Daisy Miller is an 1878 novella that portrays the confused courtship of a beautiful American girl by Winterbourne, a compatriot of hers with much more sophistication. His pursuit of her is hampered by her own flirtatiousness, which is frowned upon by the other expatriates they meet in Switzerland and Italy. Daisy Miller was an immediate and widespread popular success for the author, Henry James, despite some overheated criticism that the story was "an outrage on American girlhood". If the Amazon.com sales ranks are any guide, the story continues to be one of James' most popular works, along with The Turn of the Screw and The Portrait of a Lady. Critics have generally praised the freshness and vigor of the storytelling, Despite changes in times and customs, the forthright if naive Daisy can still cast a spell on today's readers. The touches of humor help offset the pathos of the tale, and the supporting cast is vividly portrayed. While some may feel that James tries to overload a simple story with too many trappings of tragedy, few readers (or listeners) will be unaffected by Daisy's fate.

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