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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
The writing style is fluid and flowery.
The descriptions of the characters emotions well told.
The setup of the story and the suspense of the final resolution is executed cleanly.
And then you wait. You wait for something, anything of interest to happen. Finally, you arrive at the end and realize that the second half of the book was pointless. It walks you up to the spot where something interesting could happen, and it’s a long boring walk, and then it leaves you there unfulfilled.
The descriptions of the characters emotions well told.
The setup of the story and the suspense of the final resolution is executed cleanly.
And then you wait. You wait for something, anything of interest to happen. Finally, you arrive at the end and realize that the second half of the book was pointless. It walks you up to the spot where something interesting could happen, and it’s a long boring walk, and then it leaves you there unfulfilled.
3.5 Stars.
Very much in the tradition of Jane Austen - in that it is a commentary on the society of its time, presenting portraits that represent the conventional roles expected within it, and relationships dictated by it.
Instinctively you will want to read through this fast, but it is one to be read slowly instead to appreciate the nuances. It is another thing altogether that none of the characters are very likeable (and maybe that’s why it’s best this is a short novel). However, despite this and the limited plot, it‘s packed with dialogue, which is where the richness of the novel lies. I think James is masterful in his detail at moments where nothing is really happening, because he tells so much with very little.
At the novel’s end you realise that it is because she is the only truthful person in the novel that Catherine Sloper cannot see that Morris Townsend is only playing a part with her, or that similarly her father too is only playing a part. On the contrary, because these two men are so conscious of the roles they themselves are acting out, they seem to recognise and understand each other perfectly well. And while Mrs Almond is the voice of objectivity and moderation, Mrs Penniman, well she is just the (stupid but dangerous) comic relief.
I read that he himself disliked this novel of his, and was embarrassed by it - so I don’t know if this is the best introduction to Henry James, or if this was representative of his style, but I did enjoy it. Looking forward to gaining more of an understanding of him. Open to suggestions about which of his novels to read next.
Very much in the tradition of Jane Austen - in that it is a commentary on the society of its time, presenting portraits that represent the conventional roles expected within it, and relationships dictated by it.
Instinctively you will want to read through this fast, but it is one to be read slowly instead to appreciate the nuances. It is another thing altogether that none of the characters are very likeable (and maybe that’s why it’s best this is a short novel). However, despite this and the limited plot, it‘s packed with dialogue, which is where the richness of the novel lies. I think James is masterful in his detail at moments where nothing is really happening, because he tells so much with very little.
At the novel’s end you realise that it is because she is the only truthful person in the novel that Catherine Sloper cannot see that Morris Townsend is only playing a part with her, or that similarly her father too is only playing a part. On the contrary, because these two men are so conscious of the roles they themselves are acting out, they seem to recognise and understand each other perfectly well. And while Mrs Almond is the voice of objectivity and moderation, Mrs Penniman, well she is just the (stupid but dangerous) comic relief.
I read that he himself disliked this novel of his, and was embarrassed by it - so I don’t know if this is the best introduction to Henry James, or if this was representative of his style, but I did enjoy it. Looking forward to gaining more of an understanding of him. Open to suggestions about which of his novels to read next.
La storia si svolge in una elegante casa che si affaccia su Washington Square, a New York, dove vive un medico, il dottor Sloper, un agiato professionista, vedovo, assieme alla sorella e alla figlia Catherine.
Costei un giorno incontra un ragazzo, Morris Townsend, e tra i 2 pare che la simpatia, ben presto lasci spazio ad altri sentimenti.
Il tutto corroborato dalla zia, o sorella del dottore, Lavinia, una donna romantica, che in breve vede in quei 2 giovani, nelle prospettive che potrebbero aprirsi, spazi enormi dove lasciar libera la sua fantasia, il suo romanticismo. Sogna fughe e un matrimonio senza l’assenso del padre e poi l’immancabile finale felice dove tutti tornano a volersi bene.
Il solo problema è che il giovane in passato ha sperperato i suoi averi e adesso vive sulle spalle di sua sorella, vedova, con 5 figli da allevare, e senza grandi progetti per il suo futuro.
Chiaramente il padre di Catherine quando lo scopre, e immagina le sue intenzioni, si mette di traverso. Non starò a indicare come la storia evolve, come andrà a finire.
Il dottore difende il patrimonio che ha accumulato, e che per nessuna ragione al mondo vuole lasciare alla figlia, ritenuta abbastanza incapace di capire come va il mondo, anche perché di fatto è sempre vissuta in casa, non chiusa a chiave ma ammantata dell’idea che è di certo una ragazza assennata, ma poco sveglia e quindi poco intelligente.
Quindi si tratta di un libro che mostra come nell’Ottocento le donne contassero molto poco?
No, è parecchio di più.
Perché il vero protagonista, anch’esso molto discreto ma possente e presente è lui: il denaro.
È un romanzo sul denaro, sulla sua capacità di seduzione, sulla sua efficace forza in grado di spingere le persone ad agire in modo duro. Il dottor Sloper sempre così posato e controllato, è anche capace di rabbia, e questa rabbia serve solo per difendere il denaro.
Non la figlia. Lei potrebbe anche andarsene al diavolo con il suo spasimante. Purché i soldi rimangano al sicuro. Sotto il suo controllo.
E Morris, il pretendente, punta sì al denaro, salvo poi tirarsi indietro quando si rende conto che forse, può ottenerlo in altri modi meno rischiosi.
La società che il dottor Sloper rappresenta la vedremo e riconosceremo in modo completo tempo dopo anche grazie a cinema e televisione. Ma è una società dove la correttezza formale, la “civiltà”, l’etica e le buone maniere sono maschere che possono essere tranquillamente messe da parte in ogni momento.
Perché in esse non c’è alcun valore.
Il valore è tutto da un’altra parte. Nel denaro, appunto. Anche se non si tratta di una cifra enorme, la sua presenza oltre un certo livello, possiede le persone, le conquista e le rende schiave.
Un gran romanzo sul potere dei soldi dunque.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
"No estoy ni mucho menos convencido de que ella lo haya dejado –dijo el doctor–. No es mínimamente posible que haya entrado en razón así, sin más, cuando lleva dos años siendo terca como una mula. Es infinitamente más probable que haya sido él quien la ha dejado a ella.
–Razón de más para que seas amable con ella.
–Y soy amable con ella, lo que no soy es patético. No puedo ponerme a bombear lágrimas, por delicadeza, cuando esto es lo mejor que a Catherine le ha ocurrido en la vida.
–No tienes compasión –dijo la señora Almond–. Ése nunca ha sido tu punto fuerte. Basta con verla para saber que, para bien o para mal, y lo mismo da de quién venga la ruptura, la pobrecilla tiene el corazón lleno de heridas."
Whasington Square, 1880
Henry James
@albaeditorial
Traducción de Catalina Martínez
Basada libremente en una anécdota que llegó a James a través de una amiga, esta brillante novela corta es un magnífico retrato de la estricta y convencional sociedad neoyorquina de finales del XIX.
Al autor le bastan apenas 200 páginas y 4 personajes para narrar la historia de Catherine Sloper, joven tímida y poco agraciada, huérfana de madre y que convive con su autoritario padre, el doctor Sloper y su tía Lavinia, viuda a su vez de un clérigo.
En palabras de su propio padre, Catherine no ha heredado ni la belleza ni el encanto de su madre y parece destinada a transitar de forma opaca por los salones y languidecer a la sombra de su progenitor.
De forma inesperada, Morris Townsend, un apuesto y encantador cazador de fortuna se cruzará en su camino y alentada por la imaginación pueril y romántica de su tía, Catherine cae perdidamente enamorada.
Muy, muy recomendable la versión cinematográfica rodada en 1949 por William Wyler y protagonizada por Olivia de Havilland y Monty Clift en estado de gracia.
#washingtonsquare #henryjames #leoclásicos #leeresvivir #leermola #libros #americanclassic
–Razón de más para que seas amable con ella.
–Y soy amable con ella, lo que no soy es patético. No puedo ponerme a bombear lágrimas, por delicadeza, cuando esto es lo mejor que a Catherine le ha ocurrido en la vida.
–No tienes compasión –dijo la señora Almond–. Ése nunca ha sido tu punto fuerte. Basta con verla para saber que, para bien o para mal, y lo mismo da de quién venga la ruptura, la pobrecilla tiene el corazón lleno de heridas."
Whasington Square, 1880
Henry James
@albaeditorial
Traducción de Catalina Martínez
Basada libremente en una anécdota que llegó a James a través de una amiga, esta brillante novela corta es un magnífico retrato de la estricta y convencional sociedad neoyorquina de finales del XIX.
Al autor le bastan apenas 200 páginas y 4 personajes para narrar la historia de Catherine Sloper, joven tímida y poco agraciada, huérfana de madre y que convive con su autoritario padre, el doctor Sloper y su tía Lavinia, viuda a su vez de un clérigo.
En palabras de su propio padre, Catherine no ha heredado ni la belleza ni el encanto de su madre y parece destinada a transitar de forma opaca por los salones y languidecer a la sombra de su progenitor.
De forma inesperada, Morris Townsend, un apuesto y encantador cazador de fortuna se cruzará en su camino y alentada por la imaginación pueril y romántica de su tía, Catherine cae perdidamente enamorada.
Muy, muy recomendable la versión cinematográfica rodada en 1949 por William Wyler y protagonizada por Olivia de Havilland y Monty Clift en estado de gracia.
#washingtonsquare #henryjames #leoclásicos #leeresvivir #leermola #libros #americanclassic
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I bought this book awhile back, but I couldn't really remember why until I recently brought it on an airplane to read. It only took a few pages to realize that I had seen a great old film based on it- 1949's "The Heiress" with Olivia deHavilland and Montgomery Clift- and had wanted to compare it. Well, for me, reading the book AFTER seeing the movie is just never very satisfying and this was no exception. It's a good book, and I definitely want to read more of James. But, in this case, I think I actually liked the film better...
My introduction to the classics a hundred years ago— it was a wonderful discovery. I’ll always be thankful for that found book and that long car ride.