The Portrait of a Lady (1881) by: Henry James | 
panSo much melodrama, so little resolution.
pickOnce I got used to James's sentences, this was a really engaging and infuriating read! If Gilbert Osmond was a real person, I'd fistfight him in the street. I stuck around for Isabel, Ralph, and Henrietta. Really felt like I was in expat society! #classics
pickThoroughly enjoyed this chunkster on audio. My first Henry James! I was impressed with his tackling the constraints on a young woman‘s independence in his era. I loved the writing, the gentle irony, the perceptiveness, the really thorough dissection of motivations and psychology. So much is shown in conversation, each strictly moderated by convention. Complicated villains, complicated victims - I was held in trance.
pickI got the Penguin Classic edition (feel like these are usually the best bet for James) but I thought it was beautiful with a few holes — LIKE WHY DOES ISABEL EVEN MARRY OSMOND #HenryJames
#FallTreasures @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs
Prompt: Pocket Book
The top book (tagged) is the smallest book I own. It is just 5 × 4. It will fit in most pockets with room to spare.
pickGilbert Osmond is the greatest villain in all “Victorian” literature. Why is it so much fun watching a snake gobble its prey? Why is James so obsessed with renunciation? Why doesn‘t Isabel poison the b&$@rd and move to Monte Carlo?
"And remember this, that if you've been hated, you've also been loved." --The Portrait of a Lady, Chapter 54
Fourth try to finish this is audiobook. I think I might have found the perfect place to listen to it.
How old do you think I look? I‘m just wondering. If you know, please don‘t say.
The April - June #QuarterlyRead in #1001Books is this quiet character driven #classic.
“Under certain circumstance there are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.”
I‘ve not read the book, but am familiar with this opening line.
#litsyclassics #tea
"Yes, that's the bore of comfort," said Lord Warburton. "We only know when we're uncomfortable."
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
I tried reading "The Mysteries of Udolpho" on the Serial Reader app, but I wasn't feeling it. I may pick it back up at a later date. For now, I will be reading "The Portrait of a Lady" by Henry James.
I was actually surprised at how few pink books I have. I don't think my shelf is as colorful as I would have expected. #thinkpink #JuneItsElectrifying
Money and love are two very strong components in both books, but in opposite roles for Mrs Osmond ...
#HeyJune #CantBuyMeLove
“Under certain circumstances there are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.” #7of365 #bookcover #openingline #dumbledwarf
pickCosa fa Isabel Archer per salvarsi? Vuole davvero uscire dal labirinto? Un romanzo in cui H.James ti spinge a chiederti : l 'uomo sa cosa farsene della propria libertà ?
Consigliato a chi pondera le scelte che compie, a chi accetta un consiglio , a chi LIBERAMENTE sceglie di farsi guidare affinché sappiano che fanno la cosa giusta!
Problems from the #balls
#150PnPCoverParty
She used to read in #secret, she likes her freedom not #money and she is #ModernGirl refusing marriage proposals by wealthy suitors, because she likes her independence and exploring the world, but #WhoDoYouLove at the end Isabel Archer? Let me guess - the wrong guy!?!
#quotsyjan18 #150PnPCoverParty #FierceFeb #HeartsAndHardCovers
Some serious preparations for reading the sequel - John Banville‘s Mrs Osmond
@Liberty is hosting an amazing giveaway! The best book that I‘ve read this year is The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James, can‘t say enough lovely things about it 🖤 #THEWALLSARECLOSINGIN
Happy birthday @TheWordJar ! I turn 40 in April so I‘m right there with you and loving all the responses to your giveaway. I guess my advice is to remember that age is only a number. I‘m glad to leave my 30s behind but it‘s society‘s tropes and the stigma associated with 40+ women that get me down. Enjoy life to the fullest!
#theBig40giveaway
Tagged book has long been my favourite but I need to reread as I think my sympathies may have changed🤔
pickDamn. 5⭐️. The Portrait of a Lady is a truly remarkable book. I read for the purpose of every now and then finding a story that I love as much as this one. Adding a new novel to my all-time favorites list is magical, but so rare. Isabel Archer will stay with me forever. (And I‘m finished with my first book for #litsyclassics - Middlemarch is next!)
Let‘s go 2018!! I‘m looking forward to so much reading, including #litsyclassics 😊
This book is just so remarkable. Every paragraph is beautifully written. Henry James❤️
Uh, Henry James could certainly write a sentence.
Always like to see passages about readers in excellent books. 👌🏼📚
Congrats @GondorGirl !!
One of my favourite first lines is from The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James.
“Under certain circumstances there are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.”
#GG10k
🎩a veneer of aristocratic charm
🎩concealing an evil soul
🎩nostalgic for the past
🎩extremely proud of his heritage/ancestry
🎩bent on world domination
Well, I have to admit that makes me think of Hitler more than anyone else. 😡 But if you omit the world domination bit, I think that George Osmond from The Portrait of a Lady fits. He's all show of good taste beneath what is truly the most banal of evils. #monstermadness2017 #dracula
Quick question. Does anyone who uses the app Serial Reader have their account synced up with their Goodreads? For some reason my book that I'm reading on it is not synced up, even though both Serial Reader and Goodreads settings say they are.
Look: a Henry James postage stamp. "Portrait of a Lady" is one of my all-time favorites. (Also I still can't get those eclipse stamps to work.)
Arrgh! Mum's listening to the radio outside & it's the final part of a dramatisation of The Portrait of a Lady. I've had to come upstairs as it's still on my TBR & I don't want any spoilers!
I managed to get quite behind on my serial reads which wasn't very good. I was well over a week behind. However, I have now managed to catch up 😀 definitely not gonna let myself get behind like that again #serialreader
So I decided to download the Serial Reader app after seeing so many people on here using it. I have to say I quite like it actually. Now the problem is, is do I just read one book at a time on here or do I download more? Hmm 🤔 #serialreader
pickI've been reading this one for AGES because I never gave it the benefit of just committing to it 100%, but I enjoyed it as I read it. Surprisingly engaging with distinct characters--which really just goes to show me i shouldn't be so hesitant to read "old" books
Opening line: "Under certain circumstances there are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea." #theportraitofalady #henryjames #penguinbooks #book #bookish #bookgnome #firstline #bookcover
"I am sure she has all her life lived in a boarding house, and I detest the style of manners that such a way of living produces. "
Mrs Touchett, The Portrait of a Lady.
Enjoying this book so far. Only 43 pages in though. Isabel is relatable mainly because she is bookish. Heh. #loveheralready #Europeanvacay #Henryjamesisinteresting #classics
Henry James knew how to write a #moneygrabber. Gilbert Osmond and Madame Merle immediately came to mind for this prompt.
#lyricalapril @Cinfhen
35.) 22 April 2016-7 May 2016; $2.00
"[Ralph] thought a great deal about [Isabel]; she was constantly present to his mind. At a time when his thoughts had been a good deal of a burden to him her sudden arrival, which promised nothing and was an open-handed gift of fate, had refreshed and quickened them, given them wings and something to fly for."
Her reputation for reading a great deal hung about her like the cloudy envelope of a goddess in an epic.
