It takes truly awesome power to construct a story like The Turn of the Screw. By the way, the title itself is a masterpiece of fine craftsmanship and remarkable smartness. After I finished reading the book, I came to appreciate its title even more. It serves as a preface to, the very essence and the summary of the story. Indeed, like a screw, the story turns as it drills. As it drills down further, it turns sharper, steeper, and faster. We readers are possessed, whether we believe the story or the narrator or not. The screw keeps turning and penetrating until it suddenly stops, right at the moment when no one can bear it anymore, not the two children, not even the antagonist herself. The story is ambiguous, the characters seem as real as they are unreal, and the settings both inside and out are mystifying. For these reasons, I was guessing, questioning, and disbelieving throughout my entire reading. But nonetheless, how it ended shocked me, just like a "bang!" That is the power of Henry James!

Finally, I want to say that it could be more difficult to write in the way of The Turn of the Screw than to account the accounts such as The Wings of Dove. The former requires a more intricate and nuanced approach, while the latter may follow a more traditional narrative structure. The Turn of the Screw challenges the reader's perception and forces them to grapple with the ambiguity and uncertainty of the story. It is a testament to Henry James' genius as a writer that he was able to create such a powerful and thought-provoking work.

I picked up three classics in the library at once. Well, that's really too much at one time. Italy, a certain book critic or reviewer is acquainted with the old lady and her descendants in the pharmacy. The old lady's residence - it's not clear, but the Venice canal is in front of her doorstep. And then also - the lady was once an excellent beauty in her youth, and the famous poet dedicated many personal letters to her, but how did she receive and read them?

Can someone love me? Can I really mean something to someone? Or - I'm just a useful expense for someone, and as such an expense, I'm used, and I've agreed to it, not even thinking about it myself.

And now we, natural women, not outstanding in anything, we, who can't claim to be noticed because of some special beauty value, with each year we become more and more dissatisfied that only the usefulness is seen, not us ourselves.

This is just a review for The Turn of the Screw as I haven't read The Aspern Papers yet.

I would rate this book 3.5 stars. Similar to most books of its era, it commences at a slow tempo. In fact, traversing through the initial few pages can seem rather arduous. Nevertheless, once the actual narrative commences, it accelerates, and the tension promptly begins to accumulate. Henry James was truly a maestro in constructing tension. The conclusion is ambiguous, and undoubtedly, there will be those who loathe that aspect. Personally, I didn't have an issue with it. In fact, I prefer ambiguous endings over those where the author feels compelled to clarify everything explicitly. Thus, the story itself was extremely good. It only loses 1.5 stars due to the sometimes inadequately paced writing.

Overall, The Turn of the Screw is a captivating read that showcases Henry James' remarkable talent for creating an atmosphere of suspense and mystery. Despite its flaws in pacing, it manages to engage the reader and leave them with a sense of unease and speculation. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy classic literature and are not afraid of a bit of ambiguity in their reading experience.

I finally managed to finish this!

I always find it a struggle to keep reading during this busy time of the year. So, usually, I pick easier books. However, I was singing in an extract of "The Turn of The Screw", and thus, I read this for research purposes.

I really struggled with "The Aspern Papers". I liked the initial idea, but I felt that it didn't develop enough. Also, I thought the main character was a bit crazy for parting with all that money! Maybe I shouldn't have read the introduction before as it gave away a lot of the story.

I enjoyed "Turn of the Screw" much more. I read it in just a few days. I would rate it 4 stars. It was really spooky and, as James said, a perfect pot boiler! I can clearly see why it inspired Britten to compose an opera and also a film like "The Innocents". It's a perfect example of the ghost story genre, but it's not one to read at night if you get scared easily!