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Book Reviews of The Wings of the Dove

The Wings of the Dove
The Wings of the Dove
Author: Henry James
ISBN-13: 9780140432633
ISBN-10: 0140432639
Publication Date: 6/3/1986
Pages: 517
Rating:
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 12

4 stars, based on 12 ratings
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Book Type: Paperback
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

6 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

reviewed The Wings of the Dove on + 22 more book reviews
James is incredibly detailed and though I love this film, I found the book to be rather slow moving.
page-one avatar reviewed The Wings of the Dove on + 24 more book reviews
James' poignant, ironic work that explores what happens when a co-conspirator falls in love with "the mark."
reviewed The Wings of the Dove on + 366 more book reviews
A passionate romance set in London and Venice at the turn of the 20th century
reviewed The Wings of the Dove on + 10 more book reviews
For fans of turn of the century American culture, Henry James never lets you down. Illustrative, well crafted stories, combining American & European influences. A beautiful book.
reviewed The Wings of the Dove on + 59 more book reviews
The nationwide revival of interest in the writings of Henry James has created the demand for this new, popular-priced edition of The Wings of the Dove. Considered by its author the most ambitious, by his critics the most perceptive and by his ever-growing circle of devotees his most highly sustained novel, it is given a distinguished place in the Modern Library series beside five of his widely read works: The Portrait of a Lady, The Turn of the Screw and the Lesson of the Master, Washington Square, and The Short Stories of Henry James.
PIZZELLEBFS avatar reviewed The Wings of the Dove on + 331 more book reviews
From Amazon:

Dove is a classic example of Henry James's morality tales that play off the naiveté of an American protagonist abroad. In early-20th-century London, Kate Croy and Merton Densher are engaged in a passionate, clandestine love affair. Croy is desperately in love with Densher, who has all the qualities of a potentially excellent husband: he's handsome, witty, and idealistic--the one thing he lacks is money, which ultimately renders him unsuitable as a mate. By chance, Croy befriends a young American heiress, Milly Theale. When Croy discovers that Theale suffers from a mysterious and fatal malady, she hatches a plan that can give all three characters something that they want--at a price. Croy and Densher plan to accompany the young woman to Venice where Densher, according to Croy's design, will seduce the ailing heiress. The two hope that Theale will find love and happiness in her last days and--when she dies--will leave her fortune to Densher, so that he and Croy can live happily ever after. The scheme that at first develops as planned begins to founder when Theale discovers the pair's true motives shortly before her death. Densher struggles with unanticipated feelings of love for his new paramour, and his guilt may obstruct his ability to avail himself of Theale's gift. James deftly navigates the complexities and irony of such moral treachery in this stirring novel.