I was really excited to pick up The Turn of the Screw because the synopsis reminded me of one of my favorites, Jane Eyre. But I ended up being quite disappointed in it. So, let’s chat about it.
A young governess finds herself at Bly Manor where she takes charge over two hauntingly beautiful children. When half seen figures begin to haunt the house the governess must do everything in her power to protect the children.
My Thoughts on The Turn of the Screw
I really didn’t enjoy The Turn of the Screw as much as Id’ hoped. But I think that’s because everything was so vague. There were no set answers, and I just wasn’t a fan of that. Was the house haunted? I don’t know. Maybe. Was the narrator unreliable? Probably, but I don’t know for sure. And even if she was an unreliable narrator only works if something proves that she’s unreliable. I know it’s open ended by design, but I just couldn’t grasp a complete understanding of the story.
Another thing that I didn’t love was the character development. Granted, I know it’s a short story, but none of the characters had a distinct personality. The only one semi-developed was Miles. Overall, the rest of the characters fell flat. And I forgot that the little girl existed most of the time. I know the style of writing has changed over the years. And usually, I can adapt to classics pretty well, but The Turn of the Screw just didn’t work for me.
My Rating: 2/5
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I felt the same way; I didn’t like the book at all, but I love the adaptations.
I’ll have to check the adaptations out! I love the concept of the story. The execution just wasn’t great.