The Turn of the Screw
- 162
- Pages
- about 3 h
- Reading time
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Our view
“The Turn of the Screw” draws its power from doubt: what is really happening to the governess and the two children is never settled. Almost every scene supports two readings, and James makes his audience work for them. Short as it is, the novella is best taken slowly; those wanting clear answers or plain scares may be frustrated.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
The Turn of the Screw is an 1898 gothic horror novella by Henry James which first appeared in serial format in Collier's Weekly from January 27 to April 16, 1898. On October 7, 1898, it was collected in The Two Magics, published by Macmillan in New York City and Heinemann in London. The novella follows a governess who, caring for two children at a remote country house, becomes convinced that they are haunted.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 6.4 across 471 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 76% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Horror average of 7.5. That is how 6.7 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 7.3 | 45 | 10% |
| Hardcover | 6.3 | 426 | 90% |
Frequently asked
How long is The Turn of the Screw?
It has 162 pages — shorter than 92% of the ranked books in Horror.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Horror — with scores between 7.3 and 8.0, closest to this book.
