Rating: 
Summary: A Most Wonderful Novel!
Review: "Maurice" was written by E.M. Forster in 1914. As per his instructions, it was not published until after his death in 1970 as he did not want to shock "society" (specifically, "England") due to the strong homosexual theme (which was frowned upon then).To me, this is Forster's best and most readable novel. It is also easily his most romantic and sexual. I was completely absorbed in the story right from page (1) and couldn't put the book down! The scenes, situations and dialogue are so richly and beautifully written, while the love story is simply one of the most moving I've ever read. Maurice is our hero here - young, rich, Cambridge-educated and quite a snob. He is not aware of his true sexuality until it is "brought out" by his Cambridge friend, Clive who loves Maurice first. Their coming together and love affair are simply delicious to read and when the words "Maurice, I love you" and "I you" are uttered, tears just came to my eyes because it was so romantically-written, and I said to myself, "At last Maurice is happy". However, after some years of happiness, comes despair when Maurice is rather cruelly rejected by Clive who claims that he (Clive) has "suddenly become normal" and cannot love Maurice anymore. This novel succeeds because Forster had created a most believable and lovable hero in Maurice. His hope becomes your (i.e. the reader's) hope, his love your love, and his despair your despair. You desperately want him to find love and happiness again. And then when Maurice has decided to give up on love and life, his saviour appears on the scene in the form of the attractive, working-class man, Alec. The ending is a great triumph on the power of love and hope. I know I should be depressed for days (if not weeks) if this novel were to have a sad ending... Unlike Forster's other novels, this one is much "braver" and contains real sexual situations. The scenes are rather erotic (especially between our hero and Alec) without being too revealing and they are written in such a romantic, honest and passionate manner that will certainly melt your heart. This book was filmed (to critical success) in 1987 by the Merchant-Ivory team (who did "A Room with a View" in 1985) and starred James Wilby (as Maurice), Hugh Grant (as Clive) and Rupert Graves (as Alec). I've ordered the DVD and can't wait to watch it. I love "Maurice" so much and can't recommend it highly enough. The romantic scenes made me cry, the funny scene involving Maurice and the hypnotist made me laugh and the ending of the novel made me feel very-very happy. I have just finished reading this book and I think I will remember its beauty forever. I know that anyone who picks up this book will be in for a wonderful time. It is a novel that could be read again and again. Now, if I were to be stranded on a deserted island and could only have 2 books for company, "Maurice" will definitely be one of them! A 9/10!
Rating:
Summary: A fascinating early look at homosexuality.
Review: "Maurice" is an excellent book. Written between 1913 and 1914,
it was not published until 1971 because of the sensitive subject
matter. Forster portrays the difficulty of being homosexual at an
age when it was nowhere near accepatable. He adroitly describes
the feelings of self-discovery, denial, and, in the end, he proves
that happiness and love are attainable
Rating:
Summary: great wonderful
Review: a beautifully written novel dealing with two men in college who fall in love the novel deals with the predujice
against homosexuals i the early 1900's strongly recemonded this book changed my life
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Insights
Review: A fascinating glimpse into the world of "the love that dare not speak its name." The book details the realities of being gay in Edwardian England as well as presenting a beautiful love story. Something to read more for ideas than action, more so than Forster's other works. As someone who grew up in an EXTREMELY liberal household, it was a real eye-opener, putting emotional substance onto my intellectual knowledge about intolerance. I read this sandwiched between twice seeing Tom Stoppard's "The Invention of Love" about A.E. Housman, and found them enormously complementary; each really adding to my understanding of the other.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Insights
Review: A fascinating glimpse into the world of "the love that dare not speak its name." The book details the realities of being gay in Edwardian England as well as presenting a beautiful love story. Something to read more for ideas than action, more so than Forster's other works. As someone who grew up in an EXTREMELY liberal household, it was a real eye-opener, putting emotional substance onto my intellectual knowledge about intolerance. I read this sandwiched between twice seeing Tom Stoppard's "The Invention of Love" about A.E. Housman, and found them enormously complementary; each really adding to my understanding of the other.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: A just wonderful book. Moving, sexy, with an almost unreal happy ending. I've read that Forster was ashamed about this book and it was only published after his death. He didn't have to be ashamed. It's his best book. I fell in love with it.
Rating:
Summary: Poignant and Beautiful
Review: A poignant and beautiful romance that touches the heart in endearing ways. It is the story of Maurice, a privileged Englishman living in Edwardian England, and his journey to accept his homosexuality and to find love and truth in his life. Intent on writing a story dealing with homosexuality in which two men fall in love and achieve a happy ending, E.M. Forster has created a masterpiece. Beautiful in its poignancy and rich in its delicate romance, the novel provides both an intimate insight into its sympathetic characters, as well as an intriguing examination into English society. A stunningly beautiful piece of work.
Rating: 
Summary: terrible book
Review: a typical story talking about gay people, while the style was good, I felt the content was bad.
Rating: 
Summary: Happy Endings Are Good
Review: A wounderfull book, it made me feel happy and then angry, and sad, and then happy again. I cant stand a book with an unhappy ending, so this book is a good book for people like me.
Rating:
Summary: "Publishable-- but worth it?"
Review: According to the introduction of the book, this question was found after Forster's death scribbled by him on the cover of the 1960 typescript version of the novel. I think that while the answer for the reader has to be 'yes', it is also easy to see why Forster had his doubts. The book was an intensely personal one for Forster, as it addresses the issue of homosexuality in the context of the early 20th century. Because of its subject matter, it was not published after it was written (1914) and Forster went on to significantly rewrite the book at different periods throughout his life. Although by the time of the last rewrite (1959-1960) Forster could have published the book in terms of its subject matter, he was not satisfied with the work itself. According to his biographers, he found it dated and had never been satisfied with the ending. _Maurice_ tells the story of a conformist young man who finds himself increasingly attracted to his own sex. He moves from a disasterous relationship with an undergraduate friend to a more adult affair which finally causes him to break from the rules that he understood all his life. While the book is historically fascinating, and actually quite emotionally affecting (Maurice is perhaps one of the fullest characters in Forster's novels) it suffers from its history of revision and uncertainly. There's a hesitance in the writing and a strangely jumpy character to many of the plot points. It doesn't make it less worth reading, but perhaps less perfect than some of Forster's other efforts.
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