Where Angels Fear to Tread

Author : E. M. Forster

What is it about ?

To save the appearances when it’s still possible, Lilia’s family in law has convinced her to go on a trip to Italy.  Indeed, since the death of her husband she has become even more unpredictable and her family in law fear that she shames them by doing some ridiculous action that would ruin the reputation of the family. However, the trip to Italy doesn’t go as well as it was first predicted and the family has to deal with an even worse catastrophe than it was expected.

What did I think of it?

This is the firs book of Forster’s that I’ve finished to read and it is also the first book he published when he was only 26. In the past, I indented to read Howard’s Ends but I never managed to finish it. The reason was not that I didn’t enjoy the book, but this is the kind of reading that you have to read in detail and pay attention to a lot of subtleties in the narration. Indeed, his style has a lot of humour and critics about his time, but it’s not something that you can read approximately by vaguely understanding the story. The interest is more in the untold and the impression that his words leave on the reader. Regarding Howard’s End, I had to give it up because it was taking me too much time to read though I really like it, but at one point I needed something else and more refreshing. I didn’t have this problem with Where Angels Fear to Tread, as it is much shorter. But it is still a very interesting book as you can already find there the author’s themes of predilection, which is the difficulty for people of his time, o understand each other. In particular, the cleavage between the difference social classes and cultures. The misunderstanding that drives the characters to their mutual ruins is not only due to their languages and their cultural back ground. It is more an incapability to really see the other as a human being that also has natural needs and feelings. All the characters seem to be blinded by their pride and prejudices. Though in the end the characters of Philip and Miss Abbott tend to realise that there is something else and more important than the English social conventions, they are still unable to understand each others and Gino. Though I don’t think it is the best of Forster’s books, I think it is still very interesting to read as a first approach of the author and it gives you a taste of what his following works will be. The humour and the essence of his style are already there and enable the reader to laugh or smile at the characters’ stupidity or ignorance, in connivance with the author.

Number of pages: 148

Rating: ****

The 3 first sentences:

    They were all at Charing Cross to see Lilia off – Philip, Harriet, Irma, Mrs Herrinton herself. Even Mrs Theobald, squired by Mr Kingcroft, had braved the journey from Yorkshire to bid her only daughter goodbye. Miss Abbott was likewise attended by numerous relatives, and the sight of so many people talking at once and saying such different things cause Lilia t break into ungovernable peals of laughter.

   “Quite an ovation,” she cried, sprawling out of her first class carriage.