You could make an argument that a lot of evil in the world is caused by vanity. Putin is the latest example. And certainly vanity is responsible for a large measure of unhappiness. Essentially because it stops us from seeing situations clearly and thus from knowing ourselves. I'm not entirely sure J

[Revised, pictures and shelves added 4/15/22]

Here we are in New York City in the mid-1880s, a bit before Edith Wharton’s time, but in the same social milieu. This is a kind of novel of manners and kind of a mid-19th Century soap opera. Our author is Henry James, so be prepared for the long, convolut

Time the late 1840's in New York City, Catherine Sloper a twenty-one -year- old woman, is the daughter of a prominent and wealthy doctor, you'd think all the young men would be trying to marry her but Catherine is plain of face and very shy. There's a good probability, that she'll remain a spinster

“If you are going to be pushed, you had better jump.”

Almost everyone in this book is awful, but I... think I liked it?

I read Henry James once, years ago, and I picked The Turn of the Screw, which turned out to be a bad decision. It put me off for a long time. I also hear that James gets a little

Book Review

4 out of 5 stars for Washington Square, a classic novel written in 1880 by Henry James. Henry James is my favorite American realistic period or classic novelist, and Washington Square is an example of why. This man can take a small situation and write 300+ pages all about it.

I love this book so much I can't bear it. As someone who adores just about every last word that Henry James (over-) wrote, it has never gotten any more deliciously (un-)satisfying than this -- a slim, tart little novel about plain, socially unpromising Catherine Sloper, whose wealthy father refuses