Jump to content

A Passage To India by E.M. Forster


Lukeozade100

Recommended Posts

A Passage To India by E.M. Forster

 

Well then, A Passage To India... It is a good book, but sadly not approaching A Room With A View or Where Angels Fear To Tread (The other books I have read by Forster).

 

It is though, clearly Forster.

 

It is also very hard to review! I suppose a synopsis is in order;

Amazon says: ''When Adela and her elderly companion Mrs Moore arrive in the Indian town of Chandrapore, they quickly feel trapped by its insular and prejudiced British community. Determined to explore the real India', they seek the guidance of the charming and mercurial Dr Aziz, a cultivated Indian Muslim. But a mysterious incident occurs while they are exploring the Marabar caves with Aziz. And the well-respected doctor soon finds himself at the centre of a scandal that rouses violent passions among both the British and their Indian subjects. A masterly portrait of a society in the grip of imperialism, A Passage to India compellingly depicts the fate of individuals caught between the great political and cultural conflicts of the modern world.''

 

But I feel that really the star of the show is one Mr. Fielding, it is he that I truly liked in this book and it is he that keeps the book flowing. Mr. Fielding is the Brit who doesn't quite sit well with all the rest and it is he that bridges the gap between the British & the Indians.

 

Sadly though it is not the most amazing book ever, it is worth reading if you like Forster, as I do. But at times the conversations are difficult to follow, you occasionally find yourself skipping a line ahead or two, not through want of getting to the next exciting event or revealing some secret, but because it is a paragraph that neither astounds us with its beauty or brings the story along. There are though moments of brilliance, there is a chapter in a courtroom that is one of the best chapters of any book I have ever read, and all because of the introduction of a silent Indian adonis who does nothing in the chapter but pull on a rope to turn a fan! It is in moments like this when the book truly shines, but sadly the moments are not quite often enough for me to feel that it is a book that shows the author at his best.

 

Overall 7/10

 

(My First review! Forgive it for being a little disjointed and maybe not the best review I will ever write, I will excuse myself by saying that I didn't really want to have to shove spoiler tags in everywhere as I don't feel retelling the plot is the point of a review, and also it is a book that really hasn't taken kindly to my reviewers mind, I think maybe I should have let the narrative settle in my head a bit more before I writ this:smile2:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think that was a very good review Luke. You have revealed enough to engender interest in reading it (or not as the case may be:lol:).

 

I find reviews difficult, but I struggle with them in the hopes I will get better. In any case, no one on here will criticise, they will only encourage. I look forward to your next review.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why thanks everyone! A Room With A View is a brilliant novel, and quite short as well which can sometimes be a nice plus when your considering what book to read next (a book that can squeeze in under 200 pages can be a godsend if you've been reading through 2 or 3 'doorstoppers:mrgreen:)

 

I think that Where Angels Fear To Tread would be better to read than this as a next Forster novel, though it is sort of more of the same (Again in Italy, the English abroad etc.) but I think if you liked A Room With A View you can't go wrong with Where Angels Fear To Tread.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A very good review Luke :smile2:

And I agree, of all Forster's books I've read, I liked A Passage to India the least. My favourites are A Room With a View and Howard's End. (I thoroughly recommend Howard's End, I'm always surprised this one isn't mentioned more often)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Hi, I just joined this group. I just finished A Passage to India the other day and enjoyed it immensely. I appreciate the use of the English language by Forster, and though that the character Dr. Aziz encountered struggles both internally and externally. This presented itself clearly to me. Even though I believe his love for Mrs. Moore was symbolic, I would like to have seen it developed so that I would have believed it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 11 months later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...