A Passage to India by E.M. Forster (2005-07-28) Paperback Bunko

I first had to read this novel in high school. Upon rereading it, I wish I had paid better attention back then.While this novel deals with colonialism and racism in India under the British Raj, it has relevance beyond the place and time in which it is set. The major characters are fully fleshed out and are not simply mouthpieces for particular religious or political views. Forster can thus present timeless observations about the human condition.

In many ways this is my favorite of Forster's novels. His ironic narrative style is never better, starting with describing Chandrapore as "Edged rather than washed by the river Ganges..." The characters are complex and variable people who often despite their own better instincts are impelled and animated by external forces. Forster does an exceptional job of portraying the divisions that define daily life in inter-War India. There are difficult divisions between the ruling British and their Indian subjects; between Muslims and Hindus; and between the various social castes within each of the groups. Nearly 100 years later, it's a sobering perspective on the Subcontinent.Unfortunately, this scanned digital edition contains dozens of OCR typographical errors that even a cursory proofreading could have corrected. "The" is repeatedly rendered as "tile" and many other issues, and the effect is very distracting. Hopefully the publishers will see fit to correct the transcription errors in this outstanding novel.

An enchanting cultural expose. This work introduced me to a land and people which I only had a nodding acquaintance with. Sociological point and counter point are exemplified in characters likable and malign. The mystery of the story is the backdrop for the characters. I recommend this book for open minded lovers of people.

Disappointing compared to the movie. Language is stilted and archaic. Sometimes the characters become two dimensional, almost comic book. If intended as satire, misses the mark and become cruel at times. Nonethless, as the basis for the film, it's worth a read just to see how the screen writer made the captivating translation to the movie.

I had read this book over a decade ago and I had good memories - somehow, it did not live up to my expectations this time. It is well written but I found it a bot boring and hard to get to the end...

This is a marvelous book with a wonderful moving story that was ahead of its time. I was astonished, however, by the many typos as if the edition had not been copy edited. Sometimes the typos altered or confused the meaning. For example, the word he always appeared as the word lie. Amazon should withdraw this version from its catalog. I will be asking for a refund!!

It was a little hard for me to get into it at first. Eventually it got a little exciting. It was OK, just not one of my favorites.

Very slow, old English type novel. My only complaint was I paid about $6.50 for it and when it came to me it had a clearance tag on it of $2.00!!!

Beware of this edition - it is FILLED with typos! It was definitely scanned and thus a number of words did not come out clearly and are typos. It is very distracting.I really found this book to be boring. I love literature and am very interested in reading about other cultures, but this book did not hold my attention. I was skimming for the last 1/3 because I just wanted to finish it.

Leisure

If you like EM Foster this is one of the best I'm not such a fab of the brittle, disillusioned side to their books but that's a personal thing

Always wanted to read this book and now I have I am not disappointed .It is so well written a pleasure to read.

Enjoyed it - E M Forster is now on my top authors list