Tag Archives: Henry James

Henry James, “The Awkward Age”

Posted on June 20, 2012 by carolwallace

The problem with Henry James is, sometimes I do not understand what he is saying. Usually, eventually, I can puzzle it out, and it’s worth the effort. But on this reading of The Awkward Age, I was repeatedly frustrated by … Continue reading →

Posted in classic | Tagged | 14 Comments

Chad Harbach, “The Art of Fielding”

Posted on October 8, 2011 by carolwallace

I don’t give a hoot about fielding. Or about pitching. Or catching, or batting, or any of the other elements of baseball that have always seemed excruciatingly dull to me. But people, now — we all like books about people, … Continue reading →

Posted in best seller, contemporary fiction | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Elizabeth Spencer, “The Light in the Piazza and Other Italian Tales”

Posted on June 2, 2011 by carolwallace

Uncomfortable feeling — I have not been fair to this book. Sometimes I forget that, as a reader, you have to bring something to the enterprise: sustained effort, and the ability to keep faith with the author’s intentions. Many books … Continue reading →

Posted in classic | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Daisy Goodwin, “The American Heiress”/”My Last Duchess”

Posted on March 27, 2011 by carolwallace

The late-19th-century cultural phenomenon of American heiresses marrying into the English aristocracy has attracted literary attention from the moment it began: Henry James’s Portrait of a Lady was published in 1880, a mere six years after the foundational match between … Continue reading →

Posted in anglophilia, contemporary fiction, historical fiction | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

Jane Gardam, “God on the Rocks”

Posted on November 23, 2010 by carolwallace

To me, “on the rocks” means on ice, so this title skews flippant. But I don’t think that’s what Jane Gardam intends. Those rocks are literal, since God on the Rocks is set in an English coastal resort with a … Continue reading →

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William Dean Howells, “Indian Summer”

Posted on November 13, 2010 by carolwallace

The jacket copy calls Indian Summer “one of the most charming and memorable romantic comedies in American literature,” so I took the bait, despite skepticism. I have read  William Dean Howells before and he wasn’t charming. But for once the … Continue reading →

Posted in classic, funny | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Henry James, “The Coxon Fund”

Posted on October 28, 2010 by carolwallace

Since Henry James’ “The Coxon Fund” is a novella rather than a full-blown novel, this post may be a cheat. On the other hand,the long tale is bound and sold independently as part of the “Art of the Novella” series … Continue reading →

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George Gissing, “The Odd Women”

Posted on May 3, 2010 by carolwallace

Odd as in, not one of a pair. As in, wouldn’t fit on Noah’s Ark. As in, unmarried. George Gissing was a late-nineteenth century English novelist who had come from the lower middle class and knew better than most of … Continue reading →

Posted in anglophilia, classic, Victoriana | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Wilkie Collins, “The Black Robe”

Posted on April 4, 2010 by carolwallace

Wilkie Collins is a second-tier writer. Nothing wrong with that — I’ve gotten hours of entertainment from The Moonstone and The Woman in White. Just that a third reading of his novels probably wouldn’t net you much more than you’d … Continue reading →

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Elif Batuman: “The Possessed: Adventures with Russian Books and the People Who Read Them”

Posted on March 25, 2010 by carolwallace

Whooosh! That sound I hear is the flames taking hold as Elif Batuman burns her bridges, leaving academia behind — or so I thought. After writing The Possessed, with its hilarious accounts of graduate student cliques and academic conferences, how … Continue reading →

Posted in letters, scholarly | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment