The Turn of the Screw

By: Henry James

Narrated by: Emma Thompson, Richard Armitage - introduction

Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Emmy winner Emma Thompson lends her immense talent and experienced voice to Henry James' Gothic ghost tale, The Turn of the Screw.

When a governess is hired to care for two children at a British country estate, she begins to sense an otherworldly presence around the grounds. Are they really ghosts she's seeing? Or is something far more sinister at work?

Having performed in films based on some of the greatest works in literature - including Sense and Sensibility, Howards End, Much Ado About Nothing, and Henry V - Thompson is no stranger to the classics, and she lends a graceful eloquence to this moody, macabre story. Joined by listener favorite Richard Armitage, who performs the prologue, Thompson reinvigorates this psychological thriller of life, death, evil, and the unknown.

Public Domain (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"[Narrator] 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.... 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." ( AudioFile)

An Exorcist, a Ghostbuster, or a Shrink?

Henry James is an author that is better left to the reading, which is something I was concerned about before I purchased the audio version of this Gothic Ghost(?) tale. His sentence construction is...well, different, difficult, wordy and at time paced intentionally to ratchet up the suspense. Emma Thompson is everything you'd expect, and I won't fault her for her interpretation, but it is HER interpretation of a book that is meant by the author to be interpreted by the reader, a style used often by James.

A prior reading doesn't give you very much of an advantage if you are left wondering "what the, who the, huh?" The story is still a conundrum to me after a prior reading (and I'm not dazzled enough to keep digging for the depth and meaning). While I like the concept of reader perception and the unreliable narrator, this story was too loose and wandered down a path too broad to keep the suspense taut and driven ahead with any reliability. It feels helter-skelter and loose. And that's my opinion in spite of how English Lit majors tell me that reflects on my Lit. IQ.

Some "classics" have to be read with a step back into the period from which they were created in order to stand up, and I feel this is one of those books. Listening to Thompson's emotional recollection of the events after the fact, I felt like I was on a runaway horse -- still trying to process some of the vagueness of the story while she raced ahead. It was difficult to envision the story aligned with my own perceptions of what was going on. There are better ghost stories, better Gothic pieces, and better works by James.

Young Governess; Big Lonely House:

Equals trouble! It happens every time.

"The Turn of the Screw" is an enigmatic classic of horror (or is it madness? Psychology?) It's been put on film and has a number of interpretations available on Audible. Having read and studied the print copy and having seen and heard it in several incarnations, I still happily went for this version.

So, how does Emma Thompson rate among "Turn of the Screw" narrators? I'd normally follow her anywhere, and this is a spectacular performance. The ominous atmosphere and rising suspense are wonderfully conveyed, and it's a fast-moving and satisfying listen. I do believe that one particular slant on the tale's motivations is highly favored here - one that can be more frighteningly ambiguous in reading the book.

Is it necessarily a bad thing to say that anyone who has heard Thompson's narration of "The Turn of the Screw" will find it difficult to see it any other way? I don't think so, but perhaps a newcomer to James' work should read this short book in print form first (preferably alone in a big, old house on a dark, stormy night!)

But Emma Thompson is awfully good - as, by the way, is Richard Armitage in his brief contribution.

Masterful

Emma Thompson, one of my favorite actresses, a Gothic mansion and a ghost story. What's not to love? I really enjoyed the story. This is the first Henry James work I've ever read. I will definitely look for more.

Emma Thompson has the perfect voice for the tale!

Loved it, especially Thompson's voice. I will definitely look for more Henry James gothic novels!

Great Narration But...

I bought this recording because Emma Thompson is the narrator. She is terrific breathing as much life into this story as possible. However Henry James' work has not aged well. While it may have been scary in its time, in an age that has brought us The Exorcist and The Shining, the idea of two young children being influenced by evil has become a cliché. The plot is overly dramatic and predictable. The best thing that I can say about Turn of The Screw (besides the fantastic narration) is that it is short.