The American, Henry James
The American, Henry James
List: $37.00 | Sale: $25.90
Club: $18.50

The American

Author: Henry James

Narrator: Adam Sims

Abridged: 14 hr 13 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/01/2020

Categories: Fiction, Classic

Synopsis

Self-made American millionaire Christopher Newman arrives in Paris brimming with hope and optimism, excited to experience the culture and, hopefully, find the perfect woman to become his wife. After a chance encounter with American expatriate friends his attention is drawn to Madame de Cintre´, 25-year-old widowed daughter of the late Marquis de Bellegarde. Having fallen on hard times, the centuries-old aristocratic family permits Newman's courtship to proceed; however, they later persuade the widow to break off her engagement to the nouveau-riche businessman. When Newman finds himself in possession of a dark secret that threatens to destroy the Bellegarde family, he must decide whether to keep to his principles or exact his revenge.

About Henry James

American-born writer Henry James (1843–1916) authored 20 novels, 112 stories, 12 plays, and a number of literary criticisms.

James was born in New York City into a wealthy family. In his youth, James traveled back and forth between Europe and America. He studied with tutors in Geneva, London, Paris, Bologna, and Bonn. At the age of nineteen, he briefly attended Harvard Law School, but he was more interested in literature than law. James published his first short story, "A Tragedy of Errors," two years later and then devoted himself entirely to literature. In the late 1860s and early 1870s, he was a contributor to the Nation and Atlantic Monthly. His first novel, Watch and Ward, first appeared serially in the Atlantic.

After living in Paris, where he was a contributor to the New York Tribune, James moved to England. During his first years in Europe, James wrote novels that portrayed Americans living abroad. Between 1906 and 1910, he revised many of his tales and novels for the so-called New York edition of his complete works. Between 1913 and 1917, his three-volume autobiography-A Small Boy and Others, Notes of a Son and Brother, and The Middle Years (released posthumously)-was published. His last two novels, The Ivory Tower and The Sense of the Past, were left unfinished at his death.

Among James's masterpieces are Daisy Miller, The Portrait of a Lady, The Bostonians, and The Wings of the Dove. In addition, James considered his 1903 work The Ambassadors his most "perfect" work of art.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Henry on November 16, 2020

An American millionaire businessman arrives in Paris, Christopher Newman in 1868, to get "Culture," find the perfect wife after all he's 36 and lonely... while walking through the gigantic Louvre museum the tired man sits down, he views the magnificent paintings surrounding him on the walls. Newman......more

Goodreads review by Ulysse on June 08, 2023

Christopher Newman has it all He’s young he’s rich he’s six-feet tall He doesn’t beat about the bush He never feels the need to rush In Europe’s old museum towns Or far across yon English downs You’ll see him stretching his long legs Asking for the price of eggs He seldom gets mad or upset He doesn’t gamble......more

Goodreads review by Paul on January 23, 2014

THE AMERICAN : PLOT SYNOPSIS WITH SOUNDTRACK On a lovely day in May, 1868, Christopher Newman, a wealthy American businessman, sits down in the Louvre with an aesthetic headache, having seen too many paintings. A young Parisian copyist, Noémie Nioche, catches his eye, and he agrees to buy the painting......more

Goodreads review by Tessa on July 31, 2023

O carte splendida de moravuri, specialitatea maestrului Henry James. Fiind o admiratoare a realismului psihologic, pe care autorul il reprezinta atat de bine, am cautat sa citesc cat mai multe dintre cartile scrise de el. Asa am aflat ca cealalta opera a sa, "Europenii", reprezinta un roman in oglin......more

Goodreads review by robin on June 28, 2023

A Mid-Nineteenth Century American In Paris Christopher Newman, 36, an American who has become wealthy in commerce and manufacturing following the Civil War, is the hero, in "The American", an early novel by Henry James. Most of the story is set in France in the late 1860s as Newman, vaguely dissatisf......more

Add to Cart
Add to Wish List