Washington Square

by Henry James (Adapted by), Tricia Hedge, Jennifer Bassett (Series Editor)

When a handsome young man begins to court Catherine Sloper, she feels she is very lucky. She is a quiet, gentle girl, but neither beautiful nor clever; no one had ever admired her before, or come to the front parlour of her home in Washington Square to whisper soft words of love to her. But in New York in the 1840s young ladies are not free to marry where they please. Catherine must have her father's permission, and Dr Sloper is a rich man. One day Catherine will have a fortune of 30,000 dollars a year . . .

Paperback

First published March 16, 2001

About the author

Henry James was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the son of Henry James Sr. and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James.
He is best known for his novels dealing with the social and marital interplay between émigré Americans, the English, and continental Europeans, such as The Portrait of a Lady. His later works, such as The Ambassadors, The Wings of the Dove and The Golden Bowl were increasingly experimental. In describing the internal states of mind and social dynamics of his characters, James often wrote in a style in which ambiguous or contradictory motives and impressions were overlaid or juxtaposed in the discussion of a character's psyche. For their unique ambiguity, as well as for other aspects of their composition, his late works have been compared to Impressionist painting.
His novella The Turn of the Screw has garnered a reputation as the most analysed and ambiguous ghost story in the English language and remains his most widely adapted work in other media. He wrote other highly regarded ghost stories, such as "The Jolly Corner".
James published articles and books of criticism, travel, biography, autobiography, and plays. Born in the United States, James largely relocated to Europe as a young man, and eventually settled in England, becoming a British citizen in 1915, a year before his death. James was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911, 1912, and 1916. Jorge Luis Borges said "I have visited some literatures of East and West; I have compiled an encyclopedic compendium of fantastic literature; I have translated Kafka, Melville, and Bloy; I know of no stranger work than that of Henry James."

Reviews

[Janete on hiatus due health issues · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book has dull and boring characters. It seems like a soap opera. But this is not the original text, it's a retold version for students of English.

[Joanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quick read, the characters and plot are dull, but the writing is okay i guess, nothing special really.

[Nina]

the thing is, I found a copy of that book dated 1997 in my parents' library, filled with beautifully sketched illustrations by John Holder, and it was so small and I've never heard the story, that I thought I should definitely read it for the Goodreads challenge cuz c'mon it's already December

and oh goodness, I did!

and though I cannot say I enjoyed the plot or became super-duper interested in the original Henry James' work, that little twist at the end made me smile. and somehow gives me Tatyana from Evgeny Onegin vibes if u know what I mean. good for Cat!

high five to me for reading in the foreign language

[Parham Sarab · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recommended this book to whom they like love story

[Maram · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not an interesting ending.

[FatemehZahra JalaviNezhad · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book in purpose of improving my skill in English and the rating, ⭐️⭐️⭐️, is not just about story, but is about its avail of enhancing my English abilities.

[pier63 · Rating 2 out of 5]

15,490語

[MA kindle lover · Rating 3 out of 5]

قصة تجمع أنماطاً مختلفة من الشخصيات، بين أب حريص، وفتاة ساذجة، وعمة طفيلية.
تتفاوت أحداث القصة بين مد وجزر، تفاصيل بعثت على التأمل لتعدد الشخصية البشرية واختلاف الرغبات والطبائع.
النهاية كانت بسيطة ومتوقعة.

[Ahmad · Rating 1 out of 5]

shit !

[Sofia Knittel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review on my blog!
http://ibookyouu.blogspot.pt