The Portrait of a Lady

Money won't solve all of your problems. Just ask Isabel Archer.
Though Henry James first wrote The Portrait of a Lady in the 1880s, its themes of freedom vs. destiny, the clash of American and European culture and the trapdoor of material wealth still resonate today. The novel's heroine is Isabel Archer, a young American fiercely committed to her independence — so much so that she rejects marriage, turning down the hand of Caspar Goodwood despite her attraction to him. After her father dies, she accompanies her aunt to England and charms her relatives at their Gardencourt estate, especially her cousin, Ralph Touchett. In short order, she rejects another marriage proposal, this time from Lord Warburton. Ironically, after she inherits a large sum of money from her uncle — a legacy that guarantees her self-sufficiency — she winds up trapped in a loveless marriage to a man who detests her independent spirit.

Although the novel is not in first person, it seems fitting that a woman narrates the audiobook — almost as if Isabel authors her own story. Veteran actress Elizabeth McGovern (Ragtime, Ordinary People) captures her wide-eyed innocence upon her arrival in England, as well as her deep sadness and resignation after her marriage. Her reading of the final scene between Isabel and Caspar borders on hysterical, perfectly conveying the terrifying passion Isabel feels, making the resolution more noble than tragic — precisely how Isabel would have told it.