A Room with a View (by E M Forster)

I have to admit that I'd barely heard of EM Forster a few years ago. Indeed, I would probably not even have picked up one of his books had I not seen the excellent film version of 'A Room With A View' many years ago, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

So when I saw 'A Room with a View' as an inexpensive paperback, I was interested enough to read it.

The story is about Lucy, and opens when she is on holiday in Italy with Miss Bartlett. They are complaining about the lack of a view in their rooms, and are overheard by two gentlemen, a father and son. These gentlemen persuade them to have their rooms, since they have been to Italy before and aren't bothered about the view.

Lucy rather likes George, the younger man, but they get a little too close too quickly. So they move on, and lose touch - only to end up living in the same neighbourhood.

The book was well-written and full of irony; amusing in places, but a bit long-winded too. It's a book about relationships, with a happy ending - but all in all, I think this is one of the very few books where I actually preferred the film version.

The book has become a classic, and is thus almost continually in print.