

S'està carregant… Retrat d'una dama (1881)de Henry James
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» 54 més Unread books (21) Favourite Books (146) 501 Must-Read Books (83) Female Protagonist (40) 20th Century Literature (119) Favorite Long Books (69) A Novel Cure (73) Five star books (128) 1,001 BYMRBYD Concensus (152) One Book, Many Authors (125) 1880s (1) The Greatest Books (44) Victorian Period (25) SHOULD Read Books! (110) Art of Reading (41) 19th Century (164) Elegant Prose (49) Read (85) Europe (168) Books Read in 2011 (99) Americans Abroad (4) Books I want to read (21) Tagged 19th Century (34) Books Read in 2022 (53) Books Set in Italy (90) Best Love Stories (49) Realism (8) stowed behind the Golden Bowl of top shelf of Bay 4 ( ![]() Miss Isabel Archer, a young lady from America, goes with her aunt to visit England and then the continent. She rejects two offers of marriage in the name of trying out a life of freedom, but then irrationally accepts a third offer, much less impressive than either of the previous ones, and things go downhill from there quite quickly. James is hit or miss for me; this one is a bit of both. For the first third of the novel I was pleasantly surprised at how much I was enjoying it, but the rest of the story was quite a slog, especially once James' trademark dreariness kicked in. I don't at all mind a sad story, but a dispassionately bleak one is certainly not my cuppa. That ending though...! Not my favorite "classic" but I'm glad I read it I'd heard mention of the main character, Isabel Archer over the years, and was delighted to finally get the chance to figure her out for myself and I will say, she was one complicated character. But then, they were all complicated characters. Early in the novel, Isabel, (an American) travels to Great Britain to stay with her aunt and cousin in the English countryside. Somehow, she manages to have not just one but two manic suitors, one of which followed her across the Atlantic to beg her to marry him. But Isabel has other ideas. And when she inherits a lot of money she decides to travel and play the field. In Italy, she meets Madame Merle, who becomes a close friend and in no time Isabel has another potential husband. Decisions decisions. I'll leave it there for the half dozen people left in the world who haven't already read the book. But why do these Victorian female characters always have so many men to choose from??? A couple of words about point of view because in this novel it's important. James explores and makes evident several points of view and not everybody is who they seem to be. It's what makes this psychological novel so darn compelling. Honestly, I could barely put it down. The pacing is absolutely wonderful. And I really don't know if there is another more endearing character in literature than Ralph Touchette ( is that a play on words?). Or a more annoying character than Henrietta Stackpole (again with the name). But the language, the salubrious, evocative, beautiful, sometimes overbearing language. Oh my. Yes, it takes some getting used to but after fifty pages or so you're on your way. So much to ponder, a mystery to figure out although I admit I had it pegged from fairly early on, and the ever present question: what will Isabel do? Absolutely glorious. Pertany a aquestes col·leccions editorialsThe Bodley Head Henry James (Volume V) — 15 més Harvard Classics Shelf of Fiction (Volume 11) Penguin Clothbound Classics (2014) Penguin English Library, 2012 series (2012-12) Penguin Modern Classics (1921) The World's Classics (509) Contingut aHenry James: Daisy Miller * Washington Square * Portrait of a Lady * The Bostonians * The Aspern Papers de Henry James (indirecte) Té la seqüela (sense pertànyer a cap sèrie)Té l'adaptacióAbreujat aTé un estudiTé un comentari al textTé una guia d'estudi per a estudiants
Young Isabel Archer, a beautiful American, travels to Europe where her naivete - and recent inheritance - attracts many suitors. But despite her great promise, she falls victim to her own provincialism. Exposing the differences between the New and the Old Worlds, James's masterpiece examines the themes of freedom, sexuality, and betrayal. No s'han trobat descripcions de biblioteca. |
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![]() GèneresClassificació Decimal de Dewey (DDC)813.4 — Literature English (North America) American fiction Later 19th Century 1861-1900LCC (Clas. Bibl. Congrés EUA)ValoracióMitjana:![]()
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