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A Room with a View Audiobook

A Room with a View Audiobook, by E. M. Forster Play Audiobook Sample
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Read By: Steven Crossley Publisher: Tantor Listen Time: at 1.0x Speed 5.17 hours at 1.5x Speed 3.88 hours at 2.0x Speed Release Date: March 2010 Format: Unabridged Audiobook ISBN: 9781400186099

Quick Stats About this Audiobook

Total Audiobook Chapters:

20

Longest Chapter Length:

37:10 minutes

Shortest Chapter Length:

11:42 minutes

Average Chapter Length:

23:31 minutes

Audiobooks by this Author:

26

Publisher Description

This Edwardian social comedy explores love and prim propriety among an eccentric cast of characters assembled in an Italian pensione and in a corner of Surrey, England. A charming young Englishwoman, Lucy Honeychurch, faints into the arms of a fellow Britisher when she witnesses a murder in a Florentine piazza. Attracted to this man, George Emerson—who is entirely unsuitable and whose father just may be a Socialist—Lucy is soon at war with the snobbery of her class and her own conflicting desires. Back in England, Lucy is courted by a more acceptable, if stifling, suitor, and soon realizes she must make a startling decision that will decide the course of her future: she is forced to choose between convention and passion.

The enduring delight of this tale of romantic intrigue is rooted in E. M. Forster's colorful characters, including outrageous spinsters, pompous clergymen and outspoken patriots. Written in 1908, A Room with a View is one of Forster's earliest and most celebrated works.

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"This is, by far, my favorite of Forster's novels. In a popular British pastime (if not requirement) of the period, a young and innocent girl, Lucy Honeychurch (notice the use of names), travels with her cousin/chaperone to Florence to immerse herself in the classical culture of the Tuscan city. Soon after arriving, Lucy meets the handsome and unconventional George Emerson, a young man who leaves Lucy in a state of unsettling confusion, since his physical appeal is counterbalanced by his social unsuitability. Upon her return to England, Lucy becomes engaged to the most-suitable, though thoroughly unattractive, Cecil Vyse. As fate would have it, George and his father move into a nearby cottage, making matters very difficult for the painfully torn Lucy. A Room with a View is a beautifully executed romance, set against the backdrop of Edwardian conventionality and the splendor and beauty of Florence...and, of course, an ending in which Love wins the day never hurts."

— R.J. (5 out of 5 stars)

Awards

  • An Entertainment Weekly Pick for 12 Books to Ease Your Downton Abbey Withdrawl

A Room with a View Listener Reviews

Overall Performance: 3.834254143646409 out of 53.834254143646409 out of 53.834254143646409 out of 53.834254143646409 out of 53.834254143646409 out of 5 (3.83)
5 Stars: 60
4 Stars: 60
3 Stars: 41
2 Stars: 11
1 Stars: 9
Narration: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 (0.00)
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4 Stars: 0
3 Stars: 0
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Story: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 (0.00)
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  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " I read a few chapters for a Stanford class and finally went back to read the rest. Enjoyed it, would recommend, but probably not for everyone. "

    — Rebecca, 2/19/2014
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Beautifully written and full of some lovely ideas - Transcendentalism (of a sort) at its finest - but both plot and characters are woefully underdeveloped. Important events are glossed over or only mentioned briefly, and the timeline is bizarrely structured such that months pass with hardly a mention while a week is stretched over fifty pages. This leaves the reader confused about when things are happening, and it also lends to the lack of development of the characters. We rarely learn about a character's personality through his/her actions or words; rather, Forster expounds at length upon them, occasionally throwing something in to add to his stated intentions. It is because of the hurried timeline and the undefined characters that I found the romance unconvincing, as much as I wanted to love it. It's hard to believe in Love when that love is two teenagers who've had 3 conversations and who barely have personalities, let alone compatible ones. As that is where the principles of the book are most heavily rested, it was difficult to believe in the book. It is, however, an enjoyable read: Forster's prose is absolutely lovely. "

    — Breda, 2/19/2014
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " It was a good story but wasn't so exciting. "

    — Rui, 2/17/2014
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " This was so romantic and lovely. I want to go back to Florence, the light there makes it hard not to fall in love. "

    — Gillian, 2/17/2014
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " I read this for the first time when I was 20 or 21, and I loved it then too. So many beautiful passages. I don't think I really understood the "being in a muddle" theme back then, but it jumped out at me this time. "

    — Kerry-Anne, 2/17/2014
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " For me, this story had the charm of an old romance without the long-windedness of Austen or the Bronte sisters. There wasn't a hundred pages of moping or traveling through the countryside and the story didn't seem like it was never going to end. It was short and sweet and to the point. I liked the simplicity, even amongst the intrigue and politics of courtship. "

    — Lucille, 2/14/2014
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " I read a few chapters for a Stanford class and finally went back to read the rest. Enjoyed it, would recommend, but probably not for everyone. "

    — Rebecca, 2/11/2014
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " It would have been better if his portrayal of the female leads wasn't so aggrevating! "

    — Christen, 2/10/2014
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Quickie iPhone Review: Well written... Some funny stuff. I love the atheist character portrayed as the most loving and honest of the group. Great stuff.... I got this book because I was hoping it was like a Jane Austen type and it was... But the characters are a tiny bit grittier .., I liked it! "

    — travelmel, 2/10/2014
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Another book that was forced upon me by school this year X)I liked this book mainly for the fact that I could relate a lot to the protagonist especially on the difficulties that emerge when one is growing up. I also like the way that there are instances when the reader is spoken to directly and found the contrasts between George and Cecil quite funny. "

    — Manar, 2/10/2014
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I thought it would be kind of stuffy, but it is really a very cute, somewhat comic love story. It reads almost like a period movie, and has very modern ideas for being set and written in the early 1900s. The main characters are very likable, and the book is short. I read most of it in one sitting. Now that I've reread it and seen the 1985 movie, I'm beginning to think it really is one of the most perfect romances ever written, certainly one of my favorites. "

    — Alyssa, 2/9/2014

About E. M. Forster

Edward 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.

About Steven Crossley

Steven Crossley, a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, has built a career on both sides of the Atlantic as an actor and audiobook narrator, for which he has won more than a dozen AudioFile Earphones Awards and been a nominee for the prestigious Audie Award. He is a member of the internationally renowned theater company Complicite and has appeared in numerous theater, television, film, and radio dramas.