Rating: 
Summary: Stunning
Review: Although the novel drags a bit in the beginning, the development of the characters and relationships between them is essential. In short, the story slowly develops into a brilliant look at the plan devised by two lovers to overcome society's constraints on their marriage. However the true power of the book comes when unexpected feelings arise as the plan is executed.
Rating: 
Summary: The burning of the letter is symbolic of this book's style
Review: At an important juncture, our heroine throws a key letter into the fire. We, dear readers, never get to know what it contains. This is symbolic because it is really how James has written the whole book; he seems to think it crass to come right out and write anything key to the plot. The result is an opaque style that frustrates rather than engages the reader. I have been a fan in the past and could not put Portrait of a Lady down, but this book was enervating and aggravating. Edith Wharton, a friend of James's and a fan of his, recounts in her autobiography an instance when she was questioning James on a technique that he had used, placing a character in such isolation from the world, so out of touch of others. She elaborated for some time on his technique, then asked him what it was conveying, that he had done this. He replied, hurt, "My dear, I didn't know I had." This book, perhaps, then is the result of James not knowing that he so obscures events and emotions by his unending examination of the least little thing at the expense of clearly articulating what is actually happening. I don't recommend it if you're a fan of his. Pass this one by and stick to those books that he is known for, Daisy Miller and the Turn of the Screw.
Rating:
Summary: painful reading
Review: Dennis Barlow: Through no wish of my own I have become the protagonist of a Jamesian problem. Do you ever read any Henry James, Mr. Schultz? Mr. Schultz: You know I don't have the time for reading. Barlow: You don't have to read very much of him. All his stories are about the same thing--American innocence and European experience. Schultz: Thinks he can outsmart us, does he? Barlow: James was the innocent American. Schultz: Well, I've no time for guys running down their own folks. -Evelyn Waugh (The Loved One) There is no more disheartening experience in all of reading than to finish a page of a Henry James novel and turn to the next, only to be confronted by the massive paragraphs lined up ahead of you like enormous blocks of granite. Completing one of his books is truly a task worthy of Sisyphus. Now before you say that I have a bad attitude, let me remind folks who have been following along that I looked forward to reading Wings of the Dove. I have heard very good things about it and it has a terrific plot set up. Kate Croy is a socialite on the edge. The family money has gone to pay off her father's blackmailers. This, combined with her parents fairly disreputable marriage, leaves her especially reluctant to reveal her passionate affair with Merton Densher, a mere journalist. But when Kate befriends the wealthy but fatally ill heiress, Milly Theale, she sees a way to solve all of her problems. Densher will feign a great love for Theale, who will reciprocate by making him her heir. Then Kate & Mert can marry & live happily ever after. Pretty good, no? You can just imagine the movie, with a script by Raymond Chandler, based on a James M. Cain story and directed by John Huston or Alfred Hitchcock; Barbara Stanwyck plays Milly Theale, of course. But, oh no. That's not what you get here. Instead you get a soul deadening 500 pages of elliptical navel gazing. None of the characters are sympathetic--although, you inevitably end up rooting for Kate, just because you want Milly to die. Well, actually, you just want someone to die. Hell, you just want something to happen. By page four, you want the tiger to come tearing out of the cage & end your misery. This revival of Henry James has to stop. I can not put this any more plainly: his books are not good. GRADE: D
Rating: 
Summary: Complex and Hard to follow, but still good
Review: First things first, it is a very nice novel, but very hard to follow. Personally speaking, sometimes I couldn't get very exactly what Henry James was trying to say, but I could understand the situation as a whole and be able to move on. As everybody knows, Hery James is not an easy writer. His appeal is very difficult and complex although it doesn't read very old-fashioned. The story is very interesting and timeless, because it deals with passion, money and betrayal. The books follows Kate Croy and her beloved Merton Densher when then both get involved - in different degrees and with different interests- with the beautiful rich and sick American heiress Milly Theale. Most of the time, the book kept me wondering what would come next and its result and the grand finale. But, that doesn't mean I was fully understand its words. As I said, I was just feeling what was going on. As a result, i don't think I was able to get all the complexity of Henry James. Maybe, if I read this book again in the futures, it will be clearer. There is a film version of this novel made in 1997, and starring Helena Bonham Carter, Allison Elliot and Linus Roach, directed by Iain Softley. Carter is amazing as always! Kate is a bit different from the book, she is not only a manipulative soul, but, actually, she is a woman trying to find happiness. One character says of Kate, "There's something going on behind those beautiful lashes", and that's true for most female leads created by James. Watching this movie helped me a lot, after finishing reading the novel.
Rating:
Summary: Complex and Hard to follow, but still good
Review: First things first, it is a very nice novel, but very hard to follow. Personally speaking, sometimes I couldn't get very exactly what Henry James was trying to say, but I could understand the situation as a whole and be able to move on. As everybody knows, Hery James is not an easy writer. His appeal is very difficult and complex although it doesn't read very old-fashioned. The story is very interesting and timeless, because it deals with passion, money and betrayal. The books follows Kate Croy and her beloved Merton Densher when then both get involved - in different degrees and with different interests- with the beautiful rich and sick American heiress Milly Theale. Most of the time, the book kept me wondering what would come next and its result and the grand finale. But, that doesn't mean I was fully understand its words. As I said, I was just feeling what was going on. As a result, i don't think I was able to get all the complexity of Henry James. Maybe, if I read this book again in the futures, it will be clearer. There is a film version of this novel made in 1997, and starring Helena Bonham Carter, Allison Elliot and Linus Roach, directed by Iain Softley. Carter is amazing as always! Kate is a bit different from the book, she is not only a manipulative soul, but, actually, she is a woman trying to find happiness. One character says of Kate, "There's something going on behind those beautiful lashes", and that's true for most female leads created by James. Watching this movie helped me a lot, after finishing reading the novel.
Rating:
Summary: Take the time and trouble
Review: Henry James complained that people don't pay close enough attention when reading his books. He may not have realized what he was asking. Not only does one have to read this book closely; one has to read between the lines, as well. "The Wings of the Dove" is made up of characters so subtle and so intelligent that even a careful reader will be challenged to keep up. The story follows a young man, Densher, and woman, Kate Croy, who want to be together, but in a brighter financial situation. Kate devises a plan to improve their prospects and asks Densher only to be patient. Her intelligence and moral flexibility allow her to adjust her original plan when the possibility of an even better outcome presents itself in the person of Milly Theale, "the Dove." What the process will do to Milly is of little importance to Densher and Kate at the outset. However, as the pair gets to know Milly better, Densher's conviction begins to crumble. Despite his best efforts to turn a blind eye to his own part in a terrible deception, he feels his character eroding and needs constant reassurance from Kate that it all will be worth it in the end. By the end, though, he has come face to face with what he's done and the price he, Milly and his relationship with Kate have paid. This book is a tough read, but well worth it. I suggest reading a chapter at a time and then turning it over in your mind until you grasp what's going on; only then should you proceed to the next chapter.
Rating: 
Summary: Great language can't save a weak story.
Review: Henry James's "The Wings of the Dove" presents a detailed study of human nature and motivations with regard to love and money and the social differences that separate Europe and America. What distinguishes James's work is its reversal of traditional gender roles -- the few male characters are curiously emasculated and subservient while the female characters wield all the power, influence, and money. The novel is mostly set in London, where one of the main female characters, a young woman named Kate Croy, is affianced to a journalist named Merton Densher. Her Aunt Maud gives her financial support and likes Merton well enough but does not approve of her marrying the impecunious young man, preferring she marry the higher-bred Lord Mark (who is not particularly wealthy either) instead. Kate and Merton befriend a young New York heiress named Milly Theale, who is traveling throughout Europe with an American companion named Susan Stringham and has decided to remain in London a while to assimilate herself to the society. She has some kind of serious illness, for which she consults and confides in a doctor named Sir Luke Strett. Eventually, Kate and Merton decide to use Milly's friendship and good nature to their own advantage. Kate tells Merton to marry Milly so that when she (presumably soon) dies of her illness, he will inherit her money and then he and Kate can get married. Merton courts Milly in Venice, but he must also vie with Lord Mark's affections for Milly. Milly's final action results in a conflict which embitters Kate and Merton's feelings for each other. All these people have two things in common: They're boring, and I don't care about them. They're literary mannequins, dressed up very nicely but going nowhere in a novel that insists on examining in excruciating detail every hollow nook and cranny of their psyches. Granted, Henry James is a master of the English language, writing with a level of sophistication and impressionism found nowhere else. However, he expends too much effort disrupting the narrative flow with non-events, bland scenes, and shallow conversations. As a result, I regretfully could not invoke much interest in the story.
Rating:
Summary: A hard book to read, yet difficult to let alone.
Review: I am a fast reader. However, this book has taken me about two months to drudge through. I would have just put it aside and let it be, except that I became involved in the engaging characters. The story is tragically compelling, which forced me to return to my reading when the pages of hefty description and lofty narrative had no end in sight. James' complex and appealing characters as well as the inventive and dark themes are what saves this story from dying of the tiresome and hefty prose that paralyses the plot. This book will turn off most readers because it is difficult to muddle through. However, if you have patience and a little time this book can be a rewarding and memorable read.
Rating:
Summary: Wading Through the Muck
Review: I am a huge fan of the classics, and one of my goals is to read as many classic novels as possible. I have a shelf full of them in my house! However, when I sat down to read "The Wings of the Dove," I found myself wondering what in the world this author was trying to say. Henry James writes in a very thick, wordy manner, and many of his sentences are so long and convoluted that they take up an entire half of one page!I would read the same sentence over and over again, going,"Huh? " I've attempted to read this novel three times now since acquiring the book and have not made it past page 69. The basic plot of the story sounds very enticing and I know it must be a good story. The problem is that reading this book is like reading a foreign language. You know it's in English; you even know what all of the words mean! But the way Mr. James puts these words together into thoughts and sentences is so dense you feel as though you're wading through the muck and you've forgotten your overshoes. I kept thinking that this would be a great book if it was written in modern English, and I kept mentally rewording all of the sentences as to how I would say it if I were writing the book. Finally, I got frustrated and relegated it back to my bookshelf where it's been sitting for the past year, unopened. This is definitely not a book you'd want to take with you on your summer vacation;if you read this, you'll think you've taken a job as a foreign correspondant and they've forgotten to pay you! Don't torture yourself!
Rating:
Summary: Wading Through the Muck
Review: I am a huge fan of the classics, and one of my goals is to read as many classic novels as possible. I have a shelf full of them in my house! However, when I sat down to read "The Wings of the Dove," I found myself wondering what in the world this author was trying to say. Henry James writes in a very thick, wordy manner, and many of his sentences are so long and convoluted that they take up an entire half of one page!I would read the same sentence over and over again, going,"Huh? " I've attempted to read this novel three times now since acquiring the book and have not made it past page 69. The basic plot of the story sounds very enticing and I know it must be a good story. The problem is that reading this book is like reading a foreign language. You know it's in English; you even know what all of the words mean! But the way Mr. James puts these words together into thoughts and sentences is so dense you feel as though you're wading through the muck and you've forgotten your overshoes. I kept thinking that this would be a great book if it was written in modern English, and I kept mentally rewording all of the sentences as to how I would say it if I were writing the book. Finally, I got frustrated and relegated it back to my bookshelf where it's been sitting for the past year, unopened. This is definitely not a book you'd want to take with you on your summer vacation;if you read this, you'll think you've taken a job as a foreign correspondant and they've forgotten to pay you! Don't torture yourself!
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