[ book tip by Bryonie Baxter ] A Room With A View is E.M. Forster's most well-known and well-loved novel. This can be attributed to the warmth and gentle humour that suffuses the book. A coming-of-age tale of an Edwardian girl from the tumultuous landscape of Italy to the quiet reserve of the English countryside, it features a wide scope of characters with which Forster can poke gentle fun at the English abroad and the inherent snobbery of English society.

The story focuses on Lucy Honeychurch, who whilst travelling in Italy has a passionate encounter with a young man, George Emerson, staying in the same pensione in Florence. Their burgeoning romance is quickly curtailed by Lucy’s maiden aunt, Miss Bartlett acting as her chaperone. Emerson is deemed wholly unsuitable as a suitor due to his upbringing with his radical free-thinking father and his profession as a clerk on the railways. Back in England, Lucy accepts a marriage proposal from the snobbish Cecil Vyse, yet her passions are reawakened when George Emerson unexpectedly moves into the village where she lives.

The real beauty of this novel is that Forster writes with a real love for his subjects which raises the cast of comic characters from mere caricatures; from the lady novelist in Florence to the vicar in Lucy’s home parish. He also gives us a pair of lovers that the reader can genuinely care about. Perfect for re-reading, this novel is not only very funny, a sharp observation on Edwardian society but also blessed with the perfect happy ending.

[ Favourite quote ] 'It isn't possible to love and to part. You will... experience that the poets are right: love is eternal'

[ book info ] Forster, E.M.: A Room With A View. (Book language: English) Atlantic Books, 1993 (1908). ISBN: 0553213237 .