Finished: Washington Square (Henry). A book I couldn't put down! I picked this Henry James book because somewhere I read it was similar to de Balzac's Eugenie Grandet, which I loved. It didn't disappoint. I really enjoyed reading this book, even though I felt so sorry for the heroine, Catherine. She was a "plain and simple" girl and young lady, described much more callously by her own father, Dr. Sloper. When a handsome, very charming man, Morris, begins to court her, her father can only imagine he's after their wealth...especially when he wants to marry her. Of course, it ends up being true. :-( Even though Morris encourages Catherine to run away and marry him, when he finds out Dr. Sloper will cut off her money if she does, he balks. Meanwhile, Catherine doesn't care about the money, but she does care about disappointing her father. She ends up brokenhearted and as the years go by, becomes a respected citizen of the New York community....never marrying. After her father dies twenty years later, Morris, who never went out and made anything of himself, comes back wanting a second chance (more so wanting the money finally after all these years.) I'm so proud of her when she shows him the door! I enjoyed reading a good old-fashioned story...and for once it was set in the United States and not England or France. I didn't really mark any quotes. I had one I was going to include from early on which described the father's disappointment with his average-intelligence, plain-looking, non-charming daughter, but I just don't want to now, because I love how Catherine defied that description and persevered without compromising her own morals!  I will definitely read more from Henry James. :-)