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A review by ajsterkel
Washington Square by Henry James
challenging
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I now understand why romance readers want a happily ever after. I know this is a melodrama and not a romance, but I wanted somebody to be happy at the end! Instead, it ends with every character being dead or depressed forever and ever. Nice.
Washington Square revolves around Catherine, a plain and unambitious heir to a fortune. When a young man—Morris—comes courting, her father is immediately suspicious. Why would anyone want to marry his stupid, ugly daughter? Morris is obviously after the family's money.
Catherine's aunt comes to a different conclusion. She thinks Morris is sincere and wants the couple to marry. Catherine's father and aunt spend the entire book meddling in Catherine's relationship while Catherine does nothing. She lets herself be bullied.
The author is great at developing characters. Everybody in this book is realistically awful. I wish the author had done more with the characters, though. The book is like a low-budget play. Every scene has two or three actors sitting in a room, talking. The story is mostly dialogue with no description or action. I wish there had been more scenes of Morris and Catherine doing something (anything!) together. All their scenes of polite conversation just make them seem ambivalent toward each other.
Catherine finally stands up for herself at the end of the book, but she doesn't seem happy about her choices. So . . . she stands up for her right to be miserable?
Since this book is mostly dialogue, it's quicker to read than other classics, but I'm not sure what the author wanted me to get out of reading it. I guess it's a cautionary tale about letting your family control your life. Or it's a depressing story about how upper-class women are trapped between family money and their own wishes? I don't know. It's just depressing.
Washington Square revolves around Catherine, a plain and unambitious heir to a fortune. When a young man—Morris—comes courting, her father is immediately suspicious. Why would anyone want to marry his stupid, ugly daughter? Morris is obviously after the family's money.
Catherine's aunt comes to a different conclusion. She thinks Morris is sincere and wants the couple to marry. Catherine's father and aunt spend the entire book meddling in Catherine's relationship while Catherine does nothing. She lets herself be bullied.
The author is great at developing characters. Everybody in this book is realistically awful. I wish the author had done more with the characters, though. The book is like a low-budget play. Every scene has two or three actors sitting in a room, talking. The story is mostly dialogue with no description or action. I wish there had been more scenes of Morris and Catherine doing something (anything!) together. All their scenes of polite conversation just make them seem ambivalent toward each other.
Catherine finally stands up for herself at the end of the book, but she doesn't seem happy about her choices. So . . . she stands up for her right to be miserable?
Since this book is mostly dialogue, it's quicker to read than other classics, but I'm not sure what the author wanted me to get out of reading it. I guess it's a cautionary tale about letting your family control your life. Or it's a depressing story about how upper-class women are trapped between family money and their own wishes? I don't know. It's just depressing.