The Heiress

By Ruth Goetz and Augustus Goetz

Book Overview

Catherine Sloper, a shy young girl from a rich family, falls desperately in love with a dashing young fortune hunter. When he proposes to her for financial gain, Catherine naively accepts, none the wiser. Though Catherine's father sees through the scheme, his daughter will not be convinced. When the truth does come to light, Catherine finds within herself a quiet strength that alters the course of her life. Revived on Broadway on multiple occasions, The Heiress is a story of love, betrayal and a coming of age for a young woman in the 1850s.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0822205114
• ISBN13: 9780822205111
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: Samuel French Ltd
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 0.26 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 5.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

I love the numerous layers James uses to stimulate thought.

I am in the play presently and I play the main part Catherine, a girl of many personalities. The painfully shy insecure one around her father, the lover with her doting admirer, Morris, and the friend with her dear, sweet and hopelessly romantic Aunt Penniman. The various emotions and hidden meanings create a fascinating play with little bit of everything skillfully arranged in a captivating story.

A lovely play

James' "Washington Square" provides the basis for this adaptation of his novella. The story of Catherine Sloper and her romance with Morris Townsend provides not only good drama and well-crafted theatricality, but also paints a picture of a romantic love that is virtually unattainable in reality. Such notable actresses as Wendy Hiller, Beatrice Straight, Jane Alexander, Olivia de Havilland, and Cherry Jones have all played the role of Catherine. This is a marvelous example of the type of well-made made play that graced the Broadway stage fifty years ago.