Reviews with content warning for Death - The Turn of the Screw (Collins Classics)

I can see why this novella has stood the test of time in terms of its atmospheric dread, the creepiness of it's supernatural themes, and the compelling narrative of innocent children being lured by evil, not to mention

the brilliance of the unreliable narration. I, for one, am completely on Team The Governess is Clearly Going Insane.

That being said, the prose in this novel is SO dense. The run on sentences are so exhausting that just trying to keep up with the plot is a challenge at times, which really takes away from the atmospheric horror of it all.

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xkrille's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I read this for university. I cannot deny that it is good. Definitely. But I do not think I understood it fully. I had to read some analyses and interpretations before I got it. As I said, I did enjoy it. I wish I had understood it while I read it because I definitely would have found it more spooky. All in all, it is my own fault that I did not enjoy it as much. The language was difficult for me, sorry!!! Maybe I did not concentrate hard enough. Whatever, it was a nice story.

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elliebasta's review against another edition

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dark mysterious 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

3.0

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ccroquetas's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

Para ser un libro tan corto, me ha costado terminarlo. Las oraciones y los párrafos eran demasiado largos, lo que me complicaba la lectura.
Dejando eso de lado, la historia está bien. Me resultaba muy confusa, pero es parte del encanto.

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seapotatohowisitalrtaken's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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lindseyhall44's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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caidyn's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I enjoyed these stories more a second time. Definitely have to be in the mood for these.

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suchsweetsorrow89's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

going into it, i honestly was not sure what to expect. i think the comments are right in the sense that it is hard to really rely on reviews for the book since so much of the plot spoils itself as you go along. i found this to be a lovely classical book that didn't read so much as a ghost story as it did an exploration of questions of authority, possession/the possessed, human will, and whether the reality that we perceive around us is really true or if it's just a mere expression of what someone else believes must be true. because of that, the writing style and diction can be really confusing (one tip i give is to actually view it as an intentional method of obscuring what's actually going on!). in the end, i really came to enjoy it and i think it poses a question on the genre of horror that i have yet to encounter thus far in how we think of what describes the "monstrous" and "evil".

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