I have just finished the Henry James novel, “Washington Square”.
I don’t quite know what to make of it, to be honest. The writing is extremely proper and exact. Some would say legalistic, so anxious is James to describe situations, conversations, and emotions with the greatest amount of accuracy and exactitude.
It did not surprise me in the least when I read James went to Harvard Law School.
Washington Square was a tad anticlimactic in its conclusion and did not have the same breadth of character as populated “The Portrait of a Lady”, the first Henry James book I read.
Nevertheless, time spent reading and listening to books is time nearly always well spent. The difference in style between authors is interesting and the glimpse into New York and English life in the 19th century can be fascinating.
And a reminder of how far we have come as a society.