The narrator is a young governess, sent off to a country house to take charge of two orphaned children. She finds a pleasant house and a comfortable housekeeper, while the children are beautiful and charming. But she soon begins to feel the presence of intense evil.
The Turn of the Screw
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Much imitated ... but no one comes near the finesse of the master (The Times )
Timelessly unsettling (Guardian ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Timelessly unsettling (Guardian ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
About the Author
Henry James was born in 1843 in Washington Place, New York, of Scottish and Irish ancestry. His father was a prominent theologian and philosopher and his elder brother, William, is also famous as a philosopher. He attended schools in New York and later in London, Paris and Geneva, entering the Law School at Harvard in 1862. In 1865 he began to contribute reviews and short stories to American journals. In 1875, after two prior visits to Europe, he settled for a year in Paris, where he met Flaubert, Turgenev and other literary figures. However, the next year he moved to London, where he became so popular in society that in the winter of 1878–9 he confessed to accepting 107 invitations. In 1898 he left London and went to live at Lamb House, Rye, Sussex. Henry James became a naturalized citizen in 1915, was awarded the Order of Merit and died in 1916.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
45 of 47 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
One of the most seductive of all ghost stories, Turn of the Screw is not a tale for people inured to Halloween I and II or Tales from the Crypt. It is a sophisticated and subtle literary exercise in which the author creates a dense, suggestive, and highly ambiguous story, its suspense and horror generated primarily by what the author does NOT say and does not describe. Compelled to fill in the blanks from his/her own store of personal fears, the reader ultimately conjures up a more horrifying set of images and circumstances than anything an author could impose from without.
Written in 1898, this is superficially the tale of a governess who accepts the job of teaching two beautiful, young children whose uncle-guardian wants nothing to do with them. On a symbolic level, however, it is a study of the mores and prejudices of the times and, ultimately, of the nature of Evil. The governess fears that ghosts of the former governess Miss Jessel and her lover, valet Peter Quint, have corrupted the souls of little Flora and Miles and have won them to the side of Evil. The children deny any knowledge of ghosts, and, in fact, only the governess actually sees them. Were it not for the fact that the housekeeper, Mrs. Grose, can identify them from the governess's descriptions, one might be tempted to think that the governess is hallucinating.
Though the governess is certainly neurotic and repressed, this novel was published ten years before Freud, suggesting that the story should be taken at face value, as a suspenseful but enigmatic Victorian version of a Faustian struggle for the souls of these children. The ending, which comes as a shock to the reader, is a sign that such struggles should never be underestimated. As is always the case with James, the formal syntax, complex sentence structure, and elaborately constructed narrative are a pleasure to read for anyone who loves language, formality, and intricate psychological labyrinths. Mary whipple
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
By Roman Clodia
TOP 50 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
Unlike some of the other reviewers here I still think this is the creepiest book I've ever read, and all the more terrifying for the fact that James never articulates what's going on - he simply leaves your imagination to float free and conjure up all your worse nightmares. Yes, he's never an easy read (though this is far more accessible than Wings of the Dove, The Golden Bowl etc) but I think his very stately, mannered sentences and diction actually add to the horror of the story. Don't read this if you're expecting Stephen King or The Exorcist - James expects his readers to make the effort to read properly. Someone called this (possibly James himself?)'the most poisonous little tale I could imagine' and I think that's a perfect description - when I re-read it, it was on the tube with bright lights and lots of people around as I couldn't face reading it at home alone!
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By Mark Dickens
Format:Mass Market Paperback
‘The Turn of The Screw’ is an extended short story which plays with the reader’s imagination in the best tradition of a ghost story. It is more than this though because vivid apparitions are contrasted by vagueness which is best understood in reading without distraction. It is a difficult read for the style of it demands the absolute attention but a thorough read does not necessarily remove the ambiguity which the author has so skilfully placed. It is great material for the psychoanalyst leaving the reader with so many questions and not so many answers. One could probably read it several times and be none the wiser for doing so. If you read Henry James you will no doubt be impressed by the highly stylised writing which Hardy called ‘a ponderously warm manner of saying nothing in infinite sentences’.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
A classic?
I read this on the basis that everyone refers to it as a classic ghost story. I found it all a bit dull. Read more
Published 11 days ago by J. Lee
3.0 out of 5 stars
not as scary as i thought
It was not as scary as I had hoped but a quick read - has the odd spine tingling moment
Published 1 month ago by Mp
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great
Great, book needed for uni studies, good for those who are interested in Gothic literature. I needed this for my creative writing part of my English Degree.
Published 1 month ago by Sharfa Sorwar
1.0 out of 5 stars
Classics
Now I know why the book was free. Hated it. This certainly wasn't a ghost story! Would recommend that you don't read it.
Published 1 month ago by Fiona Hunter Motherfigure
3.0 out of 5 stars
Story within a story
I found this book interesting but also a little bland. It doesn't really explain much. It more leaves room for suggestion from the reader.
Published 2 months ago by Karen
2.0 out of 5 stars
Very disappointing
I realise that this book was written in a very different time but I found the hysteria of the main character infuriating, as was her ability to jump to conclusions rather than just... Read more
Published 2 months ago by L of Bristol
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fab
Great reading !! For a book that was free this is a great read, would recommend to anyone who likes suspense
Published 2 months ago by Helen Riddle
2.0 out of 5 stars
Don't bother
Tortured sentence construction makes this book tiresome to read. The storyline is so improbable that it is never remotely frightening. Read other books by this splendid author.
Published 2 months ago by Dr. Philip R. Horobin
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good
I have read other novels by this author and can't wait to read this one. It will make a good read on holiday.
Published 3 months ago by tiddioggie
3.0 out of 5 stars
Just Okay
This story was drawn out and could have been completed in less that half what it took. Did not enjoy
Published 3 months ago by DUES
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