Source: Purchased
Description: A very young woman's first job: governess for two weirdly beautiful, strangely distant, oddly silent children, Miles and Flora, at a forlorn estate... An estate haunted by a beckoning evil. Half-seen figures who glare from dark towers and dusty windows- silent, foul phantoms who, day by day, night by night, come closer, ever closer. With growing horror, the helpless governess realizes the fiendish creatures want the children, seeking to corrupt their bodies, possess their minds, own their souls. But worse-much worse- the governess discovers that Miles and Flora have no terror of the lurking evil. For they want the walking dead as badly as the dead want them.
Genre: Classic - Horror
Why I Picked This Book: This is a classic which I have seen referenced many times as being a scary story - and to be honest the page count wasn't terrifying.
My Impression: This is my first book by Henry James and the main thing I learned is that Henry James never met an adjective he couldn't throw into a description. I couldn't help but compare this to Wilkie Collins' Woman in White which is the other creepy classic I have read in the last few years. But while Collins' descriptions were rich and vivid, James' left me a bit confused and distracted me from the plot.
The story itself is creepy with sinister apparitions, an isolated estate, and children who are a bit too angelic. However, I found that the plot frequently got lost as James spend more of his time illustrating the housekeeper's handwringing or the governess's mental diatribes.
This would perhaps be fantastic in play form as I did enjoy the story but I don't think Henry James is the author for me.
Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Probably not. While I did enjoy the basic plot the writing style wasn't for me.
Would I Recommend this Book? Unless you really want to read this I would suggest a play or audio adaptation. The story is good but the writing style hasn't aged well for casual reading.
Would I Recommend this Book? Unless you really want to read this I would suggest a play or audio adaptation. The story is good but the writing style hasn't aged well for casual reading.
It took me years to attempt to read Henry James, and when I did I loved it. The Golden Bowl and Portrait of a Lady were fantastic, if you don't mind the author dwelling on the characters and their personalities, discomforts, anguishes, machinations. He is the writer of personalities and psychology, and I was in the mood a few years after grad school to tackle him. I can understand your not wanting to read a lot about that personality of the housekeeper. One has to be in the mood for James.
ReplyDeleteTry the other two books of his that I mentioned. Not a ghost in sight! But lots of psychology., especially of the women.
I don't usually read classics, but maybe I'll check it out sometime.
ReplyDeleteThis is not the best of Henry James' books.
ReplyDeleteBummer it was wordy. LOL
ReplyDeleteI read this in high school and in college for classes. James really did like words.
ReplyDeleteSounds very atmospheric but not sure it'd be for me as well
ReplyDeleteWell at least your tried and read it and you can name what you didn't like and did like. I don't really read classics so I admire you. I did enjoy Portrait of a Lady on tv many years ago.
ReplyDeleteI think that I tried to read this one and quickly realized that it simply was not for me.
ReplyDeleteI've read a few Henry James books (including this one) and didn't like any of them. His writing style is too wordy for me. I'm usually just bored and confused by his stuff.
ReplyDeleteI like wordy. Ha ha. 😁
ReplyDelete