When Adela and her elderly companion, Mrs. Moore, arrive in the Indian town of Chandrapore, they quickly feel trapped by its insular and prejudiced British community.
Determined to 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 center of a scandal that rouses violent passions among both the British and their Indian subjects.
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"This is one that I've wanted to read for a while, and I must say that I wish that I had read it in college when I was in the hight of my intellectual brain (vs. my current out-of-critical-thinking-practice mommy brain). I'm definitely glad I read it for a book club, however, so that I had other people to throw ideas around with. One thing that I loved about this novel is that one could easily trade out any number of scenarios from our own country to still feel the relevance of this book today (race relations of white America vs. Native Americans, African Americans, and even post-9/11 Muslim stereotypes today). Some of the reading is slow going, but I enjoyed that the novel covers both sides of the racial divide, neither side is perfect, and the variety of characters means that you could probably identify (at least partially) with at least one character."
— Claudia (4 out of 5 stars)
“Dastor’s performance is outstanding. A huge cast of characters of all classes and nationalities comes vibrantly alive as he takes the voice of each…His eloquent reading transforms into powerful performance literature…superior to the printed book…A Passage to India is a joy in audio…Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile“The crystal clear portraiture, the delicate conveying of nuances of thought and life, and the astonishing command of his medium show Forster at the height of his powers.”
— New York Times“A Passage to India is one of the great books of the twentieth century and has had enormous influence. We need its message of tolerance and understanding now more than ever. Forster was years ahead of his time, and we ought to try to catch up with him.”
— Margaret Drabble, Golden PEN Award-winning author" The key point of the novel is how different cultural backgrounds build up difficult barriers to understand each other , the example being the cultural differences between british and indian people . The theme is even more actual now as we live in an interconnect world.A thoughtful book that is worth reading "
— Francesco, 4/13/2018" A great read - takes place a few decades before India's independence from the British. A English woman accuses an Indian man of rape. Even though she is not a racist and was friendly with this man when she befalls to violence she accuses one of them. I enjoyed both the movie and book and found it scary how misunderstandings can cause such turmoil. "
— Kris, 2/10/2014" As a work written in his time, this is truly ground-breaking. It is well written (hence the reason it's a classic!) and the characters are developed in a most believable way. What I did not like was the fact that I couldn't relate, and therefore couldn't empathise with any of them. Not that surprising I suppose. Even so, I felt as though this novel was more of a work of art than a 'good read'. Aside from the court case, not a whole lot happened, and, through my own personal choice, I don't like that in a book, or a film either, come to that. I didn't leave the book with a feeling that something had been resolved, or dwelling on the characters, but it did make me think about colonial India, and all its consequences. "
— Jenna, 2/10/2014" For the longest time I was worried about whether I had a favorite book. After reading this one, that worry left me :) "
— Andrew, 1/29/2014" read it over break. liked it overall, but not sure what to think about the portrayal of Indians. I did like how Forster had the guts to question the justifiability of the Empire. hmm. "
— Jade, 1/28/2014" I finally realized why this is such a classic. Foster is a master of prose. A most read for all of those interested in fiction and the social interactions between different races, social classes and religions. "
— A., 1/28/2014" Excellent and the movie breathtaking "
— Teresa, 1/26/2014" Profoundly dissatisfying, as it was intended. "
— Michael, 1/24/2014" I almost feel bad for not thinking this book was a 5 star book. I thought the characters were slightly one dimensional--representing entire classes of people. This helped them to be both complex (a class is a complex thing) and superficial (a class has so many prescriptions). I was unimpressed by the representation of women in the book, and I had a hard time overcoming that. I don't know why I don't have a hard time overcoming that with Hemingway. Some of the prose was gorgeous. The dialogue was at times unparalleled. "
— Tali, 1/22/2014" Though mosyly historical in nature the characters aare well developed and the writing superb. "
— Phillyshah, 1/19/2014" Not my favourite Forster novel, because my feelings will always stay true to A Room With a View, but this is a close second. Forster is quite ahead of his time on dealing with cultural diversity and the foreseeable fall of the British Empire. Also, I love how this novel sets itself apart from Forster's other romantic works set in England. "
— Nicole-Anne, 1/16/2014Edward Morgan Forster (1879–1970) was an English novelist and short story writer. He also wrote numerous essays, speeches, and broadcasts, and some biographies and pageant plays. Many of his novels focus upon themes of class difference and hypocrisy. His best-known works are his novels, particularly A Room with a View, Howards End, and A Passage to India. Forster was twenty times nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Sam Dastor studied English at
Cambridge and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. His early theatrical experience includes a spell
at the National Theatre under Sir Laurence Olivier and time spent acting in the
West End. For the Royal Shakespeare Company, he has been seen in Timon of Athens, Tales from Ovid, and a world tour of A Servant to Two Masters. His many television appearances include I, Claudius; Yes, Minister; Mountbatten;
Julius Caesar; and Fortunes of War. He has also appeared in
the films Made, Jinnah, and Such a Long
Journey, recorded over a thousand broadcasts for the BBC, and narrated
numerous audio books.