A review by msbedelia
The Golden Bowl by Henry James

2.0

I couldn't care enough about any of these characters to make the drama interesting enough. In some ways, Maggie's "victory" of becoming the woman her husband loves and respects is a cool plot line and even done well. But the reality is, Amerigo seems to me to offer nothing except a pretty face and a title I find meaningless, so the victory rings pretty hollow. My distaste for this makes me wonder if I will still like James's Portrait of a Lady if I ever read it again, or if what I found emotionally impactful as a teenager will seem hollow due to my own lack of respect for the social constraints and beliefs of the time.

As an aside, the anti-Semitism in the book did not enhance my enjoyment.