I wasn’t looking forward to reading this novel by Henry James, partly because I found the last one I read (Portrait of a Lady) rather depressing. After starting this book, however, I was unable to put it down! Set in the era of revolutions in the United States, it deals primarily with the suffragettes, after the Civil War. The story centres on three people: Basil Ransom, a gentleman from the South, Olive Chancellor, his ultra-feminist cousin in Boston, and Verena Terrant, her protegée, a beautiful young girl with a talent for public speaking. Needless to say, the Mississippian falls in love with the young girl, Verena, and most of the book details Basil and Olive’s competition for Verena’s loyalty.

For anyone who is tired of the glorification of the women’s lib movement, The Bostonians provides an amusing glance at the other side of the story: women who refuse to give men a chance. While Basil is portrayed as a little too far in the other direction – in his chivalry, he lets women inconvenience him greatly – he at least has a more realistic view of the world. He points out that suffering is the lot of mankind in general, and that we must simply make the best of it, while his cousin Olive is convinced that suffering is the lot only of women, and then only until they emancipate themselves. Basil strives to convince Verena that she is made for love, to give herself totally to another person rather than to a civil movement.

Ultimately, the story is a romantic comedy of the best kind. The characters are the kind that live forever and are found in every age; the setting is unique to the United States in the late 1800’s. Everything becomes the subject for gentle jesting: homeopathic remedies, southern chivalry, the short-haired lady doctor who is NOT a feminist, university students, political rallies, even selfless old women who give out Bibles. While the story doesn’t end on an entirely happy note, one is convinced by the end that Verena’s choice will give most of the people involved a happier life.