About this title: "The mere slim shade of an intelligent but presumptuous girl...a certain young woman affronting her destiny" is how Henry James describes his first perception of Isabel Archer, who grew into one of his most magnificent heroines. An American heiress newly arrived in Europe, Isabel does not look to a man to furnish her with her destiny; instead she ...
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: The Modern library, New York
Date Published: 1936
Description: Very good in very good dust jacket. Very Good, In very good dust jacket. 2 v. in 1. 18 cm. "First Modern library edition, 1936. " read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Signet/Penguin, New York
Date Published: 1996
ISBN-13:9780451191304ISBN:0451191307
Description: Very good. 547 p. Introduction by Regina Barreca. Movie tie-in edition (Nicole Kidman, John Malkovich, Barbara Hershey). Includes 8-page photo insert and Selected Bibliography. read more
Description: Good. Spine is smooth. Covers show some wear at the edges and corners. Good reading copy. Binding is Mass Market Paperback. Pages tanning. Used books may have price stickers. Most orders ship on the next business day. read more
Description: Good. Spine has some creases. Covers show wear at the edges and corners. Good reading copy. Binding is Mass Market Paperback. Pages tanning. Used books may have price stickers. Most orders ship on the next business day. read more
Edition: Movie Tie-in edition.
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Signet Book
Date Published: 1996
ISBN-13:9780451191304ISBN:0451191307
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Pencil entry on first page, otherwise pages tight and clean with no markings. Cover is moderately worn with scratches, edge and corner wear and there is a small portion of the edge of front cover trimmed away. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. xv, 547 p. read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Signet Classics
Date Published: 1963
ISBN-13:9780451513625ISBN:0451513622
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Signed by previous owner. Cover and binding in great condition. Agewear to pages. Same day shipping. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. Audience: General/trade. ## Supporting Breast Cancer Awareness Month by using Breast Cancer Stamps when mailing October listed books ## Topics 19th century; Americans; Archer, Isabel (Fictitious character); Classics; England; English as a Second Language; Europe; Fiction; Foreign Language Study; Literary; United ... read more
Description: Good. 0451191307 Good condition paperback book, some creases to spine, some edge/corner rubs, may have corner crease, small edge tear or spine slant, a good book for reading. Shop & Save With US. read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Bantam Classics
Date Published: 1983
ISBN-13:9780553211276ISBN:0553211277
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Cover shows very little shelf wear, spine uncreased, binding tight; pages appear unmarked, only faintly tanned. read more
Description: Very good. Paperback, Washington Square Press 1963, intro Quentin Anderson, All pages clean and tight. cover/spine slight wear. From Private Collector. read more
"I sometimes worry that my Goodreads page will, if I'm not careful, turn into my personal Society for the Appreciation of Totally Mainstream, Not-At-All-Obscure, Dead European Man-Writers And Their Already-Leatherbound-and-Modern-Library-Canonized Works...but if my (mostly) chaste and (completely) non-ironic passion for Henry James is wrong, then I don't want to be right. You don't need me to tell you about the finely distilled genius of this book - how the characters link and uncouple from scene to scene in something between a chess game and a dance; how it is the most perfect evocation of the different ways Americans take themselves through the world; the final paragraph - and I don't know if you could take my word for it anyway, because I think I'm a little obsessed. Oh Mr James - Henry? Hank? No. - we share so much! You loved writing books, I love the books you wrote. You were the consummate expatriate, and I am an expatriate right now! Henry James, I AM YOU."
"I picked up this book because I have a (personal) interest in the theme of "The American Woman Abroad." This is the quintessential novel that deals with that idea and at first I wasn't dissapointed in the setting, character or drama that was unfolding. I found myself loving the brave, spirited protagonist, Isabel Archer, and imagined that for her challenging 19th century conventions was no small feat. I have to wonder though, what was Henry James thinking when he thought that by "confronting her destiny" she was admitting defeat and going back to if not abusive, a damaging, marriage. It's not that I expected Isabel to break free completely and marry someone more "suitable," but I suppose I had hoped that she was going to the the impossible (perhaps in a novelist such as James' imagination at that time) and break free and live her own life, her own way. Again, maybe I read novels with too much Post-modern, American romanticism, hoping that all can "confront their destiny" and breakaway from the socially imposed orders that oppress them in various ways. But marriage for all the characters just seemed too inevitable in this book. And while I see the glimmer of a feminist consciousness in James, I think I'm too much of one to read this novel with ease."
"When I finished this book, I threw it down on the table in anger and walked away muttering. I guess we all want books to end like.. well, books! Not like real life. We have enough real life around us. Aren't books for escaping all that?
Maybe. This book is probably a classic because it is complex enough to actually resemble the real world. People make mistakes. Small mistakes. Big mistakes. Life-changing mistakes. They also show a lot of spirit and charisma, which is also real. None of the characters are simplified into "good" or "evil" exactly. They're ... REAL. They have good points. They have bad points. They make you angry while you're reading so you want to slap them and tell them to "cut it out!!" But then you learn for them to find love and fulfillment and happiness. That's real life. It's not simple and easy to read like most books, with a happy or predictable ending. I HATED the ending because it left so many things unresolved.
But, despite all that... I have to admit it was an amazing read."
"Henry James is, admittedly, long winded. At times, one does feel like you want him to move along already. However, he is always worth the read to me.
In this book, I love the character of Isabel Archer. She is young, full of ideas, wants to travel and see the world and have experiences (i remember being that way!). One must also remember that society for young women at this time was much more restrictive and Isabel's ideas less likely to be satisfied. Her greatest quality, however, is her desire to do what is right. This is really what holds her captive to her destiny, whether it is refusing suitors or remaining loyal to difficult decisions. I think this characteristic makes the book particularly valuable/ relateable for Christian women. In the secular context, Isabel's deliberations would be viewed as annoying and even juvenille. In addition, a secularist would berate her "sacrificing" her freedom to remain steadfast to a decision she regrets. It is only in the refinement of a desire for right living, and freedom from impurity, that one can truly appreciate Isabel Archer's struggles and resolutions.
Other great things about this book are the wonderful characters of Ralph Touchett and Henrietta Stackpole, not to mention the compelling mystery of Madame Merle. Of course, a book set in England, Florence and Rome is also good for a European escape!"
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