The Turn of the Screw
Published in 1898, The Turn of the Screw is a gothic fiction and paranormal romance novel by Henry James. It takes readers to England and Washington Square, New York, N.Y. in the 19th century. It features Henry James (1843-1916). Readers will find themes of governesses, Children, Ghost and social conditions.
Open Library readers give it an average of 3.7 out of 5 from 45 ratings, and 323 more have it on their want-to-read list. It has been published in 563 editions across 9 languages. On Project Gutenberg it was downloaded 29,238 times in the last 30 days.
At about 160 pages, most readers finish it in 2–3 hours. It is in the public domain, so you can read it free on Project Gutenberg or listen to the 5 h 43 min LibriVox audiobook.
About The Turn of the Screw
The governess of two enigmatic children fears their souls are in danger from the ghosts of the previous governess and her sinister lover.
Free audiobook
The Turn of the Screw — LibriVox recording, 5 h 43 min in 25 sections.
Public-domain recording by volunteer readers. Listen online, download MP3s or stream from the Internet Archive.
Opening line
“The story had held us, round the fire, sufficiently breathless, but except the obvious remark that it was gruesome, as on Christmas Eve in an old house a strange tale should essentially be, I remember no comment uttered till somebody happened to note it as the only case he had met in which such a visitation had fallen on a child.”
Quick answers
Who wrote The Turn of the Screw?
The Turn of the Screw was written by Henry James and first published in 1898.
What genre is The Turn of the Screw?
It is usually shelved as Gothic Fiction, Paranormal Romance, Ghost Stories and Horror.
How long is The Turn of the Screw?
The median edition has 160 pages, about 2–3 hours of reading at 250 words per minute.
Is The Turn of the Screw free to read?
Yes. It is in the public domain in the United States and can be read free on Project Gutenberg in EPUB, Kindle and HTML formats.
Is there a free audiobook of The Turn of the Screw?
Yes — LibriVox volunteers recorded it; the recording runs 5 h 43 min.
What books are similar to The Turn of the Screw?
Readers who like it often enjoy Dracula, A Christmas Carol and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
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