Rating: 
Summary: female sovereigny versus marriage
Review: "The Portrait of a Lady" was published in three volumes in 1881. The masterpiece of the first phase of James' career, the novel is a study of Isabel Archer, a young American woman of great promise who travels to Europe and becomes a victim of her own provincialism. James began the novel without a plot or subject, only the slim but provocative notion of a young woman taking control of her fate. The result is a richly imagined study of an American heiress who turns away her suitors in an effort to first establish and then protect her independence. Isabel Archer is a young woman who reads German idealist philosophy in the locked office at Albany that occludes a view of the street; an overly theoretic, though wonderfully fresh and earnest self-realizer. Unlike Daisy Miller, Isabel Archer is booked to grow up, and on that development James stakes his epic attempt to write a novel that will be a great work of art. Milton's "Paradise Lost" is the basis for James' attempt. It should suffice to say that this is a novel of "felix culpa", the fortunate fall, much like the Genesis story and even more like Milton's rewriting of it. But just as in Milton's poem, everything is pointed towards a definition of freedom. The novel certainly concerns the unexpectedly far-reaching consequences of a character's inadequacies of perception, and in that it is wholly reminiscent of "Daisy". But here alone we have a full development of necessity and freedom, circumstance and free will, in which each may take on the appearance of the other. The novel's Edenic Gardencourt is a declining, drowsy Eden. Isabel renews the vitality of this fatigued Eden. But for Isabel herself, once she struggles to an understanding of Gardencourt's high values, she will have to transform the lost place into an aspect of her spirit and have it inform her actions. Isabel is in a league with the tradition of heroines in the British realistic novel, all of them remarkable but self-deluded, in need of an encounter with the real. Isabel's final choice to return to her old life is her triumph. Intelligent readers should understand the logic of a fortunate fall. She no longer sees giving herself completely as "the deepest thing", but understands the sense that life would be her business for a long time to come. This new formulation is a huge advance, as it is no longer self-referential, but acknowledging a world in which the self participates. Her decision has nothing to do with resignation nor with duty. The self is understood, with Hawthorne and against Emerson, as a result of accumulated experience. Isabel must return to Osmond, as Hawthorne's Hester finally must return to the Boston that victimized her, to affirm her identity amongst her awful relatives. This is where her life has taken place, and anywhere else would mark not a fresh start but a dissolution. And with her return come a cluster of Miltonic allusions, turned on themselves: "The world lay before her - she could do whatever she chose". Isabel discovers "a very straight path", home to her struggle, her business, her life. Earlier, she had envied a watery death, and mistaken the devil for an instrument for expanding freedom. But now she sees the danger of false Edens. Instead, Isabel chooses to make her world. The novel embodies the national myth: an ideal of freedom and equality hedged with historical blindness and pride.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, Heart-rending, Poignant, and Tragic
Review: Henry James has truly outdone himself with this book. While it is no longer my favorite James' novel, I still think it among the best novels written in the English language. The character of Isabel Archer is an indelible part of literature. The story begins with an American woman, left parentless and penniless, being discovered by an expatriate Aunt. The Aunt convinces her to go England with her so that she might meet her cousin, Ralph. Isabel eagerly agrees. She is idealistic and has always wanted to see Europe. Her aunt agrees to pay for the expenditures. Once there, Isabel falls in love with their house, Gardencourt, and grows to enjoy her frail, sweet, ironic, and funny cousin. Before Isabel knows it, she has become ensnared in a one-sided love affair with a handsome English nobleman, Lord Warburton, little knowing what to do. Despite the urgings of her aunt, Isabel rejects his proposal in the desire to wait for something better. Soon, her elderly uncle dies, but not before she charms him with her intelligence and subtle beauty. Ralph insists that his father leave Isabel a substantial fortune, so that she might be able to live as she wishes. When the uncle dies, Isabel is left with 70,000 pounds, or about 200,000 dollars. From here is where the true story begins. I will not reveal more of the plot, which unwinds slowly and with assurance. James, being a master of prose, knows how to manipulate a sentence in a multitude of ways. His lilting, ironic, verbose writing style lends class and charm to Isabel's ultimately tragic tale. Some modern readers aren't able to handle James' subtle style. Unfortunately, many of us have had to fight the effects of shortened attention spans. Reading a slow-paced and brilliantly conceived tale like this will surely help cure short attention spans. Once you begin the story, it grows on you and affects you greatly. James is difficult getting used to, but he grabs you with his excellent descriptions of passionate people. Finally, the brilliance of this book lies in its tragedy. Even though many readers can predict early on where Isabel's confidence and naivete will lead her, James makes the journey bumpy and fascinating. He also slowly injects the story with dread, as we begin to sense the true malevolence of Madame Merle's and Osmond's vicious plans. Their acts are pure Machiavellian glee. Only in the final third of the book does it become clear of the true nature of the scheming M. Merle's plans. James also leaves several important plot points until near the end of the novel. All of this leads to a long, engrossing, and sad story of a young woman "affronting her destiny", as James puts it. Rarely has so romantic or so devastating a book been written. The ending is the final kicker. Unlike the happy ending we suspect, James leaves readers with open interpretations and many possible questions regarding Isabel's TRUE feelings about men. It also most vividly presents her sexual repression and fear that dominate the entire book. James knew the reserves of the time dictated that such topics not be discussed, and he cleverly uses this theme discreetly. However, he also uses it as a sort of indictment on the times, with their lack of passion and sensuality. Many readers expect a conclusion to the story, but, as with real life, stories simply go on. The ending is perhaps the most modern thing about the book. It also makes certain readers know that Isabel's life will never be one of happiness. This is an exquisitely haunting masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully Tragic
Review: Henry James is one of my favorite authors and The Portrait of a Lady is one of his greatest works. In it, he creates a unique and unforgettable heroine, Isabel Archer, and then proceeds to let her make all the mistakes the young are capable of making. In fact, Isabel is so sure of herself that, at times, I found it difficult to have much sympathy for her poor choices. But one thing I never felt for Isabel Archer was indifference, all to James' credit. The Portrait of a Lady is truly 19th Century literature at its finest, but that means it also contains elements that might be distracting for the modern reader. There are lengthy descriptions, the pace is rather slow and James never lets us forget we are reading a book. He makes liberal use of phrases such as "our heroine," and "Dear Reader." While all of this was expected in the 19th Century, some readers today might find it annoying. Those who don't however, will find themselves entranced by a beautiful story of love and loss, unforgettable characters (there are many more besides Isabel, most notably the enigmatic Madame Merle) and gorgeous description, all rendered in James' flawless prose. Anyone who loves classics or who wants a truly well-rounded background in literature cannot afford to pass this up.
Rating:
Summary: Top 100 novel
Review: I started reading this book slowly and almost gave it up, despite the strong reccomendations from a trusted friend. It's definetely not a light book for the sentences and grammar are difficult sometimes, but of course, proper for the time it was written. But the story is a beautiful one. And it's beautifully told.
People seemed to complain that the book does not have a perfect ending and that the heroine makes terrible mistakes of judgement, but that is what differs a great book from some 'summer-novel' and alikes. It's about real people and real life, and things aren' t always like a hollywood romantic comedy, but nevertheless it leaves you with a precious lesson - and that what a great book is all about.
Characters like Rauph Touchett and Madame Merle will be hard to forget. They were portrayed so beautifully and throughly that sometimes I felt as they were people I actually knew in real life. If you don't find Isabel Archer enough good to love her, then at least take her cousin's perspective and watch her - what she ll make of her life, her youth and her sudden fortune.
A Brillant piece of literature!
Rating:
Summary: Higher sense of being
Review: Magnificient book..takes you to a place where only true art can. Henry James knowledge of the human condition is incredible. His subtlety of thought and ability to express himself in words is trully glorious. What a rare adventure in the world of mind, heart and soul! I love this book.
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent Book
Review: The beautifully depicted setting brings to mind the thoughts of lustful romance in Gardens of Eden, while the torrents of Spring do haunt. I couldn't put this book down. I was completely captivated by the complex characters and the realistic portrayal of intimate relationships. This classic is for people who want to escape the drabness of everyday life, and experience an erotic tale of deceit, passion, and confusion.
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent Book
Review: The novel Portrait of a Lady is a beautiful. It starts out with a girl named Isabel Archer who goes with her Aunt Touchett to England. Isabel is portrayed beautifully by James in the novel as a curious, independent, intelligent lady. She arrives in isolated Gardencourt where she meets her uncle and her cousin, Ralph Touchett. Soon, she is proposed to by Lord Warburten portrayed as a polite, wealthy, radical gentleman but rejects him because her curiousity expects another, better suiter. Caspar Goodward, her other lover, fallows her to England and is determined to marry her. The two men come in even further in the novel when intrigue and scandel take place. Isabel travels all through Europe but is eventually entrapped and decieved. Drama and intrigue take the stage then. By that time it may sound like some domb soup opera, but really he refines the situations and makes them realistic but still dramatic unlike most stupid soaps. Some parts may seem long and dull because he explains himself so explicitly with huge paragraphs about one subject but it's worth it when your finished. The characters are done superbly with wonderful description. There is much irony, too, but if you immiedietly think irony is funny like some people its not in this novel. Its as a whole a serious novel. The ending is very well done if you think about it. Though,it may seem odd it is as a whole witty and crafty.
Rating: 
Summary: Bitter Residue
Review: This book left a bitter residue in my mouth when I was expecting a pleasant treat. Isabelle Archer, the heroine of this book, has beauty, wealth, above average intelligence, and a coterie of wonderful friends who actively take a interest in helping and advising her, yet she manages to self destruct all the same. The heroine is as self absorbed as her antogonist, and hurts as many people. If you wish to read a book about a truly remarkable young woman, I recommend Middlemarch by George Elliot. That book fufills it's hype as this book does not.
Rating:
Summary: Bitter Residue
Review: This book left a bitter residue in my mouth when I was expecting a pleasant treat. Isabelle Archer, the heroine of this book, has beauty, wealth, above average intelligence, and a coterie of wonderful friends who actively take a interest in helping and advising her, yet she manages to self destruct all the same. The heroine is as self absorbed as her antogonist, and hurts as many people. If you wish to read a book about a truly remarkable young woman, I recommend Middlemarch by George Elliot. That book fufills it's hype as this book does not.
Rating: 
Summary: Smooth from Start to Finish
Review: This is the first Henry James book I read and it isn't the type of book to be read in a day. Instead, this book is one you bring on vacation, for example, to savor and sink your teeth into as you lounge at the pool and spend your time between hitting the pages and either swimming laps or walking on the beach. Some books are real page-turners that you can't put down. To me, this novel didn't have that type of suspense yet it is nevertheless engrossing enough to keep you coming back for more; that is, after you have had time to properly absorb it in bits and pieces so you can appreciate the themes, ideas, and expressions it so flawlessly expresses.
James' prose flows as smooth as silk as one page after the next brings you deeper into the lives of his characters, who are all by the way very convincing as real-life people. The fun thing about this book is that you can read (sort of) into what you think is going to happen to the characters. James' narrative style keeps you guessing until you know for sure, but his reasoning for this to have you analyze the heroine, Isabel Archer (the "lady" in the title), and witness, from a bird's eye-view, how her human follies, impertinence and pride get in the way of her happiness, freedom, and fulfillment of life. You want to call out a warning to her and say, "oh no, don't do it!" I think we can all relate to the characters in the book in some form: we can either see our own selves in them by recalling our own forays of making the same mistakes, or we see in them people who have come into our lives and made huge differences either positive or negative. While reading the book you'll probably cringe thinking about how one-too-many outspoken Henrietta Stackpoles have invaded your life.
One aspect of fun in the book turned out to be James' witty opinions (often jabs) expressed by his characters at things British and also things American too. James, having lived in both countries so long, gained ample experience and came to know the culture, customs, and peculiarities of both countries well enough to where he was qualified to make the many tongue-in-cheek remarks, which I happen to find quite amusing.
While I mentioned the story is not a fast paced adventure, it is a true literary beauty that unfolds one page at a time to show various aspects of our humanity: the caring, the wicked, the selfish, the kind-hearted, the deceitful, the foolish, the persistent, the pushy, the capricious, and the vain. These are all packed into this powerful novel that I highly recommend. Although I reserve five stars for novels that to me are such riveting tales that I couldn't put them down, I still enjoyed this book tremendously and gave it a well-earned four stars. I will definitely make it a point to read many other novels by Henry James.
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