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54th out of 74 books
—
9 voters
The Turn of the Screw: And Other Stories
by
Henry James
A young governess is sent to a great country house to care for two orphaned children. At first Flora and Miles seem to be model pupils but gradually the governess begins to suspect that something is very wrong with them. As she sets out to uncover the corrupt secrets hidden in the house, she is increasingly convinced that something evil is watching her. Several other of He...more
Paperback, 256 pages
Published
July 1st 2008
by Random House UK
(first published 1898)
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The Turn of the Screw was originally published as a serialized novel in Collier's Weekly. Robert J. Collier, whose father had founded the magazine, had just become editor. At the time, James was already a well-known author, having already published The Europeans, Daisy Miller, Washington Square, and The Bostonians. Collier was hoping to increase his magazine's circulation and revenue and to improve its reputation by publishing the works of a serious, well-known author like James. James himself h...more
I have to say, you need patience to read Henry James. The man is a master of the clause and the prepositional phrase. If you are an English teacher forced to torture your students with diagramming sentences, James is your man. That being said, the stories are really quite subtle and sneakily brilliant. I kept thinking, OK, where is this going, Henry, and then we'd get there and I'd think: WOW. My favorites in this collection do not actually include "The Turn of the Screw," which was my original...more
I was a little disappointed with The Turn of the Screw. I don't usually find older language difficult to read, but the style he used to tell the story was really wordy and hard to get through. I've wanted to read this story since I was young, so maybe I was expecting too much. However, I did find the telling of the ghosts and their interactions with people incredibly well-written, eerily descriptive, and overall what I was hoping to find in this story. The dialogue was choppy and difficult to fo...more
I'm kind of amazed that I read this in high school, and I'm wondering what I got out of it back then. I remember putting it on the "I like this one" list, but past that, I don't know. After a re-read, I still put it on that list, but I imagine I've put it there for very different reasons. I've struggled a long time with my relationship with Henry James; I very much appreciate him and admire him, but sometimes I do wish he'd just get to the point. He seems to do this much more gingerly in the thr...more
3/5 for the 'other stories', 4/5 for The Turn of the Screw itself, so more of a 3.5/5 overall. The other stories didn't leave much of an impression on me. As far as classic supernatural/ghostly tales go, I think I prefer the more explicit otherworldliness of Edgar Allan Poe's short stories. The Turn of the Screw was suitably atmospheric, although I found it hard to divorce from my previous impressions of the story, especially the souped-up version delivered by the recent BBC TV adaptation. I lik...more
This was a real struggle to get through. I found 'The Turn of the Screw' boggling. I could not follow it at all and it bored me to tears. The next two stories were okay but the final was was incomprehensible. Henry James writes beautifully but gets very bogged down in his prose at times. I found this book utterly tedious.
I would not, having perused this book at leisure, for a indeterminate period of time, after it was recommended, indeed, after I was encouraged to make it my mission to enjoy it, and found it wanting, read this book again.
If you enjoyed reading that sentence then you will enjoy this book. If not, then don't even bother.
I am not faint-hearted when it comes to reading different types of writing, but seriously, 'The Turn of the Screw' was horrendously hard to follow, with hugely long sentences and c...more
If you enjoyed reading that sentence then you will enjoy this book. If not, then don't even bother.
I am not faint-hearted when it comes to reading different types of writing, but seriously, 'The Turn of the Screw' was horrendously hard to follow, with hugely long sentences and c...more
A really great book shows us how everything is great and worth to die for
Aug 31, 2007
Diana
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Those in need of a good ghost story; fans of Impressionism/Early Modernism
This novella is brilliant, and, due to its brevity (approximately 100 pages), a quick and easy read. James's story, centered around a young governess working in an isolated English estate who begins to see visions of malevolent ghosts, scared me more than I would like to admit. Alright I confess, I became so frightened reading it alone in my bedroom during the wee hours of the morn, that I was compelled to rush to Steve's room for a comforting cuddle (despite a fleeting paranoid thought that, in...more
I first thought that I would never get through this book, I've constantly thought of James' writing as 'heavy.' And it's not that he uses obscure words (though I reached for the dictionary once or twice), it's simply that he uses so many.
Of the four stories in here, the one I liked best was "The Friends of the Friends," dealing with a strange relationship between two people who never actually met. But, the famous "The Turn of the Screw" was not bad either.
James seems a precursor to Shirley Jacks...more
Of the four stories in here, the one I liked best was "The Friends of the Friends," dealing with a strange relationship between two people who never actually met. But, the famous "The Turn of the Screw" was not bad either.
James seems a precursor to Shirley Jacks...more
Turn of the Screw always has a special place in my heart because I read it as a child; the glamour has worn off, but I would still recommend it. The other stories in this book, I just could not get into.
One of the interesting things about these stories is the ambiguity. The stories all follow a slow and tense building of events up to the inevitable conclusion, but always leaving room for doubt about the reality of these visions. In these stories we witness social unease, between families, between couples between people and their own emotions and memories. There are repressed emotions that are perhaps unleashed as the seemingly spiritual manifestations.
Whether these stories were truly about gho...more
Whether these stories were truly about gho...more
Why didn't anyone tell me? This story is terrifying. Sinister kids, a spooky mansion, a closed community, insanity, spectral figures lurking on ramparts and peering in windows, corruption, sexual misconduct—pretty much everything I like in horror. And James is a master at setting the hook. I couldn't put this down. Each chapter ends with a cliff-hanger. If you like suspense, this is a page-turner and offers some genuine creeps (oh, the faces at the window). I've recently reacquainted myself with...more
Originally, I bought this as a text book for my English Literature class while I studied in the UK. To be honest, without having taught in the class it must be so difficult for a foreigner like me to understand these highly sophisticated novels collected in here.
Among the four stories, I rather prefer Sir Edmund Orme and The Friends of the Friends, than The Turn of the Screw, the infamous story of a governess in her unstable psychological state, and Owen Wingrave, that provides less interesting...more
Among the four stories, I rather prefer Sir Edmund Orme and The Friends of the Friends, than The Turn of the Screw, the infamous story of a governess in her unstable psychological state, and Owen Wingrave, that provides less interesting...more
Only speaking about the primary story, the turn of the screw (this edition also has 3 other short stories from James) is a highly perturbing and intricate tale, but one that I love. The obscurity revolves around one important resurfacing question: Is it merely a ghost story or a tale of a woman gone mad? That is the brilliance of James and this story. Furthermore, I gave this edition 4 stars because it's missing some pertinent punctuations such as commas and quotations; these failings made the t...more
Sir Edmund Orme, the only story here that I appreciated. The rest are so tiresome to read.
I consider these stories very difficult to read. They are tremendously slow. With the Turn of the Screw I could relate a bit more because I watch the movie (The Innocents) but still the writing is kind of heavy for a short tale. The Aspern papers are much easier to read but this come with a price... at the end of the story I did not feel amuse or puzzle or nothing, I didn't feel anything. These tales may have a profound literary value but if a reading is looking for entertainment, Henry James mu...more
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I have to admit, Henry James is not and never will be one of my favourite authors. I just can't identify with his style of writing, those long and complex sentences where you have to pay 100% attention to what you are reading or else you won't be able to understand any of it. The story in general, after having read it, is very interesting actually, but James somehow ruins it with his style of writing.
I really enjoyed this collection of old fashioned ghost stories. I was expecting a heavier style but found it a quick read. Many of the stories never quite confirmed or denied the existence of ghosts, could it have been hallucinations? (I noted that Mr James seemed more comfortable with heroines not heroes whose imaginations might have run away with them).
Struggled to follow the narrative of the book to begin with but soon picked it up. As a ghost story, I was slightly underwhelmed and it wasn't particularly a thriller but in general, it was a page turner once it got into the nitty gritty and I did enjoy it. One can understand why the book is considered somewhat pioneering in the horror genre.
Aaahhh... James... why is nothing easy with your works? This one leaves more questions than answers. How does the story really end? What is the real mystery here? The ghosts or the children? The governess is a likable character but not necessarily a reliable narrator. Worth reading again just to get some things straight.
A collection of four stories by Henry James.
The two stories that most entertained me were 'The Romance of Certain Old Clothes' and 'The Friends of the Friends' which were both clever and well written.
The other two in this collection 'The Turn of the Screw' and 'The Jolly Corner' didn't capture my imagination.
The two stories that most entertained me were 'The Romance of Certain Old Clothes' and 'The Friends of the Friends' which were both clever and well written.
The other two in this collection 'The Turn of the Screw' and 'The Jolly Corner' didn't capture my imagination.
I found the stories slow, even if the language was well-crafted.
Due to the lack of knowledge with the world of Henry James, it didn't feel that different from other middle class characters who enjoy life and vacation in Europe.
Maybe my favorite part are the strong female characters that James creates.
Due to the lack of knowledge with the world of Henry James, it didn't feel that different from other middle class characters who enjoy life and vacation in Europe.
Maybe my favorite part are the strong female characters that James creates.
liked the Turn of the Screw but the others were too wordy to even enjoy. I have read a book that included all of the GRE words in it! I'm pretty sure that this is where the vocabulary list comes from! I mean really is is so hard to say we went swimming instead of aquatic immersion?
I found this a difficult book to read, purely because of the language, which then in turn made me enjoy the book less. I was upset because I was looking forward to reading it. However, I did like the storyline and found the film adaptation, The Innocents, chilling.
I wasn't that scared. It's hard to be thrilled or shocked when you are reading a novel written in the genteel language of the 1800s.
More like half read. I just cannot finish this shit. Fuck off H. Your brother blows your ass away! I'm sure I will get back to it, but I cannot at this point finish this. Everyone, do yourself a favor and get anything by William James.
I did not enjoy this book. I found Henry James' writting style rather vague, rambling and boring . James' stories are dark and unpleasant . I wanted to like this book, but it gets a 2 star rating from me.
This book is fantastically terrifying. I've never been more on edge because of a book in my life. I couldn't bare to put it down.
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Henry James, OM, son of theologian Henry James Sr., brother of the philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James, was an American-born author, one of the founders and leaders of a school of realism in fiction. He spent much of his life in England and became a British subject shortly before his death. He is primarily known for a series of major novels in which he portrayed the...more
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Feb 09, 2012 07:15am