A Room with a View

A Room with a View is a 1908 historical fiction/romance novel by British author E. M. Forster. The novel is split between Italy and England, telling the story of Lucy Honeychurch, a young and spirited middle-class Englishwoman who embarks on a journey of self-discovery during a trip to Italy. During her travels, Lucy falls in love with the free-spirited and unconventional George Emerson, a fellow tourist, but is later forced to choose between her heart's desire and the expectations of her rigid social class. A Room with a View was adapted into an Academy Award–winning film in 1985, directed by James Ivory and starring Helena Bonham Carter as Lucy and Julian Sands as George. The novel is considered one of Forster’s most important works, and remains widely regarded as a classic. Other works by this author include Howards End, A Passage to India, and Maurice.

This guide uses the First Signet Classics 1999 edition.

Content Warning: The novel features prejudicial characterizations of the Italian people and culture.

Plot Summary

Lucy Honeychurch, a young British woman, visits the Italian city of Florence with Charlotte, her older cousin. Lucy and Charlotte are both wealthy members of the British upper-middle class. They stay at the Pension Bertolini, a hotel near the river. Their room faces toward the courtyard, rather than overlooking the River Arno.

A man named Mr. Emerson is also staying at the guest house with his son, George. Overhearing the women's complaints over dinner, Mr. Emerson offers to switch rooms with Lucy and Charlotte. Though Charlotte is offended by the brash suggestion from two men of a lower social class, they agree to swap thanks to mediation from another British man, Mr. Beebe. Lucy plays piano and, while she plays with vigor and energy, Mr. Beebe believes that she will one day apply that liveliness to the rest of her life.

While visiting the Santa Croce Cathedral and being abandoned by her companion, Miss Lavish, Lucy runs into George and his father. George bemoans his father's well-intentioned lack of tact. Lucy learns that George is suffering from melancholy. To this end, Emerson views Lucy as a potential means of remedying his son's morose attitude.

While passing through Piazza Signoria, Lucy sees an argument between two Italian men. One man stabs his rival, causing Lucy to faint. George rushes to her assistance. While helping her back to the hotel, he leaves an impression on Lucy. She is surprised but tells no one about the emotional moment. Meanwhile, the guests talk disparagingly about the Emersons.

Lucy, Charlotte, and a group of British people take a day trip out into the hills surrounding Florence. Lucy loses Mr. Beebe and a priest named Mr. Eager. She searches for them with the help of one of the expedition’s Italian drivers, only to be led directly to George. Surrounded by blue violets, he is waiting for her on a terrace. They kiss, though they are spotted by Charlotte. When they return to the hotel, Charlotte criticizes George for his breach of etiquette. The following day, Lucy and Charlotte travel to Rome.

Some time later, Lucy has returned from Italy to her family home in Surrey. Mrs. Honeychurch, her mother, lives in the house with Freddy, her son and Lucy's brother. Cecil Vyse met Lucy in Rome. He was immediately attracted to her and has proposed marriage to her twice already. He now comes to Surrey and proposes again; this time, Lucy accepts. Cecil is a snobbish, judgmental man. He does not approve of the Honeychurch family, nor their rural community. To him, they seem crass and lacking in refinement. Lucy and Cecil share an awkward kiss while walking together through the countryside.

In the Honeychurch family’s small town, a modest house is available for rent. Cecil, as a joke, offers the house to Emerson and George, whom he meets while visiting a museum. To Cecil's surprise, they accept the offer. Lucy is horrified that George will be so close. She writes to Charlotte and beseeches her to tell no one about her kiss with George.

One Sunday, George visits the Honeychurch family home for a game of tennis. Cecil aggravates everyone in attendance with his snide comments. When tennis is finished, Cecil discovers a book written by Miss Lavish. When Cecil reads aloud a scene in which a man and woman kiss surrounded by violets, Lucy realizes that Charlotte must have told someone about her kiss with George. Lucy and George talk in private. He kisses Lucy again, but she asks him to leave. George tells Lucy that Cecil is the wrong man for her. His comments about Cecil help Lucy realize that she does not love her fiancé. That night, she ends their engagement.

Lucy still struggles with her feelings for George. She refuses to believe that she may be in love with him, so she makes plans to travel abroad. Lucy wants to go to Greece, where some of the women she met in Italy will be visiting soon. While making arrangements for the trip, she happens to meet Mr. Emerson. They talk, and Emerson assures Lucy that she clearly loves George. He believes that Lucy and George should be married, as this is evidently what Lucy really wants.

Taking Mr. Emerson’s words to heart, Lucy admits that she is truly in love with George, even if their relationship might breach the typical rules of social etiquette that govern their lives. Lucy returns home and finds George. They marry, returning to Florence on their honeymoon. They stay in the same hotel with the view across the river.