num_pages: 352
description: "Live all you can; it's a mistake not to," declares the primary "ambassador" of this 1903 novel, adding, "It doesn't so much matter what you do in particular, so long as you have your life. If you haven't had that, what have you had?"In this complex tale of self-discovery, Henry James invokes his favorite the clash of American innocence with European experience. It traces the path of an aging idealist, Lambert Strether, who arrives in Paris intending to persuade his young charge to abandon an obsession with a French woman and return home. Once abroad, however, Strether arrives at unexpected conclusions.Henry James regarded The Ambassadors as his finest work. Astute, humorous, and intelligent, this masterpiece from the pinnacle of the author's long and brilliant career remains ever vital.
language: English
title: The Ambassadors
titlecomplete: The Ambassadors
characters: Chadwick Newsome, Maria Gostrey, Waymarsh, Marie de Vionnet, Lambert Strether
genres: Fiction, France, American, Classic Literature, Literature, Classics, Novels, Historical Fiction, 20th Century, Literary Fiction
ratings_count: 12296
places: Paris, France
publisher: Dover Publications