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traininvain's review against another edition
Interesting bits here and there but could not keep up with the writing, too convoluted for me
chrysanthi_kiku's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
mikime's review against another edition
4.0
Quite intriguing and thrilling collection of James' Ghost Stories, including the most famous one, The Turn of the Screw. You need to get used to his style, it thus takes more concentration than for contemporary ghost stories, and they are so subtle and just vaguely suggestive that you can't miss any details. But they entertain and thrill and keep the suspense masterfully. Strongly suggested to avoid reading the introduction until you finished reading the stories, both to avoid spoilers and to fully understand what it is about.
house_of_hannah's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
2.0
DNF. I read 6 out of 10 of the short stories, but just could not bring myself to read anymore. I can officially say that I am not a fan of Henry James's writing. It honestly blows me away that he's considered one of the greatest novelists, as his style is incredibly dull. The amount of dashes, commas, and semicolons in his sentences are astonishing. It's like he takes the roughest path to get to a destination.
The following are the stories I read, a short summary of them, plus my rating.
The Romance of Certain Old Clothes (1868) - Two sisters vie for the attention of their brother’s friend. When he proposes to the older sister, the younger one bides her time until she can make her move. 2 Stars
The Ghostly Rental (1876) - A man encounters a seemingly abandoned house while taking a shortcut on his way home. Assuming it to be haunted, he becomes enthralled with learning its history. 3 Stars
Sir Edmund Orme (1891) - A woman is haunted by a ghost of her past that is apparently attached to her daughter. When a suitor falls in love with her he, too, can see the ghost. 1 Star
The Private Life (1892) - In a group of elites a man claims that one of them has a double, while a woman claims that one of them is not quite whole. 2 Stars
The Turn of the Screw (1898) - Read this back in 2019. 2 Stars
The Real Right Thing (1899) - A biographer takes on a job to write about a widow’s husband. As he goes through the late husband’s things he feels his presence, which he finds comforting at first, but might be more malicious than he expects. 2 Stars
My average rating for this is 2 stars, but for how dry his writing is it feels like it should be a 1 star. This felt like it was written by someone who thinks they are the smartest person in the room. I picked it up for ghost stories, but instead got no tension, nothing remotely spooky, and barely any ghosts. 100% not for me.
The following are the stories I read, a short summary of them, plus my rating.
The Romance of Certain Old Clothes (1868) - Two sisters vie for the attention of their brother’s friend. When he proposes to the older sister, the younger one bides her time until she can make her move. 2 Stars
The Ghostly Rental (1876) - A man encounters a seemingly abandoned house while taking a shortcut on his way home. Assuming it to be haunted, he becomes enthralled with learning its history. 3 Stars
Sir Edmund Orme (1891) - A woman is haunted by a ghost of her past that is apparently attached to her daughter. When a suitor falls in love with her he, too, can see the ghost. 1 Star
The Private Life (1892) - In a group of elites a man claims that one of them has a double, while a woman claims that one of them is not quite whole. 2 Stars
The Turn of the Screw (1898) - Read this back in 2019. 2 Stars
The Real Right Thing (1899) - A biographer takes on a job to write about a widow’s husband. As he goes through the late husband’s things he feels his presence, which he finds comforting at first, but might be more malicious than he expects. 2 Stars
My average rating for this is 2 stars, but for how dry his writing is it feels like it should be a 1 star. This felt like it was written by someone who thinks they are the smartest person in the room. I picked it up for ghost stories, but instead got no tension, nothing remotely spooky, and barely any ghosts. 100% not for me.
whosafraidofvirginiawoolf's review
3.75
some stories where 10/10 amazing and others kind of meh but he always had such interesting ideas and very clearly laid the groundwork for so many later horror/ghost stories that I still highly recommend!
oleitorconstante's review
3.0
Este volume inclui 10 histórias do Henry James. Não fiquei fã, mas houve três das quais gostei bastante: The Turn of the Screw, The Romance of Certain Old Clothes e The Ghostly Rental.
jayrothermel's review against another edition
5.0
Whether today we consider "De Grey'' a tyro potboiler or an example of higher commercial melodrama, it suffers by comparison with "The Romance of Certain Old Clothes." Yet for the lover of strange and uncanny stories, "De Grey'' has a place and an unmistakable flavor.
In writing it, James must have felt close to the kind of aesthetic impulses that motivated Hawthorne to work on a tale like "The Ancestral Footstep." The De Grey family, on the surface innocuous to the point of boredom, turns out to harbor a historical and still living curse.
Full review http://jayrothermel.blogspot.com/2021/04/morbid-symptoms-five-strange-stories-by.html?m=1
In writing it, James must have felt close to the kind of aesthetic impulses that motivated Hawthorne to work on a tale like "The Ancestral Footstep." The De Grey family, on the surface innocuous to the point of boredom, turns out to harbor a historical and still living curse.
Full review http://jayrothermel.blogspot.com/2021/04/morbid-symptoms-five-strange-stories-by.html?m=1
hauntedtesty's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0