Read this when
Washington Square
Her dad thought she was dull. Her fiancé wanted the money. She said no to both of them and picked up her embroidery. Queen behaviour. 🧵
Who it's for
Catherine is shy, plain and loyal, and her brilliant father never stops seeing her as dull; readers with a critical, clever parent may recognise that gaze and feel understood.
Feelings it meets
What it is
Henry James's 1880 novel follows Catherine Sloper, a plain, shy young woman in mid-19th-century New York, and her wealthy, clever physician father, Dr. Austin Sloper. When the charming but penniless Morris Townsend courts her, her father suspects he is after her inheritance and threatens to disinherit her, taking her to Europe to separate them.
Where to find it
Public domain in the US (1880, English); free on Project Gutenberg and Standard Ebooks, with free LibriVox recordings. In print and in libraries (Libby/Hoopla); commercial audiobooks exist.
Before you start
Heads up: Emotional cruelty from a parent.
Age: Ages 14+
O Beauty, find thyself in love, not in the flattery of thy mirror.Rabindranath Tagore, Stray Birds, no. 28
