Saturday, June 21, 2014

Shelf Candy Saturday #117: A Room with a View, by E.M. Forster

 


Welcome to Shelf Candy Saturday!!


This is my weekly feature
showcasing beautiful book covers!
It also provides information,
if available, on their very talented creators!

For more information
about Shelf Candy Saturday,
just click HERE.



Here's my choice for this week!



 A Room with  a View
Trade Paperback, 224 pages
Penguin Books, Ltd.
(Penguin Essentials Collection)
April 1, 2011
(first published 1908)
Classics, Historical Fiction, 
Literary Fiction, Romance


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10290481-a-room-with-a-view






Why do I love this cover?

The most eye-catching thing about this cover is the stylized flowers which beautifully frame the title and author's name.  They are of various sizes, but yet, give the cover a unified, rhythmic, and very dynamic look.  The sense of movement provided by these flowers, although subtle, contrasts very dramatically with the static figure, also stylized, of a young woman playing the piano.

Interestingly, the flowers have a sense of exuberance about them that also forms another very  striking contrast, this time with the rather pale color of the background, which I must confess I don't like at all. In fact, I would have preferred a darker background; not dark enough so that the flowers wouldn't stand out, but enough so that it wouldn't be so distasteful. I hate having to use that word, but it's what came to mind when I first saw this cover.

I really like the way the stark white of the young woman's dress is picked up by most of the flowers, especially the largest ones.  This establishes a flow of movement that leads the eye from the large flowers to the young woman, and back again.  It also serves to lead the eye all over the cover.

In spite of the fact that I don't wholeheartedly love this cover, due to that very pale background, the strong design really does make it striking enough for me to have featured it here.  It's a deceptively simple one, but yet, very effective.  

As for the font, it, too, is a simple one. The title is italicized in order to make it look different from the letters of the author's name, which is a nice little touch.

In this particular case, I have been unable to find any information about the designer of this cover.  The Amazon reader, which frequently helps, since one can find the name of the cover artist listed on the credits page, has not helped at all in this case. When I opened the reader, an entirely different edition appeared.....    








What do you think of my 
choice this week?
Please leave me a comment
and let me know!
Thanks!!






2 comments:

  1. Hi Maria - I hope that all is well.

    I agree with you on the attributes of the cover.


    I am on the fence about the background. I kind of like understatement at times. I think that this background conveys that.

    On the other hand a different shade or color might create a better over all effect. I would have to see it.

    Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Brian!

      You know, I think you're right -- it just might be the color. But then, perhaps the whole color scheme would have to be changed. I'm not too keen on the colors of the flowers, either.

      In spite of my dislike of the colors, especially the background color, I do love the design itself! I think it's very striking!

      Thanks for the great comment!! : )

      Delete

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