foggy_rosamund's review against another edition
3.0
Eugenia and Felix, French-speaking siblings who resided in Germany, come to Boston in order to impose upon the hospitality of their wealthy cousins. They give no warning of their arrival, but are met with a generous welcome. Eugenia has been married to a poor German prince, but her marriage is in the process of being dissolved, and she hopes to find her fortune in Boston. Felix, meanwhile, is a happy-go-lucky artists who is simply following his sister. Their relaxed and effusive European spirits exist in sharp contrast to their American cousins, who are descended from puritans, and worry about becoming too worldly. Sometimes this book can feel like a bad stand-up comedy routine – Americans are like this, and Europeans are like this, haha! – and just as unsubtle. But that’s describing it as its worst: at its best it is a considered study of characters trying to find harmony in unfamiliar surroundings, and to respond to people who challenge their ways of life. James doesn’t give his Americans or Europeans preferential treatment, but uses them to ask questions about what the best ways to live are: how can we escape from the ways society traps us, what it means to live a moral life, and whether being moral means we must give up being happy. It’s also a generous study of characters, especially Eugenia and her American cousin Gertrude Wentworth, and, like many of James’ novels, grants women a rich inner life rare in literary work of the period. It’s not James at his best, but it’s well worth reading.
cblueweaver's review against another edition
4.0
The prose is good even if some of the historical observations are a bit muddled. The characters and the narrative voice, in particular, are often delightful.
cakefairy's review
challenging
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
James' answer to the rom com.
beautyistruth's review against another edition
4.0
A light and entertaining novel about the contrast between European and American cultures and values of the time and about love with reservations, conveyed with perspicacity so characteristic of James.
andforgotten's review against another edition
4.0
The ratings are, well... If I look at two books of the rating 4 stars, there will always be distinctions. I'm seriously missing the half stars! This would probably be more of a 3 1/2 star book, because I have rated others the same even though I liked them much better.
As far as classics go, this was really lovely to read. I loved the language and description. Even that the whole book was told by a narrator, with the occasional personal comment, but still mostly written in third person was somehow fitting. I'm easily irritated by odd narrating styles, but this one was just flowing.
I've had a hard time reading books lately, but this one was easy to get into. Of course the story itself isn't exactly a masterpiece, but as I said before, the language makes up for that.
As far as classics go, this was really lovely to read. I loved the language and description. Even that the whole book was told by a narrator, with the occasional personal comment, but still mostly written in third person was somehow fitting. I'm easily irritated by odd narrating styles, but this one was just flowing.
I've had a hard time reading books lately, but this one was easy to get into. Of course the story itself isn't exactly a masterpiece, but as I said before, the language makes up for that.
isaexcel's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sanrodsara's review against another edition
3.0
This book was okay. The plot moved along relatively well and the dialogue was interesting, with the audiobook narrator doing a good job. It's a middle of the road book, so I'm not sure I would recommend it to anyone in particular.
doctortdm's review against another edition
5.0
Reading James's books in order, finally an excellent text.
srreid's review against another edition
2.0
Seen another review call it a comedy of manners. Very little happens, a lot of irreverent chat, bored me senseless.
ipb1's review against another edition
3.0
The definitive exemplar of how a work can be both exquisitely written and mind-numbingly tedious. I thought [b:Brideshead Revisited|111620|Brideshead Revisited|Evelyn Waugh|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1393880521l/111620._SY75_.jpg|2952196] was my benchmark for novels filled with characters about whom I don't give a %^#!, but this may be my new standard. 3* might be overly generous...