Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.Download Description
The brilliant Roman winter came round again, and Rowland enjoyed it, in a certain way, more deeply than before. He grew at last to feel that sense of equal possession, of intellectual nearness, which it belongs to the peculiar magic of the ancient city to infuse into minds of a cast that she never would have produced. He became passionately, unreasoningly fond of all Roman sights and sensations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Early James, Italy and the American
Henry James brings Americans to Italy - and the Americans act American. There are a few stumbles in this book that don't detract from the story nor from Jame's voice. The semi-sophisticated American brings a hopeful artist, also American, to beautiful Italy, where the artist, instead of acting like a European artist, acts like a spoiled child.

Roderick displays all that Europeans hate and love about Americans. And he gets away with it. It is only when his Mother and fiance arrive that the story turns from a soap opera into a tragedy.

I happen to love Jame's later works and found this story exhibiting all the promise of his later books.

The most readable thing James has written
I've always admired Henry James' vision. His exploration of character's desires, intriguing premises, and occasionally brilliant imagery all would certainly give him the title of "the Master". It's just too bad these strengths in most of his work are buried under unbelievably dense prose. Finishing one of James' novels is like emerging from an expedition into a deep cave. You certainly feel the same sense of accomplishment and fatigue.

That said, James' debut novel, Roderick Hudson, is a relatively quick read, filled with the interesting characters and settings, but without the convoluted writing style. It is the story of a young artist who is taken to Italy by an admiring patron, to become a great sculptor. Along the way, the artist struggles with his genius, and becomes distracted by...what else? A woman.

I felt for Rowland Mallet, the philanthropist who supports the man-child Roderick in his work. He has the patience of a saint, and is impeccably polite, almost to the point of annoyance. He is the reader's eyes and ears, through which the we perceive the other characters in the story.

Roderick Hudson himself is not likeable beyond a vague sympathy from the reader. He is given the opportunity most aspiring artists dream of: a patient, supportive patron, an exotic locale in which to work, the praise of his peers. He ends up squandering all of this over the most enigmatic of flirts, Miss Christina Light.

Throughout my reading of this novel, I wished one of the characters had the nerve to shed their 19th century sensibilities and put the coquettish Miss Light in her place. Rowland comes the closest, but he never musters the courage to mutter anything beyond a grudging, (and unrealistic) admiration for her. He watches the already engaged Roderick fall for her and does nothing until it is too late. None of the characters have much of a backbone.

This novel almost begs for a genuine villain to be a foil to the dull main characters and their encounters. Every other chapter involves Roderick, Rowland, and Christina somehow always running into each other, be it a roman coliseum, a catholic church, or a Swiss monastery. This doesn't seem to faze any of them, and they go on with their conversations with barely a, "fancy seeing YOU here" to be found.

Henry James has enough brilliance in his work to be worthy of study, but for those who read for entertainment (and that's what novels are supposed to be) Roderick Hudson is about the most accessible thing James has ever done. It's too bad the story itself isn't one of his better ones.

It's Funny That I'm the First...
I wonder why the discrimination (is it ignorance?) exists regarding James's first great work, "Roderick Hudson."Yes, it is early James, and yes, snobs, it is very "readable."It's a pageturner, the sentences are short, and the clauses only interfere in theearly chapters, as James revised this earliest work with woefully-advisedinsertions of his later style.Once you get past these early chapters,however, you will be carried along - there are a few laughs as colorlessRowland Mallet tries to rein in the wild, sensitive Roderick.

Much ofthe action takes place in Italy - and you get to meet the deliciousPrincess Casamassima (at this point, Judith Light), to boot.

A realwinner - for me, second only to "Portrait of a Lady"--- ... Read more

Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.Download Description
Eugenia, a baroness divorced from a German prince, and her bohemian brother, Felix, are coming back to America. They were raised and cultured in Europe but are now destitute and returning to New England to seek out their rich and innocent cousins. Eugenia seems to be a good sister to Felix, but she may only be using him as a conveniently adoring brother which allows her the possibility of engaging the attention of marriageable men. She wins the attraction of Robert Acton the most appropriate suitor in the area while also seducing her younger cousin Clifford. She fails to understand why her foreign gentility and audacity cannot be accounted for by the strict puritanical customs of these men of the New World. On the other hand, Felix's luxurious romantic ways catch the scrutiny and acceptance of American women in this circle of new acquaintances. Therefore while Felix becomes familiar with the changing imperatives of the present circumstance Eugenia is not persuaded by the different surroundings to accept the alternate social guidelines adopted by American men. Approval and disfavor swing in the private balance and determine the appreciation necessary to adapt to the new circumstance. Henry James outlines all the requirements needed in the modern atmosphere to meet the newly revised conventions of social morality. Please Note:This book is easy to read in true text, not scanned images that can sometimes be difficult to decipher.The Microsoft eBook has a contents page linked to the chapter headings for easy navigation. The Adobe eBook has bookmarks at chapter headings and is printable up to two full copies per year.Both versions are text searchable. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

The Europeans
When I found out that "The Europeans", by Henry James, could offer more than just a wonderful film, I couldn't wait to order the unabridged "The Europeans" Audio-CD, read by Lloyd James, as well as the complete soundtrack CD "The Europeans", with composer Richard Robbins' arrangements.
The film is a James Ivory's masterpiece with a New England autumn background, the Audio-CD matches the film wonderfully, where you can picture the film characters through Lloyd's interpretation, and the Soundtrack CD starts off with breathtaking Clara Schumann's "Andante" Opus-17.

An Early James Novel, and Not As Good as Portrait of a Lady
This is a 4 or 5 star novel but not a great work of literature.

Somewhat surprisingly the Europeans is set in rural Massachusetts, not in Europe. The book is a few hundred pages long. This length is longer than Washington Square and much shorter that Portrait of a Lady, the latter being a much better novel than the present work.

Without giving away the plot, it has that Henry James characteristic of an uncertain final outcome hence the novel lacks a completely satisfying ending. There is some happiness and closure for the protagonists, but as we read in Washington Square, James sometimes leaves the future a bit uncertain, and he does so here.

In any case, it is the story of a European brother and sister, who are linked to European nobles through marriage, visiting their wealthy relations outside of Boston. The story is set some time in the early 19th century. Many claim that the dates and events mentioned in the book are confused and these errors introduce elements of confusion. In general, this does not distract from the story.

I found the novel to be an interesting but not a compelling read.

This classic is recommended reading, but it is not a novel or classic that one "must read."

All's well that ends well
This is a novel in superlative style: 'heroic, magnanimous, exalted, brightly, caressingly, exquisite, fascinating, wonderful, sublime, radiant, delightful ...'
It confronts and mingles very superficially two impoverished Europeans with members of a wealthy Boston bourgeoisie family in a play of misunderstood sentiments and love.
There is absolutely not a shade of a discussion of the social/mental difference between Europe and the US at the end of the 19th century.
This book doesn't 'say nothing' (Thomas Hardy, quoted in the introduction), but nearly nothing. It hardly surpasses the level of a three-penny stationary novel, compared with the works of a Dostoevsky or a Flaubert.
It is terribly sentimental and the tears flow easily.

Only for Henry James fans.

first time disappointment
I have often been exasperated with Henry James and his determination to make a simple sentence into a complicated puzzle and an intellectual game. But I have never been disappointed by James until now. I was surprised to see that this was written within 3 yrs of one of his masterpieces, Portrait of a Lady. If I didn't know better I'd say he wrote this one on a deadline for purely financial purposes.

NOT ONE OF JAMES BEST
THE EUROPEANS IS NOT ONE OF HENRY JAMES BETTER NOVELS. NEVERTHELESS, FOR FANS OF JAMES, IT'S QUITE READABLE.
THE NOVEL IS ABOUT 2 EUROPEANS - A YOUNG MAN AND WOMAN, BROTHER AND SISTER, WHO TRAVEL TO AMERICA (BOSTON) TO VISIT THEIR LONG LOST AMERICAN COUSINS.
THE PLOT INVOLVES THE AMOROUS ENTANGLEMENTS OF THE COUSINS AND THEIR AMERICAN FRIENDS.
MUCH OF THE STORY DEALS WITH CONTRASTING THE EUROPEAN AND AMERICAN "WAYS" AND "LIFESTYLES" - A FAVORITE TOPIC OF JAMES.
THE BOOK IS NOT A COMPLEX READ LIKE SOME OF HIS LATER NOVELS. IT'S QUITE ACCESSIBLE AND MILDLY ENTERTAINING. ... Read more

Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.Download Description
RETURNING to town I feverishly collected them all; I picked out each in its order and held it up to the light. This gave me a maddening month, in the course of which several things took place. One of these, the last, I may as well immediately mention, was that I acted on Vereker's advice: I renounced my ridiculous attempt. I could really make nothing of the business; it proved a dead loss. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document, covering the life and work of Henry James, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thompson Gale. The length of the entry is 8984 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author

Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.Download Description
We had been talking about the masters who had achieved but a single masterpiece--the artists and poets who but once in their lives had known the divine afflatus and touched the high level of perfection. Our host had been showing us a charming little cabinet picture by a painter whose name we had never heard, and who, after this single spasmodic bid for fame, had apparently relapsed into obscurity and mediocrity. There was some discussion as to the frequency of this phenomenon. ... Read more

Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.Download Description
What had next brought him back, clearly--though after how long?--was Mrs. Muldoon's voice, coming to him from quite near, from so near that he seemed presently to see her as kneeling on the ground before him while he lay looking up at her; himself not wholly on the ground, but half-raised and upheld. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Jolly Corner; it's like new
The book was in excellent condition, and it was just what I was looking for.

Is This Guy for Real?
Taking Michael Crichton's word on Henry James is sort of like listening to Gary Coleman criticizing Olivier, or Milli (or Vanilli) carping about Mozart.

First of all, in the above non-review, the reader assumes we"want to be swimming through crystal water," whatever that means. Well, I've swum through enough crystal water, and come away after the readwith nothing.James's industrial strength extra chunky peanut buttersticks with me long after I've put it down."The Beast in theJungle" OR "The Jolly Corner," two novellas, eclipse andobliterate the entire body of Crichton's work.Simple as that.

"The Velvet Glove" is a great find - the limousine ride stuckin my mind."The Birthplace" is a riot, too.Try them-

What's the fuss?
Michael Crichton said of Henry James: "I hate Henry James. His stuff reads like a first draft." For a pop writer, was Crichton ever right!!! Henry James is incapable of getting to the point. Reading Henry James is like swimming through a pool filled with peanut butter, when all you want is to swim through crystal water. ... Read more