Scan barcode
carena's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-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? Yes
3.5
ambur_justeen's review against another edition
3.0
I was lost for most of this tale, and I felt the writing style left me feeling that something important was occurring but I could not explain nor understand what. JUST to be met with complete and overwhelming sense of despair at the ending.
purcellapple's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I found the writing difficult to understand.
dreavg's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sterlingprimerius's review against another edition
3.0
Where to start? Well first off, I struggled through this novella more than I would like to admit. I figured I’d fly through this in 1 or 2 nights. But it ended up taking almost a week. A week in which I skipped reading some nights, simply because this book didn’t really beckon me back.
So why 3 stars? Well despite the fact that I think the writing suffers from strangely written and lengthy descriptions of things that don’t really matter, I did, mostly in retrospect, like that the book is fluid. Different mindsets or perspectives will read a different book.
Is it a ghost story? Is it a horror story? Is it a thriller? Or merely a reflection of our own psyche, and perhaps worldview?
Overall the book just scrapes a ‘I liked this book’ rating from me, but I will absolutely never read it again, once was more than enough.
SPOILER ALERT<\b>
The governess is mad, perhaps all characters are. She has some serious issues. And she is the only perspective we are given, I believe that she is delusional, the ghosts are a figment of her imagination and it resulted in the death of a young child. There was no possession of the ghostly kind happening, though I think Quint might have engaged in some no-no square activities with the young boy.
So why 3 stars? Well despite the fact that I think the writing suffers from strangely written and lengthy descriptions of things that don’t really matter, I did, mostly in retrospect, like that the book is fluid. Different mindsets or perspectives will read a different book.
Is it a ghost story? Is it a horror story? Is it a thriller? Or merely a reflection of our own psyche, and perhaps worldview?
Overall the book just scrapes a ‘I liked this book’ rating from me, but I will absolutely never read it again, once was more than enough.
SPOILER ALERT<\b>
The governess is mad, perhaps all characters are. She has some serious issues. And she is the only perspective we are given, I believe that she is delusional, the ghosts are a figment of her imagination and it resulted in the death of a young child. There was no possession of the ghostly kind happening, though I think Quint might have engaged in some no-no square activities with the young boy.
aliceisobel's review against another edition
3.0
Too many commas and a very ambiguous ending but beautiful writing nonetheless
readingwmiles's review against another edition
3.0
eerie and unsettling at times and i really enjoyed the ending. however the writing was pretty hard to get through. not the best reading experience but i liked the spooky parts!
pagingdrmudkip's review against another edition
I simply can’t stand Henry James’ writing style and I want to read for fun. I can enjoy the overall story in other formats without his grandiose, I’d say pretentious, style. Game respect game, but I’d rather enjoy my limited reading time.
kayay's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.25