About this title: In this classic, strongly plotted novel of innocence, passion, and love, the presence of two children--Henrietta and Leopold--in an old, narrow house in Paris is gradually explained. The story told is that of Karen Michaelis, who, a decade before, strove to escape her intellectually stagnant and unemotional family. Engaged to one man, she becomes pregnant by another--Max--who kills himself, leaving her with little Leopold. When Karen marries her original fiancé, Leopold is sent away to live with friends, and now, at the age of nine, he and his mother are due to be reunited at the Paris house ...
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Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Vintage Books
Date Published: 1111
Description: Good. K-48. WEar to edges, pages are bright, good solid copy. Quantity Available: 1. Shipped Weight: Under 500 grams. Inventory No: 027066. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Anchor
Date Published: 2002-04-09
ISBN-13:9780385721257ISBN:0385721250
Description: Very good. Very minimal damage to the cover (no holes or tears, only minimal scuff marks), in some instances dust jackets are not included, no missing pages, minimal to no highlighting/under. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Knopf
Date Published: 1936
Description: Acceptable. -Ex-Library--No Jacket. Good 12mo-over 6 3/4"-7 3/4" tall 268 pgs. Interior-Light signs of use w/ ex-library referencing. The boards have only light signs of aging. -Publish Place: New York-Size: read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Vintage Books, New York
Description: Good. 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" tall. Wraps have rubbed edges, base of spine is chipped, back is creased. Front reverse and fep have small ink stamps. No markings in text. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Anchor
Date Published: 2002
ISBN-13:9780385721257ISBN:0385721250
Description: Very Good. Text pages clean & tight with no markings or highlighting. Slight cover corner crease. A timeless masterpiece of nuance & atmosphere. Very readable copy. read more
Edition: Reprint.
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Vintage, New York
Date Published: 1957
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Terrific copy. Square, tight, solid. Clean and unmarked inside. Very light wear and slight soiling to covers. Corners sharp. Spine is not creased. read more
Edition: Edition Unstated
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Anchor Books, New York, New York, U.S.A.
Date Published: 2002
ISBN-13:9780385721257ISBN:0385721250
Description: Very Good+ As issued No Jacket. Slight spine lean, and some light shopwear. Includes an introduction by A.S. Byatt. read more
Description: Good. B000NYCIVW READY TO SHIP! -Hardback with jacket. Some writing or highlighting. Still a very readable copy! Cover shows some wear. From a Pet-free, Smoke-free warehouse. We ship to APO, FPO & Internationally. Ships within 24 to 48 hours. All items are wrapped securely to protect during shipping. Questions? Please email us and we'll be happy to assist you. Check our feedback and buy with confidence! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Anchor
Date Published: 2002-04-09
ISBN-13:9780385721257ISBN:0385721250
Description: Very Good. 2002 pb, not read, not ex lib, no remainder marks, clean unmarked cover, spine no crease, pgs slight tanning, clean tight unmarked, u58C. read more
"I did not know what I was getting into with this book and I was unsure about my star rating for this one. It took me a very long time to adjust to the writing style, and while that set the tone for the novel, I think it took away from the book overall for me.
Eleven year old Henrietta is staying with friends of her grandmother's while on her way to stay with her grandmother. At this house is also another child, Leopold. He is there to meet his mother for the first time. The two strike up a conversation, much too adult for an 11 and 8 year old. The pair are extremely awkward together and Henrietta knows she will not get her day in Paris as she has hoped.
About 100 pages into the book, after much of the aforementioned awkwardness, we learn the story of Leopold's mother and her relationship with the women Leopold is now staying with. Her story is very compelling and this novel must have been quite risque when it was published in 1935. The story in this portion of the book, entitled "The Past," was definitely the most engaging part of the book.
We then switch back to "The Present" and learn more about Leopold's future. Henrietta is again in the story, an unwilling witness to this child's life.
Overall, I'm sure this novel packed more heat in the thirties than it does now. That is probably a sad statement of today's society, but unfortunately, that's the way it is. If you're looking for elegant writing a la Virginia Wolff, this is the book for you."
"Gorgeous writing but not involving to me particularly. Two young children, Henrietta and Leo in a Paris apartment for a single day. Powerful children and child perspective of adult world. Heavy psychological plot."
"I have to admit: I love a good melodramatic, Edith Wharton-esqe novel with plenty of hand-wringing over lost innocence and the ruined lives that follow. That being said, I'm not sure whether to check the spoiler alert box or not. I loved this book but I realize it's not for everyone. Besides melodrama; there's humor, a couple of really cool kids, and a sinister interfering matriarch. Get the edition with the introduction by A.S. Byatt but don't read it until you've finished the book. Recommended by the writer Mavis Gallant in interview published in the 2009 Summer Granta."
"I found this very uneven while I was reading it. Bowen is great with character, psychology and dialogue, but her 'descriptive' passages (of the "the golden sun shone brightly through the purple clouds on the ashy gulls, bleating from their magenta bills as the azure sky opened above their fluffy heads" variety) are just awful. The same goes for the 'metaphysical' passages, which are almost impossible to understand - not because the ideas are difficult, but because the presentation is **so** tortured. All that said, I really want to read 'Death of the Heart' and 'Heat of the Day'. The good parts of this book just stick in my memory. In short: the good bits of James and Austen combined with the bad bits of Arundhati Roy and whichever 'existentialist' novelist you hate most."
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