Washington Square: Amazon.ca: Henry James: Books

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Product Description

From Library Journal

Like Chopin's work above, this also features period photos and a plastic jacket. The classics have become hot film properties, and the forthcoming feature film version of this book should bring readers into the library looking for the original.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From AudioFile

James's classic tale of a plain but potentially wealthy girl caught between two manipulative men comes brilliantly to life in this well-abridged production. William Hope ably captures the cruel indifference of Catherine's father, the greedy charm of her suitor, Morris, and the unassertive but gradually steely tones of Catherine herself. Only after her father's death can she summon the inner strength to cast off the one man who has touched her romantically. As a period piece and an absorbing story, this is--and has always been--a winner. Among other abridged titles in the HighBridge Classics series: VANITY FAIR, SENSE AND SENSIBILITY and James's PORTRAIT OF A LADY. J.B.G. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

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First Sentence
During a portion of the first half of the present century, and more particularly during the latter part of it, there flourished and practised in the city of New York a physician who enjoyed perhaps an exceptional share of the consideration which, in the United States, has always been bestowed upon distinguished members of the medical profession. Read the first page

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

21 Reviews

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4.1 out of 5 stars (21 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling and depressing., Jul 16 2004

By	MAB (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Penguin Classics Washington Square (Paperback)

"Washington Square" is a story bursting with pain, sorrow, egotism, and shattered dreams. Having seen the movies "The Heiress" (1949) and "Washington Square" (1997), I possessed emotions and images going into the book, that others may not feel. Nonetheless, I came to many conclusions. Dr. Sloper, the father who emotionally-starved his only daughter, Catherine, used his money to pit his daughter into her own private Hell. The same money Dr. Sloper thought Morris, Catherine's beau, would use frivolously. He had no qualms about hurting his daughter in any form, and viewed Catherine as the object that took away all of his happiness. Catherine, the plain heiress who was said to lack beauty, intelligence, wit, and anything worthwhile, fears, but loves her father. She thinks he is magnificent, even when he spurts hatred towards her. She falls in love with Morris Townsend, who is said to only want her for her money, and this is when the trials and tribulations begin. Aunt Lavinia, Dr. Sloper's sister and Catherine's Aunt, is a young girl at heart, and only worsens things by her imaginative involvement. Although it must be so, I did not get a full impression that Morris was only after Catherine's money. The story is heart wrenching and you'll feel disgust for the characters, but will also feel shame for them. As a side note, the 1997 movie "Washington Square" is the most faithful of the two movies, excluding the ending, and in my opinion, much more fulfilling than "The Heiress." The latter is dramatic, but does not delve into the main parts of the story. I recommend.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Uncomplicated with cinematic appeal, Oct 3 2002

By	L. Dann "adhdmom" (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Washington Square (Mass Market Paperback)

The introduction to this paperback edition, by Peter Conn, (I always read introductions after I finish a book)- places WS in the pantheon of American letters. Of itself, it does not belong. But by its birthright, it does. It was James' last American novel, a product of his distinguished NY childhood. James fled the states for Europe soon after its publication. NY, he explained had too little social conflict and diversity, (how's that for irony.) Pre Civil War New York was, at least to the middle classes who make up the characters, a tranquil, unhurried and well- mannered, society. The same manners, from a glamorous, if not tragic slant were drawn in The Age of Innocence and other (to me) more intoxicating tales by his friend Edith Wharton. Hawthorne, we are told, was one of James' masters, his influence is felt in W.S.

On its own, the story is middling. As an evocation of another time, without any real connection to what New York was soon to become, it lures the reader into a forgotten past. Any American lit student or NY city buff will cherish it for its august parentage.

The plot lacks surprises or unexpected twists. It centers on the maneuverings of a gold digging scoundrel in pursuit of a plain and unsophisticated heiress. Her father, a self-made, well-off physician, adamantly and sadistically condemns the match- he is right about the man's motives, but his methods are cruel. The comic and sometimes despicable aunt, Lavinia, living completely on her brother's charity, is turned into a divisive fool, so enamored of Townsend, the fox, that she allows herself to be manipulated against her niece and brother. During a trip abroad, where father and daughter hoped to resolve the division, Lavinia opened the door to the doctor's own office, drinking the doc's finest wine and puffing his cigars, we see the true soul of the pretender as though looking into the future.
Of the main characters, only Catherine, the heiress is sympathetic, and more so as she displays her resolve and honor. The others are ensconced in their own past beliefs and devious plottings, reducing Catherine to a symbol, without life. Her father's position and the strength of his objections, after all, are based less on feelings for his daughter than his mortification that Morris Townsend, a rogue and layabout would live off his estate.
The story has appealed to stage writers and filmmakers since it was written 120 years ago. Catherine was played by Olivia de Haviland to Montgomery Clift's Townsend; directed by William Wyler in 1949. In 1997, it was made into a film again starring Jennifer Jason Leigh and Albert Finney as the doctor, Maggie Smith as Lavinia. With the strength of those players and the cinematographers to vivify the otherwise pale story, I can imagine the results would bear watching. NY, before the great migrations seems closer to the antebellum south than what it has so magnificently and tragically come to represent.

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3.0 out of 5 stars Sad Story, May 21 2002

By A Customer

This was a sad story of a women torn between the two men that she loved. Her controlling father did not like the man that she wished to marry. He felt that he was only after her money and tried to keep them apart. The poor women suffered dearly trying to do the right thing. It was very disheartening.

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars One of those sad, but she triumphs type of books
This book is one of my favorite Henry James book. Although, I kind of wanted a happier ending for our heroine. She nevertheless perseveres and achieves her own happines. Read more

Published on May 4 2002 by hr2go

5.0 out of 5 stars A quick and satisfying read
Washington Square is an amazingly easy read. The overall storyline is simple enough to follow: A young woman with a large fortune, Catherine Sloper, is being pursued by an almost... Read more

Published on April 30 2002 by lanfear30

5.0 out of 5 stars One of James' most accessible works
I love the writing of Henry James, but it can be dense and difficult to navigate. I recommend Washington Square as a good introduction to his work. Read more

Published on Jan 24 2002 by Westley

4.0 out of 5 stars Musical prose!
I picked this out of a box of my university books while cleaning out the basement, thinking I would try a page or two before tossing it. Read more

Published on Dec 10 2001 by tlaloc7