After finishing it I re-read parts to look for clues, and even went to internet to check theories. I seldom do that! :O This is a ghost story that reads also as a detective story and a psychological thriller. Read it as a ghost story and it's about a wealthy and invisible man that has set, being by design or by fear, a cursed place with wicked and beautiful people with an agenda over two children, the apparition of the ghosts is formidable and scary through their silent threat. As a detective story it is about murders and hidden romances, for moments seems a way to plan an assassination; each utterance is a clue, each data has a background, the ghosts could be an alibi. And lastly it could be psychological, the narration is told at first by a group that accepts the existence of ghosts, and then by the governess hired by the wealthy gentleman under stressing conditions; she tells us her story but we cannot trust her, she hides her feelings, if she is convinced (and convinces others) about the ghosts existence is in grounds of mostly her word. There is a clear answer? there is not, but it is done in a way that it gives you curiosity to read it again.
I mention it reads as a manga for the language used, Japanese authors tend to write characters to be a tad more dramatic, they speak in a suspicious and indirect way, a tone similar to: '"he" is arriving', 'this is "his" choice', the awe felt through the revelations,the persecutions and in general dynamic narration. I love this book, I am not sure if I could recommend it though, I have a fascination with 19th century British literature, a fascination that few share. If you like that period as me then "The Turn of the Screw" is amazing. Without this story maybe the cinema genre of ghosts would not exist as we know it.
The AmazonClassics Edition is excellent. I wouldn't be surprised if it is the best available: it has useful X-Ray, modern typography and a limpid and comfortable to read formatting, as always the only absence is the original year of publication in the first page. Beyond that minor detail is a pleasure to read it in this edition, the text is pure as if had just been published, just a short author biography at the end. Highly recommended.
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From the Publisher
Henry James tried his hand at the occult — and created a masterpiece of the supernatural that has frightened and delighted readers for nearly a century.
One of literature's most gripping ghost stories depicts the sinister transformation of 2 innocent children into flagrant liars and hypocrites. Elegantly told tale of unspoken horror and psychological terror creates what few stories in literature have been able to do — a complete feeling of dread and uncertainty.
“Of course I was under the spell, and the wonderful part is that, even at the time, I perfectly knew I was. But I gave myself up to it; it was an antidote to any pain,and I had more pains than one.”
Without resorting to clattering chains, demonic noises, and other melodramatic techniques, this elegantly told tale succeeds in creating an atmosphere of tingling suspense and unspoken horror matched by few other books in the genre.
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Reviews with images
What happened here?
The book seems complete, the cover looks good but the inside paper looks super cheap. First time I see a super low quality book from penguin, super disappointed!In the top one of my collection, below the book I bought here.
Top reviews from other countries
Mitali Sahoo
This is my favourite book by Henry James, perfect for horror fans.
Reviewed in India on February 14, 2022
Mitali Sahoo
Reviewed in India on February 14, 2022
Images in this review
rjs
Excellent but needs a very close read or you will ...
Reviewed in Canada on January 28, 2018
Dion
it was ok, I found it a bit long and wordy
Reviewed in Australia on August 31, 2022