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The Portrait of a Lady (Oxford World's Classics)
 

The Portrait of a Lady

by Henry James

Described by F. R. Leavis as one of the two most brilliant novels in the language, The Portrait of a Lady tells the story of Isabel Archer, young, American, and eager to embrace life, as she makes her choice from the suitors who court her. She is true to her principles, but at what cost? (read review)

Top tags: fiction,  classic,  19th century,  literature,  novel (all tags)

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Other Reviews

Amazon Reviews (3)
 

Most Helpful Reviews

Liked It

2 of 2 members found this review helpful.
Tinky
  • Rated 5 stars

“Keep away from me with your Golden Bowls and your Wings of the Doves – give me “The Portrait of a Lady,” the great masterpiece of Henry James before he went off the deep end where few but the most intrepid grammarians could follow. Here, James’ exquisite ironies and gorgeous metaphors drip from each sentence like drops of absinthe.

Read Camille Paglia’s section on James in her brilliant, maniacal “Sexual Personae” and you’ll never look at this Portrait the same way again. Did you...”

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Didn’t Like It

Amber M
  • Rated 2 stars

“Not a favorite, I felt the main character was so stuffy and proper and stupid! But I felt I had to read it since it was supposedly a "classic". I should have known I wouldn't like it since I'm not a big Henry James fan.”

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Community:
  • Rated 3.801105 stars
Amazon:
  • Rated 4.181818 stars
  

Newest Comments

  • Numb Inferno

    numb inferno said:

    “So far, i find it amazing, how Henry James wrote the book. It shows his own style of writing and the play of words which he is quite good at.”

    posted Thursday, May 1 2008
  • uplandpoet

    uplandpoet said:

    “got a little wordy for a comment, but thought i had to make the point”

    posted Thursday, April 24 2008
  • Ariel B

    ariel b said:

    “terrible novel. Henry James employs elliptical story-telling throughout the novel instead of choosing to develop characters. The reader learns of a character's personality and such only through the words of minor characters. Furthermore, he describes scenery in excess in what appears to be an attempt at outshine other writers but sorely misses the mark, and instead, it drags the reader on for eight or more pages of sheer descriptive torture.”

    posted Wednesday, April 23 2008 ( | view 4 replies )
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