The Europeans

This companion to THE AMERICAN, though half as long and complex, pleases from first to last. Reading with an easy grace and cosmopolitan assurance, Eleanor Bron perfectly matches James's polished prose and urbane protagonists. Coming to Boston from Europe, Felix and his elder sister, the Baroness Eugenia, appear to mystify and dazzle their modest relations but really are perplexed by them. Bron's reading is alert with nuance. She alternates between energy and ennui as character or occasion dictates, voicing the characters lightly, in keeping with James's strong narrative control. In so doing, she mirrors perfectly both James's tense and ambiguous world, as well as his masterful control of that world. P.E.F. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

In Henry James's typical style, the characters of The Europeans, none of whom has much substance, and the details of their surroundings, which are the picture of bland, are exhaustively examined, while the plot, which could be handled in a single paragraph, receives about that much consideration. Lloyd James presents the story with exactly the same air of self-satisfied cleverness imparted by the text. His dramatic pauses, where the author can't get over his own powers of perception, parade the wit and wisdom of the wealthy about as accurately as they deserve. Lloyd James differentiates little among the characters, save for the one European cousin who appears to have a slight amount of depth. Dialogue from the others is presented in the same narrative style as the rest of the text. R.P.L. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine

Eugenia, an expatriated American whose marriage to a German prince has come undone, and her charming brother, Felix, are visiting relatives in the countryside near Boston. Their intent is to arrange a wealthy second marriage for Eugenia. O'Malley gives Henry James's classic a smooth, well-paced reading. develop their personalities and express their emotions. Most import-antly, all the satire of James's nineteenth-century study of the contrast in manners and morals between the wealthy of Europe and those of America comes across in O'Malley's performance. C.R.A. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Narrator Adam Sims expertly guides the listener through the complex relationships Henry James sets up when European cousins Eugenia and Felix come to America to meet their relations. Sims's soft cadence couples well with James's prose, and his vocal characterizations distinguish the characters clearly. He captures the European brother and sister especially well. Felix's delightful French accent and enthusiastic tone emphasize his apparent lightheartedness--he always sounds as if he is smiling. Eugenia's slight accent and offhand way of speaking make her sound not only false but also somewhat sinister. Sims creates a contrast between the Europeans and the earnest American characters. He navigates prose and dialogue with apparent ease, and his narration makes for a well-paced experience of the novel. D.M.W. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine