WE’RE READING:

I’M SERVING: CRUMPETS AND JAM

Howards End (no apostrophe, BTW) is one of those books that’s kind of like green vegetables when you’re a kid. You know it’ll be good for you, but you’re not sure you want to get that involved. To be honest, it took me a while to get into it. The group agreed that the themes of the book ring true. The Schlegels and Wilcoxes (and to a lesser extent, the Basts) represent three major types of Edwardian era Englishmen: the Intellectuals, the Rich, and the Working Class. Which of these groups will inherit England?

According to the book, none–and yet all. Along the way, plenty of commentary on music, the role of art in life, love, family, and permanence. One drawback I found was having seen the Oscar-nominated film years ago. I couldn’t fix mental pictures of the characters because they had already been taken over by Anthony Hopkins (Henry Wilcox), Emma Thompson (Margaret Schlegel), and Helena Bonham Carter (Helen Schlegel). Somehow, I think viewing the film afterward would have been better, although it was a very close adaptation.

I know I ought to love it, but I don’t. Okay, but not an experience I’m likely to repeat. Guess Forster’s not my forte.