Inspired by E. M. Forster's Maurice, this is the author rendition of Alec and Maurice's story after Forster's novel ends. Love conquers social differences, prejudices, bigotry, and ignorance. This is a beautiful story, sad at times, but with a happy and hopeful ending. The chapters on the Great War from the fields of Gallipoli to the trenches of France offers the reader great writing, as does the descriptions on the effects of PTSD. The chapters about Alec in Southern France after the war are some of the best. The inclusion of details on Forster's life, such as his work during the WWI in Alexandria and his plans of going to India, through the character of Morgan are just wonderful. This is a story about courage and love. I believe E. M. Forster would have liked it. One of the best books I have read this year. It deserves to be read! Thank you to NetGalley, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and Macmillan Audio for the advance copies. I will be getting my own final copy now!

Being a big fan of E. M. Forster's Maurice I was really looking forward to Alec. Sadly, I struggled with William di Canzio's writing style, especially his overuse of parenthesis, which can work, say, when Joyce Carol Oates does it, but here, eeh....it kind of didn't. The author's style also lacks Forster's subtle humor. Also, I would prefered if the author hadn't emphasised accents so much, so that instead of 'studying' we have 'stoodying'. I would actually recommend this to those who aren't familiar with Forster's original, as I couldn't help but compare di Canzio's Alec to Forster's Maurice.

As far as published “fan fiction” goes this is pretty top notch. Chunks of the book are actually lifted from Forster’s Maurice (obviously with permission/acknowledged) which you would probably only notice if you’ve read Maurice fairly recently. The characters feel very consistent with Forster’s versions, especially Alec’s voice, even when the story takes them further into the future. That said, I would say this would mainly appeal to people who are enthusiasts of the original work and/or the Merchant-Ivory film (although a bit jarring for people like myself who watched the film more recently since Maurice is per the original novel and this book black-haired and not a blonde twink as in the film lol). There are also several meta characters in the novel which again are probably fun mainly for the Forster stans who know a bit about his life and inspirations. The WWI section in the middle gets a little too bleak and unrelenting at times but I sense that’s just how that whole war felt and all that misery does lead to a very cathartic climactic scene.

I do love how this expands Maurice and Alec’s relationship since a common complaint about Forster’s novel is that Alec appears too late into the story. Maurice in this feels more remote and like a very idealized love interest but that’s probably because you’re meant to read Maurice’s story first in which Alec comes off as the idealized love interest.

The only plot decision I wasn’t sold on was the whole Kitty subplot, which felt very random but it's a very small part of the book and is more or less just a shoehorned plot device to justify the ending.

4.5 stars

This is a beautiful love story, & a coming of age story too. Based on EM Forster’s “Maurice”, this book tells the perspective of Maurice’s lover Alec & continues their story across the years 1913-1919. Lovely prose & setting descriptions, deep character development, & a beautiful love story of real loyalty & tenderness.

[What I liked:]

•There are some absolutely beautiful moments in this book (Alec stretching on the cliffs in France & what comes next, Alec swimming with the Kingfisher near the boathouse) that are brilliant & hopeful & tender & just ache. There is some really beautiful writing, both in terms of prose & content, in this book.

•I really like how Alec grows up unashamed of his queerness, unapologetic for who he is. His backstory that explains how this came about is believable. It’s super nice to have a queer character in historical fiction who doesn’t have to deal with self hatred.

•The side characters are well rounded & engaging. I especially liked Van, Morgan, Ted & George, & the Baroness.

•The war years were written well. I was a bit concerned that would take over the narrative, or be too sad, but I think the writer struck a nice balance. The war wasn’t brushed over or rushed through, but instead we got close ups at various important intervals during Maurice’s & Alec’s war experiences, & while they were separated & interacting with different people & facing different challenges, the narrative still kept their love for each other at the center. The war was definitely sad in this story but not maudlin, & how the war shaped & changed many of the characters is central to the story & character development.

•The ending is so, so good. The ending isn’t rushed & we get to see Maurice & Alec work through some things, talk with old friends, etc. before the ending. It didn’t feel slow at all, but very fitting & satisfying. I’m happy for Morgan, I loved the letter Alec’s father wrote him, seeing A & M support each other through the healing process after the war, etc. I also think their decision at the very end of the book is fitting, & a good send off for them.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•The romance begins with some of the most overwrought insta-love I have ever read. I don’t doubt their feelings & connection were that intense. Nor do I doubt they recognized they shared something special as a couple that they were willing to risk everything for to protect & pursue. That said, they declared their love awful fast, which I normally just roll my eyes at. But I’m assuming that this is just staying true to the novel it’s based on for that part, so I can’t hold it against the writer personally. The rest of the love story & romance is written with good depth, thoughtfulness, & character development so I think the insta-love is worth looking past :)

•My only other minor complaint is that I wish there was a bit more character development for Maurice. I guess I wanted to know his hopes & goals & weaknesses better, though I did get a good picture of him as he related to Alec as his partner.

CW: combat violence & injuries & death, PTSD, homophobia, racism & racial slurs (one side character uses the N word to slur a person of Indian descent)

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

This book was very beautiful. I was intrigued by the story from the jump, and I thought it did a wonderful job of weaving a story together over the years. There were definitely some times where I felt like the timeline was a little unclear, which did leave me a little confused. All that being said, I had no idea when I requested an ARC of this book from NetGalley that it was inspired by another book. I have not read E.M. Forster's "Maurice," but I definitely don't feel like I missed out on much of the story of Alec for my unfamiliarity. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who is a fan of queer historical love stories.