At least this one holds up to my initial perception; it’s still my least favorite of the Forster novels.* The energy and wit are a feast for the senses, especially in the dialogue, but it’s so much about England and Empire, it gets, dare I say… tiresome? Perhaps only because we know how Empire turns out.
But to write it when he wrote it? Dude. So basically, what my friend Kat says in her review: “I really liked it just until the last few chapters, when I only liked it. But I still love Forster for all the things he does well, especially for when he did them. I feel we may be kindred spirits on the astral plane.” Yes.
*Opinion subject to and even likely to change at any point in the future.