The Outcry

In the grand halls of the British aristocracy, a quiet crisis is brewing. Widowed Lord Theign, burdened by his daughter Kitty's mounting gambling debts, prepares to do the unthinkable: sell his prized Sir Joshua Reynolds masterpiece, 'The Duchess of Waterbridge' - to the formidable American billionaire Breckenridge Bender.At the heart of the conflict are art critic Hugh Crimble, who believes that a nation's masterpieces are its soul, and Theign's other daughter, the spirited Lady Grace, torn between her conscience and her loyalty to her father.As the press fans the flames of indignation and a patriotic outcry begins to swell, Crimble uncovers a dusty, overlooked canvas in Theign's collection - a lost masterpiece by the enigmatic Mantovano. Can this single discovery change the fate of the family's legacy?A gem of Henry James's late period, The Outcry (originally conceived as a play) is a sharp, sophisticated comedy of manners about the value of heritage, the price of honour, and the enduring power of art. It is James at his most accessible and witty.