I've just finished reading WASHINGTON SQUARE (1880) by Henry James (1843-1916) in the Signet Classics mass market paperback edition (which is perfectly acceptable, with easily readable print and wide-enough margins... and very lightweight).
This was my first time reading anything by Henry James, and I enjoyed it so much that I've ordered two more HJ books from Amazon (arriving soon).
James is such a perceptive and intelligent writer - and he keeps the action moving. And WASHINGTON SQUARE was, from what I can gather, the only novel that James placed in the past.
As you may or may not know, the 1949 film The Heiresss (out of which came an Oscar win for Olivia de Havilland) was based on this short novel (209 pages in this edition). And the film version follows the book quite closely, both in dramatic action and dialog. But, of course, the book more deeply fleshes-out its characters and their feelings/motivations/strengths/weaknesses/challenges far more richly than a film ever could.
The story centers around the well-to-do but plain, insecure and painfully shy young lady Catherine Sloper, her prideful, emotionally aloof, judgmental, and fastidious physician father, two aunts (the doctor's sisters), and a "beautiful" young man (Morris Townsend) who sweeps "poor Catherine" off her feet one night at a party.
Morris immediately begins passionately courting Catherine and soon extracts a marriage promise from her (with the frequent and surreptitious aid of well-intentioned but meddlesome aunt Penniman) - much to her father's abject horror and her aunt Penniman's ecstatic delight. (The widowed aunt Penniman lives with Dr Sloper and Catherine in their large New York City home in Washington Square, and accounts for much of the humor and dramatic momentum in the story.)
But are Morris's matrimonial intentions based on pure love, or is he really just a slick gold-digger after Catherine's current large bequeathed income - and the prospect of an even larger future inheritance when her father dies?
The lonesome and emotionally vulnerable Catherine is rapturously convinced by Morris's burning love-ardor - but we are left intriguingly undecided throughout most of the novel concerning his true motives.
And what must ultimately become of beautiful, exuberant Morris and his wealthy-but-homely Catherine?
One of the "strange pleasures" of this book is watching Catherine's personality develop and mature over a span of some years, into her middle-age. This larger time expanse is a major difference from the film, which keeps the action more contained to the general present.
But does Catherine mature into a better, finer person; or does she become hard-hearted and even more sternly introverted? Or perhaps a bit of both? (The romantic human heart is so very fragile, complex, brave and sensitive a thing.)
At the end we are forced to ask: What do forgiveness and forgetting mean?....
One possible slight drawback of reading this book after seeing the movie is that we inevitably "see" the various FILM ACTORS (de Havilland, Hopkins, Richardson, Clift, etc.) as the BOOK'S CHARACTERS. But the casting of the film is so excellent, this turns out not to be such a problem. But, if you can, read the book FIRST.
This edition contains a very interesting Introduction by Mona Simpson, and provides some helpful biographical info on Henry James and a discussion of where James got the idea for WASHINGTON SQUARE.
I highly recommend WASHINGTON SQUARE and feel certain you'll enjoy it.
Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime
and start saving today with fast, free delivery
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now
Frequently bought together
$8.99
Get it as soon as Friday, Mar 29
In Stock
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Choose items to buy together.
Similar items that may deliver to you quickly
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Reviews with images
This copy of WASHINGTON SQUARE is garbage!
Apparently my "return" window has closed, which is disappointing as I was unaware of the one week deadline. This copy of Henry James' WASHINGTON SQUARE is apparently a "translation" from some other language into "English" by someone who doesn't actually speak English. You can get a sense of the syntactical confusion and word salad from the second page which appears above. Try reading it aloud. This copy should be removed from Amazon's shelves immediately. I would, of course, like to have my money back but apparently that's not an option. I have learned to check the downloads immediately, which I suppose is worth something
Top reviews from other countries
kitty345
Don't buy these 'annotated' versions of classic literature!
Reviewed in Australia on June 13, 2021
