The Last Wildspeaker by Ivy Rowan, The Weight of Sunshine by Robin Maguire, The North Doesn't Speak by Clifton Wilcox, and A Duchess With a Secret by Alix Nichols

The Last Wildspeaker by Ivy Rowan 

The Last Wildspeaker is a beguiling YA Fantasy novella with a meaningful subtext about preserving and respecting nature and the environment.

In the village of Brindlewood, Mara Fern can understand animals. While that used to be considered a gift, now it's considered unlucky and could be grounds for accusations of witchcraft. Mara is told to ignore animals’ conversations and to live as normally as possible. This normal front is tested when nature has decided that it will not be ignored. Various animals hint that damaging changes are coming. It comes in the form of the Briarthing, a vine-like plant creature that crowds the forest and nearby village and holds forest spirit Elderhorn in its stems. Mara has to use the powers that she suppressed and retreat into the woods outside her village with companions, Sable, a fox, Hoot, an owl, Corbie, a raven, and Turnip, a goat to find out the root (pun not intended) of this problem.

Any book that explores nature is bound to have a strong grip on setting and this book is no exception. It carries a deep respect for nature through the character interactions and the important prominence of plants and animals to the narrative. When Mara hears the conversations of animals, she realizes that they have human arguments, frailties, and vulnerabilities making them a part of the society around them.

Much of the humor derives from these animal conversations. A squirrel insists on territorial rights for his acorns. Turnip the goat brags about how delicious that he finds the mayor’s declarations are (since he’s a goat that’s not metaphorical). A cat critiques his human’s fashion sense. Chickens argue incessantly. A dog just wants biscuits. 

These conversations could come from humans surrounding her and that’s the point. Animals just want someone to listen to them and take their concerns into consideration. Just because they serve as workers, food, predators, prey, or companions to humans doesn’t mean that they don’t have opinions on how humans run things. 

Mara’s time with her animal companions is the highlight of the book as each character is fleshed out. Turnip is a lazy obstinate goat whose sarcastic barbs and “whatever” attitude provide much of the humor. Corbie the raven insists that he’s a prince and is a complete narcissist who has particular views about his plumage, nest, titles, and self-importance. 

Hoot the owl is, like many owl characters in fiction, very wise but his knowledge is tempered with memory lapses that sometimes result in important information being delayed while he tries to remember it. Sable the fox is a charismatic and courageous team leader but is trying to live up to the very large luminous shadow held by his god-like adopted father, Elderhorn who needs to be rescued. 

At the center is Mara who is now thrown into a situation in which the abilities that she once suppressed are now the keys to saving her village. She is overwhelmed by nature’s chatter but realizes her importance as the current bridge between the village and the forest to find out what is affecting both locations and what must be done,

Not just the animals but plants are affected as well. The Briarthing creeps into the village  and crowds those around them leaving a terrifying and sorrowful presence. Mara investigates the presence and learns exactly what caused this disturbance. She learns that human arrogance and error created their own monsters and now are choking under the consequences. 

It’s not hard to recognize this story as a metaphor for climate change and human-caused destruction towards nature followed by natural disasters as though they were from a planet fighting back.Sometimes the theme is a bit on the nose. 

But it is also easy to see that Mara is supposed to represent us, those who are charged with hearing, listening to, and cooperating with nature to find the solutions that will rescue and benefit all of us. 

 

The Weight of Sunshine by Robin Maguire 

The Weight of Sunshine by Roban Maquire is a deeply poignant and affecting Contemporary Fiction novel about a love story. Oh not a romantic one between lovers. Instead the love story focuses on a long lasting mostly platonic friendship between a man and a woman.

Jackson “Jax” Hart and Nina Welbourne-Rhodes, both from privileged backgrounds, meet in college and maintain a long friendship. Despite debating whether straight men and women can ever be friends and giving into their impulses a few times, the friendship remains constant. Through marriages, job changes, relocations, children, and other massive life changes, Jax and Nina remain constant steadfast presences in one another’s lives.

This is the type of novel that is filled with interesting characters with Nina and Jax as the most developed and fully realized. They have similar backgrounds of wealth and privilege. The type of upbringing where they were born at the finish line and their family names carry a lot of weight. It’s a background that is rich in material goods and economic advantages, but not so in personal experience or individual agency.

 Nina in particular struggles with this as she purposely goes to a different college than intended, chooses an unplanned career trajectory, and lives like other students. It’s somewhat performative as she still retains contact with her family as a family emergency shows and if she gets tired of living a frugal life, she can always go home. But, the fact that she even makes this decision shows a resilient independent need to make her way in the world her own way. 

Jax also shows resilience during his marriage to Penny, a bright but troubled woman. He endures his personal misery while also helping his brother and his friends like Nina with their problems. He is a steady rock for other characters even as his own personal life crumbles. 

In fact it is Nina’s independence and Jax’s endurance that attracts them to each other and keeps their friendship alive. During their reunions, they have insightful conversations about love, life, and death. Their witty dry humor bounces off each other as they are faced with youthful philosophy and adult practicality. 

The book loses its luster during the half-way point when what started out as a platonic friendship becomes predictably romantic. There are some decent moments after this. They continue to support each other. They shine as a duo just as much as individuals, but the set up of a platonic friendship is lost. In trying to prove the point whether a heterosexual man and woman could be platonic friends, it deconstructs it by saying that they can’t because sex, love, and family always inevitably get in the way.

The North Doesn't Speak by Clifton Wilcox 

This is a summary. The entire review is on Reader Views.

The North Doesn't Speak by Clifton Wilcox is a meaningful and chilling historical fiction about the escape to freedom and what such words like “North” and “freedom” meant for slaves in the Antebellum South in the United States.

Elijah and Lila are among the various slaves that reside on a wealthy plantation. They have heard about many escaping and heading North despite the Fugitive Slave Act which requires slaves to be caught and returned to their previous owners. It sounds hard to believe, but Elijah is willing to take that risk and inspires Lilah. They make plans to escape despite capture, abuse, threats, and betrayal. It isn't just a manner of outrunning their captors, but also outfighting, outwitting, outlasting, and outsmarting them as well.

This book focuses on the parts that many other similar books gloss over or hand wave: how difficult it is to even think about escaping. Many of the characters argue whether escape is even possible. Elijah inspires Lilah and compels her to leave her cruel mistress behind. Other characters prefer the safety of the known surroundings over the fear of the unknown that going north would bring.

Besides talking about running to freedom, there are also moments when characters have to seek the opportunity. Both Lilah and Elijah weigh various risks like searching for the right time and date to disappear and whether they should go alone or together.

Besides conversations and strategy, the characters are hit with treachery and not solely from their masters. That's where Samuel comes in, a fellow slave and an opportunist comes in. He listens in on conversations that hint at escape and manipulates other slaves to report back to him. He is a truly insidious character who is motivated by his own self-interest and preservation. In his drive to survive the monstrous institution, he becomes the monster that the white slave-holding society created.

In focusing on the time before the escape and not as much on the escape itself or answering definite questions over whether it was a success, Wilcox highlights how important it is to leave such oppression. The book reminds us that the road to freedom is painful and dangerous but ultimately worth it.

A Duchess With a Secret (The Montevor Royals Saga) by Alix Nichols 

This is a summary. The entire review is on LitPick. 

A Duchess With a Secret is a halfway decent contemporary romance with an old fashioned historical feel. However, it runs far too long, gets too repetitive, and doesn't accomplish much in the way of deep characters, vibrant setting, or an interesting plot.

Eva Castellane’s daughter, Millie is set to become the Duchess of the fictional country of Rohinn. Eva is prepared to help the 14 year old claim her birthright and advise her to make the transition to leadership run smoothly. Unfortunately, Alex, Eva’s late husband's half brother also has a claim to the title and is prepared to challenge Eva and Millie for it. Eva and Alex’s rivalry turns into a romance just as Eva's history compromises Millie’s ascension before it even starts.

The central conflict between lovers-to-be Alex and Eva is a composite of historical power struggles for leadership and Regency Era enemies to lovers tension. It is verbose, witty, and has its share of dramatic moments. 

Much of the trauma is revealed as Eva discusses her troubled marriage which was quite different from what the public saw. She also reveals a private medical struggle that affects her family and the genetic complications that it can cause for future generations. 

There are moments both individually and as a couple in which Alex and Eva reveal more developed sides. They work stronger together than apart. When they get along, they have great ideas and could decently lead Rohinn as a duo. 

The book plays into the “Enemies-to-Lovers” trope but resolves it early before the characters recognize it. Once realized there isn't anywhere else for the book to go. The plot goes around in circles with the same arguments and conflicts. Once they see the resolution, they get back in the game and show those leadership skills that will guide Millie and Rohinn effectively.

Cicadas: A Summer Story by Jenna Putnam; The Republic of Plato Book 1: Views on Justice by G. McLaughlin; Super Easy Keto Diet Book for Beginners Over 60: 2000+ Days Low Carb, Low Sugar & Delicious Keto Recipes Cookbook-Assist in Trimming Excess Fat/Includes 30 Day Meal Plans by Branimira Ivanec; 2024 Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook for Beginners: 1900 Days Easy, Tasty & Nutritious Recipes Book for Balanced and Better Eating A No-Stress 30-Day Meal Plan by Asuman Veer; 2024 Time-Saving Air Fryer Cookbook for Beginners: 2000+ Days Easy, Delicious & Budget-Friendly Recipes Book for Busy Beginners and Family Favorites Inc. Everyday Fry, Bake, Grill, & Roast by Mette A. Mogensen

 Cicadas: A Summer Story by Jenna Putnam; The Republic of Plato Book 1: Views on Justice by G. McLaughlin; Super Easy Keto Diet Book for Beginners Over 60: 2000+ Days Low Carb, Low Sugar & Delicious Keto Recipes Cookbook-Assist in Trimming Excess Fat/Includes 30 Day Meal Plans by Branimira Ivanec; 2024 Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook for Beginners: 1900 Days Easy, Tasty & Nutritious Recipes Book for Balanced and Better Eating A No-Stress 30-Day Meal Plan by Asuman Veer; 2024 Time-Saving Air Fryer Cookbook for Beginners: 2000+ Days Easy, Delicious & Budget-Friendly Recipes Book for Busy Beginners and Family Favorites Inc. Everyday Fry, Bake, Grill, & Roast by Mette A. Mogensen

Cicadas: A Summer Story by Jenna Putnam

With its brief length, seasonally appropriate setting, and its heated love shape, Cicadas makes for perfect summertime reading.

Anouk has been having an affair with Michael, a married man. Don't worry, he says, it's an open marriage. Things become more complicated when Anouk meets and befriends Michaels wife, Marina and she is invited to join them on a summer retreat with another couple where the pairings and affairs become more complex and convoluted.

The novella is short, 46 pages, so it doesn’t have a lot of time to dwell on anything more than the important plot points. When it does, it makes for a very emotional passion driven read. We get some background information about how Anouk and Michael’s affair started and how she was put into Marina’s confidence enough for her to confide a painful family secret to her husband’s mistress. There is also time to pull other people into the triangle to further complicate things as other lovers are revealed and one character’s infatuation for another becomes volatile and obsessive. 

Even though we are given very little because of the brief length, what we are given makes the various parts of this love triangle plus other shapes interesting. Most of the hidden depths and motivations of the characters are suggested rather than outright stated. For example, learning about a loss within Michael’s family turns him from a devil may care philanderer to a pathetic sod drifting away from his wife and trying to hold onto anything to give him feeling. He inspires lust, understanding, empathy, and irritation all at once.

Anouk herself goes through a painful journey of self awareness. She begins the affair incredibly naive and lost in her emotions, believing that she needs to be in a relationship no matter how many red flags that she sees. She knows that having an affair with a married man could lead to trouble but she wants to believe Michael’s excuses and ignores Marina’s existence. That works until she meets and begins to like her. Suddenly that unspoken guilt has a face and a name. The turning point occurs during the vacation and Anouk sees Michael for who he really is. She loses the illusions that she once had of being in a romantic relationship and makes changes towards her own life. After her romantic illusions are shattered, Anouk is able to find the independence and self-awareness to leave the situation with the knowledge that she doesn’t need to be in a relationship to feel complete. 

Besides the character’s journeys and brief length, what makes Cicadas ideal summer reading is the setting. For a story drenched in love affairs and hidden passions, the setting is rather apt. Anouk’s first look at Michael and Marina’s vacation home is as follows: “The summer house was everything that Anouk had imagined. Huge Spanish archways, walls covered in ivy, a balcony overlooking wild greenery that stretched all the way to the ocean. On one side of the house was a gazebo with four wooden posts and a tarnished picnic-style table beneath it. She thought of all the dinners that had taken place there, all the people Michael and Marina seduced and danced with under the moonlight.”

The book is filled with summertime imagery: sunshine, heat, cool water, outdoor picnics, dancing under the moonlight, beach houses, and longer days. Even the title, Cicadas, lends itself to that because cicadas are insects that mate every seven to fourteen years and make plenty of noise while doing so. 2024 is particularly notable for this because both the 7 and 14 year cicadas made their appearances. 

Everything in the book calls to mind a time of fun and passion. Sometimes, like the weather, a romance becomes hot and uncomfortable and you have to get away from it into the cool breeze of a safe air conditioned home. However, there is a constant awareness that summer is a brief fleeting time of three months of the year. It is only temporary. The cicadas do their mating calls for a couple of weeks then go underground. Sometimes passion and romance is temporary. What was once exciting and sexual gets cooled off when faced with reality. Summer becomes autumn and one is left with the options of staying in a relationship that may not work or finding the courage to leave it. 

The Republic of Plato Book 1: Views on Justice by G. McLaughlin 

G. McLaughlin’s novella, The Republic of Plato, offers a condensed and simple way of remembering the Ancient Greek philosopher’s teachings: through verse. 

The first volume, Views on Justice, interprets the teachings of Plato’s mentor, Socrates into rhyming couplets. In four chapters, the philosopher offers lessons on “Justice as Honesty in Word and Deed,” “Justice as Helping Friends and Harming Enemies,” “Justice as the Interest of the Stronger,” and “Justice is More Profitable than Injustice.”

The rhyme scheme is simple with  couplets at the end of each line. (“Socrates was walking down the mountain from a festival of lights/A group of children came up smiling with laughter and delight.”) It reads almost like a kid’s guide to philosophy or a book by Dr. Seuss. Readers who are unfamiliar with philosophy may find this approach helpful as it condenses the philosophies in a way that is engaging and easily understood.

While the rhyme scheme is simple, the discussions are complex.  Socrates talks to a friend or student about a specific question and gives his answer based on examples. This allows Readers to pay attention to the questions that are posed and the answers that are given. For example, Polemarchus, a belligerent student asks if telling the truth and paying debts are the right way. 

Socrates expands the other man’s thinking by offering situational challenges like whether people from different occupations may not earn the same as others should be treated differently or whether there are different standards between friends and enemies. Just like many philosophical questions, there are no right or wrong answers. They are often designed to challenge superficial perspectives and think critically and deeply about what we have previously believed.

The Republic of Plato is a fun and engaging way to learn about Socrates and Plato and their philosophies. These questions on justice are ones that are still thought about today and this book presents interesting perspectives on them. 

Super Easy Keto Diet Book for Beginners Over 60: 2000+ Days Low Carb, Low Sugar & Delicious Keto Recipes Cookbook-Assist in Trimming Excess Fat/Includes 30 Day Meal Plans by Branimira Ivanec

Branimira Ivanec’s Super Easy Keto Diet Book for Beginners is a book of delicious healthy recipes but it is also a book that reminds its Readers of the importance and benefits that maintaining a healthy lifestyle can bring.

The book first describes the principles and benefits of a ketogenic lifestyle. Principles include “Low carbohydrate intake,” “Nutrient-dense whole foods,” “Hydration and electrolyte balance,” “Meal timing and intermittent fasting,” “Whole body wellness,” and “Continuous learning and adaptation.” 

Benefits include “Blood sugar control,” “Increased energy and mental clarity,” “Enhanced physical endurance,” “Positive metabolic changes,” “Hormonal regulation,” “Disease prevention,” and “Improved skin health.”

The recipes are varied for Breakfast, Fish, Seafood, Poultry, Beef, Pork, Lamb, Soups, Stews, Vegetarian Mains, Appetizers, Snacks, Desserts. They include “No-Nuts Granola with Clusters,” “Aromatic Monkfish Stew,” “Crackling Creole Crispy Chicken Thighs,” “Pan-Seared Steak with Mushroom Sauce,” “Broc Obama Cheese Soup,” “Cheesy Cauliflower Pizza Crust,” “Everything Bagel Cream Cheese Dip,” and “Salted Chocolate-Macademia Nut Fat Bombs.”

The Super Easy Keto Diet Book is an interesting guide to create healthy meals and understanding how it helps the body, mind, and soul.

2024 Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook for Beginners: 1900 Days Easy, Tasty & Nutritious Recipes Book for Balanced and Better Eating A No-Stress 30-Day Meal Plan by Asuman Veer

Readers of the Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook for Beginners is a delectable way for Readers to engage in Mediterranean culture and in particular its food.

The introduction to the book offers information on the benefits of Mediterranean cooking like hearty health, weight management, Diabetes prevention and management, anti-inflammatory effects, cognitive health, and longevity. It also describes the essence of Mediterranean cooking including healthy fats, plant-based foods, whole grains, lean proteins, herbs, spices, moderate wine consumption, mindful eating, and social connections. It also stresses community by promoting celebrating food, local markets, and culinary heritage.

There is a variety of meals including breakfast, beans, grains, poultry, fish, seafood, beef, pork, lamb, snacks, appetizers, vegetable sides, vegetarian mains, sides, salads, pasta, pizza, wraps, sandwiches, desserts, sauces, staples, dips, and dressings.

Recipes include “Flax, Date, and Walnut Steel-Cut Oats,” “Falafel,” “Chicken Souvlaki,” “Mussels with Fennel and Leeks,” “Steak Gyro Platter,” “Halloumi, Watermelon, Tomato Kebabs with Basil Oil Drizzle,” “Mediterranean Cauliflower Tabbouleh,” “Turkish Red Lentil and Bulgur Kofte,” “Arugula Salad with Grapes, Goat Cheese, and Za’atar Croutons,” “Toasted Couscous with Feta, Cucumber, and Tomato,” “Za’atar Pizza,” “Olive Oil Greek Yogurt Brownies,” and “Piri Piri Sauce.” They reflect the variety, health, and delicious food around the Mediterranean Sea.

The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook for Beginners is a great book that opens a rich tradition and culture of food, family, and togetherness.

2024 Time-Saving Air Fryer Cookbook for Beginners: 2000+ Days Easy, Delicious & Budget-Friendly Recipes Book for Busy Beginners and Family Favorites Inc. Everyday Fry, Bake, Grill, & Roast by Mette A. Mogensen

The Time-Saving Air Fryer Cookbook for Beginners is a great book for experimenting with simple cooking. It helps people prepare simple meals and take advantage of their air-fryer which is described in the book as a “kitchen superhero” for making crisp versatile meals.

As with many cookbooks, this book provides plenty of varied recipes for "Breakfast, Family Favorite, Fast and Easy Everyday Favorites, Vegetables, Sides, Vegetarian Mains, Poultry, Beef, Pork, Lamb, Fish, Seafood, Snacks, Appetizers, and Desserts." 

The recipes offer some ideas for various healthy and delicious meals. They include “Jalapeno and Bacon Breakfast Pizza,” “Phyllo Vegetable Tacos,” “Sweet Corn and Carrot Fritters,” “Indian Eggplant Bharta,” “Cayenne Tahini Kale,” “Cornish Hens with Honey-Lime Glaze,” “Bo Luc Lac”, “Dukkah Crusted Halibut,” “Garlic Edamame,” and “New York Cheesecake.”

An air fryer is a useful cooking appliance and this book is a great companion for it.

New Book Alert: Altered Helix (Book 1 in the Altered Helix Series) by Stephanie Hansen; Science Fiction Novella Has Intriguing Setting and Premise, But Slow Beginning

New Book Alert: Altered Helix (Book One of The Altered Helix Series) by Stephanie Hansen; Science Fiction Has Intriguing Premise and Setting, But Slow Beginning

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: It always fascinates me when one book that I am reading compliments or serves as a commentary to another, even if they are unrelated. Of course, nowadays it's not that hard to think that more than one author, either fiction or nonfiction, would be thinking about the future for obvious reasons.

The latest book that I am reviewing, Altered Helix by Stephanie Hansen, could be the case study of Trond Undheim's Pandemic Aftermath How Coronavirus Changes Global Society. In his book, Undheim pictures various scenarios of the future: one is Two Worlds in which the rich one percenters live in an isolated sterile clean existence from the rest of the world. Another is Hobbesian Chaos in which governments have collapsed and survival of the fittest is the rule of the day.

The world of Altered Helix seems to be a composite of Undheim's Two Worlds and Hobbesian Chaos. While no mention of Coronavirus is present, it isn't hard to presume the world suffered without it in this book. Hansen describes a world where the United States government collapses and states rule their areas. Homelessness is omnipresent with more people on the streets than live in homes. People get kidnapped from the streets and find themselves on the operating table with mysterious medical professionals who want to study their DNA.

One of those people with unusual DNA is Austria, a young woman mourning the death of her father. One day while involved in a group project where she and other kids, particularly Street Kids, put together a haunted house, she is drugged. When she wakes up, she learns that her DNA gives her amazing healing abilities. Not only that, she inherited the DNA from her father, an Olympian with tremendous strength. (The governments fell apart, but they still have the Olympics?)

While Austria lives in a house with her mother, she is not too proud to live like her homeless peers and spends time sleeping on the streets and accompanying them to their less than reputable hangouts. However, she finds them a more likeable friendlier bunch than the so-called Frat Kids, bullying rich kids. In fact she even contemplates a romance with one, Josh, and treats another one, Jack, like the kid brother that she never had.

The world building is amazing. It is rather unfortunate that most of it is relegated to the background or thrown together in the final chapters. The majority of the action revolves around the cliques and construction of a haunted house.

This presents huge plot points. In a world of a declining government and real fear, haunted attractions would lose their luster. The world would be more like The Hunger Games and less Disney's Haunted Mansion.

The construction chapters take most of the book and are really only interesting because it allows Austria to interact with the street kids and begin relationships with them. Mostly, it's the traditional teen angst and creative disagreements that occur when putting together a project. Cliched in a book set in a modern time period. Unnecessary in a book that is set in the future with a background that suggests more important life threatening problems than where to put a special effect monster.

However, there are some bits that are interesting about the haunted house chapters. The setting of the book is frightening but the the behavior of the characters suggest that they are so numb and used to it, that they go on with their lives and do regular things like building a haunted attraction.

Another point is equal parts disturbing, but thought provoking the more that one considers. In one of the rooms, Austria and her crew reenact the Jonestown Mass Suicide in their attraction. Nowadays, it would be shocking and forbidden to imagine anyone thinking of putting that in a haunted attraction. In the future where real fear runs rampant, things like "inappropriate" are no longer considered.

However, once they get past the teen dilemmas and the haunted house, Altered Helix is an interesting book. Underneath the seeming normalcy, there is a darkness that is waiting to explode. A darkness that reveals itself in the last few pages that opens up for another book that hopefully puts this world in the forefront.

Classics Corner: The Turn of The Screw by Henry James; Haunting Gothic Ghost Story is a Suspenseful Psychological Tale That Asks More Questions Than Gives Answers

Classics Corner: The Turn of The Screw by Henry James; Haunting Gothic Ghost Story is a Suspenseful Psychological Tale That Asks More Questions Than Gives Answers

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews




Spoilers: I apologize for being late and having so many entries at once, but there was a cold and flu bug going around our house and I had headaches that prevented me from going on the Internet for very long, but I am better and I have a lot to show.
 Henry James knew a thing or two about psychology as well as the supernatural. His brother, William was an eminent philosopher, psychologist, and is considered the Father of Modern American Psychology. He also was a believer in Spiritualism and Mysticism and was the founder of the American Society for Psychical Research. These topics also interested Henry as many of his novels have shown.

Many of Henry James’ novels dissect the motives and means behind his characters particularly his female protagonists. Whether it's Wings of a Dove’s Kate Croy, Washington Square's Catherine Sloper, Daisy Miller's titular character, or (my favorite) Portrait of a Lady’s Isabel Archer, James took his Readers inside the female psyche to show how these characters challenged or surrendered to the world around them. Many of his characters were haunted by past misdeeds, structures that confined them, and expectations and ambitions that they strove to meet but often came up short. In short, many of his protagonists were haunted people.




That's what makes James’ novella, The Turn of the Screw so fascinating. Throughout the book, the Reader is uncertain whether it is the area or the people that are haunted. Are the spirits real or hallucinations? All the Reader knows for sure is whenever haunted people and haunted situations get together, unpleasant things are certain to happen.




The Narrator of James’ story is an unnamed governess who is hired to look after Flora and Miles, a young orphaned brother and sister put in the the custody of their wealthy uncle. The uncle, having no experience with children, is often away leaving the children at boarding school or under the care of servants. (In fact, the uncle is barely in the book no doubt to avoid a Jane Eyre/Rochester romance between him and the governess.) Shortly after the Governess arrives, young Miles is expelled from his school for reasons that are never fully explained but implied was because of some “untoward violation.” He returns to his home to join his sister and the staff.




That's when the Governess starts seeing some strange figures of a man and woman hovering within mirrors, through windows, and often near the children. They have menacing expressions, seem to appear and disappear at will, and no one else acknowledges their presence. The Governess becomes frightened especially after she describes the Ghostly Duo to Mrs. Grose, the housekeeper. Mrs. Grose reveals that they resemble Miss Jessel, the Governess’ predecessor and Peter Quint, the uncle's valet who had a sexual relationship with Miss Jessel. That's all interesting in a gossipy sort of way except um...Quint and Miss Jessel are well you know….dead.

The Governess is determined to protect the children especially when it appears that Flora and Miles see and communicate with the ghosts. What is their intention? Are they planning on harming the children from the other side or killing them and dragging them to Hell? Are they manifestations of some kind of secret guilt that the residents share? Are the ghosts even real or projects of an overactive imagination from an excitable and overwrought governess? James never tells us the answer.




The Turn of the Screw is one of those type of books that leaves the interpretation up to the Reader. While that can be annoying to some, others (such as myself) enjoy this psychological approach of providing their own analytical response to the book.

Many hints are provided that Quint and Jessel were not nice people in life to say the least. Mrs. Grose implied that Quint was “too free with everyone,” and that Miss Jessel often acquiesced to his leadership. Could that have meant that he molested Miles and that he groomed Miss Jessel to molest Flora? It's possible.




Flora and Miles exhibit what could be considered classic signs of being victims of sexual abuse. Flora often keeps to herself and wanders off to unknown locations. Miles acts extremely mature and exhibits knowledge of adult activities beyond his age. Then there's his expulsion, conveniently after Quint's death. Could Miles have exhibited some of his new found knowledge to his fellow students or exhibited some other violent or aggressive tendencies that he learned from Quint? With his superficial charm, secretive nature, and desire to disobey his elders (such as sneaking out of the house at night) just because “he can,” Miles certainly exhibits signs of being a budding sociopath. Are the ghosts then planning to possess the kids to continue their control over them from Beyond?




Then there's the Governess. While she is clearly concerned and protective over the children, she is also prone to fits of hysteria. Many times after she encounters the ghosts, she comes across as a mentally ill person, particularly trying to convince everyone else that the ghosts exist. Her behavior seems to suggest that the ghosts may not be real and are products of her imagination or hallucinations from a repressed, but unhinged mind. (Though if that were true, it would not explain how the Governess would know what Quint and Jessel, two people she had never met before, look like enough for Mrs. Grose to recognize them from her description.)




At times the Governess could be just as unbalanced and just as harmful to the children as her predecessors, even in her determination to save them. In one frightening passage, The Governess’ insane rambling frightens Flora particularly after the girl tells her she doesn't see the ghosts. Ironically in trying to prevent Flora from being taken by the ghosts, the Governess’ behavior isolates Flora and particularly Miles further and puts them right in their paths.




The Turn of the Screw is the type of ghost story that is more than a simple tale involving ghosts. It raises more questions than answers forcing the Readers to make their own conclusions therefore proving that sometimes the scariest ghosts are found inside the human mind.