Aaron reviewed The portrait of a lady by Henry James (A Norton critical edition)
The Portrait of a Lady
4 stars
This is the first novel by James that I have ever read, so I was not entirely sure what to expect. I enjoyed tremendously James's close attention to detail to the characters, their appearance, their surroundings, and the turmoil of their inner lives. James establishes early on the independence of the heroine, Isabel Archer. In this exchange, Isabel says:
"I always want to know the things one shouldn't do." "So as to do them?" asked her aunt. "So as to choose," said Isabel.
In rejecting her various suitors, Isabel is determined to live life in the way that she sees best and not peremptorily close off any possible routes. Do we need spoiler alerts for books published in 1881? Let's just say that things do not develop as Isabel intends, and James keeps the reader's interest by not closing off possible outcomes and carefully considering each character's actions …
This is the first novel by James that I have ever read, so I was not entirely sure what to expect. I enjoyed tremendously James's close attention to detail to the characters, their appearance, their surroundings, and the turmoil of their inner lives. James establishes early on the independence of the heroine, Isabel Archer. In this exchange, Isabel says:
"I always want to know the things one shouldn't do." "So as to do them?" asked her aunt. "So as to choose," said Isabel.
In rejecting her various suitors, Isabel is determined to live life in the way that she sees best and not peremptorily close off any possible routes. Do we need spoiler alerts for books published in 1881? Let's just say that things do not develop as Isabel intends, and James keeps the reader's interest by not closing off possible outcomes and carefully considering each character's actions and motivations.