Howards End is a novel by E. M. Forster, first published in 1910, about social conventions, codes of conduct and relationships in turn-of-the-century England. Howards End is considered by some to be Forster's masterpiece. The book was conceived in June 1908 and worked on throughout the following year; it was completed in July 1910. In 1998, the Modern Library ranked Howards End 38th on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. Zadie Smith's On Beauty is a modern retelling of the novel, as well as an homage to it. (wikipedia.org)