Brilliantly dramatic

Having read the book several times I can definitively say that this brilliantly read version adds wonderfully to the drama and the breathtaking cruelty of this terrible story. Enthralling.

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Sound interference

Unfortunately I had to stop listening to this as there is some soft interference as if a pot of porridge is coming plopping to the boil next to the lips of the performer. Henry James may have been working something out about his childless state and what he might get out of knowing a child. But to modern ears there are queasy moments when Sir Claude is told he can do what he likes with the child etc. Also ghastly is the emotional devastation of the child's psyche detailed which we see as socially acceptable.

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1 person found this helpful

I’m going to have to try another Henry James… !

This is a period, high society Victorian drama about a child Maisie who is pushed about initially by self seeking and neglectful parents and subsequently manipulated and betrayed by step-parents and governesses. It’s a story of a coming of age, choice of morality and exercise of independence. That Maisie remains resilient is a testament to her own character and partly the (confused) love she does receive.
This is exemplary and articulate writing but the plot is focused around a small group of characters and a sparse environment and I became bored and needed to persevere to finish.
I can’t help recognising that Maisie is really the object of abuse and neglect. And it was difficult to ignore this outrage, not only upon Maisie but children like her, across generations, in the same predicament.

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3 people found this helpful

A Curious read

I found the story repetitive and didn’t know what to make of it at the end. But Henry James has to be taken seriously so I’m glad I persisted. The reader was good.

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Superlative performance

A long and painful story, worth persisting with. An array of convincing characters. Look out for a Jamesian ending.

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Funny and poignant

A very wonderful piece of writing about the journey from innocence to knowing. Characters are complex, compelling and so well drawn. The story of negligence and selfishness of adults, and the resilience and wisdom of a child is still relevant today.

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Dull overall

Narrated immaculately but in a way that made the whole novel exceptionally dull. Frustrating to hear the word ‘specific’ repeatedly pronounced as ‘pacific’ - gave up on this two thirds of the way through but may read the actual novel!

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