Oh, I love a good, reflective novel, which Howards End certainly is. Howards End is slightly sappy, slightly overwrought, and slightly dramatic, but that is honestly what I love about it. Yes, the characters are all of their time, but their feelings and fears feel surprisingly fresh and prescient.

The novel feels especially relevant to me, personally, as I am the same age as the protagonist, Margaret. Most of the story is told through Margaret’s eyes as she moves from being an adolescent to being an adult in the early 20th century. She grapples with the usual themes and milestones that we all face in young adulthood: love, education, class, luck, family, loyalty, etc. She has to learn how to make difficult life choices to satisfy not only herself, but also for her loved ones, who depend on her. Margaret is surrounded by men—

her brother, her husband, her brother-in-law

—who only make choices from their heads, but she comes to realize that it is sometimes best to make decisions from the heart.

Howards End is such a sweet novel. If you’re looking for a sweet, simple, yet richly told classic, then this is the classic for you!