Retrat d'una dama (1881)

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

> Babelio : https://www.babelio.com/livres/James-Portrait-de-femme/5253

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. ( )