Howards End – E M Forster

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Chosen by Sophia

The disregard of a dying woman’s bequest, an impulsive girl’s attempt to help an impoverished clerk, and the marriage between an idealist and a materialist all intersect at an English country estate called Howard’s End. Here, many interactions and controversies between the characters occur.

The main characters come from three families: the wealthy Wilcoxes, half-German Schlegel siblings (Margaret, Helen and Tibby), and the Basts, a poor, young couple from a lower-class background.

The alternating classes among the characters create interesting story lines, as do their varying view points, prejudices and social understandings, which are representative of the time and well captured.

To trust people is a luxury in which only the wealthy can indulge; the poor cannot afford it.

Set during the Edwardian era when industrialisation was on the rise, the book has a focus on homes and architecture, which are well detailed, as are the fashions and traditions of the time. At the various settings characters engage in deceptions, affairs, conversations and friendships that propel the reading experience.

Each of the free rangers had a lot to say about the characters, all with attributes and flaws, all a product of their class and upbringing though many striving to understand life outside their own experiences. From them we learnt more about this time and place, and considered what we could take from their learnings into our own realities.

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Published 1910
Edward Arnold
343 pages