Reading 1001 discussion

I read Howard's End at the start of the year and this is the only other E.M. Forster novel I own and it was the one I was most looking forward to. I loved it but to my surprise I did not love it as much as the other book.

Primarily, I think it is because the characterisation was not as detailed, I was not as interested in Lucy who is the lead in this book, and in some ways it feels like a first draft of Howard's End. He becomes better at being satirical.

I did give it 4 stars because there are elements I loved - the descriptions, the partly Italian setting, the rejected fiancé and because I just love coming of age stories which is ultimately what A Room With a View is.

3 stars

Forster's writing is exquisitely clean. If I reviewed books only for the loveliness of the words on a page I would give this book 5 stars. However, my reviews are about how much I connect with characters and whether the book lingers in my thoughts. I finished this one a few days ago and I already have forgotten their names. I have forgotten their stories. I no longer care. So, I am giving this one only three stars.

I rated this as three stars, because although I appreciated this story and its message, it did not wow me. I liked how Lucy came to realize that she needed to make her own choice, but I also wished that there was just a bit more time between the breaking of one engagement and entering another. I know that probably has something to do with the time and place of the setting, but it just felt like it took away from the decision to be her own person. I enjoyed the setting and the characters, but I do not think that this story will really stay with me over time.

I got this as a gift at Christmas from my daughter. I think it was Christmas of 96 maybe. I remember liking it but of course I wasn't writing reviews.

I'm guessing this book would have been a sitcom if Forster was writing for television, with how ridiculous Lucy's chaperone is when dealing with Lucy's male acquaintances. I liked that Forster put Lucy in a crime scene, a rather heavy scene for the typical drawing room ladies in books like this. I am not captivated by this novel, but it was good. I gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads.