A London Life, and Other Tales
Laura Wing, a young American in London, watches with growing dread as her sister Selina’s marriage collapses into open scandal. Caught between loyalty and shame, unable to stop the ruin she sees coming, Laura learns how little an honest heart can do against selfishness and gossip. James surrounds the central novella with other tales of manners and moral pressure, all told with the shaded psychological detail that is his signature. The result is a study of innocence under strain, and of the social world that both shelters and traps his characters. First published in 1888. Free to download as a PDF or EPUB.
About the Author
Henry James was an American-British writer and a master of the psychological novel. Works such as The Portrait of a Lady, The Turn of the Screw, and The Ambassadors explore consciousness, society, and the clash between American and European life.
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