Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Charles E. Merrill Publishing Company
Pages
576
Description
Classic Literature. Fiction. HTML: Young Londoners Kate and Merton are engaged, but have no money to marry on. When the wealthy but terminally ill American heiress Milly arrives in London, Kate schemes for a way to inherit her fortune. But when Kate achieves all she had hoped for, she finds that the money and the gentle, beautiful Milly have changed everything..
Description
Set amid the splendor of London drawing rooms and gilded Venetian palazzos, The Wings of the Dove is the story of Milly Theale, a naïve, doomed American heiress, and a pair of lovers, Kate Croy and Merton Densher, who conspire to obtain her fortune. In this witty tragedy of treachery, self-deception, and betrayal, Henry James weaves together three ill-fated and wholly human destinies unexpectedly linked by desire, greed, and salvation. As Amy Bloom writes in her Introduction, “The Wings of the Dove is a novel of intimacy. . . . [James] gives us passion, he gives us love in its terrible and enchanting forms.”
Collection
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1902
Physical description
576 p.; 8.8 inches
ISBN
0675093341 / 9780675093347
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User reviews
LibraryThing member Salmondaze
I had entered this dense book with what I think to be valid complaints. James expends an incredible amount of words to communicate so little, he falls into the trap of trying to shape the reader's impression of his characters (a charge brought an influence of his, George Eliot), he draws
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conclusions on events that a reader of average intelligence (me) could reach on his own, and ends a fair share of sentences with prepositions (something up with which I will not put!). These problems definitely irked me and made reading the first half a real slog, but from about the near end of the first half and throughout the second, the book fast picks up steam and James mines stronger ground with the moral implications of the book. The best of this book recalls the superior Portrait Of A Lady, no doubt, and that's what saves it, but I feel that the above-mentioned complaints are too grave for the book to warrant the masterpiece status it has received. Show Less
LibraryThing member TheBentley
Strunk and White wrote The Elements of Style in 1918, and I think it's entirely possible that they meant the entire book as a critique of Henry James. If you must read James, opt for one of the novellas--"Turn of the Screw" or "Daisy Miller," for instance--where James proves that he was not
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entirely incapable of clarity and economy of style. Or better yet, just read Edith Wharton, who is just as adept at the leisure-class, drawing-room tragedy and a far better prose stylist. In my opinion, the privileging of Henry James over Edith Wharton is one of the two best arguments the feminist school has for gender bias in traditional literary criticism. (The other being the privileging of James Joyce over Virgina Woolf.) If ever there were a book that justifies the practice of just reading the Cliff's Notes, The Wings of the Dove is it. Show Less
LibraryThing member snash
This being my first Henry James reading, I was initially overwhelmed by the style and the concentration necessary to get the gist of each sentence. The insights into the workings of the human mind and emotion along with the descriptions of them made the effort worthwhile.
The depth of the character
The book has left me contemplating the characters and the plot long after finishing it -- the sign of a good book
The depth of the character
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portrayals made them each of them likable despite their faults although I found Densher's submission to love more admirable than Kate's strength. Basically Kate's strength was used to manipulate others to serve her greed. Millie was seemingly too good but appeared to be meant as a pawn to display the characters of Densher and Kate. The book has left me contemplating the characters and the plot long after finishing it -- the sign of a good book
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LibraryThing member thorold
Nobody else could put you through the torture of 500 pages of infinitesimally-qualified, soul-destroyingly-tentative prose and — almost — get away with it. There is a terrible tragedy tucked away under all that one-step-forward-two-steps-back ambiguity, and James's technique somehow manages to
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communicate the nature of that tragedy very powerfully at an emotional level whilst leaving you more than a little baffled as to what he is actually telling you in terms of the conventional landmarks of plot and character. So it is definitely worth reading, but I wish it wasn't... Show Less
LibraryThing member stillatim
Honestly, I think this is only the third best of James' three late masterpieces (after the Ambassadors and the Golden Bowl.) I found it much harder going than either of those, although the plot was much more involved and interesting. I'm not sure how to explain that- maybe the plot was the main
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thing dragging me through the interminable paragraphs, whereas in the other two the reflections and nuances seemed much more important. Although I got something out this (as ever, James is an education in form and psychology), I would definitely recommend the Ambassadors over Wings of the Dove. Show Less
LibraryThing member idiotgirl
Listened to the audiobook. Amazing how little happens, event wise, in a James novel. I did enjoy this. Narrative is interesting. Milly is at such a distance by the end of the novel. Doesn't appear directly in any of the later scenes. And yet she's at the center. I'm tempted to listen again. A
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challenge to keep attention with James. But I did enjoy this. Show Less
LibraryThing member dbsovereign
My favorite of James' journey's into a society thin on plot, but full of characters whose struggles show us so very much about them.
LibraryThing member whitreidtan
It took me more than a year to get through this book. It has my maiden name inside the front cover so I know for sure how long it has been languishing on my tbr pile. I think I've admitted before that I used to be a real literature snob, only reading "worthy" novels, an attitude I developed on my
Bare bones, the plot in a nutshell : poor but beautiful young woman falls in love with poor journalist. They cannot marry because they are poor. Rich American heiress who has previously met the journalist and fallen for him comes to London and meets the young woman. They become friends. Heiress is convinced she's dying. Poor woman is also convinced and decides the journalist should marry the heiress so he'll inherit the money when the heiress dies and then they can afford to marry each other. Things don't entirely go as planned. I mean, it doesn't sound terrible, does it? But in James' hands, it is. He took almost 500 pages to get through this small and unremarkable plot. The man wrote in circles, repeating things over and over ad nauseum. Nothing about the book is head on, everything is obtuse and drawn out. His characters never speak plainly either and there are pieces that are completely baffling. In fact, the plan for the future stays completely unstated until the last quarter (eighth?) of the novel. Our journalist is rather dim until he asks his sweetheart, Kate, to come to his rooms or he won't fall in with her plan. Merton has been unobjectionable until this point and suddenly he's taking advantage of his one true love. Kate is not a greedy Machiavelli until near the end. She is observant but it's still a mystery of sorts how she knows that our heiress is dying given that even the fancy doctor won't say it, only exhorting Milly to "live" and suggesting to Milly's companion that if she just falls in love and marries, she'll come out right in the end. If I had to read a character calling Milly a "magnificent" dove one more time, I was going to heave the book at the wall. The only thing that seemed to make her magnificent was that she had a lot of money and was in danger of being relieved of it. Honestly, by the end, I was hate-reading this byzantine insomnia cure. And by byzantine, I'm definitely referring to the writing and not the plot. Unless you are the snobbiest of literary classic readers, I recommend giving this one a wide berth for sure.
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own but had strongly reinforced in graduate school. I have since become less of a jerk (and I didn't stay in academia). But I still had this book on my shelves and thought I should finally read it. Well, my mother told me not to say anything if I couldn't say anything nice but I've never been a completely compliant child so I'm ignoring that advice. And let me tell you, the nicest thing I can say about reading this book is that it was a mind-numbing chore.Bare bones, the plot in a nutshell : poor but beautiful young woman falls in love with poor journalist. They cannot marry because they are poor. Rich American heiress who has previously met the journalist and fallen for him comes to London and meets the young woman. They become friends. Heiress is convinced she's dying. Poor woman is also convinced and decides the journalist should marry the heiress so he'll inherit the money when the heiress dies and then they can afford to marry each other. Things don't entirely go as planned. I mean, it doesn't sound terrible, does it? But in James' hands, it is. He took almost 500 pages to get through this small and unremarkable plot. The man wrote in circles, repeating things over and over ad nauseum. Nothing about the book is head on, everything is obtuse and drawn out. His characters never speak plainly either and there are pieces that are completely baffling. In fact, the plan for the future stays completely unstated until the last quarter (eighth?) of the novel. Our journalist is rather dim until he asks his sweetheart, Kate, to come to his rooms or he won't fall in with her plan. Merton has been unobjectionable until this point and suddenly he's taking advantage of his one true love. Kate is not a greedy Machiavelli until near the end. She is observant but it's still a mystery of sorts how she knows that our heiress is dying given that even the fancy doctor won't say it, only exhorting Milly to "live" and suggesting to Milly's companion that if she just falls in love and marries, she'll come out right in the end. If I had to read a character calling Milly a "magnificent" dove one more time, I was going to heave the book at the wall. The only thing that seemed to make her magnificent was that she had a lot of money and was in danger of being relieved of it. Honestly, by the end, I was hate-reading this byzantine insomnia cure. And by byzantine, I'm definitely referring to the writing and not the plot. Unless you are the snobbiest of literary classic readers, I recommend giving this one a wide berth for sure.
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LibraryThing member Kristelh
Reason read: TBR takedown, Reading 1001, ROOT
This is a story of a love triangle of sorts. Milly Theale is a orphan, heiress. Merton Densher is a young man in love with Kate Croy but he doesn't have money. Kate Croy can't marry Merton because he has no money. Aunt Maud (Kate's) wants Kate to marry
This is a story of a love triangle of sorts. Milly Theale is a orphan, heiress. Merton Densher is a young man in love with Kate Croy but he doesn't have money. Kate Croy can't marry Merton because he has no money. Aunt Maud (Kate's) wants Kate to marry
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Lord Mark because he has money. Henry James, an American author, likes to pitch his 'American' characters as innocent against the wiles of the Europeans. The book also depicts the constraints placed on females by society.The Dove is a major theme in the book. The dove being Milly. "...which was only dove-like only so far as one remembered that doves have wings and wondrous flights, have them as well as tender tints and soft sounds. It even came to him dimly that such wings could in a given case--had, truly, in the case which he was concerned--spread themselves for protection." So basically the story revolves around the two that can't marry for lack of money and the innocent, dove, who has the money. This example also displays how "wordy" the author is. It took awhile for me to finally get this read and I did it by adding audio along with the book. Show Less
LibraryThing member bookworm12
The plot is fascinating. A young couple, Kate & Merton, want to marry but don’t have the money. Enter a rich American heiress, Milly, who falls in love with Merton. Kate realizes Milly is dying and wants Merton to woo her so she will leave her money to him. What follows is complicated by human
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emotions, guilt, and a trip to Venice. Unfortunately I think James was too long-winded in this one. It lost its emotional punch in a deluge of banal observations. Show Less
LibraryThing member leslie.98
3* for this audiobook edition; 2.5* for the book itself
I find Henry James a frustrating author - his topics and time period are those that I relish yet I don't like his books. This book, for example, had all the makings of a great story but it bored me when it didn't anger me. I thought up several
I find Henry James a frustrating author - his topics and time period are those that I relish yet I don't like his books. This book, for example, had all the makings of a great story but it bored me when it didn't anger me. I thought up several
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possible ending for the story only to find that the actual conclusion was dull and predictable. I have heard James praised for his female characters but, to me, they were all objectionable in one way or another. Show Less
LibraryThing member amerynth
I think Henry James has some interesting ideas in terms of plot but man alive he is so darned wordy and "The Wings of the Dove" is no exception.
In this novel, Kate Croy needs money and the man she wants to marry doesn't have any. She intrigues to get some by getting her fiancee Merton Densher to
As I said, I liked the general plot and the ending, but James' writing is really tough.... he goes on and on and says very little. I had a hard time getting through this one.
In this novel, Kate Croy needs money and the man she wants to marry doesn't have any. She intrigues to get some by getting her fiancee Merton Densher to
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pursue a wealthy woman who is gravely ill. Antics ensue.As I said, I liked the general plot and the ending, but James' writing is really tough.... he goes on and on and says very little. I had a hard time getting through this one.
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LibraryThing member sophiemaroon
I have tried to read this book on a few occasions. Conclusion: it's not actually readable! I am a big HJ fan up until some point in his career, after which I do not comprehend his prose at all.
LibraryThing member FKarr
just couldn't get through this one; characters not the least bit sympathetic, none of them had any personality at all
LibraryThing member JVioland
It appears as though his earlier works were better written. By the time I got to "The Wings of the Dove" (1902) I had grown tired of him. By the end of his career, there wasn't a simple action or thought that he couldn't convey in an unending stream of words. His mantra seemed to be, "I could be
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succinct, but why? I enjoy writing. I couldn't give a damn whether I burden the reader with my verbal diarrhea." A highly overrated writer, maybe because he was an ex-patriot. Show Less
LibraryThing member Schmerguls
1052 The Wings of the Dove, by Henry James (read 3 May 1970) Since I recently read another volume of Leon Edel's biography of Henry James, I thought I should read something more of his so I read this. I do not know what to make of it. Long, but slowly, with considerable dramatic power at times, yet
of some of it. Its two chief characters--Martin Densher and Kate Croy--all out of character, it seems to me, conspire to have Martin marry the dying heroine, Milly Theale, for her money. But Lord Mark--Kate's disappointed suitor--is to be reckoned with. [I won't set out more as such would be a spoiler.] I cannot pretend I enjoyed the book as much as other James novels I have read, e.g., The American, or The Ambassadors. It is too, too, really. Besides, I did not like Kate--so much, supposedly, but who in Venice becomes a scheming tramp. Well, I am not sure all the time I spent wading through this difficult book was well-spent. I doubt now I shall re-read The Portrait of a Lady, which I read 8 April 1952 with no appreciation at all.
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what can one sayof some of it. Its two chief characters--Martin Densher and Kate Croy--all out of character, it seems to me, conspire to have Martin marry the dying heroine, Milly Theale, for her money. But Lord Mark--Kate's disappointed suitor--is to be reckoned with. [I won't set out more as such would be a spoiler.] I cannot pretend I enjoyed the book as much as other James novels I have read, e.g., The American, or The Ambassadors. It is too, too, really. Besides, I did not like Kate--so much, supposedly, but who in Venice becomes a scheming tramp. Well, I am not sure all the time I spent wading through this difficult book was well-spent. I doubt now I shall re-read The Portrait of a Lady, which I read 8 April 1952 with no appreciation at all.
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LibraryThing member mahallett
sometimes james is barely readable and usually not listenable but i had these cassettes. i don't know what really happened in this story. i liked the reader who compared james and wharton and joyce and woolf very interesting.
LibraryThing member stuart10er
To give this book justice, which is deserves, it would require a review as long the novel - which I have no intention of doing. I'll just say that I found the characters to be unsympathetic, unrealistic in the sense that they said nothing positive or instructive about the human experience. In a
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way, it showed what was wrong with the society leading up to WWI where most of them died (these sorts of people, not these actual people). I did not like them to such an extent that I didn't really care what happened to them - including Milly - who is supposedly the victim, but it insipid and not worthy of the respect that they afford her. I did enjoy the ending however which left things as vague as the entire work. Perhaps that was truely James' point - that no matter how much weight all of these people try to enfuse their lives with, it is meaningless even to the point of even bothering to tie up the story with an actual ending. Show Less
LibraryThing member ljhliesl
Another attempt, on audio, on the principle that if it's playing while I'm in earshot, I can count it. Also on the principle that nothing can be as bad as Henry MiIler.
Nope. F*ck that noise. Life is too short to listen to sucky books. With Miller, I hated him the author/narrator. In this, I hate
Nope. F*ck that noise. Life is too short to listen to sucky books. With Miller, I hated him the author/narrator. In this, I hate
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everyone -- characters, James, and whoever voted this onto a list. Show Less
LibraryThing member JBarringer
I am not much interested in romantic dramas, so this one was a bit dull. A young woman is interested in a young man who her family dislikes. Over time it turns out almost all the women in the story are attracted to this young man, but he is still poor, or at least not wealthy. The young woman,
The writing in this novel is readable enough, and if you like romantic dramas, this is probably a good book.
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Kate, comes up with a scheme to make her would-be-fiance rich so her family will approve of her marrying him. The scheme is decidedly unethical, and the big question seems to be whether Kate and her beloved will still want to marry once the scheme has run its course.The writing in this novel is readable enough, and if you like romantic dramas, this is probably a good book.
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Subjects
Awards
Call number
FIC A3 Jam