The Ambassadors by Henry James
The novel centers around a middle-aged man named Lambert Strether who is sent from New England to Paris by a wealthy widow, Mrs. Newsome, to convince her wayward son, Chad, to return home. However, upon arriving in Europe, Strether is charmed by the sophisticated lifestyle Chad has adopted and finds himself questioning the puritanical values of his homeland. He also becomes entangled in romantic relationships and complex social dynamics, leading him to ultimately question his loyalty to Mrs. Newsome. The book explores themes of morality, identity, and the concept of the American versus European lifestyle.
The 210th greatest book of all time
- Published
- 1903
- Nationality
- American
- Type
- Fiction
- Pages
- 400-500
- Words
- 112,000
- Original Language
- English
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This book is on the following lists:
- 1st on One Hundred Best American Novels, 1770 to 1985 (The American Scholar)
- 4th on The 100 Greatest Novels (greatbooksguide.com)
- 7th on For The Love of Books (For The Love of Books)
- 18th on The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time (The Novel 100)
- 19th on The 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century (Folha de São Paulo)
- 23rd on 20th Century's Greatest Hits: 100 English-Language Books of Fiction (Larry McCaffery)
- 27th on The Modern Library | 100 Best Novels (Modern Library)
- 54th on In Which These Are the 100 Greatest Novels (ThisRecording.com)
- 92nd on Our Users' Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- 309th on The Complete 500: OCLC (OCLC)
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (The Book)
- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon (The Western Canon (Book) by Harold Bloom)
- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (The Guardian)
- One Hundred Best Books (1916) (John Cowper Powys)
- Masterpieces of World Literature (Frank N. Magill)
- As if You Don't Have Enough to Read, Fiction Edition (New York Times)
- The New Lifetime Reading Plan (The New Lifetime Reading Plan)