like anyone in the book. I hate making statements like this but....the book was boring! And when something interesting happens, there isn't much background discussing it. Like the very end, I would have liked to have read more about that scene. If you want to read a period piece about the turn of the century, I would much sooner send you to Edith Wharton than Forster.

As for 'Where Angels', there is a bit more action and excitement, so I give it 2 stars.

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading "Angels".