Lewis, R.W.B. The Jameses: a Family Narrative. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1991.
Having read Lewis’s biography of Edith Wharton I knew what to expect when reading about the Jameses. Lewis approaches his subjects with an air of authority and an eye on detail and The Jameses: a Family Narrative was no different. Lewis covers the James family from 18th century Ireland up to the death of novelist Henry James in 1916. It is an impressive cast of characters. At best I could relate to Henry James, Sr., a man who railed against any model of institutionalized or organized religion. He spent a better part of his life on a quest to understand God, spirituality, and redemption. At times I found the rest of the narrative drawn out and too expansive. I have to admit, I did not finish.
Favorite quotes: “With Burnet as his agent, James bought Syracuse for $30,000” (p 12). Imagine that.
BookLust Twist: From More Book Lust in the chapter, “Literary Lives: The Americans” (p 144).
~*LunaSea*~ 