Forster's gentle, wry wit can be seen developing in this novel, where we follow the tumultuous effects of Lilia Herriton's "unspeakable" marriage to the young Italian, Gino. To save themselves from certain disgrace from the priggish society of English suburbia, the Herriton family's main concern is to put a quick stop to any unsavory rumors. To this end, Mrs Herriton, the force behind the family, dispatches her son on an assignment to save the family name. This however is a vain act; as events soon take an unexpected and tragic turn. The death of Lilia during childbirth is bittersweet news for the pompous Herritons who are now forced by their own convictions to plan further missions to Monteriano, to secure, by bribing the young Gino, the fate of the child. Although primarily involved with the English and their narrow-minded and reactionary concerns, Forster weaves an underlying love interest throughout the latter part of the novel. He develops each character carefully and we are often surprised by a view or action expressed by the conceited Herriton children, Philip and Harriet, and by the demure Caroline Abbott (Lilia's old friend and travelling companion). It is the combination of these three, the English task force abroad, and their own, individual ideals, that causes the novel to evolve into a remarkable battle of wills; and to an unforgettable and poignant ending. The structure and rhythm of Forster's first novel is both graceful and sensitive. The comedy is perfectly placed and his powers of observation already display his characteristic adroitness for seeing far beyond the predictable. It is a wonderful novel.
About the Author: Edward Morgan Forster, was an English novelist, short story writer, essayist and librettist. He is known best for his ironic and well-plotted novels examining class difference and hypocrisy in early 20th-century British society. Forster's humanistic impulse toward understanding and sympathy may be aptly summed up in the epigraph to his 1910 novel Howards End: "Only connect." Forster was President of the Cambridge Humanists from 1959 until his death and a member of the Advisory Council of the British Humanist Association from 1963 until his death. His views as a humanist are at the heart of his work, which often depicts the pursuit of personal connections in spite of the restrictions of contemporary society. His humanist attitude is expressed in the non-fictional essay What I Believe. Forster's two best-known works, A Passage to India and Howards End, explore the irreconcilability of class differences. A Room with a View also shows how questions of propriety and class can make connection difficult. The novel is his most widely read and accessible work, remaining popular long after its original publication. Forster is noted for his use of symbolism as a technique in his novels, and he has been criticised (as by his friend Roger Fry) for his attachment to mysticism. One example of his symbolism is the wych elm tree in Howards End; the characters of Mrs Wilcox in that novel and Mrs Moore in A Passage to India have a mystical link with the past and a striking ability to connect with people from beyond their own circles.