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The Ambassadors by Henry James
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The Ambassadors (original 1903; edition 1982)

by Henry James (Author)

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3,974433,043 (3.74)217
Lambert Strether, a mild, middle-aged American of no particular achievements, is dispatched to Paris from the manufacturing empire of Woollett, Massachusetts. The mission conferred on him by his august patron, Mrs. Newsome, is to discover what, or who, is keeping her son Chad in the notorious city of pleasure and to bring him home. But Strether finds Chad transformed by the influence of a remarkable woman. And as the Parisian spring advances, he himself succumbs to the allure of the "vast bright Babylon" and to the mysterious charm of Madame de Vionnet.… (more)
Member:CarlosGomezdeOrozco
Title:The Ambassadors
Authors:Henry James (Author)
Info:Franklin Library (1982), Edition: Limited Edition
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The Ambassadors by Henry James (1903)

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» See also 217 mentions

English (42)  Italian (1)  All languages (43)
Showing 1-5 of 42 (next | show all)
Challenging to read as Henry James gives nothing away. Yet, a lesson in subtle interactions and reading between the lines. ( )
  nlgeorge | Feb 3, 2024 |
I can't concentrate this hard, at least now. Got about 5% into the book. Ran across a one hundred and sixteen word sentence, just a page or two after another 100 word sentence. It's not that I can't comprehend them, but it's too much work. Maybe someday?
  steve02476 | Jan 3, 2023 |
Protagonist Lewis Lambert Strether agrees to travel to Paris to attempt to convince his fiancée’s wayward son, Chad, to return to the US to run the family business. What he finds in Paris is different than expected. Chad is a pleasant young man who has been positively influenced by his associations with a woman and her daughter. Strether meets the two and comes to enjoy their company. A new set of “ambassadors” is sent by his fiancée when Strether fails to obtain the desired action. Over the course of the story, Strether gradually changes his point of view, which in turn, changes what he values in life.

“His greatest uneasiness seemed to peep at him out of the imminent impression that almost any acceptance of Paris might give one’s authority away. It hung before him this morning, the vast bright Babylon, like some huge iridescent object, a jewel brilliant and hard, in which parts were not to be discriminated nor difference comfortably marked. It twinkled and trembled and melted together, and what seemed all surface one moment seemed all depth the next.”

Published in 1903, it was originally written as a serial in the North American Review. I think I may have appreciated it more if I had read it in its original form. As a novel, the primary drawback is that it does not flow very well, and there are many lengthy circuitous sentences. I did not enjoy it quite as much as James’s Portrait of a Lady, which I recommend reading ahead of this one, but overall, I enjoyed it and found it worth my time.
( )
  Castlelass | Oct 30, 2022 |
Maybe a little bit too subtle; I sometimes felt I was drowning in obscure idioms, euphemisms, and circumlocution. Still, few authors handle entrapment as brilliantly as Henry James. ( )
  gtross | May 15, 2022 |
4/26/22
  laplantelibrary | Apr 26, 2022 |
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» Add other authors (43 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Henry Jamesprimary authorall editionscalculated
Wilson, FrancisIntroductionsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Bannister, PhilipIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Chancer, JohnNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Edel, LeonEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Edel, LeonEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Levin, HarryEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Poole, AdrianEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Stallman, R.W.Editorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Strether's first question, when he reached the hotel, was about his friend; yet on his learning that Waymarsh was apparently not to arrive till evening he was not wholly disconcerted.
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Lambert Strether, a mild, middle-aged American of no particular achievements, is dispatched to Paris from the manufacturing empire of Woollett, Massachusetts. The mission conferred on him by his august patron, Mrs. Newsome, is to discover what, or who, is keeping her son Chad in the notorious city of pleasure and to bring him home. But Strether finds Chad transformed by the influence of a remarkable woman. And as the Parisian spring advances, he himself succumbs to the allure of the "vast bright Babylon" and to the mysterious charm of Madame de Vionnet.

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Penguin Australia

An edition of this book was published by Penguin Australia.

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