Washington Square

 

This was a pretty good Henry James novel. I like the ending but the movie The Heiress gave it more of a dramatic justice. The book concerns a plain woman named Catherine and a charming handsome man who goes after her solely for the inheritance. But her father sees right through the man and warns that he was leave his daughter with nothing should they marry. All the characters have major flaws. The girl is too naive, the father is too much of a bully, but the most annoying character of all is the aunt who keeps correspondence with the dashing man and meddles in everyone's affairs. For me the most brutal thing in the book is when the daughter realizes her father doesn't even like her. It's heartbreaking. He just sees her as an inferior version of his late wife, no intelligence or beauty. This isn't an enjoyable read but it does live up to its reputation as a classic.