Howard's End

I'm sure you'll find far more competent and insightful reviews anywhere so I'll just say that this is a second reading for me and a radically different one. I first read this in my college years and some water has gone under the bridge since then. My sympathies for each characters altered pretty drastically, and I'd like to stress that Helen is a pill. There. I said it.On a practical level I'd recommend this to any fan of good writing, particularly in the [a:Jane Austen 1265 Jane Austen https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1380085320p2/1265.jpg] or [a:Henry James 159 Henry James https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1468309415p2/159.jpg] style. [a:E. M. Forster 19551289 E. M. Forster https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] is subtle but weaves ripples that reverberate long after the book has ended. Also if you have any interest in pre-WWI European society, British in particular, this fits all the cracks that history books leave intact. I'd follow it up with [b:Parade's End 777824 Parade's End Ford Madox Ford https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1450231478l/777824.SY75.jpg 2244425], for the full horror of what was lost and how our world became irrevocably changed while we weren't looking. The other reason I chose to revisit this gem is because I'm seeing [b:The Inheritance 38600016 The Inheritance Matthew Lopez https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1525882920l/38600016.SY75.jpg 60206005] soon. It's meant to be a reworking of [b:Howards End 38374795 Howards End E.M. Forster https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1518837828l/38374795.SX50.jpg 1902726] set in modern times and amongst gay men. Color me intrigued.