Book – The last of the Valerii

Book – The last of the Valerii 

Author: Henry James 

Score: 8/10 

Year: 1874 for the tale, 2008 for the book. 

Publisher: Gallimard 

ISBN 978-2-07-034697-4

Pages 145 (novel starts at p.23, preceded by a forward and notes on the text (in french). 

Language: bilingual edition French and English (original)

18th book in my goodreads challenge for this year, James' last of the Valerii is a very fast read as it's short (only 61 pages as my edition's bilingual) and that its pace flows very quickly and beautifully. 

I love that there is a very apparent deliberate choice in wording and phrasing, often quite poetic and never uses the same expression to express the same action, thought or description.

The unnamed narrator is evidently a painter, living in Rome, where his god-daughter Martha presents to him her fiancé, the Count Valerio. 

Throughout this short story, first published in 1874, the narrator describes his own musings as well as his discussions with his god-daughter, the Count and another character which comes in later as the story progresses. James explores the topic of transatlantic marriage - the new countess is American, as his her painter god-father - a topic often visited in the 1870's. He further adds the topic of inter-faith marriage, through this couple of a Protestant woman who offers to convert to Catholicisme of the Counts, who refuses it as he feels he's a bad Catholic, and we indeed learn how and why after a stunning discovery on his estate, and references to Pagan beliefs.  

Noted two more topics and several interesting symbolic elements, which I let the reader discover in this overall pleasant and fast to read tale.