Cover of The American by Henry James Audiobook The American
Audiobook · Sovereign

The American

Author
Henry James
Read by
Eloise Fairfax
Language
English
Length
12 hours 43 minutes
ISBN
9781802560701
Published
23 September 2024
Imprint
Sovereign
  • Henry James
  • tragicomedy
  • melodrama
  • engagement
  • humour
  • comedy
  • dark comedy
  • stream of consciousness
  • philosophical
  • psychological

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Description

"The American" by Henry James follows Christopher Newman, a wealthy and confident American businessman, as he ventures to Europe seeking adventure and romance. In Paris, he becomes infatuated with the beautiful and enigmatic Claire de Cintré, a young widow from a noble French family. Driven by his passion, Newman pursues Claire despite her family's disapproval. As their relationship develops, cultural disparities, social expectations, and financial considerations complicate their love. Claire's aristocratic relatives, particularly her controlling mother, present formidable obstacles, and Newman's American directness clashes with European subtleties.

Author

Henry James (1843–1916) is among the supreme novelists in English — an American who made Europe his stage and consciousness his subject. In The Portrait of a Lady, The Ambassadors, and The Wings of the Dove he traced Americans abroad through drawing rooms, secrets, and moral choice with unmatched psychological precision. James wrote sentences that think: long, exacting, and alive to every shade of feeling between people.

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