Visiting Florence with her prim and proper cousin Charlotte as a chaperone, Lucy Honeychurch meets the unconventional, lower-class Mr Emerson and his son, George. Upon her return to England, Lucy becomes engaged to the supercilious Cecil Vyse, but she finds herself increasingly torn between the expectations of the world in which she moves and the passionate yearnings of her heart. More than a love story, A Room with a View (1908) is a penetrating social comedy and a brilliant study of contrasts - in values, social class, and cultural perspectives - and the ingenuity of fate.

In his sparkling introduction Malcolm Bradbury notes that A Room with a View 'was the work where Forster laid down most of his key themes, the place where he displayed both his warmth and sharpness, and developed his famous light style.' This edition also contains suggestions for further reading and explanatory notes.