Rating: 
Summary: Compelling and depressing.
Review: "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.
Rating: 
Summary: Three and a Half Stars
Review: "Washington Square" is one of Henry James's earliest, shortest, and most accessible novels. However, the term "most accessible" is relative: "Washington Square" is easy to read compared to James's later work like "Wings of the Dove," but if you have never read James, be prepared for unusual syntax, long, twisty sentences, and very dense description of characters and actions. Although this is a short novel, it is not to be read in an afternoon.
The book is about a young woman named Catherine Sloper, the only surviving child of a doctor. The doctor, while he treats his daughter kindly, regards her as dull, unattractive, and unspectacular in every way. He is therefore suspicious when a young man named Morris Townsend takes an interest in her. Townsend is charismatic, but poor; Catherine, because of an inheritance from her mother and money she is due to get from her father, is quite well off. Dr. Sloper suspects, and the reader is clearly meant to see, that Townsend is interested in Catherine only for her money. The doctor attempts to separate them, threatening to cut Catherine out of his will, while at the same time Catherine's idealistic, meddlesome aunt attempts to bring them together. Both are surprised when Catherine's will turns out to be stronger than they had reckoned.
In many ways this is a sad and affecting book, but I can't wholly recommend it. Part of it is just my own personal impatience with James's style. Also, short as the book is, it is still really too long for the subject. A note on the text indicates that it was originally intended as a short story, and it might have been better that way. But if you are looking for a relatively easy introduction to Henry James, this or "Daisy Miller" would be a good choice.
Rating: 
Summary: Most Accesible James Novel About Daughter, Father, & Suitor
Review: "Washington Square", published in 1880, is not, and will not be, regarded as Henry James's best novel -- the honor would go to "The Portrait of a Lady" or much later works like "The Wings of the Dove" -- but this short but richly woven book deserve our attention. The book is always readable and intriguing while it does not fail to deliver the amazingly realistic characters living in New York City of the 19th century. Certainly, this is the best place for any beginners of James to start.The book starts with an introduction of a New York physician Dr. Sloper and his only daughter Catherine. While the doctor gained respectable position among the patients, he loses his wife suddenly after the birth of Catherine, who grows up to be a not particularly clever nor beautiful girl. Catherine, painfully shy, becomes a dutiful, but perhaps dull, daughter, the kind of a girl whose awkward behaviors her father approves always with a little detached attitude. Then, comes a good-looking man Morris Townsend, who has no money but gives a word of "gentleman." But what does that mean when Doctor suspects this is just another fortune hunter, who is seeking for the money Catherine is to inherit after his death? Still, Doctor is half amused, even entertained, by this unexpected visitor who now seems to have gained the love of his daughter. But he didn't expect that Catherine would show surprising obstinate attitude in spite of his threat of disinheriting her. The book is written, as a whole, with a very tragic note, but as you read on, you will find that, just like Jane Austen's narrator, "Washington Square" has an amusing aspect of comedy at first. The meddling widow Mrs. Penniman, whose wild imagination is one of her weakness, is a good example. She runs around between Morris and Catherine, only to annoy both of them. Henry James's touch when he treats these characters, however, sounds more incisive and even colder than Jane Austen's, if not totally cruel -- and the cruelty is gradually obvious as the plot unfolds. Our main concern is about Catherine. The story is in itself trite and insignificant (James heard the original episode which the book is based on, in England from actress Fanny Kemble, and the brief note remains), but it is the growth (or change) of the apparently insipid heroine, and the interations between her and other characters (or between those other characters) that always impress us greatly. James's pen ruthlessly cuts into the hearts of those characters, and the intense, skillfully-constructed dialogue which show what is going on in the characters would instantly grip the readers' mind. Some readers might champion more condensed prose of "The Golden Bowl", deeming "Washington Square" as too lightweight. In a sense, it is, I admit; the novel is not long, and the syntax is very easy to understand (for James, I mean). Still, the book is never dull, always fast-paced (for James, again), and the touching fate of the heroine Catherine is not a thing to be missed. The novel is turned into films and they are also great, I must add. William Wyler's version is a masterpiece, with Olivia de Havilland/Montgomery Clift/Ralph Richardson trio, but more recent production made in 1997 is also good.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling and depressing.
Review: "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.
Rating:
Summary: A smart character portrayal, not a love story: 3.5 stars
Review: Henry James' work, Washington Square, is simply a love story with psychological undertones. In it, the main character Catherine Sloper falls deeply in love with a handsome suitor, Morris Townsend. The irony here is that Catherine is a plain girl who possesses a "poor dumb eloquence." As well, besides possessing great wealth of her own, Catherine has an enormous inheritance from her deceased mother. Conversely, Morris is a handsome, debonair suitor whose financial situation may only be described as relative poverty. His charm is enjoyed by almost everyone but Catherine's father, Dr. Austin Sloper. Suspicious of Morris' motives, Dr. Sloper accuses him of marrying Catherine for her fortune and vows to remove all inheritances in her name should the union occur. These circumstances create a bitter relationship between father and daughter, as Catherine must eventually choose between her family and fortune and her lover. In her struggle, however, Catherine gains an admirable strength of character, which is central to the message of the story. As examined through a brief plot summary, Washington Square contains no clear-cut revelations in its message. Upon careful investigation of the characters, however, it seems that James wants the reader to decide whether Morris' love is true or not. In other words, in terms of the main character's conflict, should Catherine have chosen her father or her lover? In the end, James has Catherine choose neither, thus carefully creating a plot that can be scrutinized from different perspectives. With each of Morris' actions, it is unclear whether he does it out of love for Catherine or out of greed for her money. The author achieves this effect by judicious word use and careful insertions of flaws in the characters of Morris Townsend and Dr. Sloper. Washington Square was a novel I read for school after having visited Washington Square itself many times. Having said that, although it's an excellent read for literary analysis, it's also a rather dry novel. For a student wanting to complete a literary analysis and enjoy a good book at the same time, this is not good news, thus the 3.5 stars. However, its strong points are the psychological power and the keen insight James has on human nature. Read it for those things, if anything.
Rating:
Summary: See honey, Dad told you so
Review: In the hands of any other writer, "Washington Square" could have ended up being a simple soap-opera, as its subject is typical of that genre. Catherine Sloper is a rich heiress to a wealthy physician. Her mother has died and she lives with Dad and a spinster of an aunt, an almost Emma Bovary-kind of woman, constantly devising romantic affairs where only the crude reality is happening. Far from the verbosity of other of his works, James uses here a cold, dispassionate approach of high irony and deep psychological insight. Character-building is at the top, more remarkably so for so common and risky a subject. Catherine is not beautiful, but she's destined to become very rich, and then along comes Morris Townsend, a young man from a "good family", but poor and jobless. He is charming and good-looking, and of course shatters Catherine's small world apart with his gentlemanliness and his wit. Catherine falls in love with him, encouraged by the na?ve and romantic aunt, who plays intermediary to the lovers. But Dr. Sloper, Catherine's father, is a much more worldly man than the two women. He is cold and astute, and immediately suspects what Morris is after -his money. This is no romantic novel, dreams won't come true, but only the hardets reality. James has written here an acute psychological story, a most realistic one for anyone who wants to read and understand.
Rating: 
Summary: Good prose, dull characters, not even worth finishing
Review: Perhaps this book has so many good reviews because the only people who have read it are fans of Henry James. As for myself, this was my first James book, and while I enjoy his writing style to an extent, I have to say that the characters, esp. the HEROINE Catherine, are all terribly dull and one-dimensional. I'm not sure how other reviewers came to the conclusion that this book has "in-depth character analyses." ANd even if it does, you as the reader will not care, because the characters are all so freakin boring. Trust
me on this. The only character I found remotely interesting was her cruel father, Dr. Sloper. I wish Henry James had written a novel instead about how Dr. Sloper met his wife. Anyways, I have not even finished this book, nor do I plan on finishing it. I already know how it ends, it's very predictable, and quite frankly, I don't believe a girl as dull and thick-headed as Catherine could ever exist. Henry James did not know a thing about women. I guess this is to be expected from a male writer who apparently did not get along with the ladies and never married. Boring, Boring, Boring. IF you want a book taking place in the same era/setting, that does a wonderful job analyzing deep characters that are INTERESTING and that you'll actually come to care deeply about, then I suggest you read *House of Mirth* by Edith Wharton. It's one of my favorite books, and Lily, so unlike Catherine, is a true tragic heroine deserving of our attention and love.
Rating:
Summary: Quite Complex for a Novella
Review: This book by Henry James is as different as can be from his longer works, but it has its own charm. The charactization is quite complex for a novella. It's just unfortunate that Catherine is so unredeemably staid. I realize that quite a few women chose to live a life alone in those days, but she seemed quite plodding to me. She does develop into a spinster that seems to enjoy that state. And Morris is quite the cad, but we the readers are never in any doubt as to that. The doctor father is another story, He's so right-minded that it's difficult to imagine anyone could be that stubborn. And the widowed aunt is a treasure - silly, manipulative and oh so romantic. This novella is written like a play since there are only four main characters, and most of the action takes place in the house on Washington Square. I really think this book looks deceptively simple, but it is not as simple as it appears. I enjoyed the story.
Rating:
Summary: Truth Behind Washington Square
Review: This novel is a intellectualized version of an ill fated love story which may seem dull and actionless to many due to the absence of love triangles, lusty love sences, violence, drugs, or some kind of ultimately pointless drama that we crave today, but to others this is a true masterpiece which explores the psychological aspects of every single character and shamelessly unveils their disfunctions, rarely done in modern literature and films. Dr. Sloper is the father of a young woman, catherine, he is a medical doctor and his views are very technical he knows someone just by their exterior as a doctor in that time had to diagnose illnesses by examining the anatomy so therefore when Moriss townsend enters the picture to sweep catherine off her feet with his charmingly handsom good looks Dr. Sloper immediately rejects moriss' confession of loce for Catherine, because he looks very handsom on the outside, moriss really has no career no money and catherine is a daughter of a very wealthy Doctor and deceased mother. He immediately accuses moriss of being mercenary. Since catherine is afraid of her father and she is very timid and shy of the real world she can not break free into her own identity and is supressed by her father, and recoils her love and passion for moriss for 30 years. All meanwhile Mrs aunt penniman is Dr slopers meddling sister who is one of those couchpotato old hags that sit around all day and watch soap operas accept here her soap opera is catherines affairs with moriss and she enjoys taking the position of "messenger" between them without ever being instructed or hinted towards. As my own diagnosis: It seems to be that Dr. Sloper loves Catherine even though his true love is for his dead wife and lost son, he loves her enough to take advantage of her fear of him and gradually force her to reject moriss, because the doctor within himself knows the ultimate truth behind this handsome man who is sly with his choice of words, and he knows that all his earnings will be left to poor, innocent, shy, and naive Catherine and Moriss will know exactly how to spend it.
Rating:
Summary: Great introduction to the writing of Henry James
Review: This relatively short novel is a wonderful way to become acquainted with the writing style of Henry James.Washington Square is much more accessable than some of his other works.
The plot revolves around a young woman who is living in Washington Square with her widowed physician father and his sister. The daughter Catherine is not considered particularly attractive by her father so that when a handsome young man begins to court her the father is imediately suspicious of his motives since Catherine is his only heir.
The tension between the father and his daughter is offset by the bond that the Aunt develops with the young man . James allows us to perceive the motivations of each of these primary characters and we come to recognise that Catherine is in fact in danger of being deceived. The father who is not a very sympathetic character is insightful enough to do what is necessary in his view to prevent this. The characters are all well concieved and remain true to type throughout the story. A bonus is the setting of old New York and the scenes of a growing city are vividly drawn. Imagine a time when moving "uptown" meant moving to what is now the Village. Overall I really enjoyed this and would highly recommend it
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