Room With a View

Rating:
Summary: Not always an easy read, but a great book overall!
Review: A Room With a View is a little hard to get into at first. The many references to Italian culture and British politics in the beginning confused me and made it hard to get into. However, after a little research, I understood the story better and really liked it. Get past the beginning, and you'll be fine. Forster presents very relatable characters in this story: characters trying to discover the meaning of life and feeling. He presents great ideas in this book about happiness and love. The text can be somewhat hard to understand at times; I would keep a dictionary handy. However, this book is truly a classic and an excellent read.

Rating:
Summary: A Room with a View
Review: A Room with a View is a wonderful, gossipy book that teaches more than one life essential moral. Lucy, a young woman who finds herself battling with society's expectations, teaches the reader many of these morals as she discovers them herself. Throughout the course of the book, Lucy strives to take a more independent path in which she can follow her heart with passion. The role of social classes is quite significant as it teaches one to not be judgmental or conformed to the rules of society. Forster does an excellent job developing his characters page by page. Miss Bartlett, Lucy's society-driven cousin, becomes Forster's most interesting and mysterious character by the end of the book. Both George and Mr. Emerson, a father and son first introduced in Italy who are of lower class, also become more deeply engaging characters as the book becomes more and more addicting. Part I of A Room with a View takes place in Italy where art, music, love, and society's expectations all emerge. After reaching Part II there was no putting down the book. I became enthralled in the gossip of love, truth, society, and morals. Lucy battles with the ideals she was brought up with and society's pressure as she strives for independence, passion, and true love. A Room with a View is the type of book that makes one feel good after reading it. This romantic book is full with gossip and morals that is sure to bring a smile to anyone's face and warm anyone's heart.

Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite love stories
Review: I LOVE this novel and the Merchant Ivory film of the same name, which I would give 10 stars! The film, by the way, is very faithful to the book. Anyway, I was extremely delighted by this story when I first read it long ago after seeing the film, and my impression of it has not changed with time. This is a parody of prim and proper English society, something the author E. M. Forster specialized in. For a novel written in 1907, this is an extremely easy read, nothing like a Henry James novel.

The plot concerns a young woman named Lucy who goes to Italy on holiday chaperoned by her older spinster cousin, Charlotte. Lucy meets a handsome young guy named George, but he seems a bit odd and eccentric, and she doesn't quite know what to think of him. He takes her by surprise by walking up to her and kissing her in a secluded open field. Charlotte happens to see this and is determined not to let it go any further. You see, Lucy is already engaged to a snobby twit named Sistel back in England! But in the end, Lucy follows her heart.

Ah man, I just love this story. See the movie and then read the book.

David Rehak
author of "A Young Girl's Crimes"