Thursday, December 02, 2010

Daisy Miller by Henry James

I have mentioned in other posts that I haven't read very many classics.  I decided I wanted to read this book a couple of years ago after listening to the audio version of Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi, since it is one of the books discussed in that book.  It was very short - really more of a novella than a novel - and so I finished it in just a couple of days.  It is about an American man (Winterbourne) who has lived in Geneva most of his life.  In a resort town in Switzerland, he meets a beautiful, rich young American woman (Daisy Miller) who is traveling in Europe with her mother and her younger brother.  She is an innocent flirt, and Winterbourne is quite charmed by her.  She goes to Rome shortly after they meet.  Winterbourne goes to Rome a few weeks later and is dismayed to learn that Daisy has been seeing a handsome Italian and has scandalized the American community with her behavior.  I'm glad I read it, but have to admit I was glad it wasn't any longer; I prefer a more modern writing style.  I rate it 3 out of 5.

1 comment:

Kathy A. Johnson said...

Thanks for this review, Cheryl. I have not had much success reading Henry James. Somehow I just do not connect with the writing, and it's a struggle to get through. This novella would be a great way to get a taste of James' writing without too big a time investment.