jds70 's review for:

Washington Square by Henry James

5.0

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In Henry James' novella, Catherine is a plain jane; not too terribly bright, and a bit boring - even her own father is disappointed in her! Into Catherine's life walks Morris Townsend, the cousin of her cousin's husband. Morris is charming and handsome, but there's a catch: he doesn't have a job, and doesn't seem too terribly interested in having one. He appears more interested in marrying Catherine and living off her inheritance. Catherine, of course, doesn't see it. She's too busy being the center of a man's romantic attentions. Her father sees it, and tries to advise her against marrying this man, but, like a petulant teenager (she's in her 20s), she insists that they love each other, and that her father is biased against Morris. It doesn't help that one of her aunts decides to step in and help Morris. She thinks she's some heroic figure in a romantic novel.

The story was tense. Will Catherine marry Morris despite her father's warnings? What will Morris do when he finds out he won't get as much money from Catherine as he thought? Will he abandon Catherine? Will Catherine wise up and realize he's a gold-digger? I was genuinely worried about Catherine getting hurt, and what trouble her aunt's meddling would cause.

James is a master of psychological dramas; really getting into his character's heads and discovering what makes them tick. Fascinating.