The characters surrounding Isabel is the strength of this book. You have Ralph, Isabel’s cousin, who has a very ill health, but is enormously fond of Isabel. Henrietta Stackpole is Isabel’s American friend, who comes over to Europe to be a journalist and is very modern. Madam Merle is a woman of the world who doesn’t live anywhere, but spends her time visiting friends in all countries. Her two suitors, Caspar Goodwood and Lord Warburton are very decent men.
Although the book is good, it is way too long and it seemed to never end. In the first part, you get to know the characters who observe Isabel, but you never get to know Isabel herself. In the second, Isabel is finally letting us now some of her feelings and thoughts. And here you start to understand that when Isabel sets her mind to something, she follows it through, even if it’s bad for her and all her friends advise her to escape.
One thing which hit me is that all women, except Isabel, are living in very open marriages or are single. Her aunt spends only a couple of months in England with her husband, the rest is spent in Italy or travelling around. Henrietta is never going to get married, but have male companions. Countess Gemini is married, but dislikes her husband so much that she spends most of the time away from him.
Should you read it or not? Yes, if you like the good old classics and have no problems with a very slow plot and love characters. If not, I would steer clear. Unless you plan to cross of all the 1001 books you should read before you die. Then it’s not a choice.
My husband loves this book, and I keep thinking about reading it. I've read a fair amount of James but not this one… and I've been putting it off because it just seems so looooong…..
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