An American heiress newly arrived in Europe, Isabel Archer does not look to a man to furnish her with her destiny; instead she desires, with grace and courage, to find it herself. Two eligible suitors approach her and are refused. She then becomes utterly captivated by the languid charms of Gilbert Osmond. To him, she represents a superior prize worth at least seventy thousand pounds; through him, she faces a tragic choice.
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"This is one of the saddest books I have ever read. Henry James creates a heroine, in Isabel, who was his repost to Dorothea in Middlemarch. We get to know Isabel well and whilst we may not agree with what she does at the end of the novel, we understand. The scenes in Rome capture the gothic extremely well and the reader also feels a sense of suffocation. James, as ever, portrays the difference between the American and European characters well. The writing isn't always easy and if you don't like long, complicated sentences you probably won't like James but I would urge you to persevere." — Sandra (4 out of 5 stars)
"This is one of the saddest books I have ever read. Henry James creates a heroine, in Isabel, who was his repost to Dorothea in Middlemarch. We get to know Isabel well and whilst we may not agree with what she does at the end of the novel, we understand. The scenes in Rome capture the gothic extremely well and the reader also feels a sense of suffocation. James, as ever, portrays the difference between the American and European characters well. The writing isn't always easy and if you don't like long, complicated sentences you probably won't like James but I would urge you to persevere."
" I just couldn't get into this one! "
" it's good, but I didn't like the ending. "
" The writing is, of course, magnificent, but Warburton was the only character who interested me. "
" This book took forever to read. It was boring most of the time and pretty depressing. The end where she finds out how she has been duped into the marriage was as little better but she still went back to her husband instead of leaving him :(. oh well. I'm glad it's done. "
" I really cannot understand the hype - I found that this book took a very long time to go nowhere! "
" I'm not a writer, just a reader and I loved this book. "
" I wanted to shoot myself through this whole book. And yet, I finished it. Ugh. "
" Delightful. I enjoyed this book so much more than I expected. The relationships of a Jane Austen novel with more meat and a little less brightness. Isabel is a wonderful heroine. "
" Mind which edition you're reading; the earlier one, published in the 1880's, is very different from the final one. "
" This ranks among my favorite books! "
" This was my first Henry James novel and I was a bit disappointed. The story was interesting but it took so long to get to the point and turned out to be a bit too boring for me. "
" Dense! My first book read for our book club, about 10 years ago. A literary classic, full of nuance. Why did I suffer so much? "
" Read twice, in spanish and english "
" Beautiful and complex with no easy ending...more details to be added.. "
" To be fair, I never finished this book. Couldn't. Boooooring! "
" Great book. Henry James is one of the best conversation writers! "
" By far the best piece of literature I have had the pleasure of reading in recent years. I fell in love with the language on page one and the love affair lasted until the very last page. This is how the power of great writing over-rides every other element of creative fiction. "
" Hmm. How do I admit that I didn't even finish this book? I know that If I owned it rather than borrowed it from the library I would eventually finish it...I think. It's just a really long book that moves very slowly and I didn't care too much for The Lady. "
Henry James (1843–1916), American novelist, short-story writer, and man of letters, was born in Washington Place, New York, to a family of distinguished philosophers and theologians. He attended schools in New York, Boston, and throughout Europe, where he later settled. A major figure in the history of the novel, he is celebrated as a master craftsman who brought his great art and impeccable technique to bear in the development of abiding moral themes.
William Roberts’ theater appearances include Of Mice and Men and To Kill a Mockingbird. Among his films are Cold Mountain and Death Wish III, while he has been seen on television in Martin Chuzzlewit and The Old Devils. An accomplished voice artist, he is a frequent narrator of audiobooks and has received an AudioFile Earphones Award.
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