Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Portrait of a Lady

By: Henry James
Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £30.99

Buy Now for £30.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

The Portrait of a Lady tells the compelling and ultimately tragic tale of a beautiful young American woman's encounter with European sophistication. Set principally in England and Italy, the story follows Isabel Archer's fortunes as a variety of admirers vie for her hand. Her choice will be crucial, and she is not wanting for advice, whether from the generous-spirited Ralph Touchett or the charming Madame Merle.

The Portrait of a Lady was an immediate success upon publication; it remains the most popular of James' longer works and is generally regarded as the masterpiece of his early period.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

Public Domain (P)2016 Naxos AudioBooks
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Golden Bowl cover art
The Siege of London cover art
Roderick Hudson cover art
The Wings of the Dove cover art
Daniel Deronda cover art
Middlemarch cover art
The Beast in the Jungle cover art
Daisy Miller cover art
The Bostonians cover art
Mansfield Park cover art
The Ambassadors cover art
Sense and Sensibility cover art
Persuasion cover art
Northanger Abbey cover art
Emma [Naxos Edition] cover art
Mrs. Dalloway cover art

What listeners say about The Portrait of a Lady

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    121
  • 4 Stars
    43
  • 3 Stars
    23
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    4
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    142
  • 4 Stars
    18
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    3
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    95
  • 4 Stars
    41
  • 3 Stars
    21
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    3

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

A class ic English novel read superlatively well. it's easy to get lost reading Henry James' prose but Juliet Stephenson makes it so comprehensible. A most enjoyable listen.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

gripping novel

wonderful narration - Juliet Stevenson at her best. the characterisation and storyline henry james at his finest . I would strongly recommend .

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A test of determination

I really wanted to like this book given its acclaim as a classic, but all I can say is, buy the abridged version if it’s available. Despite the superb narration of Juliet Stevenson (as usual) so much of this book is dull and dry, full of vague dialogue where no one seems to say exactly what they are thinking. The last quarter is much more interesting but only sheer determination got me through to the end. I enjoy reading classic novels, but unlike Dickens and Austen who infuse their stories with warm vibrant characters and subtle humour, this felt more like a lecture delivered under the thin veneer of a narrative. None of the characters are particularly likeable - Isabelle at best is frustrating (I just wanted to shake her); the reptilian, manipulating Gilbert hateful. The up-in-the-air ending has left me feeling little more than irritated.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

wonderful

thank you. a variety of impersonations used, lovely intonation which matches the text. special listen!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

well written . dull

Very well written. Excellent narration. Long dull repetitive tale. Miserable theme, wretched futility of the privileged in emotionally stunted and stifled times. Ultimately unrewarding.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Juliet Stevenson

Juliet Stevenson read this novel with magical skill. Everything she reads is brilliantly done.
The novel is one of the great 19th-century novels and deserved a fine reading. I recommend also her reading of the novels of Virginia Woolf.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

28 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Ok

this was very long winded story. it was a bit off at times to. sorry.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Disappointing

An ambiguous ending, how dissatisfying. Rest of the novel is good although slightly unbelievable in parts. I adore juliet Stevensons narration usually but her French accent for pansy grated after a while. Altogether a disappointing read in the end, especially with such a long novel.... an unsatisfying conclusion.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Narrator

I would never be so audacious as to review Henry James but feel compelled to say that Juliet Stevenson is superb as narrator! Her American accent is not only faultless, she manages to use the particular accent of 1900 America. Wonderful!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Hard going

Although Juliet Stevenson reads this beautifully, I could not in honesty say it held my attention. A classic it may be, but I found it achingly slow to develop and disappointing. The plot staggered along and seemed very predictable. Suspecting the ending, I researched in the Oxford Companion and confirmed my thoughts. Didn’t finish the book I am afraid to admit. Such a pity as I am sure that from a literary point of view it’s a masterpiece.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

17 people found this helpful