The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion

Hello, everyone. Here is the reading schedule for The Bostonians by Henry James. We will be reading six chapters per week.

Week 1 (Apr 4-10): Chapters I-VI
Week 2 (Apr 11-17): Chapters VII-XII
Week 3 (Apr 18-24): Chapters XIII-XVIII
Week 4 (Apr 25-May 1): Chapters XIX-XXIV
Week 5 (May 2-8): Chapters XXV-XXX
Week 6 (May 9-15): Chapters XXXI-XXXVI
Week 7 (May 16-22): Chapters XXXVII-XLII

* If your version has an introduction, please note that introductions to classic novels often contain spoilers. Mine has an introduction, but I haven't read it yet. I usually save them for the end.

* Edited to add that the introduction in my copy (by Siri Hustvedt) does indeed contain many spoilers. If you have it, I would recommend reading it after you've finished the book, as it is interesting.

I have the Barnes & Noble edition from the library, and it's really good. It has lots of notes and explanations for words that might be unfamiliar, as well as descriptions of the Boston landmarks mentioned. It has an introduction, but I haven't read it yet since introductions to classic novels often contain spoilers, so I usually read them last.

The Kindle version is available for free on Amazon in two volumes (the US site), and you can pay $0.99 - $3.99 for other versions. And of course it's free on Gutenberg.

I will probably participate. Last year I read a book that nobody has ever heard of, Romancing the Vote: Feminist Activism in American Fiction, 1870-1920. It talked about how suffragists were portrayed in the U.S. in the fifty years before women got the vote. I found it very interesting to look at pop culture of an earlier era. The Bostonians was discussed at length as a book that was ostensibly about feminists but seemed to have no clue about what that meant or what women really cared about. I hadn't read it but I am curious to see if I agree or not.

I will try to participate, but will have to see whether I can fit 2 books for the group at the same time as I am reading the musketeer series as well.

I am hoping to participate but may start late as I have a beta read to do at the beginning of the month.

I always wanted to read this. Looking forward to it.

I read this years ago. I will read your comments!

Great! I'm looking forward to your comments. Robin, that book sounds interesting. You'll have to let us know what it said about the book at the relevant points.

This book was published in 1885-1886, but given the characters' ages and the references to the American Civil War in the first chapter, it must be set around 1875 or so. I don't think the beginning chapters could be set later than 1877.

The introduction in my copy (by Siri Hustvedt) does indeed contain many spoilers. If you have it, I would recommend reading it after you've finished the book, as it is interesting.

I've added some content from the introduction to the "background" thread, and I'll add some of Hustvedt's spoilery exposition to the final discussion (Week 7).

It was a great film in 1984 with Christopher Reeve and Vanessa Redgrave, directed and produced by the Merchant-Ivory team, a pedigree that can't be topped.

I'll read the book again, so count me in.

Linda2 wrote: "It was a great film in 1984 with Christopher Reeve and Vanessa Redgrave, directed and produced by the Merchant-Ivory team, a pedigree that can't be topped.

I'll read the book again, so count me in."

Thanks, I'll look for it!

Linda2 wrote: "It was a great film in 1984 with Christopher Reeve and Vanessa Redgrave, directed and produced by the Merchant-Ivory team."

It was a decent film. Luckily I saw it 30 years ago and don't remember much beyond the basic plot so the book will be relatively fresh.
I always think of Merchant/Ivory as making movies of the E.M. Forster novels, Room With a View, Maurice and Howard's End, but forget that they made the same number of movies of James novels, with The Europeans, The Bostonians and The Golden Bowl.