The Spoils of Poynton (Classics)
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Product Description
Product Description
Mrs Gereth is convinced that Fleda Vetch would make the perfect daughter-in-law. Only the dreamy, highly-strung young woman can genuinely appreciate, and perhaps eventually share, Mrs Gereth's passion for her 'things' - the antique treasures she has amassed at Poynton Park in the south of England. Owen Gereth, however, has inconveniently become engaged to the uncultured Mona Brigstock. As a dramatic family quarrel unfolds, the hesitating Fleda is drawn in, yet she remains reluctant to captivate Owen, who seems as attracted to her as she is to him. Is she motivated by scruple or fear? In The Spoils of Poynton (1897), Henry James created a work of exquisite ambiguity in his depiction of three women fighting for the allegiance of one weak-willed man.
About the Author
Henry James (1843-1916) was born in New York and settled in Europe in 1875. He was a regular contributor of reviews, critical essays, and short stories to American periodicals. He is best known for his many novels of American and European character.
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First Sentence
Mrs. GERETH had said she would go with the rest to church, but suddenly it seemed to her she shouldn't be able to wait even till church-time for relief: breakfast was at Waterbath a punctual meal and she had still nearly an hour on her hands. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Mrs. GERETH had said she would go with the rest to church, but suddenly it seemed to her she shouldn't be able to wait even till church-time for relief: breakfast was at Waterbath a punctual meal and she had still nearly an hour on her hands. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
How easy can it be for a son to tell his mother she has gone too far with her daughter in law? Who is the son supposed to believe? His mother or his wife? This a common problem, everyone may be confronted to this, but still a dilemma which stems from a problem about furniture is not exactly a real problem between mothers and sons - and yet it is in this novel and anger, jealousy are very well put. Very Jamesian.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
7 reviews
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
A beautifully made parable
17 May 1998
Format:Paperback
Fleda is gifted with sensitivity to beauty. She finds it in the "things" her friend Mrs. Gereth has spent a lifetime collecting and in Mrs. Gereth's son, Owen. If Fleda acted with even a touch of cunning -- or just acted, period -- she could possess both. James gives her many opportunities, but, for some maddening reason, she won't seize them. Why? James is at his enigmatic best in this tightly plotted tale written after his experiences as a playwright led him to show more and tell the reader less.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Spoils quite a Prize!
24 Sep 1997
Format:Paperback
Henry James' Spoils of Poynton is a jewel--quite a prize indeed. His shorter fiction and essays are among his most balanced efforts. He's a writer who is constantly obsessed with polishing his work. And the larger the piece the more cumbersome and tedious that polishing often becomes for him. This small work with few of the devisive distraction that seem to haunt his major projects, contains some his crispest and most telling dialogue. And you may feel in certain succinct instances that you have somehow entered profoundly into the pysche of that character for a moment Here, at least on those rare occasions, James' subtlety and charm counterbalance his observation of human cruelty with all the poise the author may have wished..
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Nice piece of 1890s James
23 Jun 2005
Format:Paperback
Negative reviews of this small gem baffle me. The writing is so refined that in the best passages slide forth in a leisurely, ambling brilliance. Fleda Vetch, who dreams away the chance of marriage and ruins both her own and her loved one's prospects, in her indecision and her vanity, has a great Jamesian fineness and clearness. The dialogue is crisp and witty. The possessive, acute Mrs Gereth a wonderfully large creation; and the ending a satisfying moment of justice after a bitter climax. Recommended.
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