The Wings of the Dove

Kate Croy, a clever young Londoner with little money, is bound by love to Merton Densher, a penniless journalist. Meanwhile Milly Theale, a rich and gentle young American, arrives in Europe, alone and seriously ill, wanting to live fully. Kate sees a chance in this friendship and proposes a plan that draws all three into a web of kindness, calculation and secrecy. The scenes move from London to Venice. James explores money, desire and moral compromise in dense, late-style prose, and the novel is often counted among his greatest.