Product Details
The Reverberator

The Reverberator
By Henry James

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Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #479073 in Books
  • Published on: 2008-05-08
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 144 pages

Customer Reviews

Innocents Abroad5
Chances are that if you have come across this review it is either by accident, or you were just browsing. I only found out about this book when I was going through a list of books written by Henry James, and then I had to do an internet search to find out what it was about.

The Dossons are staying in Paris and are often visited by their friend, Mr Flack. Mr Flack is a journalist and has just started to write for an American paper, 'The Reverberator'. Through this gentleman the Dossons are introduced to Mr Waterlow, an up and coming artist of the 'Impressionist Movement'. The Youngest Dosson, Francie sits for her portrait and at the studio meets Gaston Probert. Francie has turned down George Flack, but she won't do the same to Gaston.

Francie and George remain friends although she is engaged to Gaston. But what will Gaston's family make of her and the other Dossons? After all the Proberts are an old established family and the Dossons are most certainly new money, as well as American. Despite this and the Probert's snobbery everything is looking to be going on smoothly. That is until Francie talks to George. George wants to do a piece on Francie having her portrait done, and write about her forthcoming nuptials.

What 'The Reverberator' prints immediately causes scandal amongst the Proberts, who are sickened by the story which includes them; however, the Dossons don't seem to take quite the same view of the article. What is so shocking about the article? And more importantly, will the wedding still proceed?

What James has written is another story of a clash of cultures between the New and Old World, which he always seems to pull off so admirably. It seems that this story has somehow become overshadowed and forgotten to a certain degree, because it is very good. It most deservedly needs to be more in print, and attention brought to it.