5.94k reviews for:

Spuk in Bly Manor - Schraubendrehungen

Henry James

3.18 AVERAGE

thisismayatrying's review against another edition

3.25

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

eziolo's review against another edition

4.25

adventurous mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

gemingtons's review against another edition

3.5

dark mysterious medium-paced

gonetohilo's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 37%

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I wanted to finish this but the prose was giving me a headache. I couldn't deal with all the interjections.

therangajess94's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death

Minor: Death of parent

booksareprettycoolyay's review against another edition

3.5

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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C 9
A 9
W 8
P 8
I 7
L 7
E 5
=7.5
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

tatitab's review against another edition

3.75

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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Un poco lento, rebuscado y un poquito perturbador, no es mi favorito del género pero me gustó mucho. 

crisesquivel's review against another edition

3.5

dark mysterious medium-paced

tywhiplashing's review against another edition

3.5

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense

thecriticalreader's review against another edition

4.25

challenging dark tense 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

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The Turn of the Screw by Henry James is a classic Victorian gothic horror story that rewards readers willing to excavate its subtext. 

 

The Turn of the Screw features all of the hallmarks of Victorian gothic horror: an unnecessary frame narrative; impossibly long, winding sentences; a preoccupation with wealth and old homes; evil lurking amongst beauty and respectability. As a ghost story, this book will never live up to the heights the horror genre has reached in subsequent decades. That’s perhaps an unrealistic ask of a text that formed the foundation of the horror genre. But that doesn’t mean that this classic doesn’t have value. 

 

For me, The Turn of the Screw speaks with remarkable potency to cultures of silence and complicity around sexual abuse, especially child sexual abuse. Like our protagonist, my interpretation of events may or may not be based in what’s “real.” But this lens added significant dimension to my reading experience. I expect anyone with a background in the study of Victorian literature will find this book to be a fascinating dialogue with the issues and conventions of the time.