Hey and happy Saturday!

I usually don’t blog on weekends, but why not try something new! I’ve got nothing better to do on a Saturday night

I read a book today, and in my mind I imagine you would like to know what I thought about it. You see, I rented the movie “The turn of the screw” and thought: “that’ll be great fun – watching a ghost story alone on a Saturday evening”. The movie cover was amazing, and that Downton Abbey girl is playing the main character, so it’s safe to say I was looking forward to watching it.  Of course I’m an over excited reader, so I always read the book before I watch the movie, and so I started reading and finished the book this afternoon.

I was about 20 pages into the story when I realized I had seen the movie before. That kind of killed some of the excitement. As I read on, I noticed I remembered every single thing from the movie. So… I read the book!

FACTS

Title: The turn of the screw
Author: Henry James
First published: 1898
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Pages: 121

THE SYNOPSIS

A young governess is sent to a great country house to care for two orphaned children. To begin with Flora and Miles seem to be model pupils but gradually the governess starts to suspect that something is very wrong with them. As she sets out to uncover the corrupt secrets of the house she becomes more and more convinced that something evil is watching her.

THE STORY

I am very into old ghost stories, esp. those located in England/Ireland/Scotland. I have read an amazing amount of collected ghost stories books, and I’m a bit surprised The turn of the screw had been overlooked.

The story is very much like any other ghost story from the late 19-century. An old mansion, a governess, a woman in black and some creepy children. That being said, it’s also a complex story that can be interpreted into a psychological tale (I read somewhere). I decided to just read it as a normal ghost story, but I can see that some people might want to give the story more depth.

THE CHARACTERS

There are some interesting characters in this book (or maybe just one). I was very fond of Miles – one of the scary siblings. He was so sweet, but also so scary at the same time, and he really made the story interesting. He was portrayed so beautifully by Henry James. I noticed Miles always managed to creep me out even though he was just smirking or saying something very ordinary. The scenes with Miles is perhaps what makes this book worth reading (in my opinion).

The governess was a bit dull and perhaps a bit hysterical. She jumped to conclusions as soon as anything happened. I know that this is a short story, but I do like ghost stories to leave out a bit of the mystery for the reader to figure out (even though that means more pages). Other than this she is a main character, and kind of worked as a detective in this story. She’s the one who figures things out so to say.

The other characters were a bit plain, and I didn’t take too much notice of them. There were maids and ghosts (or horrors as they are called in the book), a wealthy uncle and a narrator, but they were kind of over shadowed by Miles and the governess.

TO SUM IT ALL UP

Henry James is known to write beautiful books. His language is spotless and aesthetically beautiful. He is thorough with his characters and story lines, and I guess you read his books because they are classics, not because you want a fast paced, action packed book. This all apply to The turn of the screw as well. It was not very exciting, but it was OK. The story was pretty straight forward, and since it was so short I never really got into it.

If you want a classic ghost story, I guess you could read this book. Just don’t expect to be super-scared by it. Go watch the movie though, because that’s pretty awesome!

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Love ♥

Dears,

Do you agree with me when I say; summer is the time for light reading? I’ve tried bringing big blocks of Russian literature on previous vacations with little success. They are heavy both in weight and content. What I need in the warm summer months are easy-reads, preferably pocketbooks. And so I usually reach for chick-lit, fantasy or young adult novels.

I had heard amazingly good things about the author Sarah Dessen, and especially the book ”Lock and Key”. The book title is flourishing online; loads of girls and women praising Sarah’s work. So I got it from my local library and dived into it one sunny summer afternoon.

What’s the story?

Ruby Cooper finds herself abandoned by her mother. Living in a small yellow house with little money, not being able to take care of herself, Ruby is soon picked up by social services, sending her to live with her wealthy big sister Cora and her husband Jamie.

Trying to escape the huge mansion that same night, Ruby runs into her neighbor Nate. Nate looks like the perfect guy with astonishing good surfer looks and nice, caring attitude. Still Ruby is scared of bonding with him. There’s something off about Nate, isn’t it?

Like things couldn’t get any worse, she has to switch schools. Ruby will now be attending a snobby high school for rich kids. It doesn’t seem like a place Ruby wants to make new friends. Instead she is put to the test: forget all about your shabby past and try to fit in with the successful, rich people.

Through all of this, Ruby is clinging on to what comforts her the most: the key to the little, yellow house she once lived in with her mother…her past.

My thoughts

First of all; this book is excellently written. The language is flowing through the pages and it never for a moment slowed down or became dull. Sarah Dessen clearly knows how to keep a readers patient. I’m amazed of how she manages to write chapters that contain both Ruby’s present time and happenings from her past. She switches through time all throughout the book, and she does it wonderfully without creating any confusion.

I was really excited about reading this book, having heard so many wonderful things about both Sara Dessen’s writing and this particular piece of work. I finished it amazingly fast (considering it is over 400 pages). Although the book doesn’t contain many thrills and jaw dropping moments, I found it to be interesting and addictive. I simply couldn’t put this book down!  I was drawn to Ruby, and it didn’t take long before I truly cared for her. I wanted to help her and make her feel OK through all her difficult and rocky situations, but still she managed so well on her own.

My opinion

This is a book that lingers for days after you’ve read it. I felt so connected to the characters, I actually find myself wondering what have happened to them after the story has ended.  It’s not a 100% happy story with all good endings. It’s emotional, self-reflecting and gets you thinking about certain aspects of life.

Having read this book, and describing it the way I have, I wouldn’t exactly call it your typical easy, summer read, simply because this book has a very meaningful, moving story. But I truly, truly recommend it if you want to read a lovely, good, inspiring book about troubled pasts, decision-making and family situations.

Check out “Lock and Key” at Amazon 

Love ♥