A Room With A View

[hot4jwg]

What did you think about the book? It's short and I'm only on page 70 something but so far it's actually just awful. No plot, I suppose it's insightful into societal issues but nothing else.

[neilgee]

Sorry Hot but I did this novel for an essay and so know it pretty well, rereading it several times and what I found was that the work was incredibly structurally tight, if there's a criticism it's that it's so well structured there's nothing out of place at all [except the last line, but that's a reference to Forster's personal tastes with regard to the laws at the time etc].

[Pecksie]

For me it was beautifully written and in parts very funny. 'Awful' is just not a word I would associate with anything written by Forster :)

[estelwen]

Hi Hot! I'm surprised that you are disliking "Room", but can understand your complaints. The plot is perhaps so 'ordinary' as to seem negligible, but I agree with an earlier post that structurally the story is incredibly tight. Lucy Honeychurch's character is perfectly rendered.

If you're having trouble seeing the arc of the story, I would recommend watching the movie by the same name starring a very young Helena Bonham Carter. Essentially accurate, it represents the atmosphere and personalities quite well, though Carter's portrayal of Lucy seemed somewhat more repellant than in the book; the same with George Emerson, who comes across as rather sulky and whiny.

Good luck! Remember--Avoid the Muddle!

[Il Dante]

I have not read Room, but when studying Eng Lit in college I read a detailed summary and it sounded like a fairly simple but very touching story.

Ergo I am hoping to read it soon, after getting through several other books higher up on the waiting list.

Having not read it I can't comment on whether it is good or not, but I understand that what makes it good (or at least one of the things that makes it good) is its poignant portrayal of love thwarted by the Edwardian caste system.

Or I could be wrong. It has happened before. :hat: