The Portrait of a Lady: both volumes

By Henry James

According to Wikipedia: "The Portrait of a Lady is a novel by Henry James, first published as a serial in The Atlantic Monthly and Macmillan's Magazine in 1880–81 and then as a book in 1881. It is one of James's most popular long novels, and is regarded by critics as one of his finest. The Portrait of a Lady is the story of a spirited young American woman, Isabel Archer, who "affronts her destiny" and finds it overwhelming. She inherits a large amount of money and subsequently becomes the victim of Machiavellian scheming by two American expatriates. Like many of James's novels, it is set in Europe, mostly England and Italy. Generally regarded as the masterpiece of James's early period, this novel reflects James's continuing interest in the differences between the New World and the Old, often to the detriment of the former. It also treats in a profound way the themes of personal freedom, responsibility, and betrayal."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Seltzer Books
• Release date: Mar 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781455321841

Henry James

Henry James (1843–1916) was an American writer, highly regarded as one of the key proponents of literary realism, as well as for his contributions to literary criticism. His writing centres on the clash and overlap between Europe and America, and The Portrait of a Lady is regarded as his most notable work.

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Reviews for The Portrait of a Lady

[kristelh_15 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The story of a young, orphaned woman, Isabel Archer who arrives in England with her aunt. She is 23 years of age and is filled with bright optimism and doesn't want to settle but desires freedom. Men fall for her and she refuses them. Isabel had no money but when she inherits a large sum that she had no idea was going to come her way, this changes everything. She is no longer free but burdened by the burden of this inheritance. She is taken in by some two ex patriots who have their eye on this fortune. The rest of the story is about the choices she made and will make and the effects it has on her. I loved the prose, the characters, and the themes.

[bookomaniac-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Magistraal in breedte en diepte, maar toch niet perfectschrijftechniek: elk hoofdstukje begint beschouwend, vanuit het auteursstandpunt of met introspectie van een van de karakters, meestal gevolgd door spitse of subtiele dialoog die nieuwe informatie toevoegt; over het algemeen lange, zeer bewerkte zinnen van hoger niveau, soms heel zware constructies; dialogen zijn van enorm hoog niveau, vooral door de dingen die niet gezegd worden of de subtiele hintskarakters: scenes met Rosier zijn niet geloofwaardig,want is te geconstrueerd in functie van de plot; aandeel seksualiteit komt nergens aan bod in de relatie Isabel-Osmond; pvallend is ook het ontbreken van een verwijzing naar de psychologische impact van het dode zoontje structuur: over het algemeen chronologische opbouw, maar na sommige essentiële gebeurtenissen wordt er een sprong in de tijd gemaakt, zonder dat de grote veranderingen helemaal worden uitgeklaard; pas heel geleidelijk worden informatie-elementen gegeven die iets meer verduidelijken; zeker naar het einde toe zijn er enkele ongeloofwaardige passages (Rosier, vriendschap Osmond-Goodwood, slotscene met Goodwood)

[rab1953-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Alright, yes, this is slow-moving, detailed and introspective. Why does anyone read Henry James if that is not what they want?But in addition to those qualities, it has wit and social satire involving real characters trying to work out their lives. Does it have less comic activity than that other wordy nineteenth century writer and satirist, Charles Dickens? Yes, but in place of Dickens’ comic caricatures, we have real characters, even the women. With James, I feel that I am exploring the complex choices of a variety of women characters who could be dealing with equally difficult choices today (unlike the one-dimensional ideals of Dickens’ women). The specifics of their choices may be different from contemporary conditions, but I can imagine these characters as people wrestling with modern issues.The book looks at the unusual marriage choices of a number of women – Mrs. Touchett’s life separate from a husband she seems indifferent to; Mme Merle’s unhappy marriage which has left her in relative poverty, reliant on the generosity of friends; the Contessa’s sham of a marriage to a philandering man she despises; Henrietta’s unmarried relationship with her admiring Bantling, which she eventually transforms into a conventional marriage; and at the centre, Isobel’s initial choice to reject two attractive offers before finally accepting the worst of her options. The first part of the book is taken up with Isobel’s background and character, focusing on her independence and unconventionality. She is a clever and thoughtful young woman who does not want to be tied into the restricted domestic life of most of the women she knows. Her observations are often sharp and witty. Drawn to her ambition and independence, and at the suggestion of her cousin Ralph Touchett, Ralph’s father leaves her a large inheritance. In her naivety, or her attraction to an intelligent worldly woman, Isobel is drawn into the circle of the interesting Mme Merle as someone who seems to live a life outside of convention but still within respectable society. She is charmed by Mme Merle’s sophisticated friend Gilbert Osmond, and takes him at face value, although Mme Merle has manipulated the situation to marry Isobel to Gilbert so that he can take advantage of her money. It’s not really clear why she marries Osmond, although there is the pressure of convention, and it later appears that they deceived each other in their reliance on social conventions. Both put on their best appearances and fell for what they saw in the other.When Isobel realizes that Gilbert has no feelings for her and intends only to keep her, like his daughter, as an attractive and useful addition to his chilling collection of beautiful objects, she concludes that her only choice is to live up to the marriage vow she made and live with Gilbert in misery. This seems an odd conclusion given the many different models among her friends and her willingness to reject convention. Her generosity of spirit perhaps impels her to stay in order to support Gilbert’s daughter, and fighting convention all the time is a hard choice, particularly when the unconventional relationships of her friends appears problematic and unattractive. Perhaps this is why she finally needs the excuse of Ralph Touchett’s illness to break with Gilbert.The ending is, of course, ambiguous. After the very touching scene of Ralph’s death, Isobel returns to Rome, either to submit to Gilbert or to confront him. The strength of her connection to Ralph, and her rejection (again) of Caspar Goodwood’s demand that she go with him, lead me to believe that she is going to break finally with Gilbert. She is a strong figure, and she knows her mind. I take it that she will go her own way, as she always has, and accept the consequences.As always, a fascinating, fully absorbing study by Henry James that rewards readers who are looking for thoughtful social and psychological insight.

[brakketh-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wonderfully thorough psychological novel, the thoroughness can drag at times.

[gbelik_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Oh, Isabel Archer, you seemed like such a strong, independent young woman, newly rich and off to see the world. You had good friends who gave you good advise. Why did you make the wrong choice of husband and change the whole character of your life? But you were young and had the means and opportunity to fix things. Why did you make the decision you did? I mostly enjoyed the process of reading this book, though I ran across many passages whose meaning eluded me and was obviously very frustrated by the main character. Great characters who I won't forget for quite a while.

[schmerguls · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

(some SPOILER herein)I began reading this book on, I think, abourt March 31 , 1952. My first comment on it was on April 6, 1952, when I said: " Reading Portrait of a Lady. Continues dull. Rather amazing precisely because it is so dull. Plot is insipid. Isabel Archer turns down an English lord and inherits 70,000 pounds from her uncle. She then marries an American esthete living in Italy, Gilbert Osmond, and is very unhappy. The characterization of the non-living-in-Europe Ameicans--Henrietta Stackpole and Casper Goodwood--is amazingly shallow--as if James knew nothing of such kind of people." On April 7, 1952 I said: "Reading in Portrait of a Lady. It now develops that Gilbet Osmond's daughter Pansy is the daughter of Madame Merle. Madame Merle managed the marrigage of Gilbert and Isabel Archer so thiat he'd have plenty money and so Pansy'd be taken care of. Isabel knows this now, but what her final decsion as to her relations with her husband will be is not yet known. James' characters are perfectly, if unhurriedly, drawn, except, of course, for what I mentioned yesterday." On April 8, 1952, I said: "Finished Portrait of a Lady. Isabel fights off a last wooing by Caspar and goes back to her husband, Gilbert. I didn't dislike the book nearly as much as I did, e.g., The Ordeal of Richard Feveril, which I read July 30, 1950.

[ridgewaygirl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Portrait of a Lady dispelled for me the notion that Henry James wrote impenetrable, stuffy novels. Instead, this was a beautifully written series of character studies, full of an understated humor. Isabel Archer comes to England at the invitation of her aunt, to stay at Gardencourt, where she grows close to her uncle and her cousin, the kind and sickly Ralph. She's young and full of herself (really, she's wonderfully self-involved and in love with her own charms), but she's also determined to forge her own independent path, despite her lack of means and society's expectations. To that end, she turns down marriage proposals from eligible men and plans to travel with her aunt. This book is chock-a-block with great character studies. There's Henrietta, a brash, out-spoken young woman working as a journalist. She's a comic character, but James writes of her with open affection, despite the things she says. Then there's Madame Merle, a femme fatale as calculating as any found in a hardboiled crime novel, and the character you can't (and shouldn't) look away from. And, of course, Isabel, who acts erratically and is misled, but who longs so much for freedom, even as she's uncertain of what that would look like. So, once again, I read a Victorian novel, expecting it to be a slog and finding, instead, a page turner with delicious pacing.

[caomhghin_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is Henry James’ first masterpiece so the language is much less baroque than some of his later novels. It is a simple story, a reworked myth, of a Cinderella who turns down both Prince Charming and Boots, but then tragically becomes the Princess and is trapped by the Good Fairy and the Wicked Fairy into marrying the evil prince. Of course it is a complex, fascinating and involving story but there is more about “happy ever after” time when marriage is the tragedy. On marriage we see the Touchetts at the beginning who have solved the ‘problem’ of marriage by distance. We see Osmond and Isabel towards the end – a marriage made on one side for money, and on the other…? Plus Pansy who is about to be a ‘child’ sacrifice for marriage. Of course James is subtle. This is such a crude way of exposing his workings. He teases out character, development and points of view. The plot is a structure on which to weave the moral situations we create for ourselves. He avoids clichés. We never see Osmond’s final proposal, Isabel’s acceptance or the early few years of their marriage. So we never see the period when Isabel believed she had made the right choice. She thinks she has found a worthy Prince Charming someone to whom her money and herself will add a lustre. She values her independence but she now wants to share it so that they can do great things together. While there is a wicked plot to entrap her, Isabel contributes to her own downfall. She, like the classic tragic figure, is flawed. From the beginning the reader is drawn to her. She is a wonderful person – we have to like her for the story to work and we do. We see the workings of her mind, her pride in herself, her feelings that she was special, that she had something to offer the world more than a ‘brilliant’ marriage. This is charming because it is apparently innocuous and innocent. She is young. The slight weaknesses of character and egotism she reveals are, in fact, trifling stuff in the face of her inherent goodness and charm. But it is enough to trap her. She is ‘created’ as a wealthy heiress by Ralph and Mrs Touchett but she regards her own wisdom on seeing into the heart of a character as superior to theirs precisely because they are spoilt by the world. Tragically for her she does not have the time, or perhaps the inclination, to learn wisdom until it is too late.The novel starts in paradise, in Eden. We meet Isabel on her first arrival in this magic landscape and we see the effect she has on the men around her. She has two proposals and we know of the third which is never voiced because Ralph never speaks of it. Later we see the rather effete if charming Rosier too. The only man we meet who is not stricken by her is Osmond. He evaluates her, he wants to possess her and her money but you see no effect on him. Chillingly you see him as the connoisseur, the collector, who can admire his fine pieces for their style, for their origins, for their display of his connoisseurship and taste, but does not love them. Compare this with Rosier who adores his collection but sacrifices it, in vain, for love.But Isabel has an effect on the women too. Henrietta is a staunch friend. Mrs Touchett brings her to England, Madame Merle is charmed which is one of the reasons we tend to give her the benefit of the doubt at first. She obviously admires Isabel disinterestedly before she can know that she is rich. The Contessa takes to her too and Pansy loves her. So Isabel is surrounded by love and admiration from men and women. It is no wonder if perhaps it turns her head a little. Goodwood – there’s a good solid name – reliable, determined, obsessed he finally offers Isabel a way out. His offer is a repeat of his earlier one and in the same place. Isabel has never quite treated Goodwood right. She leaves him on hold in London. She uses him to accompany Ralph back to England. Today the choice would be simpler – in this society it most certainly was not and James, in his inimitable way, has prepared the ground for us and Isabel. We have seen Madame Merle who chose this route and we now know the disaster that was her life. We have seen the Contessa who chose another version of it and it is not edifying. She is an amusing, slight character, a flutterby but still unhappy. We have seen Mrs Touchett who neither touches nor is touched by anyone. Isabel feels for herself and for other people – she cannot blind herself to the situation. She can neither ignore nor pretend. Pansy is the child of evil (ie her parents are evil) but is pure good and love herself and she will suffer for it. Is she a sign that something good will come out of Isabel’s return? One doubts it. The horror of Pansy is that she shows us what Osmond wanted to do with Isabel. Evil not only begot her but is also moulding her to its own ends. Because although she has her own character it is so weak that we know being locked up in comfort in the convent is almost enough to blow her out, like a candle. But Isabel will survive. She will not be happy and her life will have been a ‘waste’ in her own eyes but she will remain true to herself.

[jmoncton_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful Isabel Archer is an American woman who travels to Europe hoping to find adventure, excitement and live an unconventional life. She is pursued by many men for her beauty and charm, but she turns them all down wanting her life to be something bigger than settling for a typical marriage. But after inheriting a large fortune, she falls victim of a scheme by 2 American ex-patriates and marries one of them. The plot of the story seems pretty straightforward, but the motivations and personalities behind the characters are what make this book a real gem. As the title suggests, Isabel is depicted as a portrait and although her actions are described, it is not clear why she makes her choices in life. I read this book together with members of the Goodreads Victorians group and had a great many discussions over this novel. Definitely a controversial and interesting book.

I both listened and read this book. I started with an audio version narrated by Laural Merlington. If you have never heard Merlington's voice, it is beautiful - the type of voice that you hear when you are hold on the phone, or that announces messages - pure in quality and tone. But I found that a beautiful voice doesn't do the characters of this book justice. Everyone seemed very vanilla and almost sing songy. I switched to a different audio version read by Nadia May who has a much throatier and almost husky voice. Her nuances of the characters was much better. The reason I bring this up is that I didn't really like Isabel Archer until the second half of the book and I wonder if it was the narrator. She seemed flightly and superficial in the beginning and it wasn't until the end of the book that I appreciated her angst over the difficult choices in her life. Was it the narrator or the writing? Still not sure...

[amelish · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Dear god, the last three pages!!! More than make up for the rest of it. No, make the rest of it worthwhile. No, are something completely different. No, are the natural result of what came before.

The introduction makes some confusing points, I think, including the assertion that it's very American to think in "types" of people. What, archetypes? Stereotypes? Musical theater? Hollywood? Flesh it out further, please.

Finally, despite Jane Campion's tendency towards emphasizing the sexy, I can't believe she cast John Malkovich as Gilbert Osmond. The whole point is that Osmond is cold, fastidious(ly evil!), controlling, withholding, etc. and I really don't see JM as any of those. If anything, he projects overbearing sexual creepiness and belongs instead in Les Liasons Dangereuses (not an arbitrary comparison).

Wait, he *did* play Valmont (Dangerous Liasons, 1988) and wore a wig in an Annie Lennox video. So where does that leave us?

[paulagraph · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Well, now I've done that, read a long novel by Henry James. There were pleasures, but also annoyances in doing so (for example, almost everyone is designated as "poor" so & so, which really got on my nerves). In comparison to, say, George Eliot's Middlemarch, the characters here are less mulitdimensional. James famously dissects motives & character, but to what end? Except for Lord Warburton, the characters are all expatriate Americans,almost all apparently corrupted by long contact with Europe. The staunchest exemplars of the American "character," the journalist & America booster Harriet Stackpole & the American businessman, Caspar Goodwood, are hardly more likeable than the rest of the bunch. One is supposed, I imagine, to root for the "heroine" Isabel Archer in her attempt to learn all about life while maintaining "pure" motives & accepting the consequences of her own (bad) decisions. But even those who seem to wish her well (want the best for her) such as Goodwood, Stackpole & Isabel's cousin Ralph Touchett, nonetheless seem to see her more as an object of their own imaginations than as a real person. Manipulation of others to meet some desire of one's own imagination, to make of that other one's creature, so to speak, seems to be a major concern here. James is concerned with individual identity & freedom but not so much its social context, except where social means another individual's will. Oh yes, of course, money is a play maker as well. I kept trying to read a broader commentary on America versus Europe into the novel & I think it's there, with no compliments to either.

[awiebe_7 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another excellent read. I decided to read this one because I hadn't read any real James before and I felt like that was a situation that needed to be remedied. Although a bit arduous at times, and I am still a bit puzzled about the ending, this book was a delightful read. Another 19th century realist novel full of rich character development, although they were not as sympathetic here as they were in Eliot. James seems to examine his characters more than he loves them, even though it is clear he loves some of them. The book did feel a little dry and removed at times, as if you could feel the ticking of an almost mechanical examiner or observer, but the insights and characters were intriguing and thought-provoking. I probably would not recommend this one to the casual reader--too many dry spells to get lost in--but it is a rewarding read, especially if you like to examine some great writing yourself. A great artist and a good read, I really liked this book.

[mattviews · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Henry James published THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY in 1881 with an aspiration to scale new literary height that would surmount DAISY MILLER. THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY dawns on his perception of betrayal. In this extremely poignant novel, James toys with the paradoxical idea that one can come to the full possession of his power only to realize that he really has no way out once he has lived long enough to achieve the goal. James's purpose of the novel is to show his heroine, Isabel Archer, confronting her destiny. When her aunt appears at the house and brings her to England, Isabel is in a situation to value any change that will rid her past. She is clever but not bookish; she has an immense curiosity about life and is constantly staring and wondering. Her presence at the Touchetts' residence in Gardencourt dictates an irresistible air of independence that is conducive to her strong but undemonstrative condition to control her fate. She is very fond of her liberty, as she has stated peremptorily from the very beginning, almost like an omen of her fate. The story of Isabel Archer is straightforward and nothing as complicated and melodramatic as that of the people surrounding her. The peripheral figures who supply the momentum of the plot also support the entire scaffold of the novel. Happenings of these peripheral figures construct Isabel's story. The importunate suitors whom she rejects constantly hover around her and create an effect that accentuates the assumption of a simplicity about her, whereas those who are to launch her on her destiny are relatively opaque and obscure. She is like an ideal entity that ambitiously but somewhat naively embodies a nobleness of imagination. She maintains an infinite hope that she should never do anything wrong. Her cousin Ralph Touchett almost plays the conscience of the novel as he gives up half of his inheritance to make her rich: Isabel is rendered independent in pursuing her exploration and enlightenment in life and is not put at the expense of anyone. He confronts her being obdurate in exploring something unknown and cajoles her that such persistence will only reap utter disappointment. But fate intervenes the stubborn mind in the shape of Ralph's friend, Lord Warburton, whose magnanimous offer she refuses at the revelation of her steel proof independence. Knowing his cousin's impregnable resolve to meet her destiny, Ralph wishes to make her rich and keeps her from marrying for money. He hopes he shall live long enough to see what Isabel does with herself, who lives too much in the world of her own dreams and has not enough contact with reality. Ironically her new fortune could have possibly shut her up more and bound her to a man to whose ego she succumbs and for whom she contrives to procure pleasure. His austerity, poverty, and loneliness, which Isabel associates to nobleness, interest her at first but manifest into an egotism that he takes as a personal offense of her having her own mind. In a way, Isabel's attempt to her fate ends up forfeiting it. His virtue implies a sovereign contempt for everyone. He has pointed out to her the baseness and shabbiness of life; he has opened her eyes to the stupidity, the depravity, and the ignorance of mankind. But he cannot tolerate her possession of her own mind. THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY paints the picture of the unhappiest of a woman whose fruit of life-long solitary experience turns out to be discernment of her short-coming. Her enlightenment is as hopeful an outcome as her poignant marriage: she must not lose all her life simply because she has lost a part. In her lonely search with an inquiring spirit, she finds herself always at the mercy of others less scrupulous than herself and those who confront her own simplicity and naiveté.

[stensvaag_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I attempted this work because it was so highly recommended by Timothy Spurgin in his Teaching Company lectures on the British Novel. I was unable to make it past the first third, however, and finally peeked at a synopsis of the plot on the web. I have no doubt that my failure to cope with this book reflects a weakness in me, rather than the author, but I found it unbearably tedious.

[912greens · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The only Henry James novel I've read (albeit I have not read many) in which the emotional elements cut through his thick prose and really moved me deeply. I cried at the ending-

[amydross · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Okay, to be honest, I didn't read the middle 300 pages. But it's 600 pages long! And besides, it was originally serialized. I don't think it's necessary to read serialized stories in their entirety, any more than it's necessary to see every episode of a television drama in order to claim familiarity with it. Anyway, I was reading for style, not plot, and the style was wonderful. I love his way of writing all the way around a subject, instead of addressing it directly.

[hvhay_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read The Ambassadors last year and found it almost totally impenetrable, so I was honestly dreading this one a little bit. Unlike The Ambassadors, however, Portrait of a Lady was clear as a bell. Moving and wonderful.

[annesteph · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great story. James captures most women at some time in their lives. I read this in college years and years ago. Never warmed much to the movies, but ate this book up. Henry James-the novelist who wrote like a psychologist. His brother, William James, the psychologist who wrote like a novelist. I always think of this statement that my history teacher, Dr. Wingo, from college used to quote.

[vonze-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

What started as a Goodreads Group read, turned out to be a massive undertaking for me. A few years ago I made a resolution to finish everything I started reading...and out of all the books I've read since then, none of them came as close to forcing me to break that resolution as "The Portrait of a Lady". Tried to finish it, sat it back down several times. It's not a bad book, Henry James, the man can write...and I think that was one of the problems I had in finishing it...Henry James loves his vivid descriptions. So much so, at times, I would forget what was happening with the plot, he'd just go on and on, and not get to the point quickly enough for me. In other words, this would be the type of book I'd like to have on a desert island, if I had all the time in the world to enjoy reading all his extra little details. But with a busy life and a 2000-generation attention span, I had to set this one aside several times.

As for the plot, when you get down to it, lots of drama and secrets. However, I was really disappointed in the abrupt ending. Isabel Archer starts out as a young, wannabe-independent American woman, who happens to visit some wealthy family in Europe. After she is left an inheritance that could make her independence dreams come true, she is tricked into marrying a man with his own schemes. Based on her character's previous actions I really thought the story was building up to her leaving her husband or remaining married in name only and living as an independent woman (hey, it was her money), but I was wrong. I wouldn't feel so bad about being wrong if Henry James had used one of his vivid descriptions to explain what was going on in Isabel's mind, so I could have understood her decision.

[br77rino · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

 Ralph Touchett has to be one of the saddest characters I have ever come into contact with.

[mthelibrarian_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fascinating to think about (and possibly disagree with) the heroine's choices throughout the book. I didn't love the ending, but I believed that Isabel would have made this choice. I didn't find this an easy or quick read; in fact, it took me most of a busy June to finish it. I started it in Modern Library edition (500+ pages) but was too overwhelmed by it and switched a to a Barnes and Noble edition that was a Nook freebie some time ago. Somehow the smaller e-page size was right for me with this book. It's fun to remember that the book originally was published in Atlantic Magazine and Macmillan's over the course of years - similar to how some Dickens novels were published. Members of book club who did not have time to read "Portrait" tackled the shorter "Daisy Miller" by Henry James instead; one of them liked it well enough to continue on to "Washington Square."

[bookworm12_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Isabel Archer, a young headstrong American, arrives in England and everyone she meets is completely taken with her. Three separate men pursue her, but she’s unwilling to settle for a marriage without mutual love. She smart, kind and witty, but not easily swayed in her beliefs.I was in love with this book for about the first 1/3 (maybe more), but then it took a drastic turn. I loved Isabel’s character and her refusal to take the easy road in life. Unfortunately her decisions seem to lose all logic at a certain point and that’s when I lost my respect for her. I never want books to have a perfectly happy ending just for the sake of pleasing the reader, but I was heartbroken for Isabel and incredibly disappointed in her choices. I always root for characters I love, but it’s easy to feel betrayed by them if they make a choice that you wouldn’t have made. Despite the plot, James’ writing is beautiful. He catches the nuances of importance in a single glance or polite conversation. He makes you question who is acting out of Isabel’s best interests, who is making selfish choices, who should you trust, etc. The book isn’t just about Isabel in the end, it’s about the delicate balance people maintain in their own lives, often choosing the lesser of two evils and settling in, even if they’re unhappy, instead of rocking the boat.I loved much about this book, but I don’t think I could bring myself to read it again now that I know how it all turns out. “You’ve lived with the English for 30 years and you’re picked up a good many of the things they say, but you have never learned the things they don’t say.” “The great thing about being a literary woman was that you could go everywhere and do everything.” 

[smiler69 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"She was looking at everything, with an eye that denoted clear perception — at her companion, at the two dogs, at the two gentlemen under the trees, at the beautiful scene that surrounded her. 'I've never seen anything so lovely as this place. I've been all over the house; it's too enchanting.'" These are the words of our spirited and lovely heroine, Isabel Archer when she arrives at Gardencourt, an English country estate which features a Tudor mansion with a long lawn sloping down to the Thames. Isabel's father had recently passed away when her aunt, Mrs. Touchett came to visit her in Albany, New York and proposed to take Isabel away with her to Europe with a first stop in England. On her arrival, Isabel meets with a trio of gentlemen which includes the ailing Mr. Touchett Senior, a retired banker with a vast fortune who is attended to by his son Ralph, who suffers from very serious lung disease, and who nevertheless possesses a warm and loving spirit, and finally Ralph's good friend Lord Warburton, who is immediately smitten with our young lady. Before long, Warburton proposes to Isabel; he is an attractive gentleman with good manners and a fine intellect, who also commands a vast estate and a seat at the House of Lords. In short, the sort of man any woman would be thrilled to take on as a husband, but not Isabel. Our heroine is a headstrong young woman who feels she must face her destiny, which she believes doesn't include a husband. Shortly thereafter, Isabel's longtime and determined admirer Casper Goodwood arrives from Boston, also to ask her to marry him, but Isabel is adamant that marriage is not in the cards for her and turns him away as well. When a longtime friend of Mrs. Touchett comes to visit at Gardencourt, Isabel immediately takes to Madame Merle, an accomplished, mature woman of many talents, who is equally appreciative of the young woman. Soon, as Mr. Touchett Senior lies on his deathbed, Ralph secretly makes an arrangement with his father so that his cousin may inherit half the fortune meant for him. Ralph adores Isabel, and believes that by making her a rich woman, she will truly be independent and will be able to accomplish great things. But of course, this being a 19th century novel, our heroine is in for her share of troubles in the form of one Mr. Gilbert Osmond, a sinister character and a poor American expatriate, who's main virtues are a love of beautiful things and a desire to secure a brilliant future for his docile young daughter Pansy.This was my first time reading a novel by Henry James. Having long believed that he was difficult to read, I had tested the waters with two short stories first, and found his prose imminently approachable. It's true that he can be verbose and that this novel plods on at a slow pace, with little action and an accent on his character's interactions and inner workings. But I found myself quite wrapped up in the rich complexity of these characters, and can fully understand why this novel is an enduring classic. I already look forward to reading it again.

[bookangel_a · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Portrait of a Lady is the story of an interesting woman, an attractive woman with many "theories".Isabel leaves America to travel to England with her aunt, rejecting an offer of marriage from a good and successful man. She arrives at the home of her uncle and cousin, Henry and Ralph Touchett. In no time she has captivated everyone. An English lord proposes marriage to her, and again she refuses, saying she is not interested in marriage.Henry and Ralph are intrigued by their lovely relative who keeps refusing marriage offers from these very good, suitable men. When Henry is on his deathbed, he and Ralph decide to leave Isabel a fortune. With a fortune, she will have independence and the freedom to remain unmarried if she chooses. Ralph in particular is very interested in seeing what she will do with her life.Sadly, Isabel's life is not as easy or as happy as her friends had hoped for. What will she do with her life when her "theories" don't work out?This book was my first by Henry James. It was much easier to read than I expected. HJ does write very long paragraphs, but I got used to them. I like the way HJ pulls the reader inside Isabel's mind. The more I read, the more I was determined to find out what would happen to Isabel and her friends. There are a lot of great characters here, to analyze and enjoy. This is a book to sink your teeth into.

[bohemima · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book flows smoothly, gently propelled by James's magnificent prose. Not over-written, but rather a precisely-written work designed to tell a very specific story. Isabel, a young woman from New York, recently orphaned, is swept up by her aunt and carried off to England and Europe. She's a wonderfully intelligent, beautiful girl, inherits a fortune, and makes an unfortunate marriage. The unfolding of Isabel's sad decline from being an earnest, eager young woman who wants to experience everything to a much sadder but much wiser woman is amazingly done; James really understands psycology and motives. There are many well-drawn supporting characters, none of whom seems far-fetched or unreal. A most ingruing and marvelous novel.

[lauralkeet · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Portrait of a Lady is a story of Americans abroad, and a story of love and loss. Isabel Archer arrives in England with her aunt, Lydia Touchett, who is intent on broadening her horizons. Lydia is the mother of Isabel's cousin Ralph, who lives with his father on their English estate, Gardencourt. Within a few weeks of her arrival at Gardencourt, Isabel turns down two marriage proposals, insisting on maintaining her independence. She inherits a considerable sum of money, and it appears she will be able to achieve her goal. Unfortunately, her "friends" have other ideas, and when Isabel travels to the continent, she soon finds herself falling for Gilbert Osmond, an American living in Italy. Sadly, their marriage is not a happy one and Isabel is stuck making the best of a bad situation.The story evolves quite slowly, but there's much more to this rich novel than can be described in a simple plot summary. Henry James' writing is complex, but not as difficult to read as I'd feared. James was himself an American living abroad, and he clearly loved his adopted country. Speaking through Ralph Touchett's father, James offers a delightful point of view of an American living in England:I've been watching these people for upwards of thirty-five years, and I don't hesitate to say that I've acquired considerable information. It's a very fine country on the whole--finer perhaps than we give it credit for on the other side. There are several improvements I should like to see introduced; but the necessity of them doesn't seem to be generally felt as yet.And the characterizations are superb. Ralph cares deeply for Isabel, but never acts on his feelings. Lydia is self-centered, but in an amusing way. Madame Merle, a good friend of Lydia, is quite eccentric and takes Isabel under her wing; however, there is a mysterious side to her as well. Isabel's friend Henrietta is assertive and brash, perhaps representing the "typical American" in Europe. Gilbert Osmond is completely unlikeable, and his sister Amy, the Countess Gemini, is vapid and self-centered, but pulls off a major feat near the end that shows there's much more to her than meets the eye.Throughout this novel Isabel is caught between a desire for independence, and societal pressures and expectations. James' understated prose delivers surprising emotional intensity, through a collection of memorable characters. Highly recommended.

[novelcommentary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Took the month of February to read this classic, considered the finest of Henry James. I enjoyed his portrait of Isabel Archer, the representation of the American spirit and independence. Being the benefactor of her Aunt Lydia who decides to show her Europe, we too get to experience that genteel English countryside, the meeting of the the local gentry and understand her reluctance to accept marriage proposals from two would be suitors. Isabel's cousin, Ralph loves her also and wants her to experience all her adventures. He sets in motion a change in his dying father's will so that Isabel becomes a rich women. This seemingly noble gesture sets her up for tragedy as her innocence is manipulated and she finds herself trapped in a loveless marriage where she is but one of the possessions of a Mr. Gilbert Osgood. I have to say it helped me to see the IMDB website which showed the cast of characters used for the film production of this story. Think Nicole Kidman as Isabel and most especially John Malkovich for Osmond. though I haven't seen the movie I can certainly picture him as the intelligent yet mentally cruel husband that binds Isabel to her fate. "It was because she had been under the extraordinary charm that he, on his side, had taken pains to put forth. He was not changed; he had not disguised himself, during the year of his courtship, any more than she. But she had seen only half his nature then, as one saw the disk of the moon when it was partly masked by the shadow of the earth. She saw the full moon now—she saw the whole man. She had kept still, as it were, so that he should have a free field, and yet in spite of this she had mistaken a part for the whole” Though it takes awhile to develop the characters the ladder part of the novel produces some good plot development .

[cecrow · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Isabel Archer refuses to follow a life that is too prescribed by classical romantic notions. She is determined to find and follow her own path, or remain unsatisfied. This characteristic rules her as a number of suitors make themselves known. The story is primarily about what leads to the choice she makes, and its repercussions. Several other characters are intriguing and their roles each become clear. I had trouble placing the relevancy of Henrietta's story; I believe it clarifies that James' message was not about refusing women the right to make independent choices, but about ensuring illusions are fully dispelled before a choice is made. I really enjoyed this novel for its being chock full of people who make sharp observations, if not always accurate. There is no comedy of misunderstandings here, only analysis that is either lacking or overdone. Henry James knows how to get inside characters' heads and make himself at home, offering strong, natural motives for actions and dialogue that is brilliant both for what is said and what is not. The ending is very satisfying and comes together beautifully. I'm open to reading more of James' novels, but I suspect this will remain my favourite.

[pre20cenbooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book got me to journaling again! I call it a psychological study of how narcissitic-like people can attract each other, marry and learn to live with it for the sake of appearances. I originally watched the old version on DVD. The production put enough in and left enough out to stimulate interest to get the book. I read in one week and couldn't wait to see what happened next to the heroine, so young, really inexperienced with a head full of who knows what ideas. The narrative of Mr. James for me was outstanding and several of the characters remarks make interesting, humorous, and thought provoking quotes. Loved it. This was not a smutty novel--very classy stuff.

[charlie68_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A very good, although a bit dense in places. The ending a little strange as it stops almost in mid scene.