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i_need_organization_skills's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
thaurisil's review against another edition
3.0
Isabel Archer, an American girl, goes to England with her aunt. She meets the Touchetts, namely Mr Touchett, Mrs Touchett and her ill cousin Ralph, and her independent American ways quickly charm several British men, including Ralph, who loves and understands her like a sibling, and Lord Warburton, whose marriage proposal Isabel turns down. She also turns down Caspar Goodwood, an American who travels to England to propose. Mr Touchett dies and, on Ralph's request, leaves Isabel a fortune. Isabel goes to Rome where Mrs Touchett's friend Madame Merle and a man named Mr Osmond manipulate Isabel into marrying Mr Osmond. Mr Osmond marries Isabel for her money, and imposes his will on Isabel. Isabel gradually loses the freedom that defined her. Her best friend, Henrietta Stackpole, and Ralph see her unhappiness, but she rebuffs their efforts to help her as she wants to keep her shameful unhappiness a secret. Eventually, their friendship penetrates her defences and she confides in them. Mr Osmond's sister, Countess Gemini, reveals to Isabel that Mr Osmond and Madame Merle are the parents of Pansy. Isabel, against her husband's wishes, goes to England where she is with Ralph as he dies. The book ends with her returning to Rome to continue living with Mr Osmond.
This book has three distinct parts. The first, in which Isabel comes to England and lives with the Touchetts, is light-hearted and full of kindliness and good humour. The middle sees Mr Osmond and Madame Merle manipulating Isabel, Isabel agreeing to marry Mr Osmond against the advice of her friends, the start of the unhappy marriage, and her separation from her friends. In the last part, Isabel slowly regains her voice against Mr Osmond, discovers his secret, turns to her friends for support, and returns to England to be with Ralph. The first part was enjoyable but frivolous. The second part was dreary and slow-paced, and almost induced me to give up on the book. The third part was an improvement from the second, and while it remained dark and complex, there were signs of redemption.
Isabel initially charms the men around her with her freedom and independence. She rejects a highly-favoured marriage proposal from Lord Warburton, not because she dislikes him, but because she does not love him and she wants to explore the world. It is the desire to see where Isabel's imagination takes her that leads Ralph to ask his father to secretly give Isabel an inheritance. It is therefore tragic when Isabel, through her naïveté, is manipulated into a loveless marriage to a man who wants her money. As Isabel loses her characteristic independence, she seems to lose her identity. We barely know what to make of an Isabel who does not have freedom. At the end, the knowledge of Mr Osmond's secret gives Isabel a solid reason to escape from his oppression. And this is where Isabel makes a choice that would disappoint many readers, by returning to Mr Osmond. Why does she do so? Wanting to be a mother figure to Pansy is only part of the reason. From the start, Isabel displays an interest in respecting conventional notions of what is right and wrong – the primary way in which she differs from Henrietta – and perhaps it is only natural that, armed with greater strength, she decides to return to her marriage and try to make it work. Moreover, with Ralph dead, Henrietta married, and even Lord Warburton married, Isabel does not have single friends to return to. She therefore transitions from the light-heartedness of her youth to the turbulence of middle age.
Mr Osmond is evil. He manipulates Isabel, never shouting at her, but displaying his displeasure more powerfully through quietly telling her that he does not like her ideas, her friends, and her way of life, accusing her of faults that she does not have, and accusing her of being a bad wife for wanting to disobey him. Pansy too is manipulated into a too-perfect daughter who blindly loves her father and obeys him in all things, even when her interests are compromised. Even Madame Merle is eventually unhappy about the extent to which she finds herself helping him without benefit to herself. The ending is left open. We do not know what happens when Isabel returns to Mr Osmond, and it is difficult to picture a happy future for her.
In a book that is somewhat depressing, the Touchetts and Henrietta stand out as rays of light. Mr Touchett is a kind friend to Isabel. Mrs Touchett is brash, pragmatic and unconventional, but she cares for those around her, even for Mr Touchett whom she chooses to live in a separate country from. But the one who stick to Isabel from start to end are Ralph and Henrietta. Ralph, due to an illness that appears to be tuberculosis, knows he can never love Isabel in any but a platonic way. This allows him to love Isabel unselfishly, and he understands her better even than she understands herself. He respects her distance when she chooses to impose it, but he is there as a confidante when she wants one. Henrietta initially turns the reader off with her audacity that approaches arrogance, but by the time we meet her at the end of the book, she has mellowed, and remains a staunchly loyal friend.
This book has three distinct parts. The first, in which Isabel comes to England and lives with the Touchetts, is light-hearted and full of kindliness and good humour. The middle sees Mr Osmond and Madame Merle manipulating Isabel, Isabel agreeing to marry Mr Osmond against the advice of her friends, the start of the unhappy marriage, and her separation from her friends. In the last part, Isabel slowly regains her voice against Mr Osmond, discovers his secret, turns to her friends for support, and returns to England to be with Ralph. The first part was enjoyable but frivolous. The second part was dreary and slow-paced, and almost induced me to give up on the book. The third part was an improvement from the second, and while it remained dark and complex, there were signs of redemption.
Isabel initially charms the men around her with her freedom and independence. She rejects a highly-favoured marriage proposal from Lord Warburton, not because she dislikes him, but because she does not love him and she wants to explore the world. It is the desire to see where Isabel's imagination takes her that leads Ralph to ask his father to secretly give Isabel an inheritance. It is therefore tragic when Isabel, through her naïveté, is manipulated into a loveless marriage to a man who wants her money. As Isabel loses her characteristic independence, she seems to lose her identity. We barely know what to make of an Isabel who does not have freedom. At the end, the knowledge of Mr Osmond's secret gives Isabel a solid reason to escape from his oppression. And this is where Isabel makes a choice that would disappoint many readers, by returning to Mr Osmond. Why does she do so? Wanting to be a mother figure to Pansy is only part of the reason. From the start, Isabel displays an interest in respecting conventional notions of what is right and wrong – the primary way in which she differs from Henrietta – and perhaps it is only natural that, armed with greater strength, she decides to return to her marriage and try to make it work. Moreover, with Ralph dead, Henrietta married, and even Lord Warburton married, Isabel does not have single friends to return to. She therefore transitions from the light-heartedness of her youth to the turbulence of middle age.
Mr Osmond is evil. He manipulates Isabel, never shouting at her, but displaying his displeasure more powerfully through quietly telling her that he does not like her ideas, her friends, and her way of life, accusing her of faults that she does not have, and accusing her of being a bad wife for wanting to disobey him. Pansy too is manipulated into a too-perfect daughter who blindly loves her father and obeys him in all things, even when her interests are compromised. Even Madame Merle is eventually unhappy about the extent to which she finds herself helping him without benefit to herself. The ending is left open. We do not know what happens when Isabel returns to Mr Osmond, and it is difficult to picture a happy future for her.
In a book that is somewhat depressing, the Touchetts and Henrietta stand out as rays of light. Mr Touchett is a kind friend to Isabel. Mrs Touchett is brash, pragmatic and unconventional, but she cares for those around her, even for Mr Touchett whom she chooses to live in a separate country from. But the one who stick to Isabel from start to end are Ralph and Henrietta. Ralph, due to an illness that appears to be tuberculosis, knows he can never love Isabel in any but a platonic way. This allows him to love Isabel unselfishly, and he understands her better even than she understands herself. He respects her distance when she chooses to impose it, but he is there as a confidante when she wants one. Henrietta initially turns the reader off with her audacity that approaches arrogance, but by the time we meet her at the end of the book, she has mellowed, and remains a staunchly loyal friend.
2beenough's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
mysteriesofmar's review against another edition
4.0
bumped up to 4 stars because ok yeah this is interesting and a complicated read but IS IT WORTH 600+ PAGES OF MY TIME?
michaelpdonley's review against another edition
5.0
There’s a good reason this is a classic. Written in the late 1880s, it was revolutionary because the content focused less on action and more on the psychological journey of a complex, independent woman. The dialogue is so smart and nuanced, the characters so well drawn, and the ending so ambiguous that it lets you draw your own conclusions.
miagermain's review against another edition
4.0
I was actually very surprised by how much I enjoyed this book! I have never read much from James or this time period, but it definitely inspired me to reach more.
wardellmitchell's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
h_berry0410's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
carp's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0