Summary of A Room with a View
“A Room with a View” tells the story of the romance between Lucy Honeychurch and George Emerson, two young English travellers who meet while on a Grand Tour in Italy in the early twentieth century. The novel begins in Florence, where Lucy and her cousin Charlotte are staying at the Pensione Bertolini. They are disappointed to discover that their rooms do not overlook the River Arno, but George’s father kindly offers to exchange rooms with them. Lucy and George’s relationship develops as they visit famous sites in Florence, including the Basilica of Santa Croce, the Piazza della Signoria, and Fiesole in the hills above the city. Yet Lucy struggles to understand her own feelings, and the progressive ideas of the Emersons are viewed with suspicion by some of her fellow travellers. When George unexpectedly kisses her, they are interrupted by Charlotte. Confused, Lucy continues her journey to Rome, where she meets an acquaintance, Cecil Vyse, who later proposes to her. Back in England, she becomes engaged to Cecil. However, when George suddenly reappears in her life, suppressed emotions resurface. Lucy must decide whether to follow her heart and choose George, or to remain with Cecil in a respectable but passionless engagement.
Reasons to read A Room with a View
“A Room with a View” is a classic English novel that offers a vivid portrait of tourism in Italy in the early twentieth century, as well as the social conventions and class attitudes of Edwardian England. The book combines a romantic story with a subtle social critique. E. M. Forster was one of the most important English novelists of the early twentieth century. His best-known works include “A Room with a View”, “Howards End”, and “A Passage to India”. In 1998 the novel was included in the Modern Library list of the 100 best English-language novels of the twentieth century. The book was famously adapted into an award-winning film in 1985, starring Helena Bonham Carter, Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Julian Sands, and Daniel Day-Lewis.
Setting: Florence, Fiesole, Rome (Italy) and Surrey (England)
The first half of the novel takes place in Italy (mainly Florence and Fiesole), while the second half is set in England (largely in Surrey).
Original title: A Room with a View
Year of publication: 1908
Nr of pages: 204
