Reviews for Daisy Miller and Washington Square (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)

The average rating for Daisy Miller and Washington Square (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-02-04 00:00:00 Brandy Moore I am reviewing here only Daisy Miller as I have read and reviewed Washington Square separately. I wasn't sure what to expect from this novella but I did expect characters that would grab my attention and make me care about them, their stories, the writing itself, something. Instead, sadly, I found myself not caring much at all which is probably the greatest condemnation of all. It was just OK. the writing was fine and I actually liked James' authorial asides (though I wonder if they should have been necessary for us to know his characters). At the risk of exciting a somewhat derisive smile on the reader's part, I may affirm that with regard to the women who had hitherto interested him it very often seemed to Winterbourne among the possibilities that, given certain contingencies, he should be afraid---literally afraid---of these ladies. He had a pleasant sense that he should never be afraid of Daisy Miller. (p 50) Oh the games they played and I am so happy to have grown up a woman in the second half of the 20th century! Perhaps that clouds my judgment on reading this but I also think James simply did not flesh out these characters enough....at least for me. 8/5 As an addendum, I rated Washington Square 5* with a review here

Review # 2 was written on 2015-07-30 00:00:00 Andrew Andrews My version contains both Washington Square and Daisy Miller; I read Washington Square as a joint read with friends, and we will read Daisy Miller later this year. Washington Square - a very 'readable' classic for sure. I had wanted to read this ever since reading Reading Lolita in Tehran. Overall I found the story of our heroine, Catherine Sloper, to be quite tragic. I felt her life was always manipulated and controlled by others. But in the story's end, I for one was very pleased as I felt she finally came into her own, made a life that she found to be fulfilling and dictated her own terms. Catherine Sloper will be added to my list of favorite literary characters. Yesterday (May 1 2016) I finished Daisy Miller so now this book (n my original post) is complete. As stated, Daisy Miller and Catherine Sloper could not be any more different. I very much enjoyed the novella, Daisy Miller. It is quite short, about 60 pages, but I think Henry James tells quite a story in a short span. I was truly blown away by the ending which I was not at all expecting. Given that I read this book because I had read Reading Lolita in Tehran, I could not help but imagine what those young women thought of Daisy Miller!