The Golden Bowl

Set in England, The Golden Bowl is Henry James's highly charged exploration of adultery, jealousy, and possession that continues-and challenges-James's characteristic exploration of the battle between American innocence and European experience. Maggie Verver, a young American heiress, and her widowed father, Adam, lead a life of wealth and refinement in London. They are both getting married: Maggie to Prince Amerigo, an impoverished Italian aristocrat, and Adam to the beautiful but penniless Charlotte Stant. But both father and daughter are unaware that their new conquests share a secret-one for which all concerned must pay the price. This story completes what critics have called the "major phase" of James's career.