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The Turn of the Screw and Other Stories
The Romance of Certain Old Clothes, The Friends of the Friends and The Jolly Corner: "The Romance of Certain..."
Paperback
Published January 1, 2007
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About the author
Henry James
4,599 books3,955 followersHenry James was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the son of Henry James Sr. and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James.
He is best known for his novels dealing with the social and marital interplay between émigré Americans, the English, and continental Europeans, such as The Portrait of a Lady. His later works, such as The Ambassadors, The Wings of the Dove and The Golden Bowl were increasingly experimental. In describing the internal states of mind and social dynamics of his characters, James often wrote in a style in which ambiguous or contradictory motives and impressions were overlaid or juxtaposed in the discussion of a character's psyche. For their unique ambiguity, as well as for other aspects of their composition, his late works have been compared to Impressionist painting.
His novella The Turn of the Screw has garnered a reputation as the most analysed and ambiguous ghost story in the English language and remains his most widely adapted work in other media. He wrote other highly regarded ghost stories, such as "The Jolly Corner".
James published articles and books of criticism, travel, biography, autobiography, and plays. Born in the United States, James largely relocated to Europe as a young man, and eventually settled in England, becoming a British citizen in 1915, a year before his death. James was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911, 1912, and 1916. Jorge Luis Borges said "I have visited some literatures of East and West; I have compiled an encyclopedic compendium of fantastic literature; I have translated Kafka, Melville, and Bloy; I know of no stranger work than that of Henry James."
He is best known for his novels dealing with the social and marital interplay between émigré Americans, the English, and continental Europeans, such as The Portrait of a Lady. His later works, such as The Ambassadors, The Wings of the Dove and The Golden Bowl were increasingly experimental. In describing the internal states of mind and social dynamics of his characters, James often wrote in a style in which ambiguous or contradictory motives and impressions were overlaid or juxtaposed in the discussion of a character's psyche. For their unique ambiguity, as well as for other aspects of their composition, his late works have been compared to Impressionist painting.
His novella The Turn of the Screw has garnered a reputation as the most analysed and ambiguous ghost story in the English language and remains his most widely adapted work in other media. He wrote other highly regarded ghost stories, such as "The Jolly Corner".
James published articles and books of criticism, travel, biography, autobiography, and plays. Born in the United States, James largely relocated to Europe as a young man, and eventually settled in England, becoming a British citizen in 1915, a year before his death. James was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911, 1912, and 1916. Jorge Luis Borges said "I have visited some literatures of East and West; I have compiled an encyclopedic compendium of fantastic literature; I have translated Kafka, Melville, and Bloy; I know of no stranger work than that of Henry James."
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 14, 2025
⭐⭐⭐½ (rounded up)
All these stories are very eerie and capture the times they are set in very well. The rating I’m leaving is the average of the ratings for each story. Overall, I enjoy the author's style and brand of unsettling horror.
The Turn of the Screw | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Absolute banger of a classic. I read this years ago for a class, but forgot all about it, so I decided to give it another go. I paid such close attention as I was reading and still had absolutely no clue what was going on. The story is intentionally vague, with an unreliable narrator and a heavy atmosphere of dread, leaving the haunting up to the reader’s imagination. It’s brilliant that way. I love the ending because it validates some theories, but explains nothing. I definitely recommend this.
The Romance of Certain Old Clothes | ⭐⭐⭐
This was extremely short and sweet. It felt very much like reading a fairytale. Written well, very creepy. The relationship between the sisters was tense and a bit unsettling in itself. I enjoyed how creeped out I felt most of the time, like something was off or I was just waiting for the shoe to drop.
The Friends of the Friends | ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Another story where absolutely nothing is explained, and I love it. Very mysterious. It has similar vibes to The Turn of the Screw, in that the reader must base their understanding of events from the narrator and draw their own conclusions on why things are happening. The supernatural element is a strange connection between two people who have never met, and I found myself continuing to wonder what the author was thinking this should be. We’re left to our imaginations, and I enjoyed the way that was set up.
The Jolly Corner | ⭐⭐
This story used the eerie supernatural events in a house as a catalyst for a man who has a great deal of nostalgia, and wistfulness for the idea that he could be better, forgetting to be present and appreciate what he has. I enjoyed the relationship between the two characters; I thought it was sweet. The run-on sentences with this story bugged me, and I found myself zoning out a lot - it just wasn’t as interesting. That being said, there was some really beautiful phrasing scattered throughout that I highlighted.
All these stories are very eerie and capture the times they are set in very well. The rating I’m leaving is the average of the ratings for each story. Overall, I enjoy the author's style and brand of unsettling horror.
The Turn of the Screw | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Absolute banger of a classic. I read this years ago for a class, but forgot all about it, so I decided to give it another go. I paid such close attention as I was reading and still had absolutely no clue what was going on. The story is intentionally vague, with an unreliable narrator and a heavy atmosphere of dread, leaving the haunting up to the reader’s imagination. It’s brilliant that way. I love the ending because it validates some theories, but explains nothing. I definitely recommend this.
The Romance of Certain Old Clothes | ⭐⭐⭐
This was extremely short and sweet. It felt very much like reading a fairytale. Written well, very creepy. The relationship between the sisters was tense and a bit unsettling in itself. I enjoyed how creeped out I felt most of the time, like something was off or I was just waiting for the shoe to drop.
The Friends of the Friends | ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Another story where absolutely nothing is explained, and I love it. Very mysterious. It has similar vibes to The Turn of the Screw, in that the reader must base their understanding of events from the narrator and draw their own conclusions on why things are happening. The supernatural element is a strange connection between two people who have never met, and I found myself continuing to wonder what the author was thinking this should be. We’re left to our imaginations, and I enjoyed the way that was set up.
The Jolly Corner | ⭐⭐
This story used the eerie supernatural events in a house as a catalyst for a man who has a great deal of nostalgia, and wistfulness for the idea that he could be better, forgetting to be present and appreciate what he has. I enjoyed the relationship between the two characters; I thought it was sweet. The run-on sentences with this story bugged me, and I found myself zoning out a lot - it just wasn’t as interesting. That being said, there was some really beautiful phrasing scattered throughout that I highlighted.
March 15, 2025
More like 3.5…
This was pretty spooky. I still don’t know exactly what to think. I enjoyed the style of writing, although it took a while to get used to. I really got into the head of the character. The darkest aspect was how weird your life gets the more time you spend around children…
I enjoyed the other stories in the collection too even though it is all very of its time.
This was pretty spooky. I still don’t know exactly what to think. I enjoyed the style of writing, although it took a while to get used to. I really got into the head of the character. The darkest aspect was how weird your life gets the more time you spend around children…
I enjoyed the other stories in the collection too even though it is all very of its time.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews