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I have to confess, I watched the movie first (which I watched three times in a span of two days). I enjoyed the movie so much that after the third time, I ran out and bought the book. The book is absolutely beautiful. I remember sitting on the subway reading Maurice and forgetting where I was, ingnoring everyone around me, and letting the book whisk me away to a time and place obviously different, yet unfortunately similar in attitude towards same-sex relationships (I missed my stop). I couldn't believe Maurice was written over 80 years ago. The subject matter seems too contemporary to be written about during that time, and I suppose that's why E.M. Forster's novel is so great. He manages to capture effortlessly the relationship of Maurice and Clive, as well as to paint a picture of what life was like back then for gay folk. Readers can easily transpose many of the events and experiences in the novel to the present day, which makes empathizing with Maurice so much easier. This novel should no doubt be a required read. It shares many of the complexities as Forster's other work, yet perhaps it is glossed over more because of its subject matter--which, if true, is such a shame.

If you are looking for THE homosexual novel, then this is it. Its theme and characters are so well developed that it is strikingly real. It deals with the disappointments in the life of a young, confused, homosexual man. It also scrutinizes British society of earlier this century in such a way that it reveals so much of the hatred and class prejudices that existed then. Amidst all that is a wonderful love story. What more do we want?

I rated this book five stars, and I like it a lot, but I have to admit that it doesn't quite have the depth and breadth that Howards End had. It is, however, much more readable than some of his other works (A Passage to India) and I think it has about the happiest ending out of any of his books. The maturation of the main character and his relationships (Clive is not my favorite character) is definitely well-written, well-plotted, et cetera, and it's the kind of book that you want to sit down and devour at once (less 'classics' display this tendency than popcorn genre works). It is the kind of book where you shouldn't care that the main character prefers men; it matters, that's what the book deals with, but it's not the sum total of the book.

This is one of the best books on the thought processes of a young boy/Man on various stages of maturity. I saw the movie before reading the book. So I always visualized Hugh Grant as Clive and James Wilby as Hall. The movie has not deviated much from the book at all. The movie is a must see!A beautifully written book. The words, imagery and intellectual ideas on Christianity, art, perceptions, greek philosophy, psychology - all superbly written. This book will fine tune your perceptive faculties and intellect.

A just wonderful book. Moving, sexy, with an almost unreal happy ending. I've read that Forster was ashamed about this book and it was only published after his death. He didn't have to be ashamed. It's his best book. I fell in love with it.