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31st out of 162 books
—
72 voters
Italian Hours
by
Henry James
This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally importan...more
Paperback, 312 pages
Published
October 11th 2007
by BiblioLife
(first published 1909)
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This book irritated me in the extreme and I had to give up after 20% after reading the parts about Venice, then some later parts about Milan. To say this book was overly verbose would be an understatement. Reading Henry James is somewhat reminiscent of reading a long-winded Google translation of some prosaic Japanese in English. Almost all direction and meaning is hidden behind a flurry of adjectives and the kind of wishy-washy twaddle that only art critics can concoct. In addition to this, the...more
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I began reading this while in Italy this year. . .and then had to finish. . . if you don't like James. . .well, it's all James all the time in this nonfiction collection of James' Italian memories. . . there are beautiful paragraphs, even gorgeous pages, but there are dry spots as well. . .and James' patronizing attitude can at times be annoying.
Though this book was very interesting...I loved the subject matter....and it contained many beautifully written descriptions, personal thoughts an thought provoking moments..I do have to say I found it a bit boring, longwinded and very pretentious..I found myself skipping around a lot trying to find sections that I could enjoy...
I Frisbeed this to the ground after about 40 pages. The literary equivalent of watching your neighbors' home movies from the month they spent in Europe. This is only recommended for the most hardcore of Henry James fans.
Old-fashioned travelogue by a great writer. I read various portions of before and during a return trip to Italy-git the texture, depth, and context I wanted.
If you love HJ's style and are charmed by Italian cities and towns, this is a must read. But, if you find James' writing unbearable, regardless of how much you adore Italy, don't bother -- he's as fusty, complex, and interminable as ever here. And I was smiling on every page.
I loved the atmosphere as described by Henry James, as usual.
travel writing
Aug 27, 2012
Amyem
added it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
bookcrossing,
60-book-challenge-2012
http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/1...
This edition has 3 stories; I read The Aspern Papers but not the other two.
Two quite different but very enjoyable stories. I was completeky taken back to all the feelings I had when I travelled in Italy. The first was more typical of James, the second slightly lighter with a hopeful ending. A very pleasant book to come across from Bookcrossing.
This edition has 3 stories; I read The Aspern Papers but not the other two.
Two quite different but very enjoyable stories. I was completeky taken back to all the feelings I had when I travelled in Italy. The first was more typical of James, the second slightly lighter with a hopeful ending. A very pleasant book to come across from Bookcrossing.
aside from the fact that James felt the poverty of Venetians at the time was a good thing because it gave the place its ambience, it was just so repetitive...I felt sea-sick after awhile.
Jan 30, 2013
Cecília Martins
added it
Lindo, mas um tanto denso.
This man was an unbelievably good writer. His descriptions were poetic and simple and precise. Wonderful book for lovers of Italy.
Jun 11, 2013
Maria
marked it as to-read
Jun 08, 2013
Kristian
is currently reading it
May 22, 2013
Mary Mendoza
marked it as to-read
Apr 27, 2013
Manu
marked it as to-read
Apr 16, 2013
Sam
marked it as to-read
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
summer-reading-ready-set-go
Apr 15, 2013
Aviva Gabriel
marked it as to-read
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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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