Reviews

Washington Square by Henry James

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pddkny's review against another edition

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challenging sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

franklyfrank's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad 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

3.75

trin's review against another edition

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3.0

Mystery box book #6!

Mrs. Penniman should have endeavored to adopt Morris as her sugar baby: problem solved.

But obviously no one in a Henry James novel is ever allowed to have good sex, so...

Sharp and mean and very well-drawn; I wanted to throttle Doctor Sloper who thinks his daughter is slow and stupid, even as he is smothering the life out of her. I know Catherine's ending is supposed to be a tragedy, but on the other hand: she owns an enormous piece of real estate on Washington Square! (James' depictions of it at dusk are lovely, too.) From the perspective of my broke Millennial ass, she's fine.

dnandrews797's review against another edition

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3.0

This one was a long, drawn out will-they-won’t-they that had a somewhat but not completely satisfactory ending with unlikeable characters conducting the drama. Very average.

skele_queen's review against another edition

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Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Though probably not going to be a favorite book of mine the characters, particularly Catherine, and their dynamics all felt very real and consistent yet still came to a somewhat unexpected yet gentle conclusion resulting from all those interactions.

zapmirelle's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

biolexicon's review against another edition

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1.0

“Our story hitherto has moved with very short steps…” that I doubt it has moved it all. There is not much that I can say to this novel’s benefit besides the clarity of Henry James’ words. He possesses the ability to pick exactly the right word, which can lead to surprising displays of wit. Beyond that, the book has many flaws: character descriptions are given multiple times and the father-daughter dynamic that should drive the plot is told, not displayed or felt through the characters. On the whole, the book didn’t satisfy as entertainment or intellectual endeavor.