Where Angels Fear to Tread

E. M. Forster

May 2012 · Penguin · Narrated by Stephen Fry

About this audiobook

Penguin Audio presents E.M. Forster's Where Angels Fear to Tread, adapted for listening and now available as a digital audiobook as part of the Penguin English Library series. This abridged version is read by Stephen Fry.

'I had got an idea that everyone here spent their lives in making little sacrifices for objects they didn't care for, to please people they didn't love; that they never learned to be sincere - and, what's as bad, never learned how to enjoy themselves'

E. M. Forster's first novel is a witty comedy of manners that is tinged with tragedy. It tells the story of Lilia Herriton, who proves to be an embarrassment to her late husband's family as, in the small Tuscan town of Monteriano, she begins a relationship with a much younger Italian man - classless, uncouth and highly unsuitable.

A subtle attack on decorous Edwardian values and a humanely sympathetic portrayal of the clash of two cultures, Where Angels Fear to Tread is also a profound exploration of character and virtue.

Part of a series of vintage recordings taken from the Penguin Archives. Affordable, collectable, quality productions - perfect for on-the-go listening.

About the author

Edward Morgan Forster was born in London in 1879. A pacifist and conscientious objector to the First World War, he volunteered instead for the International Red Cross, which took him to Alexandria. During his lifetime he travelled through Europe, Egypt and India, wrote six novels, two volumes of short stories, two collections of essays, two biographies and a libretto for Britten's opera Billy Budd, declined a knighthood, was made a member of the Order of Merit, and died at the age of ninety-one. A Room with a View and Howards End are also published in the Penguin English Library.