The Bostonians is a novel by Henry James, first published as a serial in The Century Magazine in 1885-1886 and then as a book in 1886. This satire of the women’s rights movement in America is the story of the ravishing inspirational speaker Verena Tarrant and the bitter struggle between two distant cousins who seek to control her. Will the privileged Boston feminist Olive Chancellor succeed in turning her beloved ward into a celebrated activist and lifetime companion? Or will Basil Ransom, a conservative southern lawyer, steal Verena’s heart and remove her from the limelight? Excerpt: That has an unflattering sound for me, said the young man. I pretend not to prevaricate. Dear me, what's the good of being a Southerner P the lady asked. Olive told me to tell you she hoped you will stay to dinner. And if she said it, she does really hope it. She is willing to risk that.