The story starts conventionally enough with friends sharing ghost stories 'round the fire on Christmas Eve. One of the guests tells about a governess at a country house plagued by supernatural visitors. But in the hands of Henry James, the master of nuance, this little tale of terror is an exquisite gem of sexual and psychological ambiguity. Only the young governess can see the ghosts; only she suspects that the previous governess and her lover are controlling the two orphaned children (a girl and a boy) for some evil ...
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The story starts conventionally enough with friends sharing ghost stories 'round the fire on Christmas Eve. One of the guests tells about a governess at a country house plagued by supernatural visitors. But in the hands of Henry James, the master of nuance, this little tale of terror is an exquisite gem of sexual and psychological ambiguity. Only the young governess can see the ghosts; only she suspects that the previous governess and her lover are controlling the two orphaned children (a girl and a boy) for some evil purpose. The household staff don't know what she's talking about, the children are evasive when questioned, and the master of the house (the children's uncle) is absent. Why does the young girl claim not to see a perfectly visible woman standing on the far side of the lake? Are the children being deceptive, or is the governess being paranoid? By leaving the questions unanswered, The Turn of Screw generates spine-tingling anxiety in its mesmerized readers.
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Add this copy of The Turn of the Screw to cart. $8.04, new condition, Sold by Ingram Customer Returns Center rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from NV, USA, published 2018 by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform.
Add this copy of The Turn of the Screw to cart. $27.01, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2018 by CreateSpace Independent Publis.
Not your usual ghost story, this, written by Henry James, is a terrifying journey into the unknown. A new governess comes to care for two young children, Miles and Flora, and soon finds herself defending them against possible possession by the spirits of their former governess and the evil Quint, the former valet to the children's absentee father. As the seeming possessions escalate, the new governess fights against them with every ounce of her will. While the children insist that nothing is amiss, the governess continues to become even more steadfast in her determination to save the children from the demons trying to possess them, insisting to the children that they own up to the hauntings, to their cooperation with the spirits, and to the evil with which they are being afflicted.
What makes this story so compelling is the study of the psychology of the characters, particularly that of the governess. What makes the story a "whodunnit" is the interplay between the ever more vigilant governess, the children, and the spirits themselves. Are the ghosts really there? Or is the new governess, in her terror and belief, bringing her own brand of evil into the lives of two innocent children? Who, indeed, is the possessor?
For anyone who loves a good ghost story, full of atmosphere and gloom, or for those who love a good psychological character study, "Turn of The Screw" remains one of the gems of either genre.
