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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.Book Description

Customer Reviews (103)

Difficult reading
Is it fair to review a book one has not finished?Well, I did not finish it, probably read one-third of the book.It's hard going, long sentences packed with commas, which became so confusing I could not begin to understand them.I understood about 1 in 3 sentences. It felt really good to put this book down.

I hope high schools are not assigning this for reading.It would be enough to turn students OFF to reading!Maybe it's available in Cliffs Notes.

simply amazing i was spellbound
Two words, Holy Moly, this is definitely one of Henry James's masterpiece, concentrating on the Victorian era, the ambiguity of the vague responses given by his characters will keep us guessing until the very end on whether the protagonist is mentally unstable or not.

Taking place around the late 1900s in England, James centers his story on the diary ofan unnamed governess. This piece is somewhat of an antithesis of another familiar story also about a governess, Jane Eyre. In the story, much of Miller's governess contrasts the characteristics of Jane Eyre. Aside from this fact, what makes Miller's work truly spectacular is his character development and narrative, which all contribute to his ambiguity. Because he uses an outsider within the story to narrate the diary of the governess, the details within the book are subject to be biased or inaccurate in view. As a result, with each sentence we are forced to wonder if this really happened the way it was told, or if it was twisted in some shape or form. Moreover, as the reader slowly learns of the dual interpretations of whether the governess be insane or not, our interest is piqued in finding the right answer. However, all of Miller's dialogue is refined In such a way where skeptics can see it as a point refuting the believers and vice versa.

Even at the conclusion of the book, many of us are still left guessing, which makes for one of the best mystery endings I have ever read. Not only is the reader left clueless as to the true mental stability of the governess, but Miller sparked a debate in which to this day literary critics all over the world are still debating over.

If you love a good gothic, mystery type of book, this is one that you cannot miss! some people may be stunned as to the complexity and depth of the writing as it is so complex with a labyrinth of turns. It will hold those interested spellbound until the book is finished and more!

Fear May Be Nonexistent but the Tale is Still Mysterious
From the opening page, we have it that nothing matches this tale's dreadfulness, uncanny ugliness, and horror. Now, for the people reading it around the beginning of the 20th century (when it was published), this might have held true, but for a reader of the present day, this tale isn't going to strike them as being in the least scary. Basically, the only elements of the story that can be construed as even remotely scary are the presence of two ghosts, who just seem to be wandering around looking for something.

Now, while this tale falls woefully short in instilling fear in its reader, it nonetheless remains a very entertaining read, because the mystery that unfolds in this short tale isn't derived from the scariness it is meant to produce; the tale's mystery is just as mysterious in the absence of fear as it would be if it were presence.

The mystery concerns a governess who has recently taken on employment at an isolated country estate. Her two charges are a boy and a girl, Miles, and Flora, who are both graced with overwhelming physical beauty, intellectually quite adept, and impeccably well behaved. In short, they seem to be ideal children. Miles has actually been dismissed from his school for unspecified reasons, but the governess chalks this up to unfair treatment given all his redeeming virtues. So, all is well until one day she encounters a ghost on her daily walk about the premises.

This encounter starts a chain of events lead to the governess adopting a Sherlock Holmes persona and baptizing Mrs. Goose, the housekeeper, into the role of her Watson. In the course of her investigation, she encounters another ghost, learns what both ghost are after, and who they are, and begins to question whether Miles and Flora's displayed perfection is just a façade to mask their sinister nature. The key to solving the mystery turns on with what caused Miles's dismissal from school and the identity of the two ghosts.

In this brief work, James has crafted a rather well paced mystery that is told with descriptively rich language and with elaborate and fluid prose. In other words, it was quite a pleasure to read.

Dissapointed and Confused!
Huh??? I've just finished reading this story and feel as if I've wasted 3 months of my life! Normally, I enjoy this particular genre, Victorian and Gothic settings, etc. Not this time. I'm still left with two questions. First of all, were the "ghosts" real or a figment of the narrator's imagination? Secondly, I was dying to find out what the young boy had done to cause his expulsion from school. Also, the narratives were drawn out way too long! After the first ten pages, I was bored to tears! I'll give James one more chance before I cast him aside for good!

PAINFULLY BORING
I was under the impression this was going to be a rare find of a thriller. Instead, I found it painfully boring, laborious, and way too chatty. I certainly could have gotten the point in ten pages or less. Save yourself the effort and avoid this one. ... Read more