Reviews for A Window in Thrums

The average rating for A Window in Thrums based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2020-10-29 00:00:00 Jeremy Stegall **3.5 stars** "When a man has reached his fifty-second year without being, materially the worse for wear- when he has fair health, a fair fortune, a tidy conscience and a complete exemption from embarrassing relatives-I suppose he is bound, in delicacy, to write himself happy." This story is among the least famous works of Henry James, whom I sincerely believe to be an underrated author. Not like Poe, who at least received his fame after death. I hardly know someone who's familiar with any of James' work other than "The Turn of The Screw", and that too heavily criticized. As for this one, James neglected it himself and never included it in his collected works. Err…why?? The a-little-short-to-be-novella plot revolves around a quinquagenarian, who was revisiting Florence after around twenty-seven years, after retiring from the army, and came across a familiar name which belonged to the-the late Contessa Salvi, for whose hand he once craved. While enquiring about her daughter he came across a man in his twenties who was a suitor, and in whom he could see himself of that age. The rest of the story is all about how he tries to convince the unsuspecting suitor that the daughter is the same as the mother, a flirtatious "coquette". (All because they are apparently identical in looks and personality). He felt the analogy too strong, and he himself felt betrayed back at his time, and simply didn't want another "kid" to be "heartbroken". The story is oddly resonant, actually. In India, out of ten you will meet eight elderly people who are convinced that since they have seen more of the world, they are far more knowledgeable (not just experienced) than any random youth. And seven will remain convinced of the same even after being proved wrong, maybe more than once. The colonel here, as many other prominent characters of James, probably is " a man who is so blinded by his own past experience and lack of real perception that he is unable to correctly interpret the world he inhabits. " And also, he ending is ambiguous in the sense we aren't sure of the purpose of the colonel, which is further made confusing by his meddled thoughts. The state of matrimony, in here is depicted as an area of altercation and potential death, though somehow that's a bit irrelevant. All in all, not at all a masterpiece, (obviously) but reading it is like looking at the combined elements of a thoughtful work through a translucent window. "And I might have made it-eh?"

Review # 2 was written on 2017-11-02 00:00:00 Christopher Hellerman Ha senso chiedersi se abbiamo fatto le scelte giuste? Dopo un quarto di secolo un cinquantenne inglese ritorna a Firenze, città in cui aveva conosciuto, amato e poi abbandonato una fanciulla. Un insieme di ricordi, positivi e negativi, inizia a vorticare nella sua mente. E incontrato un giovane che si è invaghito della figlia della sua amata di un tempo, cerca di trasmettergli le sue esperienze negative (ma si possono trasmettere le esperienze?). Vorrebbe trasferire all'altro le sue convinzioni di un tempo, vorrebbe convincerlo a lasciare perdere; ma alla fine non fa altro che tentare di dimostrare a sé stesso che ha fatto a suo tempo la scelta giusta. Come al solito James è finissimo nel costruire certezze che poi, lentamente, vengono smontate. Facciamo sempre le scelte giuste? Le nostre decisioni sono sempre basate su fatti certi? Quanto pesano le influenze esterne nelle nostre valutazioni? E, soprattutto, ha senso farsi queste domande? Dolorosissimo rileggere la propria vita alla luce del senno di poi.