3 Review(s)

The Golden Bowl is a book written by Sir Henry James in 1904, the novel is written in an interesting way and consists of amazing characters. The "primary period" of James's career, which some reviewers have regarded as being set in England, comes to an end with this nuanced, in-depth analysis of marriage and adultery. The Golden Bowl explores the complicated relationships between a father, a daughter, and each of their husbands. Nearly all of the book is devoted to exploring the major characters' consciousness, which is done with sometimes-obsessive detail but sometimes with perceptive impact. Prince Amerigo is in London for his marriage to Maggie Verver, the only child of the fabulously wealthy Adam Verver. He runs across Charlotte Stant again, another young American who was formerly his mistress while he lived in Rome. Adam and Charlotte Verver are on their way to the United States when the book concludes. The phrase "if ever the silver string be loosed, or the golden bowl is broken" appears in Ecclesiastes 12 and serves as the title. Author Colm Toibin called it Henry James's best work. The Modern Library ranked it 32nd on its list of the 100 best novels.