The Europeans [Library Binding]

Henry James (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0899666086 | ISBN-13: 978-0899666082 | Publication Date: June 1, 1987

Eugenia, an American expatriate brought up in Europe, arrives in rural New England with her charming brother Felix, hoping to find a wealthy second husband after the collapse of her marriage to a German prince. Their exotic, sophisticated airs cause quite a stir with their affluent, God-fearing American cousins, the Wentworths and provoke the disapproval of their father, suspicious of foreign influences. The arrival of the frivolous, handsome Felix is especially enchanting to Gertrude Wentworth, who is struggling against her sombre puritan upbringing. One of Henry James's most optimistic novels, The Europeans (1878) is a subtle and gently ironic examination of manners and morals, deftly portraying the impact of Old World experience on New World innocence.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“He is as solitary in the history of the novel as Shakespeare in the history of poetry.”<BR> —Graham Greene --Quill Pen

“He is as solitary in the history of the novel as Shakespeare in the history of poetry.”<BR> —Graham Greene --Graham Greene

About the Author

Henry James was born in 1843 in New York City. In 1875 he settled for a year in Paris, where he met Flaubert, Turgenev and other literary figures. The next year he moved to London, but in 1898 he left to live at Lamb House, Rye, Sussex. Henry James became an English citizen in 1915, and died in 1916. He wrote about twenty novels, among which we remember Washington Square, The Portrait of a Lady, The Bostonians, The Ambassadors and The Golden Bowl.

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Product Details

• Library Binding
• Publisher: Buccaneer Books (June 1, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0899666086
• ISBN-13: 978-0899666082
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,408,499 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compared to Earlier and Later Works ..., June 30, 2010

By 

Giordano Bruno (Wherever I am, I am.) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Europeans: A Sketch (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

... The Europeans seems indeed to be merely "a sketch", a practice piece, worth reading only for James's masterly prose and for occasional sparkles of wit. Or perhaps it should be taken as James's effort to 'cash in' on the perennial market for romance novels for women readers, a market that was a lucrative in the 19th C as it remains today. That latter interpretation, I confess, is hindered by the absence of passion exhibited in any the four entangled 'love stories' of the narration. Marriages do occur eventually; I hope that's not too much of a spoiler, since I won't disclose how many or whom.

One could also interpret The Europeans as a study of miscommunication. The title characters, a sister and brother whose mother was American but who have 'grown up' as thorough Europeans, come to visit their American cousins whom they've never met or known, who live quiet, sober lives in a Massachusetts village. The reader is 'encouraged' to suppose that the sister is both fleeing a milieu in Europe that has gone sour and seeking a 'fortunate' matrimonial opportunity. The American cousins and their social set are people of substantial means and insubstantial culture. Perplexed in every way by the arrival of such exotic relatives, nonetheless they generously welcome the travelers into their quaint puritanical family circle. What ensues is a minuet of misperceptions and miscues.

James seems to have learned a good deal about the structural mechanics of novel-writing in the short time between "The American" and "The Europeans". Whereas in the former, he sometimes labors over describing a character in excessive external detail, in the latter he allows his characters to portray themselves through actions and dialogue. It's a subtler style of narrative, on a par with the polished best of Jane Austen or George Eliot. But of course the 19th C British 'novel of manners' was the model of all of Henry James's novels, a form he never abandoned. It's also quite plausible that James consciously intended "The Europeans" as a sequel to "The American," a thematic coda. It's not as exciting or insightful as its immediate predecessor, and it's barely a prophecy of the brilliance James would soon achieve in "The Bostonians". But it's too artfully written not to be entertaining as a display of craft.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars You win some, you lose some, December 10, 2010

By 

H. Schneider "Hamlet" (Pandistan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Europeans: A Sketch (Penguin Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

Written in 1878, this short novel is set some time earlier in the century, in Boston and surroundings. A pair of siblings from Europe, brother Felix and sister Eugenia, have come to America to visit their relatives, hoping to find them rich. The two can be called adventurers, gold-diggers. He is a sort of bohemian, while she is married to a German prince, who is about to get rid of her. (At the time, Germany had an abundance of princes.)
They find their relatives a large, reasonably well to do, well established family in the outskirts. The Wentworths are puzzled by the unexpected visitors, and behave with decency. There are some unmarried young cousins in the family. Felix is a charmer and reacts positively. Eugenia is a more difficult character and for her the cultural shock is a problem, as it is for the father of the Wentworth family. He is the brother of the visitors' mother. Relations were not close in the past. Eugenia's mother had run away at 20 into an unapproved marriage with a European.

Like with James' previous novel about an American in Europe, the main subject here is the loss of meaning in cross-cultural communication. That is always good for various amusements of the mild to the hilarious kind. This book is more of the mild kind, which is not meant as a criticism.
All in all, we have an interesting but not a great little novel about social affairs of the better classes in the 19th century. It lives mainly by the master's sparkling language. The people in the story are not all interesting. I would single out the two main women for being `interesting': Eugenia, the baroness, is a thoroughly discredited person who works hard at keeping up appearances, even to her brother, and probably even to herself. She lies shamelessly to everybody. While she rarely tells complete lies, she is also seldom completely truthful.
The other interesting woman is Gertrude Wentworth. She puzzles us mostly through James' handling of her. She appears early like a person that makes you wonder if she is capricious or simple. She is certainly not shown as a particularly attractive woman, not by looks nor by her acts. Then during the plot, descriptions by the wise man in the off stop and Gertrude seems to become a totally different person: smart, attractive, headstrong ... the point is that these impressions are all given by other protagonists and we don't need to believe them. Has James planted mistrust in his people's statements and opinions?

The last chapter is a roundup of characters and it ties up open ends, providing satisfaction to some and frustration to others. It is not convincing as a narrative device, to me. It reminds me of James' later failed attempts to become a stage writer. Chapter 12 here is like a less than interesting romantic play. I can do without those.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars culture clash, March 17, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Europeans (Library Binding)

The Europeans is a classic tale of two worlds colliding. On one side we have the bohemian Europeans; on the other we have the puritan New Englanders. It is the conflict of language as well as culture which is evident throughout the book. I believe the sympthay lies with the New Englanders as after all their guests were vistors to New England. Although it was later acknwoldged that James did not intend the character of Getrude to be good; i nevertheless rejoiced in her rebelious nature but felt concerned she was being manipulated by her european suitor. A very good and more importantly short read.