By E M ForsterForster has written a contemporary (then) tale about three families, the Schlegels, Wilcoxes, and Basts, whose lives intersect over a period of years. This story involves the interaction of characters from different social classes, and the reader is invited inside the lovely country home, Howard's End, as well as a dingy apartment that shakes every time a train rolls by; some characters attend concerts and participate in tennis matches, others work for a living. The author is writing about the changing social landscape of early 20th century England. (Of course the class structure will continue to change much more, with the Great War, and all the economic upheaval.) Towards the end of the book, the author hints that the environs of the city are beginning to encroach on the countryside around Howard's End, suggesting that the changing landscape is not just cultural and psychological, but physical as well. It is a gentle story, and Forster is quite prescient in his forecast that a way of life is about to be upended.
Though this story is a bit hard to get into, it's definitely worth the effort. It was better on the second reading, and I think it will be even more interesting the 3rd time around.
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