Washington Square cover art

Washington Square

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Try for £0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Washington Square

By: Henry James
Narrated by: Donna Barkman
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £14.99

Buy Now for £14.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

This novel tells the story of Catherine Sloper, the plain, obedient daughter of the widowed, well-to-do Dr. August Sloper of Washington Square. When a handsome, reckless man-about-town proposes to Catherine, her father forbids the marriage because he believes the man to be after Catherine's fortune and future inheritance. The conflict between father, daughter, and suitor provokes consequences in the lives of all three that make this story one of James's most piercingly memorable.

James is the acknowledged master of the psychological novel. The power of his prose and the skill with which he marshals small details to accomplish his purpose, sustains the listener's attention.

Public Domain (P)1983 Jimcin Recordings
Classics Literary Fiction Young Adult Fiction
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Tragic Muse cover art
New Grub St cover art
The Spoils of Poynton cover art
Lady Chatterley's Lover cover art
The American cover art
The Bostonians cover art
Daisy Miller cover art
The Golden Bowl cover art
The Aspern Papers cover art
The Wings of the Dove cover art
The Europeans cover art
The Portrait of a Lady cover art
Train Station Bride: Prairie Romance cover art
The Ambassadors cover art
Persuasion (Seasons Edition: Summer) cover art
Jane Austen's Greatest Novels cover art

Editor reviews

Considered an "unhappy accident" by its author, the august Henry James, the novel Washington Square is nonetheless one of the perennial favorites of James’ fans. Performed here by the sensitive and mature Donna Barkman, herself a noted author of literary fiction, Washington Square is a tragicomedy about a young woman’s choice between her father and her unapproved fiancée.

Set mainly in a wealthy household in lower Manhattan in the late 19th century, the novel follows "poor Catherine" Sloper through a tour of Europe in her youth and back to New York in her middle age. Richly detailed and elegant, the novel is also an inquiry into the human heart.

Critic reviews

"Though it has a far less complex plot than many other James novels, Washington Square still remains a classic psychological study of a rich family in the throes of conflict, a clash of wills over a daughter's desire to marry an apparent fortune hunter. Donna Barkman's reading of the story is excellent; she at once captures the whole brooding nature of the book and brings an added feeling of realism to its characters. An interesting study in values that ultimately pits romantic dreams against reality." ( Booklist)

What listeners say about Washington Square

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 0 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    0
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 0 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    0
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.