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Word count: 4008. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Absolutely essential for Forster scholars!
This two volume set is essential for the Forster scholar.Edited by Mary Lago, one of the foremost Forster scholars, it contains some of the highlights of his voluminous correspondence.Up until his death in 1970,Forster wrote up to twelve letters (!) a day, many of which are stored inthe Forster archives at Kings College in Cambridge, England.Dr. Lagopainstakingly sifted through those massive archival files and translatedForster's unique penmanship and wonderful letter writing style into alovely, insightful, and entertaining two-volume set of correspondence. ... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

love howard's end - hate junk characters on this particular kindle version
howard's end is my favorite novel of all time.this particular kindle version has junk characters salted throughout starting with a 6-character+ string of fractions on first page.i think there are other kindle versions of howard's end though. ... Read more

Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

The First Step in the Right Direction
The first novel written by E. M. Forster is a perfect introduction to his fiction. He is not yet a master so he will not frighten you off with his form and style but he will gently let you see the world the way he saw it. This relatively small and slight book can make a charming read if you are sensitive enough to detect delicate mood changes, notice off-hand remarks which reveal the true meaning of the story. The style and language alone make it worth your time.
And yet there is more to it. It is a book about "us" and "the other". Philosophers have pondered on the issue for years and brought hefty volumes of studies but Forster can make it without unnecessary ado. This history of an English widow who did not fit in affluent suburb and, when sent abroad, married an Italian youth only to become the victim of his macho ways will certainly make you think. The second part - the unfortunate family rescue operation sent to save a baby from being brought up in wrong faith and wrong part of the world will also be food for thought. Have we changed really? Are we ready to accept that other people's ways may be as good as ours? Forster leaves these questions unanswered and the ending open - you have to fill in the blanks of the novel and the way you see the world.

Where Angels Fear to Tread
In E. M. Forster's first novel, an effete English family and their acquaintances encounter an authentic and vital society in the hills of Italy.Vacuous Lilia visits Monteriano in Tuscany and impulsively marries.She realizes her mistake too late to save herself but her English in-laws attempt to rescue the issue of her marriage.Upon arriving in Monteriano, they find that their wealth and education count for less than they thought.Rigid Harriett breaks herself against the local culture and provokes a tragedy, but the more sensitive members of the rescue party, Philip and Miss Abbott, profit in ways that they did not expect.

Forster uses a quiet, simple style that lets the reader be moved by his rather sudden plot revelations.While this is a short novel, Forster finds room for a sincere appreciation of the charms of fictional Monteriano and some gentle humor.I imagine that this very approachable novel would appeal to many different types of readers.

Italy Charms Everyone in the Worst of Times[98]
If one wishes to learn how Britain's rich entertained, lived and acted during the turn of the century, E.M. Forster and Evelyn Waugh deliver depictions as well as anyone of their generation.

This book delves little with interpersonal thoughts. Instead, it deals with dialogue. Rich, gooey, luscious dialogue where the characters reveal their characters, their thoughts, their inner beings by what words they choose to deliver to others.

In the staid world of turn-of-the-century Britain, the dialogue must be masterfully written as the people did not directly say what they felt.They were polite, but in a cold British manner.And, Forster's ability to write that type of British dialogue is unrivaled.

Additionally, this book - which is amid the wonderfully warm Italy - delivers a great ethical question: what to do with a baby born of a British mother (who dies in child birth) related to very impudent and snobby persons residing in the outskirts of London. Who does he belong to? His wealthy British relatives where he will be brought up well but little loved?Or with his loving Italian stallion 23-year-old father who has little money, knows nothing of rearing children and probably would fail (at least in a British perspective) in raising the child?

Forster delivered a similar ethical issue in "Howards End" where the last wish of a dying wife to her husbandof many years (through oral bequest and written - but unwitnessed note -which contradicts her written will) is not followed by her husband and family who wish to keep their inheritance in exchange for dishonoring the matriarch'slast wishes.

But, each issue is not finished with the sudden first response. In each book, more events occur which gloss the issue.

Read this book soon in time to "A Room With A View." Italy obviously touched Forster - this book and "Room With A View" are its derivatives. Thank you Italy for being you to Forster, who wrote that Italy ". . . sent me going as novelist."

Somewhat dated but still a worthwhile read
This book suffers from dated style and tone.Also, its one of those book where nothing much happens until EVERYTHING happens.Still, the characters are drawn with universal qualities and weaknesses and so it was a book to which I could relate.Forester is a subtle master in developing the theme that everyone is different than what they initially appear to be.A cad really can be a gentleman in disguise."Angels" is a worthwhile read.

So Much Drama
Forster's novel highlights the interracial marriage between an English woman (Lilia) and an Italian man (Gino). Much of the discussion surrounds their marriage and its various negative and positive aspects, which are few. The characters revere the wealthy, English society as better than lower-class, Italian lifestyle, but their ideals are challenged by the death of Lilia and her son.

Even with the constant derision of the Italian culture, the characters do think Italians are more honest with themselves and their passions than the English are, and the characters who mention this idea are in many ways jealous of Gino and his people. The idea is raised that living in light of your passions could lead to a more fulfilling life than living with the standards of high English society. At the theatre, the Italian people are thoroughly enjoying themselves with a very intrusive atmosphere of theatre viewing, and the English characters will not put up with it. They consistently refuse to live life as it comes to them, instead deciding that it must be processed through the socially acceptable constructs of English culture.

Reviewed by Jonathan Stephens ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (3)

Simply the Best
Thirty years after its first publication this biography of E. M. Forster still hasn't been surpassed and chances are fairly slim that it ever will be. Furbank was apparently the perfect biographer for E.M.F. - he handles his life with an appropriate balance of inquisitiveness and discretion just as the writer lived his life. This attitude maybe now seem close to timidity which it is not, it is us who have been spoiled by the last quarter of a century.
This book is a perfect addition to any E.M.F.'s scholar and fan library but it may be a perfect introduction for someone for whom the name does not ring a bell yet. This is simply a great biography of a great men of letters - and the two greats add to make a great read.

Definitive Resource
Without a doubt, Furbank's work is a great resource for any student of Forster.While working on my thesis , his book was always close at hand.Forster readers will appreciate the attention to detail that helps enliven any reading of one of Forster's novels.

An authority in its field
The must-have biography that almost every researcher of E.M. Forster uses among her/his basic material. Furbank was appointed by E.M. Forster himself as his biographer. The book contains photographs and it covers a lot ofdetail. Although the extensive detail sometimes gives an impression ofdigression it in fact enhances the 'scientific' value of the book, since itprovides information about E.M. Forster for research from many angles(ranging from Bloomsbury Group to liberalism &c &c). Moreover, thedetailed descriptions at times almost read like a novel (for instance thesection on E.M. Forster's travels to Italy). Many letters are included -some by E.M. Forster, some to E.M. Forster, some about E.M. Forster - andmake for an enchanting account. Very informative. ... Read more

Book Description
An End of Innocence Meet the wealthy Wilcoxes, the cultured, emancipated Schlegals, and poor, young Bast. Howards End, a house in the countryside, is the source of their conflict-and a symbol of class strife within society, as Forster poses the question of who shall inherit England. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

The Machine Stops & Other Stories (E.M.Forster)
This is an excellent book, well ahead of it's time.
It was required reading for us in prep school, and I am now purchasing a copy for my (9 year old) son.

A book that will fascinate you!
Reading Forster's short story"The Machice Stops" made me understand and think a lot about computer use in our everyday life. His writings are like a prediction of what may come if people remain asarrogant and selfish as they already are. The book also made me think aboutthe existance of God and the reason of our creation. I strongly recommendthat you read this book having of course under consideration that it waswritten in 1909. ... Read more

Book Description
E. M. Forster once described The Longest Journey as the book “I am most glad to have written.” An introspective novel of manners at once comic and tragic, it tells of a sensitive and intelligent young man with an intense imagination and a certain amount of literary talent. He sets out full of hope to become a writer, but gives up his aspirations for those of the conventional world, gradually sinking into a life of petty conformity and bitter disappointments. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Painful
Forster's The Longest Journey is painfully bad: painfully awkward, painfully closeted, painfully dated, painfully class-conscious, painfully defiant of the norms of story-telling, painfully sententious at times and preachy. It's also painfully true.

It's a "college" novel, like many others depicting the lives of its characters fatally determined by the inherently contingent friendships one forms in the nursery of one's college circle. I read it first in 1962, when I was living in painful intimacy with my "peers" in a painfully cloistered House at a painfully famous university. I suppose I had to write a painfully trivial paper about it. Now I've read it again, and I find that, seen backwards through the telescope of years, it's uproariously funny. I don't remember having that impression the first time. I imagine I found it more serious when I was living in it.

I wonder why novels of the early 20th C seem so much more dated and mawkish at times than, for instance, Trollope or Fielding or Smollett? Perhaps it's the embarrassment that teenagers feel about their parents when those parents claim to have been young once and reveal the turmoils that only the current generation can take seriously. Anyway, I suspect that many readers will underrate this novel because of that uneasiness. All I can say is, if you're not reading it for homework, nobody will make you enjoy it. But if you give it a chance, you may find that it's painfully moving and beautiful. ... Read more

Book Description
This new collection of essays, each one by a recognized expert, both brings Forster studies up to date and provides lively and innovative readings of every aspect of his wide-ranging career. It includes substantial chapters dedicated to his two major novels, Howards End and A Passage to India, and further chapters focus on A Room With a View and Maurice. Forster's connections with the values of Bloomsbury and the lure of Greece and Italy in his work are assessed, as is his vexed relationship with Modernism. Other essays investigate his role as a literary critic, the status of his work within the genres of the novel and the short story, his treatment of sexuality and his attitude to and representation of women. This is the most comprehensive study of Forster's work to be published for many years, providing an invaluable source of comment on and insight into his writings. ... Read more

Book Description
Updated and revised in light of current scholarship, this bibliography--originally published with the help of E.M. Forster himself in 1965--now includes two new sections:"Audio--Visual material" and "Manuscripts."In the first of these, Forster's little-known success as a broadcaster is
documented and the radio, television, and stage productions of his novels and short stories are detailed, along with radio and television interviews and discussions."Manuscripts" records, among others, the major archive of King's College, Cambridge, and that of the BBC Written Archive Centre and
other BBC libraries.New subsections, such as "Reported Speech," have been added to existing sections. ... Read more

Amazon.com
E. M. Forster's classic novel about social conflict between the British and Indians in colonial India. The story revolves around Dr. Azziz, a young, educated Indian who is unjustly accused of attacking a British woman. With the help of an enlightened Britisher, he struggles to defend himself against a system bent on prejudice. Drawing upon his extensive experience in the country, Forster illustrates that the culture and personal character of East Indians is much more complex than the British cared to give credit, and many of the conflicts of the period arose out of the Englishman's inability, or unwillingness, to see beneath the surface. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Second Best
With the standards set so high by Furbank (isn't it telling that the cover added to this web page is the cover of Furbank's biography and not that of Beauman?) there is quite little one can do. One can always go wrong, however, and to some degree this is what the book does. I found its concentration on Forster's homosexuality (can he be outed any more after the publication of Maurice in 1971?) quite tiresome and insistence on stressing his biography and its influence on his works not always substantiated. You can find all the important details here but if you want a good read as well, take the hint from this web page and get yourself a copy of Furbank's biography instead.

An outing to be relished - an inspirational and superb read.
If one purpose of a literary biography is to inspire the reader to return to the works of the subject of the biography with renewed enthusiasm then Ms Beauman has succeeded admirably. But her work is also a timely reminder of the significance of an artist to the health of a civilized society. In this age of "outcomes", "product" and "prioritization" Mr Forster's speech as a resident honorary fellow of King's College Cambridge when proposing a toast to the health of the college must stand as a delicious ironical instance of the artist as just being - and that being enough. He said " I do not belong here at all. I do nothing here whatsoever. I hold no college office, I attend no committee, I sit on no body, however solid, not even on the Annual Congregation. I co-opt not, nor am I co-opted. I teach not, neither do I think, and even the glory in which I am now arranged was borrowed from another college for the occasion." Forster's relationship with his mother together with his homosexuality loom large in Ms Beauman's analysis which is not to say that her consideration of the works is less than thorough. Indeed, her research into the genesis and development of PASSAGE TO INDIA is especially detailed and illuminating. The Forster story by Ms Beauman is one that is told with understanding, warmth and a deep humanity that was a characteristic of the subject himself. Of particular interest was when the writer, Beauman, addresses the reader,you, expressing some doubt about including rather revelatory and intimate details of Forster's sexual adventures. This is an instance of ".... on the other hand it could be said..." that was a trademark of Forster's method. A most enjoyable read. Dare I say I came away from reading it a better person? ... Read more