A Passage to India by E.M. Forster

by Hilda D. Spear

Genres: Classics

84 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1986

Reviews

[Noreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just re-read Women in Love by DH Lawrence and could not understand how I was ever drawn to it. Seemed like an adolescent mistake to me. I read Passage to India around the same time in my life and what a different experience upon re-reading! Still a great book. He's a master craftsman, isn't he? And this is as moving, disturbing, and thought-provoking as ever.

[Kirsten · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had heard great things about this book and was excited to read it. However, I was disappointed. The first half was boring, then something kind of exciting happened, and the last half was also pretty boring.

[Gene Pisasale · Rating 2 out of 5]

"A Passage to India" by E.M. Forster has been rated a "classic", even one of the best novels of the 20th century- so I decided to read it while on vacation in Palm Springs- a place that's quite conducive to relaxation and reading. The book is a story about the interactions between English expatriots and travelers who visit India- and the natives who live there. The time frame is the early 20th century; the book came out in 1924. Forster was an English author wh focused many of his works on class differences and perceived hypocrisy in the British system. In "A Passage to India", Forster highlights numerous interactions between English visitors and native Indian people in an attempt to focus on differences in perspective, prejudice and even hostility between the two groups. Unfortunately, the entire book is focused on these things- with very little "action" to grab the interest of the reader. The most "exciting" thing that occurs in the book is a supposed assault on an English woman by an Indian man- an event which caused a trial in which the woman recanted her deposition to the police. That's it. The novel probably raised a few eyebrows 90- plus years ago when it came out, but it has lost much of that supposed appeal by the beginning of the 21st century. I wanted to enjoy this book, but found it earned only minimal praise- specifically Forster's deft creation of dialogue- but this was not enough to merit a high rating. I give this novel 2-stars out of five.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Different than other Forster novels, and yet the same. Quirky characters, more likeable traits in the "natives" (this time Indians rather than Italians) than the stuffy Brits, but still enough flaws on each side to keep it somewhat real. The book on CD is especially good b/c the voices of the many characters are kept distinct...

[Lyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written.

[Booklover]

tbr

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sad how two cultures living together make no effort to understand each other.

[Ciel · Rating 3 out of 5]

How dare I give this classic (audio) book a thumbs down? It was too dated to hold my interest. Slow, politically incorrect, I found it more tiring to slog through than it seemed to warrant.