Book # 92 - The Ambassadors by Henry James

The most positive thing that I can say about Henry James' The Ambassadors is that I liked it more than the last couple list books I've read (The Captive and To the Lighthouse). Still.... it isn't a book that I'd really recommend.

The book follows a man, Strether, as he goes to Europe in the hopes of talking his fiance's son, Chad, into returning to America. However he sees that the young man has been improved by living in Europe and the good influence of a woman that he has met there. Strether also begins to feel that he's wasted his life so far and that he would be better off in Europe also. So then he must decide if he should really try and convince Chad into returning or not and what effect this would have on his own engagement.

The book started out kind of interesting and established the main plot quickly, but then it just started to drag and go over the same stuff over and over. By the end I was pretty bored with it. Basically imagine the plot of The Talented Mr. Ripley but replace the sociopath with a well mannered widower. Yeah... that isn't quite as interesting now. I'll give it a B-.