On a trip out to the country, Lucy and George are brought together despite Charlotte’s interfering ways. This was always one of my favorite scenes in the book, something that I read again and again when I was young. I was not disappointed in Davies adaptation. Was there ever a more romantic kiss? Probably, but by gosh, this was a pretty wonderful one. Paolo, the Italian coach driver, leads Lucy to George, though she was looking for the other members of her party. Paolo gives her a small push down the hill and into George’s waiting arms. It’s fantastic, a little awkward, and made all the more sweet for that moment of honesty.

Lucy, not understanding her feelings, runs from what George is laying at her feet and finds herself in the arms of Cecil Vyse (Laurence Fox). Soon Lucy and Cecil are engaged, but George isn’t going to give up just because she’s promised herself to another man when he knows she loves him. It takes a little while for Lucy to understand her heart, but when she finally does (with the help of Mr. Emerson), everything that should be is, and a happy ending isn’t too far off.

The big draw for A Room with a View is the wonderful characters that are colorful and over the top: outrageous writers, meddlesome relatives, romantic Italians, and self-important clergymen. These characters jump from the pages of the novel. In the adaptation, some come through more clearly than others. Sophie Thompson is a wonderful and irritating Charlotte Bartlett, Timothy Spall is the perfect Mr. Emerson, and Sinead Cusack is a delightfully wicked Miss Lavish. These actors brought so much to A Room with a View, and without them it would not have been the same.

The ending, however, isn’t light. This adaptation doesn’t leave you with a warm, fuzzy feeling when the credits start to roll. It’s a bittersweet ending, with tragedy hanging over Lucy’s head as she connects with Paolo, the carriage driver that helped to change her life all those years ago. That one small moment when she looks up and Paolo takes her hand is what redeemed this adaptation for me and might make it possible to watch once again.