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Carmen's Reviews > The Turn of the Screw
The Turn of the Screw
by
by
Carmen's review
bookshelves: american-author, british-author, classics, fiction, he-says, horror, published1898, traditionally-published
Feb 05, 2020
bookshelves: american-author, british-author, classics, fiction, he-says, horror, published1898, traditionally-published
Girl child, boy child, listen well.
Be in bed by midnight's bell.
Never let a stranger through your door.
Never leave each other all alone.
Good sister, good brother be,
follow well these cautions three.
Long as your blood be ours alone,
we'll see you ever from below.
- The Lodgers, 2017
What a weird book. I was expecting to love it, but I don't. It's kind of like Wuthering Heights. Dark, twisty, spooky, but you can't really care about what happens to anyone. I was at a loss as to what to make of the ending. I wish I had strong feelings about it one way or the other, but I don't.
I know James meant to be spooky and enigmatic, and I'm not asking him for a more solid conclusion, but instead to offer a more solid story. I couldn't fully understand why everyone was acting the way they were acting. That was probably the point, but I have to imagine if these events were to take place people would take different actions than presented in the book.
RELATED MATERIAL:
The Others, 2001 - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0230600/
Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn - Great book
The Lodgers, 2017 - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4399952/
THE TURNING (2020) - As frustrating and unsatisfying as the book. Not recommended.
Be in bed by midnight's bell.
Never let a stranger through your door.
Never leave each other all alone.
Good sister, good brother be,
follow well these cautions three.
Long as your blood be ours alone,
we'll see you ever from below.
- The Lodgers, 2017
What a weird book. I was expecting to love it, but I don't. It's kind of like Wuthering Heights. Dark, twisty, spooky, but you can't really care about what happens to anyone. I was at a loss as to what to make of the ending. I wish I had strong feelings about it one way or the other, but I don't.
I know James meant to be spooky and enigmatic, and I'm not asking him for a more solid conclusion, but instead to offer a more solid story. I couldn't fully understand why everyone was acting the way they were acting. That was probably the point, but I have to imagine if these events were to take place people would take different actions than presented in the book.
RELATED MATERIAL:
The Others, 2001 - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0230600/
Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn - Great book
The Lodgers, 2017 - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4399952/
THE TURNING (2020) - As frustrating and unsatisfying as the book. Not recommended.
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Reading Progress
March 31, 2014
– Shelved
(Other Paperback Edition)
August 12, 2014
– Shelved
(Other Paperback Edition)
October 20, 2015
– Shelved
(Kindle Edition)
February 5, 2020
–
Started Reading
February 5, 2020
– Shelved
February 5, 2020
–
1.65%
"He had broken the thickness of ice, the formation of many a winter; he had his reasons for a long silence."
page
2
February 5, 2020
–
4.96%
""That she should never trouble him - but never, never: neither appeal nor complain nor write about anything; only meet all questions herself, receive all moneys from his solicitor, take the whole thing over and let him alone.""
page
6
February 5, 2020
–
8.26%
""What does it mean? The child's dismissed his school."
She gave me a look that I remarked at the moment; then, visibly, with a quick blankness, seemed to try to take it back. "But aren't they all - ?"
"Sent home - yes. But only for the holidays. Miles may never go back at all.""
page
10
She gave me a look that I remarked at the moment; then, visibly, with a quick blankness, seemed to try to take it back. "But aren't they all - ?"
"Sent home - yes. But only for the holidays. Miles may never go back at all.""
February 5, 2020
–
11.57%
"Oh, it was a trap - not designed, but deep - to my imagination, to my delicacy, perhaps to my vanity; to whatever, in me, was most excitable. The best way to picture it all is to say that I was off my guard. They gave me so little trouble - they were of a gentleness so extraordinary. I used to speculate - but even this with a dim disconnectedness - as to how the rough future (for all futures are rough!) would hand"
page
14
February 5, 2020
–
22.31%
"We were cut off, really, together; we were united in our danger. They had nothing but me, and I - well, I had THEM. It was in short a magnificent chance. This chance presented itself to me in an image richly material. I was a screen - I was to stand before them. The more I saw, the less they would."
page
27
February 5, 2020
–
23.97%
"Yet I could still hear myself cry as I fairly threw myself into her arms: "They KNOW - it's too monstrous: they know, they know!""
page
29
February 5, 2020
–
25.62%
""She only fixed the child."
Mrs. Grose tried to see it. "Fixed her?"
"Ah, with such awful eyes!"
She stared at mine as if they might really have resembled them. "Do you mean of dislike?"
"God help us, no. Of something much worse."
"Worse than dislike?" - this left her indeed at a loss.
"With a determination - indescribable. With a kind of fury of intention."
I made her turn pale. "Intention?""
page
31
Mrs. Grose tried to see it. "Fixed her?"
"Ah, with such awful eyes!"
She stared at mine as if they might really have resembled them. "Do you mean of dislike?"
"God help us, no. Of something much worse."
"Worse than dislike?" - this left her indeed at a loss.
"With a determination - indescribable. With a kind of fury of intention."
I made her turn pale. "Intention?""
February 5, 2020
–
26.45%
""I don't do it!" I sobbed in despair; "I don't save or shield them! It's far worse than I dreamed - they're lost!""
page
32
February 5, 2020
–
38.84%
""Oh, yes, we may sit here and look at them, and they may show off to us there to their fill; but even while they pretend to be lost in their fairytale they're steeped in visions of the dead restored. He's not reading to her," I declared; "they're talking of THEM - they're talking of horrors! I go on, I know, as if I were crazy; and it's a wonder I'm not.""
page
47
February 5, 2020
–
42.98%
"Then it was that the others, the outsiders, were there. Thought they were not angels, they 'passed,' as the French say, causing me, while they stayed, to tremble with the fear of their addressing to their younger victims some yet more infernal message or more vivid image than they had thought good enough for myself."
page
52
February 5, 2020
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-15 of 15 (15 new)
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by
Lisa
(new)
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rated it 4 stars
Feb 05, 2020 09:23PM
Great review, Carmen.
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Lisa wrote: "Great review, Carmen."Thanks, Lisa! I didn't have much to say, LOL
Carmen, I often like pithy reviews the best. :-)
Lisa wrote: "Carmen, I often like pithy reviews the best. :-)"LOL I know, and you so rarely get them from MY corner...
Carmen wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Carmen, I often like pithy reviews the best. :-)"LOL I know, and you so rarely get them from MY corner..."
Ha! True. I like your long ones too but I appreciate shorter ones when they're good and this one is. :-)
Given your comments in your review, I'm surprised you still gave it 5 stars. I wasn't thrilled with how enigmatic and unclear it is, but what really put the nail in the coffin for me was how I kept almost falling asleep while I was reading it. I will say that I think I need to give it another chance sometime.
Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ wrote: "Given your comments in your review, I'm surprised you still gave it 5 stars."I was also surprised by the 5 stars.
I liked this one too but didn't love it Carmen and yes agree there is something about it that reminded me of Wuthering Heights. tooI wonder did you really mean to rate it 5 stars … :-)
Weird right? I never know what to do with this story. Its not quite a ghost story, its not quite a psychological suspense story, its not quite the traditional "its a Henry James novel so of course everyone is miserable" story. I never know where to put it!
Given your comments in your review, I'm surprised you still gave it 5 stars. I wasn't thrilled with how enigmatic and unclear it is, but what really put the nail in the coffin for me was how I kept almost falling asleep while I was reading it. I will say that I think I need to give it another chance sometime - TadianaI was also surprised by the 5 stars. - Lisa Vegan
I liked this one too but didn't love it Carmen and yes agree there is something about it that reminded me of Wuthering Heights. too
I wonder did you really mean to rate it 5 stars … :-) - Dem
Hello, Everyone!
Thank you for your kind comments and reading my review. I'm actually considering knocking BOTH The Turn of the Screw and Wuthering Heights down to four stars. Because while I appreciate the beautiful writing of them, I'm not terribly happy with the plots. Rating is difficult and I'm often conflicted about it. o.O LOL
Sara wrote: "Weird right? I never know what to do with this story. Its not quite a ghost story, its not quite a psychological suspense story, its not quite the traditional "its a Henry James novel so of course everyone is miserable" story. I never know where to put it!..."Sara, I don't know where to put it either! Literally have been meaning to read this FOR YEARS. Then I get to it and I'm like, "Eh." Not really sure how I feel, but it's far from uncontainable joy, let me tell you.
Carmen wrote: "Rating is difficult and I'm often conflicted about it. o.O LOL"I totally agree! My feelings about The Scarlet Letter were very similar. :) I ended up giving it 4 stars even though I didn't particularly enjoy reading it, because in a lot of ways it really is an amazing piece of literature. It's not always about personal enjoyment.
I totally agree! My feelings about The Scarlet Letter were very similar. :) I ended up giving it 4 stars even though I didn't particularly enjoy reading it, because in a lot of ways it really is an amazing piece of literature. It's not always about personal enjoyment.I don't know. I'm conflicted often. I try to give 'points' for good writing. But enjoyment is a major factor for me. Confusing.
Your conflicted feelings aside, this sounds intriguing...
kittykat wrote: "Your conflicted feelings aside, this sounds intriguing..."It's not a bad book. If you like spooky ghost stories, you should pick it up.
