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Summary: Ever Fallen In Love With Someone...
Review: Interesting, very interesting. But not on first read. Yep, like everyone else here, I read this book as part of an English literature course. And, the first time I read it, I felt like setting fire to the damn thing. But, like the Velvet Underground, if you force yourself to take this in repeatedly, you eventually fall in love with it. The story itself is so basic, so obvious, a standardised Romeo and Juliet fantasy, but the language, social commentary, and at times plain flippantry of Forster's writing just infiltrate your mind like a brain tumour. Call Forster Coupland in a chastity belt. Touching, life-affirming, and, in a twist for books you study at school, some characters you care about. The sexually frustrated Mr Beebe, the hateworthy Cecil, and the greatly underrated Miss Bartlett. If you've ever been in love, and something's gone wrong, then this book was written for you.
Rating: 
Summary: Equal Gratification
Review: A Room with a View is a prominent novel about a man and a woman, class, and societal expectations and pressures. Lucy and her cousin Charlotte are offered rooms with a view of Florence, Italy by Mr. Emerson and his son, who are willing to exchange for them. The strict and drained Miss Bartlett does not wish to have an obligation to the Emersons, who are deemed less than polite society will condone. Their rector, Mr. Beebe, tells them he believes the exchange is proper and the ladies get their view of Florence. It becomes clear that Lucy herself wants a view of life and later confesses to her fiancé, a priggish intellectual, that she imagines him always in a room with no windows, with no view. The novel's love story is compelling, but the secondary themes of class and society structures are equally strong, with the truly noble characters emerging in the end with great strength. A Room with a View has everything a reader could ask for. Not only does it contain a beautiful and romantic love story that will capture your heart, but it contains the most simplistic comic relief, that it forms the perfect balance. Just as the story starts to get involved in deep romance, Foster will roll in a statement that will lighten the whole picture, and leave the mind simply happy. Foster writes in a way so calm and gentle that you want to fall in love with the book itself. He makes every word seem like it has such a great importance, that without it, the story will fall apart. One can tell this novel was written with a passion for life and love and with the force of a sensitive and empathetic mind. However, this gentleness leads to an extremely slow moving plot that sometimes winds up dragging along the reader. At some points, I found myself getting swallowed by the words and not really fully digesting them the first time. The key to aptly appreciate this novel is to have patience, knowing that the conclusion is well worth pacing the plot. Foster also created such a basic and easy plot that some chapters seemed to drag on until the idea was pulled through. Nevertheless, since there was not a complicated plot scheme to follow, the reader was able to concentrate on the language and characters illustrated in the novel. This way, it was also so easy to make yourself a character in the book and put your feet right in the room or scene to get the full effect of the atmosphere. Another aspect that was interesting to follow along with is how the novel conveyed very differently each level of society was looked at and thought of. Even though these thoughts on society may not have been the primary theme, they were definitely prominent throughout the novel. The lesson that can be learned from this aspect of the novel is that the entrenched morals of society should be thrown away in favor of passion and the natural instinct. The greatest fallback would have to be the British language used by Foster. I am not a big reader of British literature and I found the wording at little times to be a slight bit clumsy and awkward to follow. Although this stood in the way of the greater aspects of Foster's novel, it was definitely not a reason I would give for not recommending this astounding novel. This would have to be one of the greatest novels I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Anyone who believes they have the patience to appreciate this accomplished writer's work, will be utterly satisfied. The book is at every facet entertaining, no matter what genre of novels you're partial to.
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Summary: Love, Life, and Losers: Lucy learns the hard way
Review: In A Room with a View, E.M. Forster infuses a formulaic plot with rich characters and social commentary to create an eloquent insight into the human condition. Forster's gift for detailed character description and subtle sarcasm are prominently displayed as he describes protagonist Lucy Honeychurch's transformation from virtuous, obedient girl to vivacious, independent woman.
A Room with a View was first published in 1908, at a time when the British Empire was at its apex. The stereotypical images of high British society - proper tea parties, cultured conversation, and mild-mannered ladies- were still commonplace. However, a cultural revolution was taking shape. Women were beginning to challenge their role as symbols of modesty and decorum, while socialists and other freethinkers criticized the insular, intolerant views of the upper class.
In the midst of this rising movement of innovation, young Lucy Honeychurch takes a sightseeing tour of Italy. Raised in sheltered comfort at her estate in Surrey, England, Lucy is dutiful, submissive, and subconsciously able to suppress her own feelings in order to please others. In Florence, Lucy meets George Emerson, a passionate, spontaneous man with radical ideas on life. After a brief romantic encounter, Lucy returns to England, feeling confused and strangely dejected. Her sense of propriety outweighs her emotions, however, and soon she is engaged to a well connected, self-important man named Cecil. Cecil exemplifies the haughtiness and superficiality of the upper class. Forster describes him as, "Well educated, well endowed, and not deficient physically, he remained in the grip of a certain devil whom the modern world knows as self-consciousness" (100).
As Lucy and her snooty fiancée prepare for their wedding, George moves into a nearby villa. His reappearance sparks both feelings of love and contempt in Lucy, who vows to ignore him and devote herself to Cecil. But confrontation is unavoidable, and in their few moments alone, George inspires Lucy to break off the engagement with Cecil. He tells her, "Every moment of his [Cecil's] life he's forming you, telling you what's charming or amusing or ladylike, telling you what a man thinks womanly; and you, you of all women, listen to his voice instead of your own" (191). Lucy realizes the truth in his statement, but is so distraught, that she rejects both Cecil and George. It takes a heartfelt speech by George's father and a great deal of soul searching before Lucy realizes that she needs George. After all, he is the catalyst that starts Lucy down her path of self-discovery.
While the plot of A Room with a View is similar to other period romance novels, such as those by Jane Austen and the Bronte's, Forster's didactic style and witty sarcasm lift the book above the standard. Forster includes comments like, "But, as I say, this took a little thinking, and - so illogical are girls - the event remained rather greater and rather more dreadful than it should have done" (137). This quote highlights Forster's love of humor and cynicism, but it also brings up another issue that sets him apart from his peers. Forster is a man writing about a topic that is typically covered by women. While his views may be biased at times, his perspective adds a unique element to the genre.
Even more amazing, is Forster's ability to portray a young woman's personal and emotional rebirth with such understanding and clarity. Lucy is a complex character who continually struggles with outside influences and her own beliefs. All of her emotional battles are internal, but Forster records them so beautifully that they are just as exciting to read as any external action. For example, he writes, "Some emotion - pity, terror, love, but the emotion was strong - seized her, and she was aware of autumn. Summer was ending, and the evening brought her odours of decay, the more pathetic because they were reminiscent of spring...The scales fell from Lucy's eyes" (193-94). Although Forster is a man, he captures the sprit of a woman in his words.
E.M. Forster's story expressively highlights human nature, personal growth, and free will through the development of Lucy Honeychurch. Forster has the remarkable ability to be sarcastic one moment and poetic the next. Ultimately, it is his unique style and character development that make A Room with a View an incomparable novel.
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Summary: the greatest read ever
Review: i loved this book and have recommended it to everyone i know. forster captivates his reader by making them feel right there smack in the middle of the muddle between lucy and george. he carries out a kind of jane austen comic manner throughout the whole book, and you are just compelled to laughing. he describes his characters so meticulously, that you can just about relate each of them to a person in your own life. forster once said that he thought this novel was " slight, unambitious, and uninteresting " (gardner 403) but he was very mistaken. this novel is a light-hearted glimpse into the lives of the well refined english society and its unfortunate black sheeps. i especially enjoyed the way forster addressed the attraction between george and lucy, i've never read any book that has made me so thrilled at the end when the two lovers finally become one. of all forster's novels, i think this one is the funniest, most genuine, and heartwarming novel for any audience. i very highly recommend this novel
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Summary: Forster's passion for life
Review: I was greatly impressed by the grasp that this male author had on the sometimes vague nature of emotion - his understanding, especially of women and their emotions, may stem from the fact that his father died soon after he was born and he was raised by his mother and two other women. This book is amazing, not only for the statement that it makes about women and their changing role in society at the time, but for it's great insight into the important aspects of life. For example, (and this is a running theme throughout the book)in the words of a little old lady at the pension: " ...have you ever noticed that there are people who do things which are most indelicate, and yet at the same time - beautiful?" This philosophy of life highlights Forster's obvious favor of Lucy's brother Freddy and George Emerson - the silly ones who go for a romping swim in a pond - and makes plain his disfavor for Cecil Vyce, Lucy's stiff and condescending intended. This philosophy of life comes to full fruition when George kisses Lucy and even dares to kiss her again. By the rules of society, he is an indecent cad, but Forster would encourage us to find the beauty in it instead. Furthermore, this is not merely a story of a brainless girl who is tossed from an unfeeling fiance to an affectionate suitor. Rather, it is a story of a girl's realization of herself and her will. She triumphs as a thinking and feeling girl at the end and that's what makes the finale a sure victory for the author - he has not fallen into the usual trap of creating a two dimensional heroine.
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Summary: A Room with a View
Review: A Room with A View is a romantic book, which teaches more than one important lesson of life. Lucy teaches the reader many great morals through her battling of society's expectations. We also see these morals being taught with her struggle to find what she really wants. Throughout the book, we see Lucy start to develop a sense of independence and passion by following her heart. I think E.M. Forster does a great job of reflecting the 18th century in this book. Through Lucy he portrayed a woman's strength and a woman's changing role in society. This was also happening at the time in the 18th century to many other women. In this novel, social class is a huge factor in teaching us not to be judgmental or obey the unfair rules of society.This novel teaches us to think for ourselves just as Lucy did. Lucy meets a man of lower rank than she was. His name is George Emerson. He teaches her the things in life that are important such as her musical talents. He shows her the truth, and passion that she soon with discover. Nature is also conveyed widely in this book. Forster does a great job of connecting man and nature showing how they affect each other. Forster teaches us the lesson that man cannot be taken from his natural state. When the novel ends, we see how man and nature are all tied together. With the help of many people and by traveling to Italy, Lucy finally grows into a strong woman. She is now passionate, independent, and aware of what she wants. This book takes the reader through the adventure of a young woman's struggle with her heart, and with the society.
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Summary: A Book With a Heart
Review: A ROOM WITH A VIEW depicts a young Englishwoman's adventure trying to come to grips with the conflict between her desires and society's expectations. Lucy Honeychurch is a well-bred young middle class girl on holiday in radiant Florence. She comes from a family overconcerned with respectability and is therefore overprotected by a dessicated spinster named Charlotte Bartlett. One wonders if Forster had in mind a more famous Charlotte B. when he drew Lucy's protector, a woman "much discomfited by [any] unpleasant scene[s]." Forster playfully tosses barbs at this don't-let-the-servants-hear-you world the English try to maintain on foreign soil. Less playful with sanctimonious Puritans or hypocritical clergymen, Forster lets them foil themselves. Under no circumstances will Miss Bartlett allow Lucy to pursue (or even examine) her affection for the handsome young George Emerson--his father is far too unconventional with his modern notions about honesty and freethinking. Duty must reign . . . mustn't it? Ah, that wild transitional phase between the late-Victorians and the early-Moderns! Forster writes gently and calmly, but with a passion for life and love welling up beneath the surface. A ROOM WITH A VIEW is a lovely book, vital with the force of a sensitive and empathetic mind. There's even more to this book than it seems--highly recommended!
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Summary: The old ways of courting
Review: The romance of this book was beautiful...you can't really describe it. Young Emerson being unexperienced falling in love with Lucy was hinted a bit with every chapter, it was never really bluntly spoke of that he loved her...Forster didn't take the easy road, but beated around the bush which made Lucy and George's relationship much more interesting and fascinating to look at. From the scene where Lucy wakes up and finds herself in the arms of George is probably the biggest hint of his love for her...even though all he really did was hold her. In the end their struggles to get ignore their parents and society itself gives them the reins to control their own lives. I'm not sure but there was just something about this book that makes me just aghasted...I can't describe it...I feel so overcomed with emotions, just like when I read Tess of the Durbervilles. But in this case, there's a happy ending
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Summary: A view of the book
Review: A Room With A View takes place in England and Italy. The scenery is beautiful and the characters are very well developed. The book shows a lot about people and how they interact with each other and their surroundings. The main plot is about a girl falling in love and not always understanding or knowing how to follow her heart, but the real importance lies within the characters and their surroundings. Mr. Emerson and his son George are amazing people with wonderful ideas of the world, but they are frond down upon because they are different from the norm. I found the book very enjoyable although the first part was quite slow. The middle and the end of the book went quickly and had me hooked.
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Summary: A little corny slice of Italy
Review: A Room with a View is the classic love story. The woman falls in love with one man then gets torn apart from him. Months later she meets a new guy and sadly accepts his proposal to marry him even though she has feelings for the other man but knows she will never see him again. Then to throw in the climax he comes back they fall in love again, she breaks off the engagement with the other man and they go off and live happily ever after. I think this story is a little too corny for me. You can tell what is going to happen in the novel before it ever does. There aren't very many surprises in the novel and I think that is where I lost interest in the book. It is full of love, adventure and drama. Overall it has a good plot line and if you love traveling and Italy you will love this novel.
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