by Henry James
One of the world's most famous intellectual ghost stories, The Turn of the Screw is a haunting tale of suspected supernatural possession. A governess at a country house claims that Miles and Flora, two orphaned children in her care, are being controlled by spirits for some evil purpose. No one else can see the ghosts, and the children themselves are silent. Are they being dominated by spectral forces, or are they hiding something? Is the governess simply paranoid, or is something else going on? With its ambiguous content and powerful narrative technique, the story challenges the listener to determine whether the unnamed governess is a reliable witness or a neurotic with an overheated imagination.
One of the world's most famous intellectual ghost stories, The Turn of the Screw is a haunting tale of suspected supernatural possession. A governess at a country house claims that Miles and Flora, two orphaned children in her care, are being controlled by spirits for some evil purpose. No one else can see the ghosts, and the children themselves are silent. Are they being dominated by spectral forces, or are they hiding something? Is the governess simply paranoid, or is something else going on? With its ambiguous content and powerful narrative technique, the story challenges the listener to determine whether the unnamed governess is a reliable witness or a neurotic with an overheated imagination.
Reviews-
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Simon Vance reads the brief frame story of James's novella; Vanessa Benjamin narrates the story itself, told by a governess who believes the evil ghosts of a former governess and servant stalk the young children in her charge. Both narrators are skilled and capable, and render James's complex prose as clearly as it would be on the page, if not more so. Benjamin conveys the classic question of the governess's reliability by making her voice pleasant and reasonable yet increasingly self-justifying and high-strung. However, her lower-class accent for the estate's housekeeper is too broad, and the accent she gives the children seems oddly coarse. But through her narration the eerie, claustrophobic effect of James's tale is heightened--just what a good audiobook should do. W.M. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine
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May 30, 2016
An unnamed narrator recalls a Victorian-era Christmas Eve gathering at an old house, in which guests share ghost stories. One guest, named Douglas, presents the group with a faded old manuscript, purporting to be the firsthand account of a young governess who was hired to care for two orphaned children. She arrives at a secluded country estate and soon becomes aware that the ghosts of the former groundskeeper and the children’s previous governess haunt the house and its surrounding grounds. The governess is convinced that the malevolent spirits are out to harm the young children, and it is up to her to thwart their evil intent. Both narrators offer fine performances of this classic story. Elliot presents the book’s prologue in an appropriately British stiff-upper-lip style that contrasts perfectly with Rawlins’s narration, which fully embraces the emotionally charged turmoil and desperation of the governess as she slowly unravels at the escalating horror around her. -
Anne Flosnik's soft voice leads listeners into a novel of Victorian England that is unlike those of contemporary literature. The obtuse language and structure might leave contemporary readers bewildered. Highly developed characters appear with Henry James's signature style, which provides illuminating social commentary on politics, class, and status. Flosnik assumes the upper- and lower-class accents of nineteenth-century England, delivering the different voices with the rendition of a theatrical performance--even crying a little now and then. The plot--seemingly inconsequential--appears slowly from a fog of ideas. The adept narrator exploits the beauty of language from a complex thinker who elaborates his characters using interior monologues and points of view. Readers, beware--this is not an easy listen. J.A.H. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine
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Following Richard Armitage's appropriately Jamesian (that is, slightly stuffy) reading of the introductory material, Emma Thompson gives the performance we expect from an Oscar winner. Most listeners don't think of Henry James as a passionate writer, but passion is there, and Thompson brings it out--and adds some of her own. This is, of course, James's ghost story, the most famous (if not the best) of his short works, and it has been interpreted many times in many ways over the years. It's always worthwhile, however, to return to the original text. Thompson's reading will teach new listeners how to read the text--and perhaps James in general-- and to understand why he's considered a genius. D.M.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
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An unnamed governess arrives at a sprawling English estate and immediately finds herself both charmed and mystified by her new charges--the darling young niece and nephew of a wealthy absentee landlord. Ben Elliot, who reads the prologue, and Penelope Rawlins combine a skillful delivery of Henry James's careful nineteenth-century prose with a more modern pace that will keep listeners on the edge of their seats. Rawlins's voice subtly becomes more emotional as this masterpiece, a blend of early literary realism and ghost story, advances towards a captivating finish. Sometimes a classic sounds like a classic because it's that good and, in this case, that scary. A listening treat. B.P. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
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Henry James's novella tells the story of a governess whose two young wards are visited by sinister ghosts--or are they? Here is one of literature's original unreliable narrators. Written as a framed story, the audiobook has two narrators. Simon Prebble reads for an unnamed Christmas Eve party guest, and, although his part is relatively brief, he draws out initial anticipation for the ghost story. Rosalyn Landor carries the remainder of the narration from the perspective of the governess, whose written experience is read aloud by a friend. Landor adopts an earnest tone that expresses the tension within the story. Landor's emotion in the governess's and housekeeper's interchanges is intense, echoing the fear and uncertainty expressed in James's dialogue. Both Prebble and Landor's performances communicate the haunting quality of this troubling ghost story. D.M.W. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
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February 27, 2017
Prebble’s strong, cultured voice pulls listeners directly into the deep suspense of James’s famous Gothic tale. He plays the unnamed narrator who, at the start of the novel, prepares his audience for what is posed as a most sinister ghost story involving young children and their newly appointed governess. Then actor Landor takes over to relate the story as a first-person account from the governess. She reads with an accent that sounds a bit upper-class for a country governess, but no matter; her diction is extremely clear, which is essential to allowing the listener to traverse James’s long, complex sentences. She is entirely convincing both as the emotional governess and as Mrs. Grose, the housekeeper, as the two try to extricate their young charges, eight- and 10-year-old Flora and Miles, from the grasp of the two ghosts who inhabit their gloomy country house. The story remains ambiguous to the end: Are the children manipulated by the ghosts? Are the ghosts real? Is the governess simply mad? With the help of both Prebble and Landor, listeners will be at the edge of their seats. - Amazon.com [I]n the hands of Henry James, the master of nuance, this little tale of terror is an exquisite gem of sexual and psychological ambiguity...By leaving the questions unanswered, The Turn of the Screw generates spine-tingling anxiety in its mesmerized readers.
