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hayesstw's review against another edition
3.0
Nearly 50 years ago someone found a copy of [b:The Turn of the Screw|12948|The Turn of the Screw|Henry James|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1567172392l/12948._SY75_.jpg|990886] in an old house where I was staying. I recognised the author as someone quite famous, and recalled that some of his books had been set for English literature classes at the university I attended. So I read it. After a couple of chapters it seemed familiar, and I realised that the plot was the same as that of a film I had seen about ten years previously, called The Innocents.
I was rather put off by the turbid (and turgid) style, but the story was interesting enough.
When I saw this volume of collected ghost stories by Henry James, I thought it might be interesting, and it was long enough since I had read The Turn of the Screw to want to read that one again. But having reached the end, I'm pretty sure I don't want to read any more of [a:Henry James|159|Henry James|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1468309415p2/159.jpg]. The last story in the volume, "The Jolly Corner" was excruciatingly boring, and could probably have been told better if cut down to two or three pages. It was lengthened by the need to read every sentence two or three times to find out what the author was saying.
When I was about 9 or 10 years old a school teacher used to read ghost stories to us, and part of the attraction, at that age, was how scary they were. They were set in unusual places and described unusual circumstances, and that in itself set the scene for unusual and scary happenings. Now I've become old and jaded, and it takes a lot to scare me. Instead I look for a meaning beyond the surface. A ghost story needs to be more than just scary, it needs some kind of symbolic meaning, which Henry James doesn't really provide.
It was one of those instances where the film was better than the book. The film told the story directly, rather than inundating it with a lorry-load of subordinate clauses.
I was rather put off by the turbid (and turgid) style, but the story was interesting enough.
When I saw this volume of collected ghost stories by Henry James, I thought it might be interesting, and it was long enough since I had read The Turn of the Screw to want to read that one again. But having reached the end, I'm pretty sure I don't want to read any more of [a:Henry James|159|Henry James|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1468309415p2/159.jpg]. The last story in the volume, "The Jolly Corner" was excruciatingly boring, and could probably have been told better if cut down to two or three pages. It was lengthened by the need to read every sentence two or three times to find out what the author was saying.
When I was about 9 or 10 years old a school teacher used to read ghost stories to us, and part of the attraction, at that age, was how scary they were. They were set in unusual places and described unusual circumstances, and that in itself set the scene for unusual and scary happenings. Now I've become old and jaded, and it takes a lot to scare me. Instead I look for a meaning beyond the surface. A ghost story needs to be more than just scary, it needs some kind of symbolic meaning, which Henry James doesn't really provide.
It was one of those instances where the film was better than the book. The film told the story directly, rather than inundating it with a lorry-load of subordinate clauses.
trilobiter's review
4.0
If this review were solely for The Turn of the Screw, I would definitely be giving it more stars: it is by far one of the best executed, creepiest stories of its kind that I have ever read. Most of the stories in this collection are similarly clever, well-executed, and even a little scary, but few can match Screw in quality scares. And then there are a few that seem like missed opportunities, failing to make any kind of impression amongst the better tales. I enjoyed The Ghostly Rental, in particular, for its interesting twist on the haunted house concept.
I was concerned after reading the included forewords by James, finding his style to be dense and uninteresting. The flow of his actual stories, however, is generally much more gripping. At his best, James conveys the disorientation of occult encounters, and the paralyzing fear of facing the unknown, with remarkable feeling.
This is not an important factor in my review, but I found some mildly amusing typos on the spine and back cover of the book. The book also includes a section of notes explaining certain archaic terms and cultural references, but I found it to be less comprehensive and helpful than similar sections in other books of this type. So perhaps it's not the most high-end of productions; it's still worth a read for fans of ghost stories.
I was concerned after reading the included forewords by James, finding his style to be dense and uninteresting. The flow of his actual stories, however, is generally much more gripping. At his best, James conveys the disorientation of occult encounters, and the paralyzing fear of facing the unknown, with remarkable feeling.
This is not an important factor in my review, but I found some mildly amusing typos on the spine and back cover of the book. The book also includes a section of notes explaining certain archaic terms and cultural references, but I found it to be less comprehensive and helpful than similar sections in other books of this type. So perhaps it's not the most high-end of productions; it's still worth a read for fans of ghost stories.
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