Book description
'She found herself, for the first moment, looking at the mysterious
portrait through tears. Perhaps it was her tears that made it just
then so strange and fair ... the face of a young woman, all
splendidly drawn, down to the hands, and splendidly dressed ... And
she was dead, dead, dead'
Emerging from the grit and stigma of poverty to a life of fairytale
privilege under the wing of her aunt, the beautiful and financially
ambitious Kate Croy is already romantically involved with promising
journalist Merton Densher when they become acquainted with Milly
Theale, a New York socialite of immense wealth. Learning of Milly's
mortal illness and passionate attraction to Densher, Kate sets the
scene for a romantic betrayal intended to secure her lasting financial
security. As the dying Milly retreats within the carnival splendour of
a Venetian palazzo, becoming the frail hub of a predatory circle of
fortune-seekers, James unfolds a resonant, brooding tale of doomed
passion, betrayal, human resilience and remorse.
The Penguin English Library - 100 editions of the best fiction in
English, from the eighteenth century and the very first novels to the
beginning of the First World War.
