Couldn't get past the terrible American accents.

What did you like best about The Portrait of a Lady? What did you like least?

I didn't finish listening to this audiobook because Ms. Stevenson's American accent was terrible. I loved her reading of Middlemarch, but she really dropped the ball on The Portrait of a Lady. The characters sounded stiff and two dimensional and overall, the quality of the reading distracted from the story.

22 people found this helpful

Narrator missed main character voice

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Said that Juliet Stevenson is one of my favorite narrator, she made sound the heroin, Isabel Archer, like an idiot.Forgive me Juilet I truly love you but a young American doesn't have to sound idiotic, she supposed to be very smart.

21 people found this helpful

Real Deep

If you could sum up The Portrait of a Lady in three words, what would they be?

personal, deep, real

What other book might you compare The Portrait of a Lady to and why?

Portrait of a Lady is so singular that I would be hard pressed to find a comparison, but I suppose "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë comes closest because they both feature strong, independent women. Portrait of a Lady is groundbreaking in its realism, pulling away from the romanticism of Jane Eyre.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I enjoyed the dialogue both exterior and interior the most. It sounded fresh and real like people today. I could not believe what I was hearing. Isabel Archer's thoughts were my thoughts. I felt like she spoke to and for me. How Henry James got into the mind of this female character amazed me. She is among the most complex women in English literature.

Any additional comments?

Do not put off reading this for four years like I did. Read it now. You will be rewarded with one of the richest and most nourishing novels in the English language. I can see why James' masterpiece was voted high as one of the hundred greatest novels of all time.

10 people found this helpful

Love Juliet Stevenson, but she has a terrible ear

What did you love best about The Portrait of a Lady?

not sure I loved it but there are flighs of language that are deeply wonderful

What other book might you compare The Portrait of a Lady to and why?

I think it is Diceknsian while trying to be Whartonian. James is in his own way all the time--loving his own cleverness. it's like French cooking--take some meat, do omething to it, then do something else to that and then do something alse to it it all

Would you listen to another book narrated by Juliet Stevenson?

Perhaps, but not one where she impersonated Americans. She and/or the director seem to have a very narrow view of us. Her young bright girls sound like middle aged matrons, vocally, her Isabelle sounded half-witted and breathy, Ms. Stackpole a screeching bourgeoise twice her intended age. her Englishmen did not have much to distinguish among them. Im a third-generation New Yorker, well acquainted with the different ways we can all sound and sadly she never came close. Even the odious Gilbert had less personality than described for him.and Pansy-! surely an Englishwoman can do a better French accentnnn.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Couldn't

Any additional comments?

Still finishing it. So tragic.

9 people found this helpful

Packs a punch

Listening to this story after an absence of forty years serves to teach me that views change over time. Today, I see Balzac with the presence of money in relationships. James weaves a long story and then out of nowhere there is a slap to the face. The narrator successfully brings all this to life.

2 people found this helpful

Hypnotic, Romantic, Challenging

Henry James is not an easy read, let's just get that out of the way. He was an incredibly verbose, detailed writer, the likes of which we do not see in modern writing. I found his storytelling incredibly hypnotic and beautiful - but yes, it does try one's patience. Read this book if you want to give your brain a workout and improve your focus and ability to concentrate. It's very good for that, and I truly mean it. But do not read this book if you want a very plot-driven, quick read, because the plot really does take a very long time to play out and even the end is slightly abrupt, in my view. This book, like all of James' novels, is a commitment, but you will be very enriched for having read it. Personally, I preferred The Wings of the Dove because the plot - also very slow to begin and to play out - was more interesting to me, but Portrait is a fine novel as well and reading Henry James is good for the brain and the soul. I see other reviews here, complaining of the narrator's American accents, and while this did not bother me personally, yes, they are a bit theatrical but I would listen to Juliet Stephenson read a grocery list, honestly.

5 people found this helpful

Good read but slow start

The characters are nicely developed. Great book. The story in itself takes some time to develop but that ending. Wow

2 people found this helpful

Narrator is very problematic

I love this novel, but the problems with this narrator made it unreadable/inaudible. The main problem was that she made the main character, Isabel Archer sound so idiotic and like a 9 year-old girl. In addition, her American accents were all wrong with every one of the American characters. Her narration of the descriptions were just fine, but there is so much dialogue in this novel. These narrated voices were so irritating that I had to buy another book with a different narrator.

I so wish that when Audible allows the reader to listen to a sample, the sample would include the narrator’s voices for a few of the characters. Almost every sample provided only provide the narrator’s description. Had I heard her version of any of the characters, I would now have bought this particular audio book.

4 people found this helpful

So much detail...

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Henry James is so verbose in his descriptions of...everything. From the clothes the characters wear to the tiniest inflections in their voices, there is a back story to every minute aspect of each characters life. I listened and listened and listened, thinking there would be some explosive climax, but alas the pinnacle of the story is barely a blip. I guess my disappointment in that taints my view of this book as completely boring and a waste of time. When it was written, I'm sure there was nothing else to do and the story might be considered quite torrid. I tried watching the movie also, and that was even worse.

What could Henry James have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Get to the point more quickly.

Which scene was your favorite?

The opening scene when Isabel Archer appears to Ralph and Lord Warburton for the first time. The story held such promise then.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

I saw the movie and would not see it again, nor recommend it.

Any additional comments?

Juliet Stevenson is very good as the narrator.

1 person found this helpful

Juliet Stevenson is wonderful

I love Juliet Stevenson as an actress on the screen, and her voice is perfect for this novel. The story was hard for me to get into at first, but once I did, I was hooked. If you like Jane Austen, the Brontë sisters, etc., but want something a little grittier; this is a great choice- A classic that was new to me.