Nanda's manipulative mother, Fernanda, is the hostess of a fashionable London salon. Nanda is befriended by the elderly Mr. Longdon -- an old-fashioned man enters a tangled web of wealthy British fashionable types, makes a proposal. . . . The two women both appear to love Gustavus Vanderbank, a young government employee, who becomes alienated from them. The relationship between Vanderbank, a complicated but good-natured young man who has managed to penetrate that affluent circle, and Nanda Brookenham, the granddaughter of Longdon's lost love dominate the tale powerfully and compellingly. . . .
Author Biography
Henry James (1843 - 1916) was an American-born British writer. He is regarded as one of the key figures of 19th-century literary realism. He was the son of Henry James, Sr. and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James. He is best known for a number of novels showing Americans encountering Europe and Europeans. His method of writing from a character's point of view allowed him to explore issues related to consciousness and perception and his style in later works has been compared to impressionist painting. His imaginative use of point of view, interior monologue and unreliable narrators brought a new depth to narrative fiction.
