I read The Turn of the Screw by Henry James as part of Carl's R.I.P. III Challenge. I have to admit that I've never read anything by Henry James (gasp!) and actually didn't know anything about the plot of this story. I saw that a few people had added this book as part of the challenge. I have to admit I was surprised. If you want a quick ghost story, this is the story for you.I read it online from the New York Public Library's ebook section, but you can also find it online for free. It's very short book, just 137 pages in my ebook. The story is about a governess who is hired by a gentleman to watch his niece and nephew. The two childrens' parents have died and their uncle does not really want the responsibility. What happened to the childrens' previous governess? Are the children really angelic or are they mischievous? Is the governess really seeing ghosts?
While it's not an amazing story (perhaps due to my having seen too many horror/scary movies) it is a perfect ghost story to read in October for this challenge. I will say that I will be wanting to read more novels by Henry James in the future.
**If you've read the book, what did you think about the ending? Make sure you note :Spoiler: to not ruin the ending for others. Thanks!
This has been my third book for the R.I.P. III Challenge
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Age 30+ - A Lifetime of Books
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I love a good atmospheric ghost story, and I've been reading some very intriguing review of this book. If I find the time maybe I'll get to it before the end of RIP.
ReplyDeleteI'm guilty of having read nothing by James and also knowing nothing about him, but it does sound like a good story.
ReplyDeleteI've always wanted to read this one, just because of the title, but I still haven't gotten around to it. I finally finished up "Watchmen" (20 years late) so there's hope for this one yet ...
ReplyDeleteI haven't read any James either...the horror! :) This one is a story that others have read for previous R.I.P. challenges and it always sounds interesting. I should be especially interested as I really am fond of short stories and novellas in the gothic/horror genre.
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