My first Howells book.....and living in Maine, I assumed there would be a Maine connection since our northern-most county is Aroostook County - Potato territory. However, 'Aroostook' was merely the name of a sailing ship that played an important part in this tale of an orphaned young lady travelling from a small village in Massachusetts to join an aunt in Venice, Italy, booking trans-Atlantic passage as a guest on the Aroostook.....not a passenger vessel. She finds herself the only woman on board, which is in the eyes of society, as well as others on the ship, a rather awkward delicate situation. She is innocently unaware of the concern, and 2 young gentlemen, also traveling to Europe, along with the Captain, decide to provide her the necessary protection and comfort that a young lady should have. And as usually goes with novels, relationships blossom and ebb on the ship. 2/3 + of this story covers the ship's journey, and became very tedious for me, specifically due the fact the one gentleman is a complete ass in my opinion, and i just wanted him to go away.....but Howells had others plans. The final section was a much better ride for me covering her arrival with her rather eclectic social-climbing aunt and her English husband completely taken with everything 'American'. The necessary resolutions take place at the end, but the guy is still a jerk! Don't look for this to be exciting sea-faring adventure, because the journey was rather uneventful. I did, however, love my particular old volume with the detailed gold embossed cover with the ship and Venice across the top......I've got a bunch more of Howells and this will not necessarily dissuade me, but I'm also not chafing at the bit. ( )