Daisy Miller

“Europe was perfectly sweet.  She was not disappointed—not a bit.  She had ever so many intimate friends that had been there ever so many times…”



Daisy Miller is considered by critics to be one of Henry James's most graceful achievements, and one of the finest short novels in the English language.


Daisy’s tale is a fascinating portrait of a wealthy, brashly confident young American woman as she audaciously challenges European society in Vevey, Switzerland, and in Rome, having fun, doing what pleases her, and leaving staid European society gasping in her wake.


The novella is written in two parts: the first, set in Vevey, Switzerland, a favorite resort location for travelers on the Grand Tour of Europe, next to Lake Geneva, and a stopover before taking the journey through the Alpine passes into Italy.  


The second is set in Rome, Italy, which was normally the stop before Naples and Pompeii for the Grand Tour sightseer.


First published in 1878, the novella brought American novelist Henry James (1843–1916), then living in London, his first international success. 




HENRY JAMES (1843-1916) was an American novelist, playwright, biographer and critic. He is considered one of the finest writers of his time, his masterworks including The American, The Turn of the Screw, Daisy Miller, The Portrait of a Lady, The Wings of the Dove, and The Aspern Papers.


  “Henry James’ Daisy Miller is one of the thousand novels everyone must read.”



—The Guardian


“Ultimately, Daisy is a proto-feminist character – American vigor and frank sexuality embodied in a headstrong, independent young woman.”



—Bruce LaBruce