The Portrait of a Lady

What happens when a lovely young woman from the US jettisons with her aunt to the UK to meet potential husbands?  Welcome to circa-1880 in The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James and the beginning of a long tale of Isabel Archer, whose father has passed away and is led away to visit the home of her aunt, Mrs. Touchett, in London.  Isabel is a striking young woman, whose home town is a few minutes from my birth place: Albany, NY!  She is fresh off the invitation of marriage from a rather rich young man in the US, Casper Goodwood.   Isabel is a very independent young woman and she believes she is too young to marry.  When she arrives at Mrs. Touchett’s home in London, she meets her son, Ralph, a very mild-mannered young man who is dedicated to his father, a very ill older man.  The Touchett’s marriage is clearly one that is not to be emulated and Isabel learns a great deal from the relationship.  She is kind to Mr. Touchett, so much so that he leaves a large portion of his estate to her upon his death.  Ralph has strong feelings for his cousin and introduces her to a neighbor, Lord Warburton, who also has high regard for Isabel and offers his hand in marriage, to which she also refuses.  During one of her trans-continental trips, Isabel meets the “egocentric” Gilbert Osmond, a painter, who offers much less positive overtures to Isabel, but guess what?  She marries him.  Very confusing but captures the idea: “sometimes when you don’t chase the one you have feelings for, they actually go after you,” and the two marry.  Osmond has a daughter, believed to be from an earlier marriage, but later we learn that she was actually the product of an extra-curricular affair between Osmond and the untrustworthy mentor of Osmond, Madame Merle (who actually was the architect of the wedding between the two).  Osmond’s daughter, Pansy, is close to Isabel and attempts to take her advice, but is led astray by Osmond’s demands.  Another arranged marriage is attempted when Osmond attempts to force his daughter to take the offer of Lord Warburton while Edmund Rosier, whom Pansy had true affection, must wait and attempt to convince her father of his intentions.  The idea of the “perfect marriage” is often presented in this story, as is the concept of choice and individual rights/desires for woman.  Isabel learns of Pansy’s real lineage prior to her final “scuffle” with her difficult husband when he refuses to support her decision to leave town to be with Ralph as he prepares to die.  The ending is left in the air somewhat after Ralph’s death, James doesn’t let the reader know whether Isabel goes back to Osmond or runs off for one of her other “marriage-proposal men” as she is confronted by one that sends her running.  I thought that the detailed conversations and character development isn’t always experienced in the late 19^th century novels as it was in Portrait.  While a very long book, but I couldn’t seem to put it down.  I thought the depth of character and writing was excellent, but by no means a fast-paced storyline.  Psychological intrigue at its best.  My first Henry James book and I certainly wasn’t disappointed.  Take this one to the beach or save until a long weekend around a fire place.  Worth the time!