15 h 14 minAudiobook13 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if your fortune opens every door except the one that leads to love?
Christopher Newman comes to Paris with money, good humor and a clear wish: to enjoy the best life offers. Art and travel matter, but above all he wants a wife. In Henry James's The American, this generous, self-made businessman meets Claire de Cintré, a quiet young widow whose noble family measures worth by something other than wealth.
Claire is bound by duty to her mother and elder brother, who guard the Bellegarde name above all else. Her witty younger brother, Valentin, becomes Newman's close friend. As Newman pursues Claire, his faith in fairness meets a world of rank and restraint. A comedy of manners grows darker, asking what love can withstand when family pride stands in its way.
What you’ll discover
- A hero worth trusting Meet a man whose openness and generosity leave him unprepared for closed doors.
- Love under watchful eyes Follow Newman's patient courtship of Claire, whose quiet grace seems to hide pain.
- Paris beyond the paintings Begin in the Louvre, where a purchase brings Newman face to face with ambition.
- Two worlds weighing each other Watch American self-belief meet French aristocrats who place family rank above personal achievement.
- Honor beyond a family name Consider whether honor lies in inherited standing or in keeping your word and dealing fairly.
Who will love it
For readers who love thoughtful love stories, clashes of cultures and a hero worth caring about. It is also a gentle first step into Henry James.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A rich American wants the best
- Newman buys a painting and a lesson
- The Tristrams offer an introduction
- Valentin de Bellegarde becomes a friend
- Newman asks, and the family weighs him
- Two civilizations weigh each other
- Money, honor and what a person is worth
- A comedy that grows darker
- What to watch as the walls close in
Who’s who
- Christopher NewmanA wealthy, generous American businessman who comes to Europe to find the best life offers, including a wife, and trusts others to be as fair as he is.
- Claire de CintréA gracious young widow from an old French noble family, quiet and restrained, who is bound by duty to her mother and brother.
- Valentin de BellegardeClaire's witty, warm younger brother, who becomes Newman's close friend and wishes he could live as freely as the American does.
- Madame de BellegardeThe proud, cold Marquise, mother of Claire and Valentin, who guards the family name and rank above all else.
- Urbain de BellegardeThe elder brother and Marquis, stiff and formal, who shares his mother's pride and doubts that Newman can ever be an equal.
- Mrs. TristramNewman's clever, ironic friend in Paris, an American wife who arranges his introduction to Claire and watches the result with unease.
- Noémie NiocheA young Paris copyist with sharp eyes and large ambitions, who sees in Newman's money a way to rise.
- Mrs. BreadAn elderly English servant in the Bellegarde household, who is loyal, watchful and seems to know more than she says.
Formats and delivery
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- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 15 h 14 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 13 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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The American
by Henry James · 1877
Christopher Newman comes to Paris seeking a wife, but his fortune meets a family that values its name above all.
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From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 9
A rich American wants the best
The story opens in Paris, in the Louvre, where Christopher Newman sits on a sofa in the great gallery, tired from looking at pictures. He is tall and relaxed, with the manner of a man who has never been told that he does not belong. He comes from the American West and has made a fortune in business. He has also left that world behind in a way that says something about him.
Newman tells us, in his own plain way, that he once found himself in a hard struggle with a business rival. At the last moment he chose not to strike the blow that would have ruined the man. He did not feel noble about it. He simply felt that he was done with that kind of life. He sold up, and he set out for Europe.
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What is The American by Henry James about?
It follows Christopher Newman, a rich American who goes to Paris to find the best life can offer. He falls in love with Claire de Cintré and must face her proud, aristocratic family, who value their name above his fortune.
Who is Christopher Newman?
Newman is a self-made businessman from the American West who has retired from commerce and tours Europe. He is generous, honest and direct, and his plain manners and strong code of fairness set him apart from the French nobles he meets.
When was The American written and is it a true story?
Henry James published it in 1877. It is a work of fiction, not a true story, though it draws on James's own observations of Americans abroad and of old European society, which he knew well.
The author
Henry James
1843–1916 · American British novelist
Henry James was born in New York City in 1843. He settled in England in 1876 and became a British citizen in 1915. He wrote novels, stories, plays, and travel books. His works include Daisy Miller (1878), The Turn of the Screw (1898), and The Ambassadors (1903). He died in London in 1916.
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