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A review by arisbookcorner
Daisy Miller by Henry James
3.0
IQ "I like a lady to be exclusive; I'm dying to be exclusive myself. Well, we aer exclusive, mother and I. We don't speak to every one-or they don't speak to us. I suppose it's about the same thing", Daisy pg. 17
I was relieved to find that my edition of DAISY MILLER was not exceptionally short. I'm pretty sure this is the first novella I read but unlike a short story I found it tied up most loose ends in a satisfying manner. In other words, the plot elements that were left open-ended were ones that didn't strike me as super crucial. I did find it hard to believe that Daisy's mother was so naive and unaware of Victorian social customs and rules. Even if she was 'new money' it struck me as odd that she was literally clueless when it came to how people viewed her daughter's behavior as unbecoming.
Daisy is not a likable main character but that's not important. Some of her observations were amusing but for the most part I found her behavior frustrating. I wanted her to at least acknowledge that she was messing with social norms and to stop giving Winterbourne such a hard time for trying to protect her, she should have been a bit more understanding/worldly. In addition to Daisy's mother, I found Winterbourne a very dull narrator. Characters aside (which seems odd to say) the plot was engaging and DAISY MILLER presents a good portrait of Victorian manners and standards (and how RIDICULOUS they were) especially when abroad. Daisy was ahead of her time, furthermore I'm pleased that after reading this book I finally understand its relation to its reference in a Gilmore Girls episode (this book is part of the Gilmore Girls Reading Challenge btw).
One of my favorite exchanges was the following between Daisy and Winterbourne; "Winterbourne looked at him a moment, and then said, 'Do you mean to speak to that man'?
'Do I mean to speak to him? Why, you don't suppose I mean to communicate by signs?' [Daisy] pg. 35
I was relieved to find that my edition of DAISY MILLER was not exceptionally short. I'm pretty sure this is the first novella I read but unlike a short story I found it tied up most loose ends in a satisfying manner. In other words, the plot elements that were left open-ended were ones that didn't strike me as super crucial. I did find it hard to believe that Daisy's mother was so naive and unaware of Victorian social customs and rules. Even if she was 'new money' it struck me as odd that she was literally clueless when it came to how people viewed her daughter's behavior as unbecoming.
Daisy is not a likable main character but that's not important. Some of her observations were amusing but for the most part I found her behavior frustrating. I wanted her to at least acknowledge that she was messing with social norms and to stop giving Winterbourne such a hard time for trying to protect her, she should have been a bit more understanding/worldly. In addition to Daisy's mother, I found Winterbourne a very dull narrator. Characters aside (which seems odd to say) the plot was engaging and DAISY MILLER presents a good portrait of Victorian manners and standards (and how RIDICULOUS they were) especially when abroad. Daisy was ahead of her time, furthermore I'm pleased that after reading this book I finally understand its relation to its reference in a Gilmore Girls episode (this book is part of the Gilmore Girls Reading Challenge btw).
One of my favorite exchanges was the following between Daisy and Winterbourne; "Winterbourne looked at him a moment, and then said, 'Do you mean to speak to that man'?
'Do I mean to speak to him? Why, you don't suppose I mean to communicate by signs?' [Daisy] pg. 35