A Passage to India by E. M. Forster
The novel takes place in British-ruled India, where the cultural divide between the British and the Indians is explored. The story focuses on the experiences of an Indian Muslim, Dr. Aziz, and his interactions with an English woman, Miss Quested, and her elderly friend, Mrs. Moore. After an expedition to the Marabar Caves, Miss Quested accuses Dr. Aziz of assault, leading to a trial that deepens the racial tensions and prejudices between the colonizers and the colonized. The novel is a critique of British imperialism and a study of the cultural and racial misunderstandings and ill-will between the British and the Indian people.
The 51st greatest book of all time
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Total Points: 3708
This book was first published in 1924
35 Lists
- score: 204 -- The 50 best books of the past 100 years - 2022 (Weight: 192)
- score: 200 -- The Top 10: The Greatest Books of All Time - 2007 (Weight: 200)
- score: 200 -- For The Love of Books - 1999 (Weight: 200)
- score: 192 -- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die - 2006 (Weight: 192)
- score: 154 -- The 100 Greatest British Novels - 2015 (Weight: 152)
- score: 153 -- The 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century - 1999 (Weight: 152)
- score: 152 -- A Hundred Novels to Change Your Life - 2019 (Weight: 152)
- score: 144 -- The New York Public Library's Books of the Century - 1996 (Weight: 144)
- score: 144 -- Daily Telegraph's 100 Books of the Century, 1900-1999 - 1999 (Weight: 144)
- score: 128 -- Finest Works of Fiction - 1980 (Weight: 128)
- score: 128 -- The New Lifetime Reading Plan - 1999 (Weight: 128)
- score: 115 -- The Modern Library | 100 Best Novels - 1999 (Weight: 112)
- score: 113 -- Radcliffe's 100 Best Novels - 1998 (Weight: 112)
- score: 112 -- The 100 Favorite Novels of Librarians - 1999 (Weight: 112)
- score: 112 -- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read - 2009 (Weight: 112)
- score: 108 -- 100 Essential Books - 2009 (Weight: 108)
- score: 108 -- 12 Novels Considered the Greatest Book Ever Written - 2016 (Weight: 108)
- score: 104 -- TIME Magazine All Time 100 Novels - 2005 (Weight: 104)
- score: 96 -- 100 Best Books - 2010 (Weight: 96)
- score: 93 -- 20th Century's Greatest Hits: 100 English-Language Books of Fiction - 1999 (Weight: 92)
- score: 92 -- Masterpieces of World Literature - 1991 (Weight: 92)
- score: 90 -- Waterstone's Books of the Century - 1997 (Weight: 88)
- score: 80 -- As if You Don't Have Enough to Read, Fiction Edition - 2011 (Weight: 80)
- score: 76 -- 100 Best Novels Written in English - 2015 (Weight: 76)
- score: 72 -- The Complete 500: OCLC - 2024 (Weight: 72)
- score: 70 -- The Telegraph’s 100 Novels Everyone Should Read - 2009 (Weight: 68)
- score: 68 -- The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time - 2004 (Weight: 68)
- score: 68 -- The 100 Greatest Novels of All Time: The List - 2003 (Weight: 68)
- score: 68 -- How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Reading List - 2003 (Weight: 68)
- score: 60 -- From Zero to Well-Read in 100 Books - 2013 (Weight: 60)
- score: 60 -- 50 Books to Read Before You Die - 2015 (Weight: 60)
- score: 60 -- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon - 1994 (Weight: 60)
- score: 36 -- Nancy Pearl's 100 Good Reads, Decade by Decade - 2009 (Weight: 36)
- score: 28 -- 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List - 2018 (Weight: 28)
- score: 14 -- James Tait Black Memorial Prize: Fiction - Yearly Book Award (Weight: 72)