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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
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:
Yes
I was really annoyed when she married this random guy so early in the book. I thought it was about an independent woman but i was disappointed
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A forensic study of an independently-minded young American lady as she travels from America, via England, to Italy at the end of the 19th century, dealing with various male admirers as she goes and making a rather serious mistake. I'm not entirely sure I saw the point of the story, although I did like the character.
I started on my kindle, my brain didn't care, my eyes got tired, i fell asleep.
Since I retained nothing I switched to the audiobook... and there were so many redundant words that my brain switched off and after an hour I still retained nothing from the story.
The only thing I can say for certain is that Henry James must've been paid by the word.
DNF.
Since I retained nothing I switched to the audiobook... and there were so many redundant words that my brain switched off and after an hour I still retained nothing from the story.
The only thing I can say for certain is that Henry James must've been paid by the word.
DNF.
I was a little intimidated to read Portrait of a Lady, but I'm very glad I did. My only wish was that I was reading it in some kind of literature class so I could discuss it with people smarter than me and gain some insight into the historical context of everything that was happening. Reading it in 2022, I felt like Isabel was a complete idiot who threw away every great opportunity she fell into. I still found it fascinating to consider what was going through her mind and why she fell victim to the trap that was set for her.
Beyond Isabel, this novel is filled with unforgettable characters - I especially loved Ralph and Lord Warburton and found their friendship very touching. Ralph in particular had an interesting journey and watching him struggle with the unintended consequences of giving his inheritance to Isabel was really fascinating to read.
Beyond Isabel, this novel is filled with unforgettable characters - I especially loved Ralph and Lord Warburton and found their friendship very touching. Ralph in particular had an interesting journey and watching him struggle with the unintended consequences of giving his inheritance to Isabel was really fascinating to read.
I'm glad I finally got around to reading James, even if it was through a prompt in a mystery novel. I wish I'd known Isabel Archer when I was younger; not that we're alike, but that I could have learned some lessons from her. What a fascinating character study. Unfortunately I've met too many Osmonds in my time...
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I felt bored so I went to look for reviews to know if it was worth continuing and apparently the premise doesn't go the way I expected, so I decided it's not a book for me.
Wow. The prose.. the characters … the naivety .. the pain.. the love .. the hard choices. This one will stick with me for a long while.