Lukeozade100 Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 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:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 You're review is absolutely fine. And having read A Room With a View a while back, I plan on reading this one too at some point... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supergran71 Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 Yup, great review. I have Room With A View on my to read pile - I must get on to it soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lukeozade100 Posted August 9, 2008 Author Share Posted August 9, 2008 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted August 10, 2008 Share Posted August 10, 2008 A very good review Luke 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) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWoolford Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWoolford Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 Sorry, I copied and paste the last thread. It reads poorly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Severnlad Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 This is a book on our bookshelf that I haven't read but having read the review it won't be long before I dust it off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dimitra Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 I just finished it and I think it was a really good book. I thought that Forster presented the themes of racism and prejudice brilliantly. Kinda annoyes me that I don't have anything else to add. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pickwick Posted August 30, 2009 Share Posted August 30, 2009 A Passage to India is one of my favourite books.It is one of those times that the film of the book also worked really well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewell Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 A good review. I have just read A Room With A View and loved it. I will give this one a go someday to. Thanks luke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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