Where Angels Fear to Tread (Paperback)

by E.M. Forster (Author) "They were all at Charing Cross to see Lilia off - Philip, Harriet, Irma, Mrs. Herriton herself..." (more)
Key Phrases: Miss Abbott, Signor Carella, Santa Deodata (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
"Let her go to Italy!" he cried. "Let her meddle with what she doesn't understand! Look at this letter! The man who wrote it will marry her, or murder her, or do for her somehow. He's a bounder, but he's not an English bounder. He's mysterious and terrible. He's got a country behind him that's upset people from the beginning of the world."

When a young English widow takes off on the grand tour and along the way marries a penniless Italian, her in-laws are not amused. That the marriage should fail and poor Lilia die tragically are only to be expected. But that Lilia should have had a baby -- and that the baby should be raised as an Italian! -- are matters requiring immediate correction by Philip Herriton, his dour sister Harriet, and their well-meaning friend Miss Abbott.

In his first novel, E. M. Forster anticipated the themes of cultural collision and the sterility of the English middle class that he would develop in A Room with a View and A Passage to India. Where Angels Fear to Tread is an accomplished, harrowing, and malevolently funny book, in which familiar notions of vice and virtue collapse underfoot and the best intentions go mortally awry.

From the Publisher
Forster's acclaimed first novel displays his finely honed talent for using the tragi-comic incident to comment on human existence.Focusing on a family of London suburbanites, the respectable, pompous and appearance-obsessed Herritons, Where Angels Fear To Tread is a comedy of manners that utilizes the elements of farce to demonstrate how a comic clash of cultural sensibilities can quickly turn to tragedy. This is Forster's first novel and is a precursor to his later masterpieces, A Passage to India and A Room with a View. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Vintage (February 18, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679736344
• ISBN-13: 978-0679736349
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #815,864 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A remarkable battle of wills; unforgettable ending, March 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Where Angels Fear to Tread (Classic, 20th-Century, Audio) (Audio Cassette)

Forster's gentle, wry wit can be seen developing in this novel, where we follow the tumultuous effects of Lilia Herriton's "unspeakable" marriage to the young Italian - Gino. To save themselves from certain disgrace from the priggish society of English suburbia, the Herriton familys main concern is to put a quick stop to any unsavoury rumours. To this end, Mrs Herriton - the force behind the family - despatches her son on an assignment to save the family name. This however is a vain act; as events soon take an unexpected and tragic turn. The death of Lilia during childbirth is bittersweet news for the pompous Herritons who are now forced by their own convictions to plan further missions to Monteriano, to secure - by bribing the young Gino - the fate of the child.

Although primarily involved with the English and their narrow-minded and reactionary concerns, Forster weaves an underlying love interest throughout the latter part of the novel. He develops each character carefully and we are often surprised by a view or action expressed by the conceited Herriton children - Philip and Harriet, and by the demure Caroline Abbott (Lilias old friend and travelling companion). It is the combination of these three - the English task force abroad - and their own, individual ideals, that causes the novel to evolve into a remarkable battle of wills; and to an unforgettable and poignant ending.

The structure and rhythm of Forsters first novel is both graceful and sensitive. The comedy is perfectly placed and his powers of observation already display his characteristic adroitness for seeing far beyond the predictable. It is a wonderful novel.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, short read, October 2, 2005

By	KH1 (Middle America) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Where Angels Fear to Tread (Dover Thrift Editions) (Paperback)

Hovering somewhere around 100 pages, _Where Angels Fear to Tread_ is a good, short weekend read. The novela tells the story of an upperclass British family that travels to Italy to save the son of their late daughter-in-law from a savage upbringing by his Italian father, their daughter-in-laws second husband. There aren't a whole lot of happy moments in the novella - on the whole it's pretty depressing, but it was never boring, and the characters, some lovable, some completely aggravating, were at least interesting. Having never read any other works by E.M. Forster, I am not cut out to comment on style, but knowing that this was his first work makes me really want to read his later novels - this was great for a first effort, so I'm sure his more mature work is fantastic.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Forster's first - and his best!, June 27, 2000

By A Customer

This is by far my favorite novel by Forster, and many rereadings have made it one of my favorite novels, period. In his first book, Forster shows a subtlety and lightness of touch which I, at least, feel that he lost as he got more self-consciously "philosophical" in later books like Howard's End and A Passage to India. He makes wonderful use of the Italian settings and of Italian art, bringing them to vivid life, undermining tourist cliches, and weaving them gracefully into his main themes. No other book I know balances romanticism and irony so perfectly.