Showing results for "Washington Square" in Literary Fiction

A wealthy spinster receives a proposal from a dashing suitor, and her father threatens her with disinheritance if she accepts, in Henry James's masterful exploration of the moral consequences of a tender heart's ruthless manipulation.

Daisy Miller is a beautiful American girl abroad. Assured, flirtatious, and at odds with reserved European etiquette, she meets two men: Mr. Winterbourne, a world-weary compatriot in full pursuit, and Mr. Giovanelli, a passionate Italian with questionable motives. Unmindful of the scandals she incites and of the risks to her reputation, Daisy believes that she is also impervious to fate.

Over one busy weekend, small-time heroin dealer Johnny B. Goode and his alliance of fellow pushers work their trade amidst students, businessmen, and assorted sewer rats while avoiding the law. Narrated from the separate perspectives of each member of the gang, The Washington Square Ensemble follows the twisted paths that have led the seven men through the gritty New York underworld and toward a fragile alliance at Washington Square. With humor, compassion, and an uncanny ear for voices of the streets, Madison Smartt Bell delivers a stunning indictment and occasional celebration of a blighted New York landscape.

This novel tells the story of Catherine Sloper, the plain, obedient daughter of the widowed, well-to-do Dr. August Sloper of Washington Square. When a handsome, reckless man-about-town proposes to Catherine, her father forbids the marriage because he believes the man to be after Catherine's fortune and future inheritance. The conflict between father, daughter, and suitor provokes consequences in the lives of all three that make this story one of James's most piercingly memorable.

Henry James’ stories are classic gems of subtle wit and irony. Set in the exacting social landscape of New York City at the turn of the century, Washington Square is the tale of a wealthy but shy young woman caught between conflicting family expectations. John McDonough’s warm narration traces her remarkable inner journey.