This is not a full review, simply a few of my thoughts.

The Ambassadors is the first written of James's last three novels. The book is humorous, and it is indeed a lively commentary on the mores and morals of small town New England when placed in opposition to Parisian life. It is a period piece and should be read as such. It is also biased towards the Parisians, perhaps to be expected.

While I enjoyed the book for the most part, there was a distinct moment where the story could/should have ended, at least one a full book/chapter before it actually did. A crisp ending really is important to me as a reader. The point where I feel the story should have left off leaves as many questions open as the actual ending without a reintroduction of the sentimental parts of the story. Overall, this book fails where it is sentimental and is best when characters are in absolute opposition. I probably simply wanted it to end on that note and not the former.