I know we all see something of ourselves in novels, and this often supersedes what the author intended. I read this novel as an American who has only left the US one time (to go to resort-town Mexico) so I'm sure that much of the commentary on the relationship between Europeans and Americans that James is so noted for was completely lost on me. To me this was a story of four individuals who all had good intentions, but varied in their strength of character. Maggie Verver and her father, Adam, both marry (to Amerigo and Charlotte, respectively). The close association of these characters creates triangulation, and it is only through the insight and strength of Maggie and Adam that the situation is resolved.

I do have my complaints with the resolution. For one thing, I thought that it was so easy for Amerigo to be forgiven and Charlotte to be condemned. Maggie is naturally placed in competition with Charlotte over Amerigo, and thus releasing Amerigo from blame becomes a natural next step. Additionally, I saw no reason for Maggie and her father to have to endure a separation. If Charlotte was unable to honorably sustain her marriage to Adam, she should have been packed off alone. I know that such a move would have been incredibly drastic for that day and age, but still, reasons were found for such things. She could have traveled to Cologne "for the culture."

One of the things James does well is write women convincingly. I did feel that the behavior and intentions of the female characters were believable, and it was heartening to see a woman decide to take an active role in her life (however difficult it seemed for her). What James does not do well is write succinctly. Anyone who spends two pages on a single paragraph could use a little cutting down. Whenever my mind wandered I found myself having to go back and reread just to get the sense of what was happening. Another complaint I have is that James lives so much in the minds of his characters. Actions and the physical presence of the characters is glossed over. On the other hand, James uses language beautifully. He weaves his words together in ways that made me want to read the book aloud (which I sometimes did).