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I like On Beauty alot more than I liked Howard's End. I guess it's just the more modern writing style. Forrester's was terribly boring. Smith is a little more engaging. I got caught up in reading it. Especially during the party scene, wondering what Howard's actual infidelity was. I like the characters more too. There doesn't seem to be the "only connect" stuff looming over the book. And there isn't those terrible references, like the Ophelia reference in Howard's End that makes On Beauty alot easier and more relaxing to read.

There is a clear and definite connection between Howard's End and On Beauty. The beginning started out just the same. And there was the quick romance and someone went to stop it. Then there was the party. I see the clear connections but there are also some disconnections also. Like the plot of the story evolved, not just the time and place. The characters are easy/hard to relate to Howard's End. Jerome is clearly meant to be Helen, but then again he can't possibly wind up pregnant and alone. I think the house in Wellington is analogous to Howard's End. And I see Kiki as a Mrs. Wilcox. This makes me sad because Mrs. Wilcox dies and I like Kiki, so hopefully Smith has evolved this part of the plot too.