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A review by writtenontheflyleaves
Howards End by E.M. Forster
challenging
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Howards End by E.M. Forster ☂️
🌟🌟🌟✨
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☔️ The plot: A brief failed romance between Helen Schlegel and Paul Wilcox at the latter’s family home, Howards End, draws two very different upper-class families into an association that neither can shake. When Helen accidentally takes the umbrella of poor clerk Leonard Bast at a concert, the entanglement becomes even more fraught, and the consequences for all involved will be far-reaching, and even explosive.
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This is a novel about human relationships and how important they are; it is equally a novel about privilege, and the ways that material wealth smooth our passage through the world and make us ignorant or callous. I’m sure there are essays on these subjects and you’re probably better off reading them than anything I could write – instead, what struck me most was the way that Forster illustrates the intense friction between ideals and reality, particularly in times of social upheaval.
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The novel is set around 1910, a time of huge change in British society, and you can really feel it: women discuss the merits of voting themselves versus influencing their husbands’ votes; socialism is debated, and London is described as a great groaning behemoth swallowing up everything around it (still very relevant imo). All of the characters – whether they’re an idealistic Schlegel or a materialistic Wilcox – have ideas of how the future should be and are disappointed or chagrined when their expectations are jarred and they are forced to adapt.
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It was an interesting read, but I can’t say I loved this one. I enjoyed the wry narration but the book felt quite dense and it wasn’t until the final third that I was really hooked. I think if I were discussing it at uni I’d love it, but as a casual read it didn’t quite work for me. I’m open to reading more Forster though!!
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📚 Read it if you’re interested in the seam between the Victorian period and modernity now – the social change aspect of the novel was fascinating!
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🚫 Avoid it if you don’t like too much intellectualising in your novels, or if you’re even more of a contemporary reader than I am and would find the setting and mindset of the characters alienating.
🌟🌟🌟✨
-
☔️ The plot: A brief failed romance between Helen Schlegel and Paul Wilcox at the latter’s family home, Howards End, draws two very different upper-class families into an association that neither can shake. When Helen accidentally takes the umbrella of poor clerk Leonard Bast at a concert, the entanglement becomes even more fraught, and the consequences for all involved will be far-reaching, and even explosive.
-
This is a novel about human relationships and how important they are; it is equally a novel about privilege, and the ways that material wealth smooth our passage through the world and make us ignorant or callous. I’m sure there are essays on these subjects and you’re probably better off reading them than anything I could write – instead, what struck me most was the way that Forster illustrates the intense friction between ideals and reality, particularly in times of social upheaval.
-
The novel is set around 1910, a time of huge change in British society, and you can really feel it: women discuss the merits of voting themselves versus influencing their husbands’ votes; socialism is debated, and London is described as a great groaning behemoth swallowing up everything around it (still very relevant imo). All of the characters – whether they’re an idealistic Schlegel or a materialistic Wilcox – have ideas of how the future should be and are disappointed or chagrined when their expectations are jarred and they are forced to adapt.
-
It was an interesting read, but I can’t say I loved this one. I enjoyed the wry narration but the book felt quite dense and it wasn’t until the final third that I was really hooked. I think if I were discussing it at uni I’d love it, but as a casual read it didn’t quite work for me. I’m open to reading more Forster though!!
-
📚 Read it if you’re interested in the seam between the Victorian period and modernity now – the social change aspect of the novel was fascinating!
-
🚫 Avoid it if you don’t like too much intellectualising in your novels, or if you’re even more of a contemporary reader than I am and would find the setting and mindset of the characters alienating.
68w
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Death and Murder