First published in 1910, this classic tale of three very different and socially distant families, whose lives intertwine through chance encounter, still has the power to move and entertain us. The passionate and artistic Schlegels, with their idealism and compassion find themselves inextricably linked with the pragmatic and capable Wilcox family, through a series of events which change the course of their lives forever. Caught up in this social complication is Leonard Bast, a working class man who yearns for more. His fate and that of his wife is determined by a series of events connecting all three groups. The story, of how we human beings try to communicate, often fail and sometimes learn in the process is widely considered to be Forster's masterpiece.