The Master
by Colm Toibin
2003 / 338 pages
rating 4/contemp fiction

Imo, this is a fictionalized character-driven study of Henry James based on as many letters, diary entries, and other evidence as Toibin was able to find and sometimes the imaginings of other books and writers, notably Shelby Novick whose 1996 biography of James, “The Young Master” (1996), created quite a ruckus.

The first third or so makes for a good read, especially if the reader is familiar with the life and times of Henry James and his work. The over-arching tension seems to revolve around gaining insight into James’ sexuality – fascinating when the book came out (the same year as Author, Author” by David Lodge another novel about the sexuality of James). >>>>MORE>>>>