Meh.

Breathtakingly good! Every single story unique and intriguing, albeit of another time (people today might find it hard to get a grip on). I'm struck most by the last story 'Mrs Medwin', of how an American 'placing agent' Miss Cutter is at work, her power of discerning the 'real need' from various...more

You gotta know when to hold em, know when to fold em, know when to walk away, know when to run. Never count your money when you’re sitting at the table. There will be time enough for counting when the dealings done.

It’s a game.

I liked Henry James' short stories very much. Had I been born a century earlier I am sure I would have liked them even more.

Melodrama in James is sordid in a very instrumentalist way; there is nothing overly redemptive or sickly touching about the characters. It is the atmosphere that is the result, the outcome, the end of the situation, and the action unfolding is mere fleshing out of character. My favorites from thi...more

Loooooong winded. Excruciatingly slow and wordy. Stuffy. Outdated. Irritating. At the same time, deep. Truthful. Tragic. Sad. Beautiful. It was an ordeal to read, but two of the stories made it worthy of my trouble: Brooksmith and The Real Thing. The author is deeply sympathetic and understanding...more

Nice book, good solid stories. Sad, interesting, and attention-holding. Sometimes the dialogue is too vague for me, I have felt that in other Henry James books, although I like Henry James and persist in reading through his stuff.

I read this book while reading short stories by D.H. Lawrence at t...more

While reading "Dust" by Martha Grimes, Henry James' house and works were woven into the plot line. Knowing it is considered a classic author, I thought I'd give it a go and read something by him. I have read classic lit authors and enjoyed them, Trollope, Dickens, Joyce, Maugham and others and ex...more

I used to love Henry James, but now find him depressing. But he is of course a great writer.