Not a ghost story

What did you like most about The Turn of the Screw?

This book is an excellent way of experiencing the inner life of a person with severe mental problems

Who was your favorite character and why?

The present governess- the sole source of the hallucinations. She is delicate, unsure of herself, anxious and constantly alert for warped interpretations of the behaviour and words of others, in particular, the two children; left in charge with no help available. A sure setting for trouble.

What does Emma Thompson and Richard Armitage - introduction bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Brilliant. Emma's voice suggests the complexity of the tortured mind. The American pronunciation of enquiry jarred somewhat.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

All is well with the governess left in charge....until the ghosts start to appear.

Any additional comments?

The title, 'Turn of the Screw,' epitomises the gradual increase in pressure that this lady experiences. Dramatizations turn this tale into a ghost story. It really is a page from a book on psychiatry fleshed out. 'For example' 'what to look for' the book is saying. Henry James had a brother William James, the famous psychologist and philosopher. Surely, they would have discussed the incidents that are described to make sure that they were true to life. The whole book is seen through the eyes of the governess. Only she sees Peter Quint and Miss Jessell. In her position alone with children, this governess is dangerous.

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6 people found this helpful

It builds...

At first I thought Thompson's voice was too casually modern, but it does prove very winning and convincing the more full-throated it becomes. In fact, it freshens the prose and moves us away from the more PR and actorly style that most period novels receive. While I don't get the sense of any of the complexity or ambiguity of the tale - this woman is barking from the get-go - on its own terms, it does work powerfully well.

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2 people found this helpful

intrigued

I was expecting a little more back story, over all kept me interested. Good short story.

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Trruly Amazing

Emma Thompson truly brings this amazing story to life. I had lots of love for this book already, and the narrration just made me love it even more.

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Great production

This is a shortish book but it’s one of the greats, and Emma Thompson provides a stellar performance. Highly recommended.

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Spooky

Emma Thompson's narration was excellent. On the surface, this story is a mildly spooky ghost story but on reflection it is perhaps much more disturbing.

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Emma Thompson Slays In This Chilling Classic

💛 Yes, it’s from the nineteenth century and yes some of the prose is dense, but this is a bona fide creepfest. One of the gothic variety. Think isolated mansion, ghostly sightings, beatific children (a la Nightmare on Elm Street, The Omen) and oooodles of ambiguity.

💚 Told from the perspective of a governess sent to look after two orphaned children, it descends into flashes of spirits seen or not seen, feelings of being watched and general ominousness. And doubt. Because I was never sure of what was real and what wasn’t.

💜 In my humble view, there is nothing scarier than angelic kids. Well, except for the same kids singing nursery rhymes. A lot of this story centres on just how cherubic the children are. It’s a battle for their souls.

❤️️ I watched Netflix's The Haunting of Bly Manor without realising it was based on this. If anything shows just how timeless this horror classic is, it’s that.
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SOUNDBITE

🎧 EMMA THOMPSON. That’s who performed this audiobook. Dame Emma brilliant-in-everything-she’s-ever-done Thompson. And this was no exception. She is powerful as the governess, portraying her as ever more anxious and desperate. Her reading helped me in parsing some of the more labyrinthine sections through context.

🎧 Thompson is utterly chilling as the children. I’m unsure about her hyperbolic portrayal of the housekeeper Mrs Growse. It very much leaned into the But there are so many interpretations of this classic tale that this happens not to coincide with mine.
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SHALL I COMPARE THEE TO...

This and the more modern The Haunting of Hill House are similar in many ways and both were made into fantastic mini-series. Highly recommend both.

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Perfect and torturous

I have put my life on hold to finish this, it has so kept me on the edge of my seat. The performance is simply incredible. Emma Thompson should have an award for this. The story has you needing more all the way along. The legendary restraint of Henry James writing and Emma Thompson’s first class narration made this audiobook an experience to return to and mull over many times. I loved it.

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Still creepy

I've read this book some 40 years ago; thought it scary then; listened to is this week and thought it still creepy.
Beautifully performed.

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Difficult language, beautifully read.

I found it quite hard to follow at times because the language is very complex. Unexpected plot though... and Emma Thompson was fabulous as ever.

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1 person found this helpful