Howards End

By: E.M. Forster

Narrated by: Nadia May

A vibrant portrait of Edwardian England, Howards End examines personal relationships and conflicting values. The Schlegel sisters, Margaret and Helen, and their brother, Tibby, place their values in civilized living, music, literature, and conversation with their friends. The Wilcoxes, Henry and his children Charles, Paul, and Evie, are concerned with the business side of life and distrust emotions and imagination.

Howards End, a charming country house in Hertfordshire that belonged to Henry Wilcox's first wife, becomes the object of an inheritance dispute between the Wilcox family and the Schlegel sisters. Through romantic entanglements, disappearing wills, and sudden tragedy, the conflict over the house emerges as a symbolic struggle for England's very future.

(P)2006 Blackstone Audiobooks

Excellent

If I continue to listen to these very wonderful English performances, because they are performances, I shall develop a decidedly English accent.

Just a great entertainment!!!

A Must!

While I loved the 1992 movie adaptation of this book, with stellar performances by an unforgettable cast, the book delves in with so much more detail, depth leaving many questions open-ended and left for the reader to contemplate and answer individually. Not only is the question of class distinctions held up for scrutiny, so is gender disparity and the entire concept of gentrification, shining a light on the dignity and value of work for its own sake, along with holistic education verses abstracting and/or rote memorization and skimming along the surface of great authors' ideals.

Forster's novel, Howards End, is a multi-coursed banquet of life lessons to consider, ponder, and "connect" with. I cannot gush over this masterful literary work enough! If you haven't read it yet, it timeless and should be part of everyone's soul!

Classic story

Well read, but took a couple chapters to get used to the style of the performance. Loved the story!

Great novel

Nadia May is an excellent narrator. Forster’s novel is beautifully written. I read along and loved it.

Tiresome

The narrator had the same voice all over! Found it boring after a while! Couldn’t finish it. Too many details!

Genius

Brilliant - Beautifully written, insightful, predictive in so many ways of the future of the 21st century.

Wonderful

A great story about class and the changing attitudes about women during the late Victorian Age.

Amazing story, wonderful narrarator!

I thoroughly enjoyed this reading of this book. The narrator embodied the characters very well and relayed the story at a pace and tone that perfectly suited the book. The book itself, well, it’s just an excellent story. One of the best. Margaret Schlegel is one of my favorite characters. Her kind, gentle, yet indomitable character is so inspiring. What an amazing heroine.

should not be listed as

Some big and important chunks of the book have been omitted.

I enjoyed the book, but found the prose too dense to absorb while driving and listening - I read the text later, and discovered the missing material.

very edwardian

story of an England long past. pre-WWI, Edwardian. God-awful sexist and classist norms. worth suffering through.