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The Turn of the Screw: A Horror Classic

by Henry James, Jr., Pauline Francis

3.42 · rating details · 15,061 ratings · 1,103 reviews

"The Turn of the Screw" is an intense psychological tale of terror. It begins in an old house on Christmas Eve. It is the story of a Governess who comes to live with and take care of two young children. The Governess loves her new position in charge of the young children, however she is soon disturbed when she begins to see ghosts.

Library Binding, 56 pages

Published by Skyview Books (first published 1898)

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May 13, 2010

Lady Danielle "The Book Huntress" rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: committed fans of gothic/classic horror, fans of Henry James

Shelves: classic-horror, ghost, gothic-fiction, short-story, kindle-book, evil-children, fear-of-isolation, psychological-horror

Reading this story was a lot like standing in line opening weekend for a blockbuster you waited a year to see, and being underwhelmed. I was disappointed. I've heard about this story as being one of the best ghost stories ever written. I was so excited to read it. So excited was I, I had to download it to my Kindle to read right away, even though I have this story in one of my paperback collections. I love psychological horror, but I don't think a good psychological horror novel should leave t...moreReading this story was a lot like standing in line opening weekend for a blockbuster you waited a year to see, and being underwhelmed. I was disappointed. I've heard about this story as being one of the best ghost stories ever written. I was so excited to read it. So excited was I, I had to download it to my Kindle to read right away, even though I have this story in one of my paperback collections. I love psychological horror, but I don't think a good psychological horror novel should leave the reader feeling as detached as I did with this story. I also felt that Mr. James spent so much time in writing a stylistically appealing story, using just the right turn of phrase to pretty up his narrative, that the story got lost in translation. I was surprised to realize that I had gotten to the end. I was like, "What?" After all the slow going, and slow build that never got anywhere, it was "wham!" Sigh! Not sure what to think of this one.

I will be honest and say I had trouble with this story. I had to work really hard to read it and not skim the words to move ahead. I really resist that when I'm reading. There is no point in reading a story if you don't understand the intent behind it. I like to read every word and take things in. On the downside, I like a pay off to my reading, especially if it's not a particularly easy story to read. But, this story was hard to decipher for hidden intent.

I saw some gems in it: the menace of two children who seemed like angels, but had a decidedly unangelic side. The governess who started to doubt her own reason and sanity, but was dead on in her understanding of what was going on. The apparitions that should have inspired dread in me, but somehow didn't. I spent time waiting to feel unease. It never got there.

Please don't misunderstand me. I love subtle horror. I prefer it. But the impact of the horror, the feel of the gothic has to be there. It has to be planted in one's mind so that the power of the threat, or its aftermath, is felt. I never felt the true impact with this story.

On the positive side, I felt that the psychological results of the 'demon children' on caregivers was translated pretty well. You could see the confusion and the distress that these beautiful, seemingly perfect children was having on the governess and the cook. It was interesting to see the governess have discussions with a child, that seemed incongruously adult. Discussions with an intellectual equal who will go for the jugular, so one has to be prepared for the worst. I felt that. At times, Miles did exude a menace that I wanted to feel. I felt the governess's anxiety at being in a situation that was beyond her control. Not sure that she was doing the right thing. And fearing for the safety of herself, those around her, and the children in her charge. But it was in a detached fashion. The power of horror is in bringing to light fears that we personally can identify with on some level, the more personal and visceral the better. If that barrier stays between the reader and the circumstance, then horror loses its ability to affect us.

I have to say that I will read my volume Ghost Stories by this author, and hope for the best. But, I won't be attempting any of his non-gothic works. Although he is a beautiful writer, there is not enough to engage on an emotional level, which is very important to me in my pleasure reading. My recommendation: If you are a person who is absolutely committed to a thorough immersion into gothic fiction/classic horror reading, you should read this. However, depending on your tastes in writing styles, if you are like myself in that you don't go for pretty writing with less substance, I wouldn't expect much from it. Although I wouldn't say I am the most sophisticated reader, I am sophisticated enough to realize that much enjoyment can be found in 19th century literature, but this story didn't deliver that for me.(less)

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Xavier Guillaume It's funny you think that the children are corrupted. What about when the governess thinks Flora is laughing at her, but Mrs. Grose sees she is crying...more
Oct 30, 2011 07:48am

Lady Danielle "The Book Huntress" Xavier, I think the interesting thing about this story and many ambiguous ghost stories is that we all see the differently. Some people might see m...more
Oct 30, 2011 08:13am

Nov 07, 2007

Kelly rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: brit lit fans, people who like psychological readings of texts

Shelves: fiction, victorian, 19th-century

Creepy. Twisty-turny. Ghosts. Weird kids. Unreliable, possibly insane narrator. Henry James, is there no genre that you will not poke your head into?

No, really. It's interesting though. On the surface, this story is perfect to curl up by the fire with on a cold winter's night. Which is exactly how the book is framed, by the way. As a story told in front of a fireside on a cold winter's night. It's short, it reads quickly, and is open to pretty much whatever you want to make of it. J...more

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Jan 26, 2012

Chiara Pagliochini rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: classici-inglesi

“Oh, sì, possiamo star qui sedute a guardarli, e loro possono darcela a bere sin che vogliono; ma persino quando fingono d’esser perduti nelle loro fiabe, sono sprofondati nella visione dei morti che ritornano.”

Ho letto questo romanzo per la prima volta tre o quattro anni fa e ora, con un esame di letteratura inglese alle porte (toc toc!), ho considerato opportuna una rilettura. Ed è straordinario che mi sorprenda e mi confonda ora come allora.

Cito dal retro-copertina,“u...more“Oh, sì, possiamo star qui sedute a guardarli, e loro possono darcela a bere sin che vogliono; ma persino quando fingono d’esser perduti nelle loro fiabe, sono sprofondati nella visione dei morti che ritornano.”

Ho letto questo romanzo per la prima volta tre o quattro anni fa e ora, con un esame di letteratura inglese alle porte (toc toc!), ho considerato opportuna una rilettura. Ed è straordinario che mi sorprenda e mi confonda ora come allora.

Cito dal retro-copertina,“un testo fondamentale della narrativa dell’ambiguità, racconto gotico di fantasmi e ardita esplorazione dell’inconscio, storia di fanciulli perversi o di vittime innocenti, allegoria del desiderio represso e inscenato delirio dell’immaginazione”. Trovo che sia una descrizione tanto azzeccata e articolata quanto contraddittoria in apparenza. Prima di tutto, viene da dirsi, una cosa o A oppure è B. O è una storia di fantasmi o non lo è. O i fanciulli sono innocenti oppure sono perversi. Ma il grande merito di Henry James sta in questo, ovvero nel fare in modo che la sua piccola storia sia tutte queste cose insieme, che non si risolva nel giro di centocinquanta pagine, ma anzi che non smetta mai di suscitare interrogativi.

Ricordo quando la lessi per la prima volta. Era estate, sono sicura, e leggevo al tavolinetto su in terrazza. Non riuscivo a staccarmi dalle pagine, volevo sapere, arrivare in fondo per capire quel che non stavo affatto capendo. Ricordo lo shock dell’ultima pagina, quando chiusi il libro e capii che non avevo capito niente. Non che ci fosse un colpo di scena, anzi: è proprio la mancanza di un colpo di scena a rendere questo romanzo in apparenza così insulso ed assurdo. Oppure è il suo piccolo tocco di genio.
Ma allora ero piccola, non avevo mai sentito parlare di Freud e non pensavo che sogni, malattie e paranoie sono soprattutto il prodotto di un nostro desiderio. Così un uomo può vedere i fantasmi, ma può anche desiderare di vedere fantasmi o può, addirittura, creare dei fantasmi. James lancia tutti gli ami con le domande e semplicemente non pesca risposte. Forse decidere spetta al lettore o forse tutte le possibilità possono sussistere nello stesso tempo.
Ricordo che Il giro di vite mi aveva colpito perché iniziava un po’ come una scena di Jane Eyre. Una giovane istitutrice viene assunta da un affascinante datore di lavoro per badare ai suoi due nipotini. E c’è una scena, in particolare, in cui questa istitutrice senza nome ricalca pienamente i passi di Jane. È sola, è il crepuscolo, sta facendo una passeggiata all’aperto. La sua immaginazione si dipana come una ragnatela ed ecco che desidera di incontrare qualcuno. Chi vuole incontrare è proprio il ricco signore che l’ha assunta, il nostro lontanissimo Mr Rochester, e immagina di vederlo là, a una svolta della via. Il momento dopo vede effettivamente qualcuno, ma non si tratta di Mr Rochester e nemmeno è a una svolta della via. È invece il fantasma di un uomo mai visto stagliato sulla cima di una torre.
Le apparizioni proseguiranno, il suo sgomento, il suo terrore si faranno più forti. Perché la nostra Jane sa – sa, anche se nessuno glielo ha detto; sa, anche se nessuno può confermarlo – che quel fantasma e un fantasma di donna sua compagna sono tornati sulla terra per torturare i due bambini. I due bambini, creature angeliche, deliziose, affettuose, intelligentissime che lei sola può difendere dagli influssi del male. I due bambini, che scoprirà – o supporrà o si inventerà – essere a loro volta delle creature cieche, corrotte, demoniache, creature che rispondono con gioia agli appelli dei fantasmi e che anzi vedono lei – lei, la nostra Jane! – come un abisso di perfidia.

È una storia molto tetra, che non potrà che evolvere in peggio. È la storia dell’impossibilità di comunicare quel che si sente e quel che si vede. È la storia dell’impossibilità di valutare la sincerità di chi abbiamo di fronte. È la storia dell’impossibilità di capire se quel che vediamo è vero oppure soltanto il frutto della nostra fantasia malata, perversa, costretta a vie ambigue e corrotte pur di togliersi di dosso i lacci di una scomoda repressione.
È una storia, anche, che si legge con un certo disagio, che non si dipana malleabile tra le dita del lettore, perché troppi elementi sfuggono alla sua comprensione e alla sua possibilità di verifica. I dialoghi, così confusi e bizzarri, parole che non dicono niente o vengono fraintese o restano in sospeso, private del loro potere di comunicazione. Le apparizioni, pennellate così rapidamente che non si capisce se accadano davvero. Il rapporto tra l’istitutrice e i suoi bambini, così affettuoso eppure così velato di sottointesi, di compromessi e forse in fondo scabroso, sbagliato, un altro gioco perverso.

Ecco, è una storia che mette a disagio, certo. Si può prendere il libro e scagliarlo con il muro dicendo, “che roba insulsa da sprecarci il tempo”. Oppure si può solo strappare l’ultima pagina con un moto di indignazione e poi restare lì a chiedersi, “ma perché?”.
Ed io ci sarà un motivo se sono rimasta.
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Jan 23, 2008

Steven rated it

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Shelves: 1001

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Ghost story novella from Henry James that took way too long for me to finally finish. Plot involves an unnamed narrator telling a story on Christmas Eve involving a governess in England. The governess is hired by a man who is the guardian of his niece (Flora) and nephew (Miles) after the death of their parents. The uncle is clearly not terribly involved in the well being of the children.

The governess is a bit apprehensive, especially when she finds out that little Miles has been...moreGhost story novella from Henry James that took way too long for me to finally finish. Plot involves an unnamed narrator telling a story on Christmas Eve involving a governess in England. The governess is hired by a man who is the guardian of his niece (Flora) and nephew (Miles) after the death of their parents. The uncle is clearly not terribly involved in the well being of the children.

The governess is a bit apprehensive, especially when she finds out that little Miles has been kicked out of school, but both the kids seem so very sweet and charming. Then the governess begins to see things, including a strange man in a tower and glaring at her through the dining room window. The governess is told that the strange man was the former valet, Peter Quint, who is now dead. Uh oh.

The governess becomes super protective, but the governess continues to see ghosts, including a woman dressed in black who is thought to be Miss Jessel, her predecessor who is also dead. More ghosts, or maybe just the kids and the housekeeper messing with governess, ensue as she becomes more and more on edge. The governess resolves to stay strong and not get the heck out of the house. Gradually, though, she thinks Quint and Jessel are using the children to continue their relationship beyond the grave. The governess keeps trying to convince others that the ghost is there and to take action and sadly, little Miles dies.

Of course, the best part of the entire novella is the whole unreliable narrator aspect. The governess is quite possibly mad and obviously the possibility that she is seeing all these ghosts because she is crazy makes the story much more interesting. Henry James is in many ways brilliant (this is my second James novel), but he is as hard to get through as anyone. The story is far from a page turner and although the unreliable narrator stuff is really good, it really does not frighten you the way that modern stories can. Even for gothic lit, I have read things that give me more of the creeps. A solid read though, just not really a quick one.
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Jul 07, 2007

Andrea rated it

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Henry James is tough and I find his text to be pretty convoluted. I have this "joke": the average letter count/word in this book is about 9. Of course, it's not, but I vaguely remember the need to read this book with a dictionary. That probably only makes me less educated.
It's also old, so the ghost story is not at all thrilling or causing a "page-turner" status. The same thing happens over and over again and it's "scary", all to arrive at an ambiguous climax ...more

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Nov 17, 2011

Kevin rated it

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This is one of those rare occasions that I wish I could modulate my ratings by half-stars; I can't decide if it's three or four. I want to say four because the story is still fresh on my mind this morning but I'm sure that will fade in time, so I'm (somewhat reluctantly) going with three.

I've been making a habit lately of trying not to learn anything about that which I'm going to read just so that I may keep from spoilerating or applying outside influence to my thought processes. I...moreThis is one of those rare occasions that I wish I could modulate my ratings by half-stars; I can't decide if it's three or four. I want to say four because the story is still fresh on my mind this morning but I'm sure that will fade in time, so I'm (somewhat reluctantly) going with three.

I've been making a habit lately of trying not to learn anything about that which I'm going to read just so that I may keep from spoilerating or applying outside influence to my thought processes. In looking at all sorts of information about turn-of-last-century ghost stories online I saw a mention of this one and so to my Kindle it went without any foreknowledge of the content.

The authors I've read most recently which I feel would be appropriate to compare to Henry James would be Ambrose Bierce and M. R. James, both of whom wrote at around the same time and of similar subject matter. M. R. James is a fast read to me, Bierce a little more slow. Henry James, though ... man. Check this example sentence out:

I felt, in a fierce rigor of confidence, that if I stood my ground a minute I should cease—for the time, at least—to have him to reckon with; and during the minute, accordingly, the thing was as human and hideous as a real interview: hideous just because it WAS human, as human as to have met alone, in the small hours, in a sleeping house, some enemy, some adventurer, some criminal.

Now I understand why Cormac McCarthy writes as he does - James already used up all the punctuation. I love to read fast, streaming along and devouring a book, and this prose tripped me up constantly. That, and the writing was deliberately vague on some points. I found it so vague that I was left wondering just how intentional it was, and how I was supposed to interpret the governess's thoughts and actions, and the credibility of her story. By the time I finished I had convinced myself that I knew absolutely nothing about what was going on - and then I went and read the Wikipedia article on this novella and found out that not only am I not alone but apparently it's a source of debate to this day.

So ... did I like it? I'm still not sure. The writing I found overly verbose, so stuffed that commas were leaking out left and right. The style was antiquated and opaque to the point of slowing me down and making me question what I'd just read. On paper (no pun intended) I guess I didn't like it, yet after I finished I went about my evening chores with a nagging feeling of dread, and I kept thinking about the governess and her interpretation of events, so obviously it made a big impression on me. I'm still chewing over it now.

Can't enthusiastically recommend it, couldn't possibly tell someone not to read it. I guess this leaves my review just as vague as the story itself.

[edited to clarify: I understand Henry James was still writing in a Gothic style and M. R. James was a leader of a new school of post-Gothic ghost stories, and maybe comparing the two is apples to oranges, but in my meager catalogue of "late 1800s / early 1900s ghost stories" they're close enough to warrant comparison](less)

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Oct 19, 2011

Diletta rated it

· review of another edition

Io sono oltremodo perplessa.
Sapevo che la fine di questo libro mi avrebbe lasciato coi miei simpatici interrogativi, ma sono fermamente convinta che mi sia sfuggito qualcosa, sommerso da tutte le ciance della protagonista, probabilmente.
Io adoro le storie di fantasmi, di ogni genere: non che Il giro di vite non mi sia piaciuto, ma penso che se da un lato l'idea sia estremamente buona, dall'altro il buon Henry James si sia un po' perso per strada. Mi spiego.
La protagonista v...moreIo sono oltremodo perplessa.
Sapevo che la fine di questo libro mi avrebbe lasciato coi miei simpatici interrogativi, ma sono fermamente convinta che mi sia sfuggito qualcosa, sommerso da tutte le ciance della protagonista, probabilmente.
Io adoro le storie di fantasmi, di ogni genere: non che Il giro di vite non mi sia piaciuto, ma penso che se da un lato l'idea sia estremamente buona, dall'altro il buon Henry James si sia un po' perso per strada. Mi spiego.
La protagonista viene assunta da un Mr Rochester approssimativo, totalmente indifferente a qualsiasi cosa che non sia il suo lavoro, come istitutrice dei suoi piccoli nipoti, che abitano in una bellissima villa a Bly. Qui conoscerà Miles e Flora, due bambini di nove e otto anni, (particolarmente irritanti nei modi quanto nell'aspetto) che sembrano nascondere un terribile segreto.
Ecco, qui dovrei fare particolar menzione del loro modo di parlare e ragionare. Non so voi, ma io non ho mai visto bambini di quell'età discorrere come filosofi esistenzialisti. E' una cosa impressionante, sul serio.
Quindi, in quanto a dialoghi, qui proprio non ci siamo, ma proprio per niente.
Ma veniamo ai fantasmi, il punto cruciale del racconto. Ci sono? Non ci sono? Non si sa. Probabilmente la narratrice è una pazza squilibrata, tutto porta il lettore in questa direzione, anche se comincia a tirare le somme solo verso la fine. Questo mi è sostanzialmente piaciuto, soprattutto per l'epoca di James è innegabile far notare quanto sia stato un fattore profondamente innovativo. E' come se dicesse: "Ecco qua, questo è il mio libro, ho messo diverse cose apparentemente a caso, adesso interpretatevelo un po' come vi pare."
Niente da dire, i miei rispetti.
E poi, bisogna spendere due parole anche su quell'essere indisponente di Miles. Cosa ha combinato in questo fantomatico college per essere stato espulso? Non si sa, o meglio, non se lo ricorda (e non voglio aprire una discussione anche su questo). E alla fine, proprio nell'ultima pagina...beh, forse non dovrei dirlo. Io odio gli spoiler, sia darne che riceverne. Ma chi ha letto il libro sa a cosa mi riferisco. E mi chiedo: perché? Ci deve essere senz'altro un significato metaforico sotto che mi è sfuggito perché sono una contadina ignorante e bifolca.

In conclusione, questo libro... sì, mi è piaciuto. Ma la narratrice della vicenda è davvero , ma davvero troppo prolissa e sconclusionata. Si perde troppo nei meandri del suo inconscio apprensivo e paranoico, e anche se questo dovrebbe piacere...non so, con me non è scattato. Periodi lunghissimi, mille subordinate, speculazioni campate per aria.
Do pertanto a questo libro un 3/5 , finché non riceverò un'illuminazione o un epiphany Joyciana.
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Aug 16, 2007

Jonathan rated it

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Shelves: personal-collection

Reading Henry James seems to be like swimming through a thick swamp. His verbosity is a double-edged sword. When it is appropriate, it can be beautifully descriptive; when it's not, it borders on pretention and is tedious. His language was my favorite thing about this book, but the story's ambiguity is also wonderful. I think it separates the cynical from the romantic. (Unfortunately, I side more with the cynic.)

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Oct 31, 2011

Simona Bartolotta rated it

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Shelves: classici

"Perché se egli era innocente, che ero io dunque?"

Romanzo breve senza capo né coda sotto tutti i punti di vista. Non vale neppure la pena di parlarne.

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Jan 17, 2009

Lavinia rated it

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Shelves: 2009, fiction

soundtrack: kate bush / the infant kiss

***

- for a ghost story, it's too introspective.
- if it's not a ghost story (though i was thrilled by the gothic atmosphere)and the governess is / becomes mad, why bother?
- i suspect H.J. wanted to play with the reader's mind. well he succeeded. for two or three times i just wanted to drop the book and start some serious reading :D
- miles and flora are too attached to each other, too cute, fair and perfect in the go...more

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Dec 20, 2011

Shovelmonkey1 rated it

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Recommends it for: ghost hunters and 1001 books readers

Recommended to Shovelmonkey1 by: 1001 books list

Shelves: 1001-books, bookcrossing-books, read-in-2011

Henry James uses The Turn of the Screw to highlight the fact that small children can be both sinister and scary!

In 1898, many authors were busily portraying children as sweetness and light (or not mentioning them at all); it was an age and a time when children were to be "seen and not heard". James instead plays on many peoples worst (although at that point possibly unrealised fears) and highlights the fact that as innocents they are succeptible and can easily be picked of...more

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Sep 22, 2010

Amalie rated it

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Shelves: mystery-horror, american-brit-fiction

Without a doubt 'The Turn of the Screw' is the most chilling and disturbing ghost story I’ve read. The first time I read it I could not comprehend it so put it down and then started to read again and it was than I began to grasp it and the third time was a chilling exciting marvel which still lingers somewhere in my brain.

It is well known that critics have debated whether 'The Turn of the Screw' is a ghost story or a psychological story of the governess's (story is told from her poin...more

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Feb 04, 2009

Laura rated it

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Shelves: ghost, horror, 19th-century-fiction

As most other reviewers have mentioned, Henry James' writing is extremely...dense. Sometimes while I was reading I had a vision of myself as a jungle explorer wielding a machete against the encroaching undergrowth, trying to find the path. Most of the time I enjoyed the challenge, but I have to admit that there were times I gave up on a particular sentence(s) and skipped ahead. Once you get past the style of writing, The Turn of the Screw is a story about...well, it's about "something"...more

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Dec 08, 2010

Mariel rated it

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Recommends it for: I died so I could haunt you

Recommended to Mariel by: opinions versus the sun

Shelves: babywecouldbefamous, moviesarebetterthanbooks, im-terrified, gaybuthotfortheirsister, the-neon-gas-gets-free, filmisgood

The Turn of the Screw takes place in multiple rooms in my brain. It hasn't taken up shop in my heart. It's a cold feeling, so the echo is made against stone walls that don't touch the rest of me. It's rare for a Henry James story to go there. If it does, it's in a "I hope that never happens to me" mental knee jerk way. I can't sort out how I feel about it because I'm caught up in the primordial longings. How the hell did they get there? I'm one to half convince myself it never happene...more

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Oct 23, 2011

Denae rated it

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Shelves: fiction-horror, 1851-to-1899, author-american, country-houses, precocious-kiddos, questionable-sanity, list-1001-2006-removed, questionable-motives

Forget cabins in remote wooded places or suspicious small towns; I am convinced that English country houses, particularly in cloudy areas, are the most dangerous places to live or visit. At best, you'll be robbed of something valuable. Maybe something you own will turn out to be cursed. Most likely you or someone else in the house will be brutally murdered. If you're lucky, that is. The characters in The Turn of the Screw do not get off so lightly. The book is narrated from the point of view of ...more

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Sep 08, 2010

Paquita Maria Sanchez rated it

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Shelves: literature

WORDS WORDS WORDS IS THE HOUSE HAUNTED WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS IS SHE CRAZY WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS ARE THEY ALL CRAZY WORDS WORDS WORDS NO IT MUST BE HAUNTED WORDS WORDS WORDS NO SHE MUST BE CRAZY WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS CRAZY WORDS SICKNESS WORDS WORDS WORDS DEATH THE END.

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Mar 16, 2009

Paul Dinger rated it

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This is a great what really happened story where the reader gets to play detective and discover what really happened. Is it ghosts or is the governess truly mad, the clues are afoot. James is a much better story writer than novelist, and this is very thought provoking.

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Dec 04, 2011

Donna rated it

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Shelves: classics, horror, –read-in-2011

My opinion of this one was probably hurt a little by the high expectations set by how often it's praised.

The language is dense but mostly readable. Some passages had me on the edge of my seat, others seemed too drawn out and convoluted. I like that the reader was left to judge the ending for themselves, but I do wish that the landing was a little softer, maybe with a return to the frame story that started us off.

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Dec 13, 2007

james rated it

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I would have given this four stars if it weren't for the ending. Maybe I was too tired to grasp exactly what he was trying to get at the end, so I guess I'll have to look it over again.

The first half is really good, then I feel it just doesn't pay off at the end. The tension, or the purported tension, just didn't do enough for me.

(For those of you who've read it, I found it rather interesting that the man who brought the story to the campfire would have been 10 years ol...more

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Jan 22, 2012

Artemisia rated it

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Giro di vite non è un romanzetto horror da quattro soldi. Certo, James non è Poe, ma oserei dire che non gli fu affatto da meno. Questo romanzo, a cui darei per esattezza 4 stellette e mezzo, è il racconto di alcune memorie: abbiamo una casa perennamente luminosa, inserita in un contesto tanto dolce quanto calmante. Una splendida campagna, non lontana da un laghetto. Alberi, luce, cose così. Ma una passeggiata, ad un tratto si trasforma nell'inizio della vera tragedia - quella tragedia che era s...more

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Dec 01, 2011

Hollyevans rated it

· review of another edition

This is a tricky one. This book is extremely difficult to pin down...so much so that it took me the guts of an hour to decide what rating I'd give it. As a psychological ghost story it succeeds in creating a sense of unease and mystery. But as a story in general, it poses far more questions than it answers leaving the reader confused and unsatisfied.
The main story revolves around a governess who is employed to keep watch over two young children, Flora and Miles, by their absent uncle. Give...more

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Aug 01, 2011

Janet added it · review of another edition

I’d wanted to read this for some time, and when I saw the BBC were doing an adaptation on 30 December, I raced to try to get it finished - and managed literally 3 minutes before the programme started!

First published in 1898, The Turn of the Screw tells of an unnamed governess who is engaged to look after two orphan children by their guardian uncle. He tells the governess that he wishes to have no input in their lives and that she must deal with anything that arises as she sees fit, without bothe...more

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Mar 19, 2009

Kevin Slater rated it

· review of another edition

I love Poe and since he only wrote 1 very little known novel I picked up Henry James Turn of the Screw. It is a book in the gothic tradition but I can't say I liked it as much as I hoped. There is a definite question on the sanity of the governess and the reality of the ghosts. It makes for a good tale and is sometimes interesting but I dunno, maybe I've seen too many modern horror movies but there was a lack of suspense or horror. That's not to suggest that Poe is any better at this, but wi...more

like 1 like

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Mar 16, 2009

Ben Loory rated it

· review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like 1 like

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Feb 06, 2012

shanties rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 800, anglo-america, gays-lesbians, ghosts, gothic, short-stories

The Jamesian Re-read #3

'A most wonderful, lurid, poisonous little tale'.
- Oscar Wilde.

(being not a proper comment, just notes to be read after the story).

I’ve always enjoyed the anecdote that inspired James to write this novella. On January the 10th, 1895, he was hosted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Edward White Benson, at Addington Park (the archbishopric country house since 1807). In front of the hearth, after tea, conversation turned to the ghost stories...more

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Jan 13, 2012

Kaph rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 1000-books

Let me just begin by saying, I wanted to like this book. I’d heard of it, knew the basic premise, and was really looking forward to reading it. I wasn’t even sure I *disliked* it until about a day after I finished it. I’m barely sure now. I think I’d give the play a chance. I could speculate as to the reasons I simply didn’t enjoy this book, and I will, but I think it all boils down to this; the author was American. An Anglophile to be sure, but American none the less. Americans are crap writers...moreLet me just begin by saying, I wanted to like this book. I’d heard of it, knew the basic premise, and was really looking forward to reading it. I wasn’t even sure I *disliked* it until about a day after I finished it. I’m barely sure now. I think I’d give the play a chance. I could speculate as to the reasons I simply didn’t enjoy this book, and I will, but I think it all boils down to this; the author was American. An Anglophile to be sure, but American none the less. Americans are crap writers. I make the odd exception, but in general it’s true. Incidentally the same rule applies to women, which puts my future career as a writer up against considerable odds. In fact, while I know of a few excellent American authors and at least one truly stupendous female author (See JS&MN) I cannot think of a single decent book written by a woman from the US of A. Well, I’ve got quite of bit of this list left to go. Perhaps, in time, I’ll find my role model.

But back to James and his dammed turning screw. The good news first. I thought the main character was beautifully written. James writes her so well I can only assume he must have been a bit dainty himself. It makes sense. Afterall, he went to live in Britain at that point in history where absolutely each and every moneyed man had given up on women completely. And who can blame them when fashion dictated a 27 layer petticoat matrix for a day at the seaside.

This isn’t going well. I tried to complement this book and ended up calling its author queer. Let’s try again. I liked the main character, which is to say, I found her amusing. She’s an odd mix of utter pragmatism and complete schizo. Her odd habit of suddenly ‘knowing’ thoughts and motivations of other characters are occasionally hilarious and add to the book’s ‘ghosts or crazy?’ hook.

Trouble is, there just isn’t enough of either. Especially ghosts. It doesn’t take much to give me the heebie jeebies but here, even with two full fledged apparitions popping up in all manner of places *and* with creepy children, I got nothing. I really don’t know how he messed this up but I might as well have been watching Supernanny for all the chills I got up my spine. This wasn’t really the deal breaker though. In fact, the effect was kind of interesting in that it added to the whole manner in which the nanny set about dealing with the problem; practically. A bit more scare would have been a cheap thrill, but at least it would have been one thrill more than I got out of this book.

The real problem I had with it is that it gives you nothing. I know this is kinda a classy thing to do in literature. You don’t want to explain too much so people will think your book is all deep and symbolic and shit, but holy crap, James, give me something! A few lurid details of the dead fuckers’ affair, the reason the boy got kicked out of school, what the point is behind haunting the children, anything! Lazy ass writer didn’t even close the framing device used to introduce the story. Why would you open with a faming device if you weren’t going to close with it and give the reader a bit of 3rd party reflexion? That really irritated me. I though at least I was going to figure out what happened to the nanny after the boy died on her. Oh, whoops! Did I give the ending away? Yes, yes I did. It is my small petty revenge on James. The boy dies for no reason whatsoever and then the book ends. So there.

If you liked this…

Well then you probably aren’t feeling too fond of me right now.

#13

Title The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
When December 2011
Why Found it at Half Price Books
Rating 2(less)

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Jan 05, 2012

Amy rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks, classics, horror, paranormal

I was pretty sure that I didn't care for Henry James because I could not stand The Portrait of a Lady. I may have to rethink Henry James because I thought The Turn of the Screw was great! I did listen to this book on audiobook, and it was excellently narrated, so that probably helped me through James' verbosity.

I know that I would not have liked this book 20 years ago, or even 10 years ago. That was before the time in which there were children in my life. There was more going o...more

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Jan 03, 2012

India rated it

· review of another edition

Recommended to India by: My teacher

This is a very wordy , most of the sentences have several clauses and it is sometimes hard to follow what is being said, because of this I think it fails as a ghost story. It isn't gripping and it if it wasn't required reading for a lit class I probably wouldn't have finished it. It does pick up towards the end but in general the plot is too convoluted to make this a good read.

I think my worst criticism is that this book didn't make me care. I didn't care about any of the characters...more

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Dec 28, 2011

Kristi rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 50-book-challenge-2011

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 25, 2011

Mrnotarides notarides rated it

· review of another edition

I have always avoided reading Henry James. I avoided him the way you avoid doing all those things you know have to do, but don't think you can. More than even Melville and Hawthorne, James is the most difficult, no that is the the wrong word, most complex of American authors on a syntatical level. In other words, James' sentences are long, very long and vocabulary will prepare one for the GRE. Out of sheer intellecual laziness, James has sat on my self for years. In a desire to start my new res...more

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“I take up my own pen again - the pen of all my old unforgettable efforts and sacred struggles. To myself - today - I need say no more. Large and full and high the future still opens. It is now indeed that I may do the work of my life. And I will.” — 4 people liked it

“He was there or was not there: not there if I didn't see him.” — 3 people liked it

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