What next ? Hemingway or EM Forster ?

[TheMagnificent7]

I have complete sets of Hemingway and Forster novels and fancy something from either collection next. I've only read The Old Man And The Sea.

What one would you choose first ?

personally if I had the complete set of each, I'd read all books by one writer and then all by the other.

Forster - Maurice or Howards End. Both fab! Howards End more typically Forsterian, if I can say that without sounding like a total arse. No? Oh, well...

I loved Where Angels Fear To Tread. Definately recommend that.

I love For Whom The Bell Tolls.

I second Maurice.
Twas my comfort read in college.

Howards End or Room with A View both absorbing reads. Recently read The Longest Journey, which I found pretty tedious, tbh.

Have read A Farewell to Arms, I think, a long time ago but otherwise not very familiar with Hemingway.

Thanks all. I quite fancied Passage to India but nobody mentioned it. Howard's End I think it should be then

Passage to India great too! I always get that mixed up with Room with a View, don't know why I didn't mention it. Sure you will storm through Howard's End, happy reading.

Def. Forster. Passage to India was incredible - I reread it every few years, since reading it at A-level. Also Room with a View, Howards End and Where Angels... Never managed to read Hemmingway, should really have a go.

I love Forster (haven't read Hemingway since I was young i.e. 30 years ago), always plenty of food for thought, some oddities. The Longest Journey prob my favourite! Hope you enjoy all of both.

I've got both the collections from the Folio Society, just never read them. It's a treat opening a great book for the first time anyway, but these are all hardback, quarter bound in cloth, with all of the original text. I'm in bookworm Shangri-la

have you started one yet, mag7?

Lucifera, I'm interested that you like The Longest Journey. I really couldn't get into it, found the characters so difficult to empathise with or feel anything for really.

Harpo (sorry, not trying to hijack thread), I really enjoyed how completely awful Mrs Failing is, and Agnes's lack of any self-knowledge, and Herbert's ghastliness! and the amazing plot twist towards the end - melodramatic or what! But also interesting I think seeing EMF wanting very much to write about love between men, and not quite being able to (as you will know, Maurice was only published posthumously)

damn, Lucifera!

I think I actually gave up reading this before the end. And I hardly ever do that. I even gave the book away to a charity shop and I hardly ever do that either. And now you tell me there was an amazing plot twist towards the end... I am wondering if I should try and find it again.

haven't read Maurice yet, would like to.

Harpo, perhaps I have exaggerated the amazingness of it .... but it is pretty dramatic, particularly in the social context of the novel. Heh heh - teasing now - you'll have to borrow it from the library and finish it!