The American

“What a wholly delightful book! All the themes that are to dominate James’s work are already there—the clash of innocence and experience, the exquisite moral sensibility, the comedy of circumstance—but deployed with an unassuming wit, humor, and lightness of touch that recalls Jane Austen. A Henry James not yet aware of the importance of being Henry James is a charming spectacle indeed.” — The Weekly (Seattle)

The American (1877) was written in Paris and is filled with scenes of Parisian lif...