Total Page : 128
Publisher : Research Education Association
Publication Date : 1996 04 19
>> Interesting but not convincing
I enjoyed the book I found myself engrossed in the story and eager to find out the ending The 3 stars are more for character development Very few of the characters or their relationships were believable to me An example Aziz develops a deep affection and respect for Mrs Moore feelings important to the overall plot however they have only met maybe 3 times Ok maybe Aziz is an open hearted man but Mrs Moore s son also says Mrs Moore loved Aziz For me it required the willing suspension of disbelief Miss Quested s revelation about the case was surprising and not well explained Convenient it seemed Even Aziz s and Fielding s friendship suddenly existed without much foundation amid a great deal of misunderstanding and awkwardness
However the picture the book paints of colonial India and the behavior of the British was fascinating I felt despair on behalf of Aziz and intense frustration and dislike of the ruling British The book certainly transported me despite the issues I have with it
>> Oh dear East and West so misleading
Seeking to fill some gaps in my literary education I was referred to Forster s A Passage to India It is a marvelous beautifully written and ahead of its time Set in India at the zenith of British colonialism there the fortunes of three Britons and an Indian cross Miss Quested a newcomer wishes to see the real India in spite of her countrymen s disapproval Taken along with Mrs Moore also a new arrival and Mr Fielding by their Indian guide Dr Aziz an incident occurs in the Marabar Caves that is never very clear whatever happened or did not Miss Quested accuses Dr Aziz of sexual assault
The heart of the story isn t the accusation nor its resolution Rather it is the subtle layers of misunderstandings miscues and mistrust between Indian and Englishman and even between Hindu and Muslim in India The nuance and perspective Forster provides is simply sublime the arrogance of the imperialist British the anger and bitterness by Hindu and Muslim towards their occupier and the mututal mistrust between Indian Muslims and Hindus is brilliantly illustrated That what precisely happened in the caves is never wholly resolved allows the reader to insert themselves and their respective prejudices and perspectives into the story
What particularly resonated with me beyond the marvelous prose and variety of honest perspective through his characters was how far ahead of his time Forster was At the close of the book Aziz a western educated physician and therefore a safe Indian in the eyes of the British prior to the accusation against him has a conversation with Fielding his erstwhile friend in which Aziz remarks Until England is in difficulties we will keep silent but in the next European war aha aha Then is our time India shall be a nation No foreigners of any sort Hindu and Moslem and Sikh and all shall be one Hurrah Hurrah for India and then half kissing Fielding you and I shall be friends This written in 1924 almost a full generation before India s independence But it is not only Forster s prediction eerie but his unabashed anti imperialist voice suprised me
This book rightfully belongs among the century s greatest works for the skill and beauty of the author s way with words as for his sentiments Highly recommended
>> excellent book poor Kindle edition
I won t add to the other positive comments about this book It s wonderfully written But the formatting on Kindle is deployable In particular the paragraphs breaks are hard to discern making it difficult to know who is speaking I hope the publisher will update the book to make it a better Kindle read
