The Bostonians (Modern Library Classics)

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The Bostonians (Modern Library Classics)

by Henry James

3.46 · rating details · 1,552 ratings · 128 reviews

This brilliant satire of the women’s rights movement in America is the story of the ravishing inspirational speaker Verena Tarrant and the bitter struggle between two distant cousins who seek to control her. Will the privileged Boston feminist Olive Chancellor succeed in turning her beloved ward into a celebrated activist and lifetime companion? Or will Basil Ransom, a con...more

Paperback, 496 pages

Published December 18th 2007 by Modern Library (first published 1886)

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Apr 16, 2008

Hol added it

I loved the descriptions of place--the unfilled Back Bay in Boston, ramshackle tenements in German Manhattan, grass growing in disused shipyards on the Cape. But the main characters are hard to enjoy. Boston feminist Olive is all angry propaganda, her conservative Southern cousin Basil is all sentimental claptrap. My copy bills the book as addressing "the woman question," but social reform is only a backdrop to Olive and Basil's rivalry. I was also struck by the rootlessness of the cha...more

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Jun 15, 2011

Mike Lindgren rated it

Shelves: fiction

Another step in the slow accretion of my lifelong project of reading the major novels and stories. The Bostonians -- maddening, thrilling, vexing, and troublesome -- illustrates again the principle that at its very highest levels fiction operates upon the reader in a messy and unpredictable way. As I write this, I am about to go to the "Great Books" discussion group at the Yale Club, which typically comprises late middle-aged women and me -- my peeps, in other words -- and which is alw...more

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Feb 06, 2011

Karen rated it

I loved this love triangle between a rich lesbian spinster and her poor southern, somewhat laconic cousin, who both vie for the attentions of a young, overrated, free spirited woman on the feminist lecture circuit.

James focuses in on the men and women of various political movements and his cutting descriptions ring true today. With abolition won, the political left is exhausted by success and turning to other battles, including women's rights. There are battle-weary true believers, h...more

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Aug 21, 2009

Justin Evans rated it

Shelves: fiction

Not quite sure what to make of this. It has a few Jamesian qualities: the enormous significance of details, general tragic view of life etc... But this is surrounded by mind-numbing detail and a set of characters with uninteresting psychologies. James is at his best when he's finding the complexity in the simple. But the main characters here are a caricature of an early feminist; a caricature of a post-war Southern gent; and a girl who's a bit too good to be anything but stupid. When the charact...more

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Jul 29, 2011

Karen Morton rated it

Shelves: keep-for-completion-sake

"... she had reached that point of feminine embroilment when a woman is perverse for the sake of perversity, and even with a clear vision of bad consequences."

Goodness, James really doesn't like women, does he? Although, I can't actually deny that the above quote has ever applied to me...

But still, all the women in this book are infuriating, apart from Doctor Prance who, while being the novel's living embodiment of feminism (being a 'lady-doctor' devoted to her work) ironically and em...more

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Oct 04, 2011

Núria rated it

Shelves: 2011, 5-favoritos, decimononicos, literatura-en-ingles, mios

A pesar de mi poca experiencia con Henry James, me atrevo a decir que no es un autor precisamente fácil: sus descripciones son exhaustivas hasta el paroxismo, el ritmo de la narración es concientemente lento, es pulcro y detallista hasta la exasperación… A veces se pasa de la raya, como en ‘La copa dorada’ (libro que confieso que no tuve fuerzas para terminar), pero a veces se queda justo al límite como por un milagro de equilibrista consumado, como es el caso de ‘Retrato de una dama’ y también ...moreA pesar de mi poca experiencia con Henry James, me atrevo a decir que no es un autor precisamente fácil: sus descripciones son exhaustivas hasta el paroxismo, el ritmo de la narración es concientemente lento, es pulcro y detallista hasta la exasperación… A veces se pasa de la raya, como en ‘La copa dorada’ (libro que confieso que no tuve fuerzas para terminar), pero a veces se queda justo al límite como por un milagro de equilibrista consumado, como es el caso de ‘Retrato de una dama’ y también ‘Las bostonianas’. Ésta última es una novela que te pide cierto esfuerzo y cierta paciencia, pero al final, una vez has superado los primeros escollos y te has acostumbrado a su forma, la recompensa es muy grande.

Si me preguntan de qué va ‘Las bostonianas’ diría que va de una lesbiana feminista de la segunda mitad del siglo XIX que se enamora de una chica y que en la primera cita ya le pide que se vayan a vivir juntas. Esta descripción del argumento reconozco que es la más llamativa, la que pretende pillar a los lectores por el supuesto morbo, pero no deja de ser cierta. Más exactamente se podría decir que va de una prima y un primo, que se conocen y no se soportan, y luego se enamoran de la misma mujer. La prima es una solterona que ha consagrado su vida a la lucha para la emancipación y la igualdad de la mujer; es una persona seria, apasionada, sufridora y determinada. El primo es un hombre del sur que pasa por dificultades económicas; es el típico caballero del sur, galante con las mujeres pero con un ideario conservador.

¿Y cómo es el objeto de deseo de estos dos primos? Para unos es una furcia que sólo busca atención y elogios, para otros es un ser puro consagrado a la causa feminista. Probablemente ninguno de los dos tenga razón, probablemente sea un poco de las dos cosas; es una oradora comprometida con un talento extraordinario pero también una persona social y alegre. Tiene su punto frívolo y superficial, pero también su punto de luchadora por la igualdad. Y creo que en parte su tragedia es ésta, que está entre dos mundos opuestos y que nadie puede entenderla tal como es. Los dos primos se enamoran de ella pero para cambiarla; parecen ser incapaces de aceptarla tal como es. Aunque también se podría argumentar que la tragedia de esta chica es que es débil de carácter, excesivamente dócil, que se deja llevar demasiado fácilmente por los que la presionan.

No pasa mucho en la novela. Henry James se puede tirar casi 100 páginas para describir una velada, es decir, para narrar no más de unas tres horas. Aunque más que narrar lo que hace James es describir. No narra una historia sino más bien describe la psicología de unos personajes. Describe la oposición de caracteres entre Boston, Nueva York y el Sur. También describe la manipulación, egoísmo, celos y sentimiento de culpa que puede haber en cualquier relación amorosa. En lo que se refiere a la trama, uno pronto adivina qué va a pasar y cómo va a terminar todo, pero esto poco importa, lo que importa es cómo va a pasar lo que sabemos que va a pasar. James es un maestro a la hora de describir la psicología de sus personajes y, encima, es capaz de ser despiadado con ellos al presentarlos como unos seres vanidosos y egoístas, pero tan humanos y reconocibles, y además lo hace todo con una pizca de sutil sentido del humor. De verdad que hacía tiempo que un libro no me maravillaba tanto.
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Sep 07, 2009

Colleen Fuller rated it

I read this book when I was in my mid-20s and really loved it. James explores the relationship between two young women, both of whom are involved in the movement for women's equality in the late-18th century. The setting is very much in the shadow of the US Civil War, and conservatives are becoming militantly anti-feminist. Basel, the aspiring lover of Verena, bemoans the fight for equality. HIs comments echo the views of many other men of the time: "The whole generation is womanised; the m...more

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Sep 05, 2011

Spencer Cox rated it

· review of another edition

For James, this is a deceptively accessible book. While nominally the characters go on and on about their relationship to feminism, the real drama of the book turns on the roles of women in classical Jamesian tropes such as repressed sexuality and the ways in which distinctly human impulses are both aided and thwarted by their available social means of expression. James' use of a narrative voice that is simultaneously external to the story, yet maddeningly allusive, indirect, and not, perhaps,...more

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Aug 20, 2010

Craig rated it

Shelves: fiction

A shallow portrayal of pathetic people caught up in the selfish advancement of their own interests. Two self-absorbed individuals vie for the affections of and control over an enchanting prophetess. As with many of Henry James works, this one also focuses on the movement afoot in the late 1800s regarding the emancipation of women. The substance of the movement is not discussed, only the forces vying for control. I found no great cause, no great plot, no great character development, no great ...more

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Jul 25, 2011

Mike rated it

· review of another edition

Classics need not be serious, and they needn't be taken seriously. The Bostonians carries a lot of weight somehow, because it is a controversial meditation on "the woman question." Supposedly it has a razor-sharp edge and a searing statement to make about both chauvinism and the radical feminist movement. Profundity can be an unfair assumption to make of older books, and James's thorough description and troublesome loquacity do not help.

So let's get this straight: the ...more

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Jan 05, 2011

Sara rated it

Dopo il primo scoglio...

delle 40/50 pagine iniziali, procedere diventa più semplice anche se non mi sento di consigliarlo a chi non è un lettore appassionato.

Lo stile letterario è barocco e chi è abituato agli scrittori contemporanei lo troverà ostico.

La storia è comunque molto interessante e come dicevo all'inizio del commento, dopo il primo scoglio mi sono lasciata trascinare...tanto da farne una questione personale. (commenti a margine annessi)
...more

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Aug 31, 2010

Briynne rated it

James is so sharp and mean in this – it’s not what I expected at all, and I kind of loved it. The story is set post-Civil War and concerns the women’s rights movement of the time. Olive Chancellor is a frigid, yet highly emotional, spinster who is obsessed with the idea of women’s suffering and oppression. She takes up a begrudging acquaintance with her Mississippian cousin Basil Ransom, who is the perhaps the least ridiculous of the three principle characters, despite being cast as the stere...moreJames is so sharp and mean in this – it’s not what I expected at all, and I kind of loved it. The story is set post-Civil War and concerns the women’s rights movement of the time. Olive Chancellor is a frigid, yet highly emotional, spinster who is obsessed with the idea of women’s suffering and oppression. She takes up a begrudging acquaintance with her Mississippian cousin Basil Ransom, who is the perhaps the least ridiculous of the three principle characters, despite being cast as the stereotypical southern gentleman who likes his women pretty, vaguely dim, and susceptible to his chivalric charm. Between them is the ingénue Verena Tarrant, a blossoming public speaker who is set to become the new face of the movement and to whom they both wish to lay claim, albeit for different reasons.

And it is it on this stage that James proceeds to mercilessly make fun of everyone involved. The women are awful. Their arguments, saving those of the brusque lady-doctor, are silly and shallow. Think less Elizabeth Cady Stanton and more Legally Blonde. I wanted to shake both of them every time they opened their mouths. James’ language is wonderful; there’s a lovely line from Olive that really sums up her views of men in general: “No man that I have ever seen cares a straw in his heart for what we are trying to accomplish. They hate it; they scorn it; they will try to stamp it out whenever they can. Oh yes, I know there are men who pretend to care for it; but they are not really men, and I wouldn't be sure even of them!” So if you are against us, you’re a jerk – if you are with us, you aren’t much of a man. It’s a miracle she doesn’t win more converts in the masculine ranks.

The men, primarily Ransom, are a bit better but are still at the butt end of James’ joke. I found Ransom’s chauvinism to be somewhat more palatable than Olive’s reforming, due to his honest, good-humored delivery of it. He’s undoubtedly a caricature, though: he is implacably deaf to the ideas of women’s equality, he cheerfully sees Verena as a beautiful moron, and he persists in his gallantry despite having little real feeling behind it. You’ll have to excuse another quote, but the disparity between Ranson’s outward politesse and his inward loathing toward Olive is one of my favorite examples: “…he had quitted her, the other year, without telling her that she was a vixen, and that reticence was chivalrous enough.” We should really bring back the word “vixen” – I only ever see it in nail polish names now but it always makes me laugh.

I had trouble initially accepting the idea that Verena could love Basil despite his unvarnished disregard of her passionately-held opinions. The more I read, however, the less bothered I was. First, it quickly became apparent that her opinions were very easily molded by whatever strong personality exerted the most influence over her. Secondly, while his approach was patronizing and offensive, Basil’s sentiment of, ”I deplore Miss Tarrant's opinions, but her character—well, her character pleases me” would actually have been rather romantic if it had been paired with a bit more respect. The whole thing reminded me of the amusing conversations I had at my hyper-politicized college with people of violently different opinions, back when I still thought I cared about domestic politics; sometimes the eye-rolling and stern disapproval eventually would give over to the “you’re a lunatic, and possibly dangerous, but adorable” look. I always found it endearing, and I chose to assign that sort of incredulous affection to Basil rather than the more calculated sexism it could be read as. Although honestly, I guess I would probably prefer either reaction to the cold scorn and dismissal which was Olive’s approach to ideas that didn’t mesh with her own.

I would love to have been able to see Henry James’ expression as he was writing some of the passages in this book. I have the impression, or anyway I’ve chosen to be under the impression, that he wrote this was a sense of amusement and not just cynicism. It’s too funny to be entirely mean-spirited. This is my third attempt at James, following The Turn of the Screw and Washington Square, and I think I may have hit my stride with this author. I will definitely be reading more.
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Jan 11, 2011

Miriam rated it

It's wry and droll. It's funny, like how you might go "hmph" as you read. The female characters are varied, absurd, and feel real, as real as archetypes of women reformers can feel--I love Doctor Prance who does her own thing and says what she thinks and is characterized more by her vocation as a scientist than by her gender. Then the whole thing unravels. Spoilers to follow. I understand that people don't always choose who they love, that our perception of someone might become mo...moreIt's wry and droll. It's funny, like how you might go "hmph" as you read. The female characters are varied, absurd, and feel real, as real as archetypes of women reformers can feel--I love Doctor Prance who does her own thing and says what she thinks and is characterized more by her vocation as a scientist than by her gender. Then the whole thing unravels. Spoilers to follow. I understand that people don't always choose who they love, that our perception of someone might become more generous based on our love for them. But what about a douchebag who from the start disagrees with everything you stand for and tells you that it would be his greatest thrill in life you get you to give up your beliefs to be shut away forever as his wife? And he's not even rich (which James does seem to judge him for)! I understand that Verena is passed along from her parents to Olive Chancellor and the women's movement and that everyone wants to use her youth and beauty and pretty voice for their own ends. In this way, I understand James's criticism of people using other people, even in the service of what they believe to be a great cause. At the same time, why do women always have to *choose* subjugation to be truly happy? The whole end feels like Verena is about to be executed, not about to be married. It feels inevitable and tragic and hurtful and not right (I wonder if I'm supposed to root for the douchebag? I can't tell if he's supposed to be likeable and I just missed the boat--he IS Southern and says some charming things, but he's so hateful about the purpose of women). James concludes, it seems that marriage IS all of those things--inevitable, tragic, hurtful, and not right, but that's the way the cookie crumbles. Kind of reminds me of Durkheim--he notices that married women and single men commit suicide in higher numbers, conlcuding that marriage is good for men, bad for women. But then he says, "Oh, well. It has to work out for someone, so why not for the men? Status quo is good." Shut up, book.(less)

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Apr 17, 2009

Jennie rated it

Shelves: read-in-2009

I have always wanted to read a Henry James novel because he is well respected and thought of in the literary world. The back jacket of The Bostonian intrigued me with its plot line of women’s suffrage and the fight for equal rights so I decided this would be the perfect Henry James novel for me.

Well, the first 100 pages were a chore, complete with the thought of giving the book up entirely! The main character did not enter the storyline for the first 30 pages or so and the tex...more

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Oct 22, 2008

Becky rated it

Shelves: classics

i read this one for my lawyers in fiction seminar. it's a bit of a stretch to call this a novel about a lawyer, though one of the main characters is one. i suppose the most relevant connection to lawyering is the use of persuasion.

this novel's about two cousins-- olive chancellor, a wealthy feminist bostonian woman, and basil ransom, a southern conservative with strong mysogynist leanings-- who spend the entire book fighting over a young girl named verena tarrant. verena's supposedly...more

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Oct 22, 2008

Katherine rated it

· review of another edition

I read this book for my Lawyers in Fiction class, but it doesn't really have much to do with lawyers or the law. It is the story of the struggle for Verena Tarrant, a young woman with a talent for oratory, a struggle between Basil Ransom, a conservative man who has left the defeated South, and Olive Chancellor, the upper crust Bostonian who tries to possess Verena in the name of bringing her out for the women's movement.

The book has many interesting themes - it made for a good dis...more

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Feb 11, 2008

William rated it

· review of another edition

My major question about this novel is -- What is it about? Is it a lampoon on women activists? A satire on the over-earnest people of Boston? A cautionary tale of what can happen to a vivacious and oddly talented young person (in this case, a woman, Verena Tarrant) who becomes the prize in a power struggle between two strong, arrogant, self-centered and diametrically opposed combatants (Olive Chancellor, a self-professed man-hating women's advocate; and Basil Ransome, an ultraconservative man fr...moreMy major question about this novel is -- What is it about? Is it a lampoon on women activists? A satire on the over-earnest people of Boston? A cautionary tale of what can happen to a vivacious and oddly talented young person (in this case, a woman, Verena Tarrant) who becomes the prize in a power struggle between two strong, arrogant, self-centered and diametrically opposed combatants (Olive Chancellor, a self-professed man-hating women's advocate; and Basil Ransome, an ultraconservative man from Mississippi)? It seems unlikely that James meant the story to be ambiguous. Which leaves two possibilities: that the novel is badly written or that James and I are not on the same wavelength. Since James is universally acclaimed as "The Master", I guess I am left with only one option. In my defense, I can only say that none of the 7 or 8 other people at the book group for which I read this novel had a particulary convincing interpretation either.

If this is intended as satire, in my view it does not display the "delicacy and wit" attributed to it in the blurb. The portraits of Olive and Basil are more in the line of broad caricature. Examples:

Olive to Verena: "You don't dislike men as a class."

Basil to Olive: "I consider women have no business to be reasonable."

In fact, both with regard to characters and plot, this book is more in the Dickens vein. Interestingly, like many (most?) of Dickens' novels, this story was serialized. And one can tell: it has an up-and-down emotional tone, with continuous exaggerated emotional jolts. Hardly the subtle writing that I was expecting (personal disclosure: this is the first Henry James novel that I have read). And the ending is horrid! Clumsily written and heavyhandedly provocative -- definitely not witty and delicate satire.

There is much good writing in this novel, concise and colorful. But it is overshadowed by much bilious prose -- strings of 4 and 5 adjectives in a row occur several times; and there are many sentences that run on far too long, dragged down by multiple long clauses which require them to be artifically resuscitated.

It appears that this novel came in James' middle period, which was not his best. So I will try one more. But not just yet.

However, I must admit that James was prescient about our current political scene. At one point Verena thinks about Basil: "She didn't know that being a conservative could make a person so aggressive and unmerciful." Unfortunately, she doesn't take this insight to heart, leading to her downfall. (less)

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Dec 03, 2007

Liza rated it

Recommends it for: Bostonians, funnies, spinsters, people who don't know what's good for them but wish they did

I read this book because I just moved to Boston and hoped it would give me a sense of atmosphere, which it did. I was not expecting it to be as hilarious as it was. Unfortunately the humor tones down a little bit after the first hundred pages. It starts out absolutely ruthless but then you get the sense he maybe relented a little, because after all he loves these Bostonians, doesn't he? And so do we. (Or if you don't, you might be heartless.) Anyway, as the humor starts to fade the book becomes ...more

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Jan 20, 2008

Patricia rated it

Recommends it for: the young and impressionable.

Shelves: classics

Well,I just finished reading it not five minutes ago. Henry James has a rich writing style. He is supremely eloquent. However, the downside to this is that at times he is verbose and melodramatic. I don't know if it is the setting of the novel or the time in which it was written... the the characters' fits of emotion became predictable by the end of the novel.

There was so much conflict leading up to the last page of the novel that I feared that the ending would be a disappointment. I...moreWell,I just finished reading it not five minutes ago. Henry James has a rich writing style. He is supremely eloquent. However, the downside to this is that at times he is verbose and melodramatic. I don't know if it is the setting of the novel or the time in which it was written... the the characters' fits of emotion became predictable by the end of the novel.

There was so much conflict leading up to the last page of the novel that I feared that the ending would be a disappointment. I didn't think it was a disappointment at all. Although I think that James seemed to anticipate that that it would be hard to satisfy any reader after all the building up to the end. That is why I believe he ended the events of the novel and then let readers interpret the events for themselves. I can't decide if this is cowardly or if he intended for us to hang in the air wondering about the future lives of Verena and Basel.

As for the subject matter of the novel... I had a difficult time relating to the zeal of the Bostonians' feminist beliefs. I do not believe as Olive does that women are superior or that men serve no purpose in humanity. I do believe that men and women are equal.

I felt that it would have been easier to follow the feminists within the novel if they had actually lived lives along side women who suffered, or had experienced any suffering themselves. The character's spoke of inequalities but they never expressed their personal experiences with inequality. It made their arguments seem vain and superficial, and it made them seem unqualified to take up the charge for the emancipation of women. The Bostonians declared that they spoke for women who were silent... who were these silent women... why were they never presented in the novel?

I do want to make one point regarding Verena... she was manipulated throughout the entire book. I do not think it was men controlling her. I think that Olive was calculating and manipulative, her parents and Mr. Pardon wanted to exploit her and Ransom wanted to keep her for himself. I think that unfortunately for Verena she was an innocent child who desired only to please, and for this almost everyone took advantage of her. She should read the book "how to say no without feeling guilty". She needed to learn that with every decision we make there are trade-offs. James is clever by never letting you know if the trade-offs that she chose to make were worth it.

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed Henry James presentation of the characters. As a reader it was fun to join their stream of consciousness. I felt like a snoop and I loved every second of it.(less)

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Feb 08, 2011

Paul rated it

Shelves: novels

Name's Basil Ransom - status, bachelor. Occupation, big shot.
Occupation at the moment - just having fun. What a political gathering that was. The drinks were loaded and so were the dolls. I narrowed my eyes and poured a stiff Manhattan and then I saw...Verena Tarrant. What a dame, a big, bountiful babe in the region of 38-23-36. One hell of a region. She was talking up some of that feminist crap like they do these days, and she was giving out that sexy librarian thing. She was so hot I ha...more

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Sep 17, 2007

Kelly rated it

Recommends it for: James fans who want to see a new side of their boy!

Shelves: fiction, victorian, owned, 19th-century

Newsflash: Henry James is funny! Seriously, he likes to laugh. And he's good at it. Who knew? The opening of this book reads like a farce, a comedy of manners, a vicious taking apart of characters worthy of Oscar Wilde. It does diminish and get rather more serious over the course of the novel, but it never entirely goes away. Henry's vicious! In a good way. I mean, you may feel a little bad as he chooses to rip into the feminist movement as a target, but at least his chosen characters fully dese...more

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Jul 25, 2011

Dana rated it

I really, really enjoyed this book up until about the last 10 or 20 pages. Everything about this book was so unpredictable: the plot, the characters. James certainly doesn't rely on stock characters and knows how to keep a reader's interest right up to the last page. I guess the ending kind of disappointed me because I didn't really like it and because there seems to be more to the story than just that. The preceding 450 pages makes up for this loss though, and I would definitely recommend this ...more

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Feb 14, 2011

Elaine rated it

James is always interesting, but this is not one of my favorites. It tells of the relationship between two women, one young and attractive, the other older and less so. Some people think that James is hinting at a lesbian connection between the two-maybe so. In some ways I think it is more about someone being controlling rather than being in love, but it's been a long time since I read it, and I really have never felt any compulsion to read it again, unlike many of his other works which I have r...more

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Apr 22, 2010

Matthew Balliro rated it

Shelves: 2010

This was pretty good, but it's no "Portrait of a Lady." One thing it has over its predecessor is a greater subtlety; there are no explicitly evil characters in here that manipulate the Jamesian innocent at the book's center. Instead, absolutely everyone uses her for their own ends, and the remainder of the novel works out who's going to win her in the end. James satirizes both late 19th-century feminism and its detractors, making it impossible to use the novel to nail down his views. P...more

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Mar 02, 2009

Marisa added it

Like all other Jamesian books, this one is no different. A seemingly strong woman is once again put back into her place after a very powerful rise in society. I think James's overall points in his stories is that women, though constantly striving for a voice, always someone get stomped out. I believe his message is to not allow ones own voice to be silenced- especially when the person in question is a woman.

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Mar 25, 2008

Nate rated it

A tense, sometimes funny, ultimately sad, but always wordy,love triangle. Two awful people trying to step on the same perfect flower.

Henry James was doing his thing before the whole "iceberg" theory of fiction came about. There's not a lot of "submerged" story. Instead he drops the whole damn iceberg on your lap and points out to you inch by inch its various icy pits, bumps, and fissures. Yes, that kind of detail, which manifests itself in pages and pages blackene...more

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May 08, 2011

Kasia rated it

I don't know that I can mark this book as "read" seeing as how I could only get through half of it... It was horrible, some people praise James for his writing technique, I hate it, I need more action, more movement and dialogue.... Reading 10 pages of something that happened in the span of 5 minutes doesn't keep my attention...and even though I read like 200 pages of it, I have no idea what the book's about..

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Jan 28, 2012

Glenn Bowlan rated it

A claustrophobic and tedious book that has little to offer the casual reader, this is a still-life of a novel with almost no plot, drama, or humor. Olive, Verena and Basil are drawn with microscopic attention to detail, but they are boring narcissistic characters with few illuminating qualities.

Miss Birdseye is the only vibrant character in the whole novel. The exchanges between her and Mr. Ransom are interesting and entertaining. There are exactly 4 such scenes.

Bef...more

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Dec 09, 2009

Michael rated it

Henry James is a subtle and refined writer. I imagine that many readers, if they were to open the pages of this book, wouldn't get far into it before they'd toss it. This is not an easy book to read. It is ponderous. It takes patience and determination to get through it. But for me it was worth it. The psychological insights, which are strewn like jewels through the book, are meaningful. Reading The Bostonians is like watching a Merchant Ivory Production - we are somewhere in time, ...more

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Dec 31, 2008

Christianne rated it

Shelves: fiction

I've also read Portrait of a Lady, but the Bostonians is my favorite. I liked learning about the early women's rights movement and the country in general after the Civil War. I also liked the character drama. It is a book that gets me all worked up, because of the mistakes the characters make in their judgments.

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About Henry James

Henry James, OM, son of theologian Henry James Sr., brother of the philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James, was an American-born author, one of the founders and leaders of a school of realism in fiction. He spent much of his life in England and became a British subject shortly before his death. He is primarily known for a series of major novels in which he portrayed the ...more

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Books by Henry James

The Wings of the Dove (The Modern Library Classics)

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“Miss Chancellor would have been much happier if the movements she was interested in could have been carried on only by people she liked,and if revolutions, somehow, didn't always have to begin with one's self--with internal convulsions,sacrifices,executions.” — 2 people liked it

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The Bostonians (Modern Library Classics)

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