I don't quite agree
Posted by Constanza on February 27, 1998 at 17:21:31:
In response to the ending II, written by Kate on February 27, 1998 at 06:05:14
She (Mona Simpson) suggests that although the ending seems right, "the final five pages seem the most flat and lacklustre in the book".
I think the end is exactly as it should be; it leaves no loose end, we have a glimpse of what George and Lucy relationship is; we see that Lucy is now quite herself (minding the poor driver and being kind to him), that George is happy, laughing and "quite silly", that Lucy for the first time in her life has acted against her family's wishes. And their going back to the Pension Bertolini, to the same room, is quite a nice touch.
She suggests that it's a bit immature - and suggests that while until the ending "the sexual tones seem quite convincing, their consummation falters".
Was she expecting a most detailed and explicit description of their wedding trip?
This is because, apparently, Forster when he wrote ARWAV didn't actually know about sex!
I know nothing about Forster's life, but for a short biography that is posted in ARWAV, but if as she said, he was 28, he must have known the theory at least!
So Simpson suggests that the book loses its momentum because there's no real sexual undertones in the ending, that it loses its depth and texture at that point because basically he didn't know what he was talking about!
I wonder what would her comments be on JA's novels!
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