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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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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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Hard going

Although Juliet Stevenson reads this beautifully, I could not in honesty say it held my attention. A classic it may be, but I found it achingly slow to develop and disappointing. The plot staggered along and seemed very predictable. Suspecting the ending, I researched in the Oxford Companion and confirmed my thoughts. Didn’t finish the book I am afraid to admit. Such a pity as I am sure that from a literary point of view it’s a masterpiece.

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17 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

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

very clever and compelling novel

what a powerful book, about men, women and money and love. well worth a read/listen

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11 people found this helpful

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    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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  • 07-10-17

Disappointing

An ambiguous ending, how dissatisfying. Rest of the novel is good although slightly unbelievable in parts. I adore juliet Stevensons narration usually but her French accent for pansy grated after a while. Altogether a disappointing read in the end, especially with such a long novel.... an unsatisfying conclusion.

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8 people found this helpful

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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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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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A heart breaking tragedy read beautifully.

I just love this classic novel, surely the best by Henry James, in my opinion. James paints a picture with words that reveals the psyche of Isabel Archer. This is a difficult novel, sometimes hard to follow with an ambiguous ending that some will find does not satisfy. However James is a master of the use of English prose and Juliet Stevenson's reading of the novel is outstanding. If you like action, this one isn't for you but if you want to listen to the English language at its richest best you won't be disappointed.

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Excellent reading by Juliet Stevenson

Contains spoilers.
I had to read this as part of a book group and decided as I had read this twenty years ago but not since, to listen on Audible as I cycled to work and back.
It is an almost moment by moment description of a life story that reveals a very unpleasant manipulative relationship that ruins a life. I felt often it was like witnessing a horrible car accident in slow motion. For 28 hours. I also painted a room and listened to this as it is very slow, detailed, drawn out and often painful. However as much as I often dreaded the next bit, and so wished life is not as it so often is for so many, it is an excellent chronicle of manipulation for money.
Today we might watch Made in Chelsea or another desperate slow mo break up of a love story of very rich people but this novel is effectively the same thing but set in Victorian Europe and concerns the behaviour of American society abroad.

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1 person found this helpful