A Passage to India
Ratings56
Average rating3.4
15
Ratings56
Average rating3.4
When Adela Quested and her elderly companion Mrs Moore arrive in the Indian town of Chandrapore, they quickly feel trapped by its insular and prejudiced 'Anglo-Indian' community. Determined to escape the parochial English enclave and explore the 'real India', they seek the guidance of the charming and mercurial Dr Aziz, a cultivated Indian Muslim. But a mysterious incident occurs while they are exploring the Marabar caves with Aziz, and the well-respected doctor soon finds himself at the centre of a scandal that rouses violent passions among both the British and their Indian subjects. A masterly portrait of a society in the grip of imperialism, A Passage to India compellingly depicts the fate of individuals caught between the great political and cultural conflicts of the modern world.
Reviews with the most likes.
Very good all the way through. One underlying theme, that colonialism makes all forms of friendship impossible, resonates strongly.
I'm torn on this review. On one hand, there's nice historical references for the tension between Britain and India during this time period. the writing is fantastic and really does paint clear pictures of what's being talked about. Unfortunately, on the other, not a lot....actually happens. The prose is great, the setting compelling, but not much else. There's little going on here beyond a very pretty setting involving very pretty characters in a very tense environment.
That said, I think I'm going to give it another try next year as a re-read. I really did enjoy the writing style, just not necessarily the substance, or lack thereof.
it has something to say, but i'm certain there's a more compelling way to say it out there
(probably hurt by the fact that this was a school read)
“Most of life is so dull that there is nothing to be said about it, and the books and talk that would describe it as interesting are obliged to exaggerate, in the hope of justifying their own existence.”
Yeah, okay, Forster. SO, WHY THE FUCK DIDN'T YOU?
Tone: Dispassionate.
What could be described as the opposite of Dickensian.
Prose: Soporific. Savagely, sadistically tedious.
Felt an overwhelming urge to skim through the first 150 pages.
Social commentary: Strong.
Kind of awesome.
Story: Mind-numbingly, soul-destroyingly boring.
Might induce the reader to resort to some form of self-harm to rid themselves of the inevitable ennui it triggers.
I did like Professor Godbole, though. He was so very gay.
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