““Our story hitherto has moved with very short steps…” that I doubt it has moved it all. There is not much that I can say to this novel’s benefit besides the clarity of Henry James’ words. He possesses the ability to pick exactly the right word, which can lead to surprising displays of wit. Beyond that, the book has many flaws: character descriptions are given multiple times and the father-daughter dynamic that should drive the plot is told, not displayed or felt through the characters. On the whole, the book didn’t satisfy as entertainment or intellectual endeavor.
I reread this novel for class, but am still left with similar feelings. I thought this might be one of those books that is more interesting to analyze than to read, but I am sorry to say it still bored me. We read another James novel, The American, that seemed to cover the same issues presented in this story, but in a much more intriguing fashion.”
Alexia W wrote this review Friday, August 7 2009.
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