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The Portrait of a Lady cover art

The Portrait of a Lady

By: Henry James
Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
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Summary

The Portrait of a Lady tells the compelling and ultimately tragic tale of a beautiful young American woman's encounter with European sophistication. Set principally in England and Italy, the story follows Isabel Archer's fortunes as a variety of admirers vie for her hand. Her choice will be crucial, and she is not wanting for advice, whether from the generous-spirited Ralph Touchett or the charming Madame Merle.

The Portrait of a Lady was an immediate success upon publication; it remains the most popular of James' longer works and is generally regarded as the masterpiece of his early period.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

Public Domain (P)2016 Naxos AudioBooks

What listeners say about The Portrait of a Lady

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  • Overall
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well written . dull

Very well written. Excellent narration. Long dull repetitive tale. Miserable theme, wretched futility of the privileged in emotionally stunted and stifled times. Ultimately unrewarding.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

A class ic English novel read superlatively well. it's easy to get lost reading Henry James' prose but Juliet Stephenson makes it so comprehensible. A most enjoyable listen.

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9 people found this helpful

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gripping novel

wonderful narration - Juliet Stevenson at her best. the characterisation and storyline henry james at his finest . I would strongly recommend .

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17 people found this helpful

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A test of determination

I really wanted to like this book given its acclaim as a classic, but all I can say is, buy the abridged version if it’s available. Despite the superb narration of Juliet Stevenson (as usual) so much of this book is dull and dry, full of vague dialogue where no one seems to say exactly what they are thinking. The last quarter is much more interesting but only sheer determination got me through to the end. I enjoy reading classic novels, but unlike Dickens and Austen who infuse their stories with warm vibrant characters and subtle humour, this felt more like a lecture delivered under the thin veneer of a narrative. None of the characters are particularly likeable - Isabelle at best is frustrating (I just wanted to shake her); the reptilian, manipulating Gilbert hateful. The up-in-the-air ending has left me feeling little more than irritated.

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2 people found this helpful

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wonderful

thank you. a variety of impersonations used, lovely intonation which matches the text. special listen!

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Juliet Stevenson

Juliet Stevenson read this novel with magical skill. Everything she reads is brilliantly done.
The novel is one of the great 19th-century novels and deserved a fine reading. I recommend also her reading of the novels of Virginia Woolf.

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28 people found this helpful

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Ok

this was very long winded story. it was a bit off at times to. sorry.

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Wonderful book but . . .

I have read this book once when I was too young, and again a couple of years ago. It is wonderful and deserves to be taken slowly and thoughtfully. I usually really like Juliet Stevenson, but in this case I ended up being annoyed. She got the American accents so wrong. The Americans in the story belong to the East Coast upper middle class, but she spoke all their voices as if they came from the 20th-century mid-West. Perhaps some people will find this a silly criticism, but if you transpose it to English accents, and think how wrong the incorrect regional accent can make a story sound, then you will understand.

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3 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars

I hate stories without an ending.

what is it with classics that leave you without wrapping up the stories? seems like a literary cheat.

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  • Overall
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Magnificent!

Juliet Stevenson reading HJ! What a pleasure! First Class throughout. A marvel and a treasure.

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