Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Maurice by E.M. Forster

3 reviews

fanboyriot's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

♡ Gay Classic
♡ Good Humor
♡ Angst with a Happy Ending 

I genuinely didn’t think I would like this book as much as I did.  I’m not a big classics reader, but this book was so lovely and truly iconic for its time.  Also the fact a gay book written in 1913 has a happy ending leaves no excuses for the gay books here in 2024 being so sad.

The author really brought the characters to life so well, setting up the perfect atmosphere, and writing a compelling queer love story before it was accepted to do so.  It’s a shame the author didn’t get to see how well loved his book would be.

Spice Level: 🌶️ (1/5)
Angst Level: 💧💧💧 (3/5)
POV: Third Person
Release Date: 1972
Rep: Gay (Main Character), Queer (Side Characters)
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affectionatelyrs's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional inspiring sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Such a beautiful, tragic story. Makes me ache for my queer family members in spirit who still have to live the way Maurice and Clive did in the 1900s. Alec is my beloved.
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rieviolet's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I've been meaning to read this book for so long and, for one reason or another, I kept postponing it but what a mistake, I really really loved it! It was not an easy read emotionally, the characters go through a lot and are not always likeable but it is a very engaging narrative and it makes you feel deeply. Also, the final payoff is so worth the very bumpy road to get there, bless you E.M. Forster.
Maurice's final speech to Clive was just *chief's kiss*, so so satisfying, I was in the background cheering him on and screaming "You tell him, you tell him!".

The prose was so rich and impactful, I've just finished reading it and I can't wait
to immerse myself in it again in the future. 

His journey was nearly over. He was bound for his new home. He had brought out the man in Alec, and now it was Alec’s turn to bring out the hero in him. He knew what the call was, and what his answer must be. They must live outside class, without relations or money; they must work and stick to each other till death. But England belonged to them. That, besides companionship, was their reward. Her air and sky were theirs, not the timorous millions' who own stuffy little boxes, but never their own souls.
 

The novel had already been a roller coaster of emotions and then came the author's terminal word and I have to say he finished me off for good, but what a lovely way to go, what a lovely way! I hope we will come to an even kinder year.

 
A happy ending was imperative. I shouldn’t have bothered to write otherwise. I was determined that in fiction anyway two men should fall in love and remain in it for the ever and ever that fiction allows, and in this sense Maurice and Alec still roam the greenwood. I dedicated it ‘To a Happier Year’ and not altogether vainly.

And in my experience though loyalty cannot be counted on it can always be hoped for and be worked towards and may flourish in the most unlikely soil.
 
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